Carnegie Mellon University

Ten More Dietrich College Classes You Don’t Want to Miss

August 20, 2018

Ten More Dietrich College Classes You Don’t Want to Miss

By Stefanie Johndrow

Back by popular demand, take a look at some of the many incredible classes being offered this fall by Carnegie Mellon University’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

84-104 A: Decision Processes in American Political Institutions

An interdisciplinary introduction to the study of U.S. politics and government, this course familiarizes students with basic government structures and processes and moves beyond the descriptive into the realm of the analytical. On one side, this course looks at how American political thought is infused into political institutions and society. On the other side, it investigates institutional arrangements using rationalistic theories. In addition, scientific writings at the intersection of psychology and economics are used to probe the possibility of gaining explanatory leverage on U.S. politics from the perspective of behavioral decision-making theories.

This course counts toward the Dietrich College Deciding GenEd requirement.

84-310 A: International Political Economy

This course explores how political institutions, process and actors influence economic interactions both domestically and internationally. Throughout the semester, the class will address two key questions: How do governments collaborate to regulate and stabilize the trans-boundary flow of capital, goods and services? And what are the distributional effects of the current world economic order? By the end of the course, students will be prepared to compare and contrast the theoretical propositions and policy recommendations of rival schools of thought.

This course counts toward the Dietrich College Deciding GenEd requirement.

88-300: Programming and Data Analysis for Social Scientists

This course provides an introduction to the statistical programming language R and is designed primarily with social science majors in mind. Students will develop skills in all facets of the data analysis pipeline, from installing and loading packages and reading in files to data cleaning, munging, visualization and modeling. Students with no prior coding experience are welcome.

This course counts toward the Dietrich College Modeling: Other GenEd requirement.

82-114 A1: Arabic for Global Exchange

This mini-course examines Arabic language and culture that utilize cognitive learning technologies and computer-assisted language instruction to enhance educational, governmental and business exchanges that are increasingly vital to public policy and economic development in the global economy. Students will be introduced to basic concepts and information to engage in an Arabic-speaking environment. The course project aims to meet a need for high quality, communication-oriented instructional materials to introduce basic cultural knowledge and survival language.

This course counts toward the Dietrich College Communicating GenEd requirement.

82-117 A1: Arabic Conversation & Dialect I

Students will be introduced to a particular dialect of Arabic and the culture of the region where the dialect is spoken. The dialect will vary based on the instructor's background (i.e. Levantine, Egyptian, Moroccan, etc.). This class adopts a proficiency-based approach and the content of the course will be organized around themes such as greetings, introductions, directions, family, food, etc. Because of the significant contribution of technology in facilitating and empowering language learning and language teaching, a substantial part of communication, activities and assignments will be done via digital programs.

This course counts toward the Dietrich College Communicating GenEd requirement.

79-371: African American Urban History

Common perceptions of poor and working class people are prominent in discussions of today's African American urban community. In the quest to build livable urban communities, however, the African American poor and working classes are often discussed as "consumers" rather than "producers," as "takers" rather than "givers" and as "liabilities" instead of "assets." Effective public policies, movement strategies, educational programs, media campaigns and sensitive philanthropic decisions require deeper and more thoughtful perspectives on the history of urban race and class relations in the past. Focusing on the development of African American urban history from its colonial beginnings through today's Black Lives Matter movement, this course will emphasize the many ways that people of African descent shaped American and African American urban life through their roles as workers, community-builders and social justice activists.

Just want to flag that there isn’t a requirement listed for this one – maybe there isn’t one but flagging!

80-335: Social and Political Philosophy

Broadly speaking, political philosophers are interested in whether, and to what extent, government use of coercion can be justified, and how social and political institutions should be structured in order to be legitimate. This course aims to provide students with an in-depth familiarity with classic and contemporary questions, both theoretical and applied. Topics have included the nature and value of freedom, racial and epistemic injustice and the nature of white ignorance, and responsibility for injustice. Students will gain a strong understanding of major debates in social and political theory, as well as the tools to analyze ongoing debates within contemporary U.S. and global politics.

This course counts toward the Dietrich College Reflecting GenEd requirement.

85-261: Abnormal Psychology

The study of psychopathology is not an exact science, nor are there many clear-cut parameters with which to differentiate normal and abnormal behavior. This course will focus on learning about and understanding the range of behaviors which fall within the province of abnormal psychology. Students will examine definitions of abnormality in a historical and contemporary context, explore issues relevant to diagnosis and patient care, be introduced to various psychological diagnostic categories and develop an appreciation of the range of treatments for these disorders.

This course counts toward the Dietrich College Deciding GenEd requirement.

76-208: Grammar for Everyone

This mini-course is open to all students who may have forgotten English sentence grammar, who never studied it or who studied it but never really understood how a systematic knowledge of grammar can make you a better writer. The course is designed for non-English majors who wish to write with greater awareness and control of the English language. Through the home-grown software DiaGrammar, students will diagram all sentence varieties covered in the course. Students will leave this course with a better command of the English sentence as a resource for their growth as writers. Both native and non-native speakers are welcome in this course.

79-211 Modern Southeast Asia: Colonialism, Capitalism and Cultural Exchange

However you imagine it, Southeast Asia is an incredibly diverse and dynamic region that has long been integral to world affairs. This course offers a wide-ranging survey of Southeast Asia’s peoples, their histories and some of the issues they face today. Students will explore the region as a “global crossroads,” where the world’s religions, economies, cultures and politics come together in generative, sometimes traumatic and often surprising ways.

This course counts toward the Dietrich College Reflecting Gen Ed requirement.

View more information about these courses, including full descriptions, meeting times and instructors »