Spring 2024 New & Trending Online Courses

Instructor: Carol Balk

As the second course of a two course series on academic and professional development, this course asks students to further examine the ways that their academic plans and career goals align.

Students will identify their current competencies and those they still need to acquire in order to succeed in identified careers. Building on their new understanding of their competencies and interests, students will develop strategies to reach their identified career goals, such as obtaining the internships, informational interviews, and job shadowing experiences necessary to attract prospective career opportunities and build their professional network. Ideal for career launchers and career changers, no prerequisites needed.

What does this course count for in CGS: Career Development (1 credit)

Instructor: Christy Kuehn

This introductory course offers students opportunities to improve as writers by developing their understanding of how they and others use writing to interpret and share experience, affect behavior, and position themselves in the world.  Specific reading and writing assignments may vary from section to section, but student writing will be the primary focus in all sections.  The course is designed to help students become more engaged, imaginative, and disciplined composers.

What does this course count for in CGS: Pre-requisite for many courses

Interested in English Composition?  Visit the English Composition Program »

Instructor: Barbara Klein

In this course, students will analyze and create the kinds of persuasive writing used in the fields of fundraising and advertising.  Both types of writing attempt to influence the decisions people make about the money they spend, the attitudes they have, and the issues that shape our society.

What does this course count for in CGS: Majors - Liberal Studies BA (self design); MPCOMM BA Corporate & Community Relations Track and Certificate, and Writing for the Professions Track and Certificate 

Interested in English Composition?  Visit the English Composition Program »

Instructor: Dieter Waeltermann

This is the first part of our elementary language course sequence.  In these proficiency-oriented courses students begin to learn how to communicate in German.

The course emphasizes all four skills - speaking, listening, reading, and writing - and introduces students to the culture of the German-speaking countries. Students will be working towards the A1-level of the Common European Framework of Reference. Students should plan to take German 0102 during the following semester.

What does this course count for in CGS: Major - Liberal Studies BA (self design); General Education Second Language Requirement  

Interested in German?  Visit the Department of German »

Instructor: Courtney Colligan & Alonna Carter

What is sex? What is gender? What is sexuality? How are these concepts related to culture? To nature? To help you answer these important questions, this course will introduce you to the exciting field of gender and sexuality studies. We will use a range of interdisciplinary concepts, tools, and methods to understand and analyze sex, gender, femininity, masculinity, and sexuality.

In addition, we will consider how gender intersects with other identity categories such as race, class, ethnicity, nation, age, ability, and sexuality. Because we all have a gender and a sexuality, this course is crucial for any profession and for understanding the world around us.

What does this course count for in CGS: Major - Liberal Studies BA (self design)

Interested in Gender, Sexuality & Women Studies?  Visit the GSWS Program »

Instructor: Alonna Carter

How are the goals and concerns of feminism relevant in a variety of workplaces? Why haven't women achieved equal pay for equal work, compared to men? What is unpaid labor, and why does it matter? Why should my organization create policies that support individuals regardless of gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality (and what do those terms mean, anyway?)?

To help you answer these important questions, this course will take an introductory, intersectional approach to gender in the professions. We will use a range of interdisciplinary concepts, tools, and methods to understand and analyze sex, gender, and sexuality as they relate to the world of work. 

In addition, we will consider how gender and sexuality intersect with other identity categories such as race, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, and ability. Because we all have a gender and a sexuality, this course is crucial for any profession and for understanding the world around us.

What does this course count for in CGS: Major - Liberal Studies BA (self design)

Interested in Gender, Sexuality & Women Studies?  Visit the GSWS Program »

Instructor: Heather Reel

For centuries, the biological sciences have embraced the human body as a product of nature in need of study, measurement, and treatment. Much of this knowledge has contributed to discourses of "normal" and "healthy" bodies. However, contemporary social science and feminist perspectives offer alternative readings of the human body as a social construction based upon cultural conventions and perceptions of gender, race, class, and sexuality. 

As Lorber and others have argued, "the result is a gendered body, produced for a gendered social world."  This class will examine a wide variety of gendered social constructions of the human body at work, in sports, and in media images that reflect standards and ideals of "beauty," "health" and "deviance." We will also consider the meaning of gendered bodies in light of contemporary technologies - such as plastic surgery, steroids, infertility treatments - that help to reveal the ways in which males, females, and "others" become "men" and "women."

What does this course count for in CGS: Major - Liberal Studies BA (self design); Disability Studies Certificate

Interested in Gender, Sexuality & Women Studies?  Visit the GSWS Program »

Instructor: Courtney Colligan

This course will explore the relationship between identity, media, and digital culture, specifically how gender is constructed and contested through forms of media.

Students will consider how media also informs notions of race, class, sexuality, religion, and ethnicity, among other identity markers. This course will rely on thoughtful and academically stimulating analyses of media, such as television, film, music, advertising, online spaces, video games, among others, and in various combinations.

What does this course count for in CGS: Major - Liberal Studies BA (self design); MPCOMM Digital Media Track; Digital Media Certificate

Interested in Gender, Sexuality & Women Studies?  Visit the GSWS Program »

Instructor: John Boonstra

This is an exploration of the ancient and global history of piracy. 

Using primary historical documents (written by and about pirates) as well as the accounts of modern historians, we will discuss a range of topics such as the role of piracy in the building of empires, the later struggle of merchants and their allies to eradicate piracy through bloody campaigns of capital punishment, and the meanings of the pirate as represented in popular culture through the ages.

What does this course count for in CGS: Major - Liberal Studies BA (self design); General Education Global Issues and Cross-Cultural Awareness Requirement

Interested in History?  Visit the Department of History »

Instructor: John Boonstra

This course will examine Europe's post-war xenophobic, racist and exclusionary policies. 

We will use memoirs, photo-journalism, film and interviews to understand recent discrimination against refugees, guest workers, Jews, linguistic and religious minorities.  We will also put the question into scholarly context, as we examine how historians, sociologists, psychologists and anthropologists try to understand the way in which Europeans construct the categories of "us" and the "others".

What does this course count for in CGS: Major - Liberal Studies BA (self design); General Education Historical Analysis and Specific Geographic Region Requirement

Interested in History?  Visit the Department of History »

Instructor: Bob O'Mara

The course covers basic algebra skills. Linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions are included. Systems of linear equations are also covered.

What does this course count for in CGS: Major - Liberal Studies BA (self design); Natural Sciences BS Standard Track; General Education Algebra Requirement 

Interested in Mathematics?  Visit the Department of Mathematics »

Instructor: Anthony Sorrentino III

A variety of topics are studied:  functions, rational functions, logarithmic and exponential functions, graphs, asymptotes, inverse, conic sections, translation and rotation of axes, trigonometric identities and equations, and possibly vectors.

What does this course count for in CGS: Major - Liberal Studies BA (self design); Natural Sciences BS Standard Track; General Education Algebra Requirement

Interested in Mathematics?  Visit the Department of Mathematics »

Instructor: Liz Richey

This course introduces students to core issues, theories, and experimental finding in cognitive psychology. 

Topics to be covered include sensory perception, attention, memory, imagery, language, reasoning, problem solving and decision making.

What does this course count for in CGS: Liberal Studies BA (self design); Natural Sciences BS Standard Track; General Education Natural Sciences Requirement 

Interested in psychology?  Visit the Department of Psychology »

Instructor: Ahmed Ghuman

Positive psychology encompasses the study of positive experiences, positive character strengths, positive relationships, and the institutions and practices that facilitate their development. Positive experiences include the mental states of flow and mindfulness and emotions about the present (pleasure, contentment, laughter), past (e.g., nostalgia, satisfaction, pride), and future (e.g., hope, optimism). The distinction among the pleasant life, the good life, and the meaningful life will be drawn. The positive character traits include wisdom, courage, compassion, love, humanity, justice, temperance, self-efficacy, resilience, grit, imagination, creativity, and spirituality/transcendence.

This course also reviews the history of positive psychology and the contributions this new field has made to several traditional research areas in psychology. We will also engage in experiential learning and practical exercises to increase wellbeing, which will inform our theoretical and empirical understanding of important questions in positive psychology.

What does this course count for in CGS: Liberal Studies BA (self design); Natural Sciences BS Standard Track

Interested in psychology?  Visit the Department of Psychology »

Instructor: Chihuangji (Herbert) Wang

This course introduces the practice of urban planning, focusing on the opportunities and challenges of professional planning in Pittsburgh's metropolitan region. The course focuses on how planning processes and methods can address different urban needs.

Students will engage with guest speakers and plans that illustrate approaches to land use, zoning, transportation planning, placemaking, public health, and sustainability.

On completion, students will concisely and effectively communicate findings and recommendations and develop practical solutions to their professional, urban plans.

What does this course count for in CGS: Majors - Health Services BA and Liberal Studies BA (self design); Certificates - Community Health Assessment and Leadership 

Interested in Urban Studies?  Visit the Urban Studies Program »

Instructor: Chihuangji (Herbert) Wang

The growing importance of big data and urban analytics are contributing to cities becoming 'smarter'. Smart city planning requires creating data structures and methods of framework to gather, store, and analyze information that can inform planning practices and policymaking.

This course will outline the frontiers in urban data science, including the ethical and analytical considerations that underpin the smart city paradigm. Students will gain practical experience with analyzing, modelling, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data using R and RStudio. 

The course is designed to accommodate students with diverse backgrounds, and while no prerequisites are required some familiarity with statistical methods and coding is beneficial. The course emphasizes a geographical perspective in addressing urban topics (including infrastructure, transportation, and sustainability), empowering students to contribute to future urban planning practices and policymaking.

What does this course count for in CGS: Major - Liberal Studies BA (self design); National Preparedness Homeland Security Certificate

Interested in Urban Studies?  Visit the Urban Studies Program »