Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Mission

The Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences explores the human condition in all of its richness and complexity. While focusing on the development of the essential skills of critical analysis in the disciplines of anthropology, geography, history, political science, psychology, social work, and sociology, the department fosters a commitment and capacity for informed citizenship. As active citizens, students gain an understanding of diverse social perspectives and evaluate culturally-based values and beliefs. Finally, the department instills in its graduates the ability and desire to recognize and appreciate learning as a life-long process.

Graduate Offerings

No graduate degree is offered in the department; however, students pursuing a M.Ed. in Secondary Education (6-12) with certification in Social Science or History may take the following courses to fulfill teaching-field requirements. Students who have taken slash-listed courses at the undergraduate level may not also receive credit for same courses at the graduate level, with the exception of the internships, directed readings, and special topics. For information on the M.Ed. programs, refer to the appropriate section under the Department of Teaching, Leadership, & Technology .

Courses

Environmental Studies

• •  ES 510 - Special Topics in Environmental Studies

Geography

• •  GEOG 511 - Selected Topics in Geography
• •  GEOG 566 - Political Geography

History

• •  HIST 511 - Selected Topics in History
• •  HIST 521 - Seminar in Medieval European History
• •  HIST 522 - Seminar in Early Modern European History
• •  HIST 523 - Civil Rights Movement
• •  HIST 524 - Colonial Latin America
• •  HIST 525 - Modern Latin America
• •  HIST 526 - U.S.-Latin American Relations: 1820 to present
• •  HIST 531 - Cold War Latin America
• •  HIST 532 - History of French Film
• •  HIST 533 - Modern Brazil
• •  HIST 534 - Seminar in 20th Century European History
• •  HIST 535 - History of Modern Japan
• •  HIST 536 - Seminar in American History
• •  HIST 541 - History of England I
• •  HIST 542 - History of England Since 1688
• •  HIST 544 - The Islamic World
• •  HIST 547 - Medieval European History, 476-1400
• •  HIST 548 - Renaissance and Reformation, 1300-1653
• •  HIST 555 - The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era, 1789-1815
• •  HIST 558 - History of Germany, 1871-1945
• •  HIST 560 - History of the South
• •  HIST 561 - History of Early Modern Europe, up to 1789
• •  HIST 565 - History of France Since 1815
• •  HIST 570 - Colonial America
• •  HIST 571 - Revolutionary America
• •  HIST 572 - History of Alabama
• •  HIST 573 - African-American History
• •  HIST 574 - Jeffersonian-Jacksonian America
• •  HIST 576 - Civil War and Reconstruction
• •  HIST 577 - The Gilded Age
• •  HIST 579 - History of Alabama’s Constitutions
• •  HIST 580 - Diplomatic History of the United States
• •  HIST 581 - The United States, 1900-1945
• •  HIST 582 - The United States Since 1945
• •  HIST 583 - History of Africa
• •  HIST 584 - U.S. Wars-Korea and Vietnam
• •  HIST 590 - Directed Reading
• •  HIST 595 - Internship in History

Political Science

• •  POS 511 - Selected Topics in Political Science
• •  POS 522 - American Political Thought
• •  POS 543 - Middle East
• •  POS 544 - Public Policy
• •  POS 545 - Public Administration
• •  POS 546 - The Politics of Social Policy
• •  POS 547 - The Politics of Sin (Morality Politics)
• •  POS 555 - International Relations
• •  POS 575 - Constitutional Law
• •  POS 590 - Directed Reading
• •  POS 595 - Government Internship

Sociology

• •  SOC 501 - Sociology of Aging and the Life Course
• •  SOC 502 - Sociology of Education
• •  SOC 503 - Animals and Society
• •  SOC 504 - Environmental and Natural Resources Sociology
• •  SOC 511 - Selected Topics in Sociology
• •  SOC 515 - Race and the Criminal Justice System
• •  SOC 517 - Thinking about Crime
• •  SOC 545 - Sex Roles, Gender, and Culture
• •  SOC 580 - Development of Sociological Theory
• •  SOC 590 - Independent Study in Sociology