UCOR Section Descriptions

Course Description

This course examines the construction and consequences of borders across the world. Students develop their analytical, presentation and writing skills as they learn how international boundaries work on local, national and transnational levels. Substantive topics include borderland cultures, collective identities, international order, migration processes, and security policies. Assignments involve written essays, oral presentations, in-depth research, and group collaboration.

Course Description

We are increasingly bombarded with crises such as climate disasters, racial injustice, and toxic stress. In this course students will learn about types of crises and their effects on the mental health and social well-being of vulnerable communities. Students will be introduced to social work values and theories and interdisciplinary crisis intervention frameworks, and have the opportunity to analyze global and domestic case studies of crisis responses through a social work lens.

Course Description

How did the United States become the world's largest jailer? This course addresses many questions that arise from the phenomenon of mass incarceration (the more than tripling of the incarceration rate in America since the mid-1970s). We compare the U.S. criminal justice system to other countries in the world and explore major topics like police violence, sentencing, white collar crimes, gangs, the War on Drugs, conditions of confinement, and life after prison.

Course Description

This course examines the construction and consequences of borders across the world. Students develop their analytical, presentation and writing skills as they learn how international boundaries work on local, national and transnational levels. Substantive topics include borderland cultures, collective identities, international order, migration processes, and security policies. Assignments involve written essays, oral presentations, in-depth research, and group collaboration.

Course Description

The United States is experiencing historically unprecedented levels of income and wealth inequality. This course begins by discussing the measurement of economic inequality, providing students both a historical and global perspective on current levels of inequality in the US. The course then introduces microeconomic explanations for economic inequality, focusing on the labor market. The course examines claims that inequality is detrimental to individual and societal well-being and to the political process. Finally, the course asks what, if anything, can or should be done to address economic inequality.

Course Description

Grounded in theoretical perspectives of International Relations, the course materials focus on the United Nations (UN) system and its evolving roles in the pursuit of security, peace, prosperity, and justice in the world.

Course Description

How did the United States become the world's largest jailer? This course addresses many questions that arise from the phenomenon of mass incarceration (the more than tripling of the incarceration rate in America since the mid-1970s). We compare the U.S. criminal justice system to other countries in the world and explore major topics like police violence, sentencing, white collar crimes, gangs, the War on Drugs, conditions of confinement, and life after prison.

Course Description

This course satisfies the Social Science requirement for the University Core, hence its “1600” number. It is offered by the sociology program, taught by a sociologist. The course covers several contemporary topics of importance: race relations and oppression, political discourse and its possibility, climate change and denial. The course will introduce you to sociological, historical, and psychological perspectives on these and other critical issues.

Course Description

What happens when things fall apart? What leads some societies to pull together to overcome the challenges that face it, and others to fall apart and fail? This class is focused on trying to answer that question. Looking at both empirical case studies and speculative fiction, we will seek to understand what leads societies to fail, and ask ourselves whether America is on such a path.

Course Description

How did the United States become the world's largest jailer? This course addresses many questions that arise from the phenomenon of mass incarceration (the more than tripling of the incarceration rate in America since the mid-1970s). We compare the U.S. criminal justice system to other countries in the world and explore major topics like police violence, sentencing, white collar crimes, gangs, the War on Drugs, conditions of confinement, and life after prison.