Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Professional Studies online

Through a comparison of numerous cultures, students explore the primary distinguishing characteristics of culture and identify strategies for relating their own culture to those of others. Emphasis is placed on an eclectic cultural design. The primary goal is to provide students with practical and theoretical knowledge and an understanding of intercultural communication in contemporary life situations.

A survey of women’s and gender history in the modern era, the course draws comparisons between major world regions. Instructor may focus on one or more area of geographic expertise, exploring how societies have constructed gender and sexual identity; how race, ethnicity, class and other social differences have informed women’s experiences over time; and how societies have developed systemic inequalities and forms of gender-based oppression. Special attention is given to the role of the state, the evolution of feminism. civil and human rights movements, and how individuals and collectives envision and work toward global feminism, sexual and reproductive liberation, and social justice.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the role of culture in shaping a person’s developmental processes, emotion, identity, social behavior and mental health. Findings of relevant classic and contemporary cross-cultural empirical studies will be presented, with emphasis on the universal and culturally-specific aspects of human condition. In addition, this course will explore ways to integrate cultural perspectives into understanding and working with people around the globe.

This course analyzes multiple forms of social oppression and inequality based on race (and color), sex (and gender), sexual orientation (and identity), and class in the United States. It will examine systemic aspects of social oppression in different periods and contexts and the ways that systems of social oppression manifest themselves on individual, cultural, institutional and/or global levels thus becoming self-perpetuating but not wholly unaltered structures. Individual and group agency, strategies of resistance, and visions for change will also be studied.

This course will use an interdisciplinary approach to examine the history of immigration in the United States. We will do this through the lens of our home state, New Jersey, because it is one of the top immigrant destinations in the United States. Although the United States is often described as a nation of immigrants, this description has been contested throughout its history. Nativist and xenophobic beliefs against immigrant communities have influenced and sometimes determined U.S. immigration policy and law. This course will examine the experience of New Jersey immigrant communities, intersectionality (such as gender, race, sexuality etc.) within these communities, and the impact of US policies of inclusion and exclusion. Community and Civic Engagement. This course fulfills UCC area 5.

Criminal law is focused on statutory construction and the elements of a crime, as well as defenses. We will explore how states construct their criminal codes and the policy reasons behind the elements of a statute. Students will also learn the theories behind criminalization, legal moralism, culpability, intent, causation, mental capacity, and criminal penalties.

The course explores the concept(s) of corporate social responsibility (CSR), philanthropy and corporate strategy. Various real-world organizational CSR programs are analyzed to examine the scope and complexity of CSR and its impact on global and local business and society.

This course explores the experiences of North American workers from the nineteenth century to the present with a focus on how workers engaged with the problems they confronted and attempted to craft solutions. The course examines the everyday lives and challenges faced by workers at the job site, in their communities, and in their struggles to secure union representation and more favorable public policies. It traces the main outlines of the modern union movement, from the violent confrontations of the late nineteenth century, to the surge in union strength of the mid-twentieth century, to the dramatic membership declines of recent decades in an economy buffeted by globalization, deindustrialization, and downsizing. Special attention will be paid to the particular challenges confronting women, immigrant, and non white workers. The course will consider how particular groups of workers and their supporters engaged within their communities and with civic institutions to address a particular problem or set of challenges.

Designed to familiarize students with the legal system with particular emphasis on the court system and administrative agents. Also includes examination of substantive areas such as antitrust, bankruptcy, corporate law, partnership, and securities regulations.

This course is designed to increase awareness of values, ethics, beliefs and attitudes, and how they relate to issues of sustainability. It will pay special attention to the manner in which corporations can become agents of injustice and inequality in society, and conversely, how they can be transformed by individual actors and by institutional reforms. This course will also analyze sustainability at the institutional level, focusing on socially and structurally imbedded nature of corporate actions. This is a writing intensive course.

In the twenty-first century, organizations are a central fact of human existence. This class provides an introduction to organizational communication, preparing students to understand and effectively participate in organizational life. The course surveys various aspects of organizational communication from an overview of theoretical frameworks to applications. Particular attention is paid to process, forms, and functions of organizational communication, and to contemporary organizational issues such as diversity, technology, and team work.

Introduces basic principles, policies, problems, and successful methods of business organization and management. Emphasizes management’s ability to analyze, plan, coordinate, and control the varied activities of production, personnel, finance, and marketing. Also examines social responsibility and environmental factors affecting business policy and operation.

Introduces basic principles, policies, problems, and successful methods of business organization and management. Emnphasizes management’s ability to analyze, plan, coordinate, and control the varied activities of production, personnel, finance, and marketing. Also examines social responsibility and environmental factors affecting business policy and operation.

This course provides an introduction to social psychological theory, research, and application. At its best, social psychology is an interdisciplinary endeavor. Thus, in our attempt to understand human social interaction, we draw from sociology, political science, and history, as well as from more traditional psychological sources. Topics to be covered include attitude formation and change, social influence processes, social cognition, moral development, interpersonal attraction, aggression, prejudice, and political psychology.

This course introduces students to the science and practice of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology. Psychological theory and research are applied to the solution of problems in business and industry. After an overview of research methods and the history of I/O psychology, students are exposed to basic concepts from human resources psychology, organizational development, and consumer behavior.

This course presents students with an introduction to the breadth of concepts, social issues, and research approaches that characterize community psychology. Unlike many other areas of Psychology,community psychology utilizes an ecological approach in examining adaptive and maladaptive behavior such that it may not be an issue with an individual but rather the fit of the individual with the context. Context here is viewed as multi-layered, behavior is examined as a function of the individual within networks of people, institutions, and social systems. Students will learn to recognize the complexity of the ecological perspective and the many circles of social influence with an eye to advancing the well-being of individuals and communities. In addition to examining theory-based research, this course will also focus on applied service delivery. The promotion of health, the prevention of mental health problems, and the design of community-level interventions will be addressed.

An analysis of the nature of work, the individual’s relation to work, the organizations workers form to protect their interests, and the interactions among workers, their organizations, and other institutions. Course offered Fall and Spring Semesters.

Introductory course in the fundamental principles of accounting, the theory of debit and credit, account classification, preparation of working papers, adjusting, closing, reversing entries, and preparation of basic financial statements. Use of spreadsheet and word processing computer applications.

This course introduces students to the fundamental knowledge of computers and computing with a strong emphasis on the algorithmic approach to computer problem solving and the procedural programming methodology including analysis, design, documentation, implementation, and debugging. Students are required to work on substantial programming assignments in C/C++.

This course is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts of macroeconomic analysis. Particular emphasis will be placed on the examination of production, expenditure, employment, unemployment, and price levels for the economy as a whole. Discussed are also monetary, fiscal, and financial policies, with regards to their impacts on economic growth, inflation, unemployment, and financial stability.

This course discusses the basic economic principles related to the behavior of individual agents. the main topics include the following: 1) Opportunity Cost, 2) Demand and supply analysis, 3) consumer theory, 4) Production and costs, 5) Profit maximization, 6) Market structure ( perfect comptetition , monopoly, monoplistic competition, and oligopoly), 7) Market failure and the distribution of income ad 8) International trade and exchange rates.

A study of algebraic and transcendental functions, including their properties and graphs with a focus on applications to business. Topics include algebraic fundamentals, equations and inequalities, polynomial functions and graphs, exponential and logarithmic functions and mathematics of finance.

This course studies the development of statistical concepts with applications to various disciplines. Topics include descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The latter are explained in terms of concepts from probability theory such as normal distribution, t-distribution, sampling theory, estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, t-test, Chi square test, analysis of variance and regression and correlation. The software package SPSS is used to perform statistical analysis. Emphasis is on understanding the concepts and problem-solving using modern technology.

Applied Statistics provides an introduction to basic statistical procedures for the behavioral sciences, including probability theory, hypothesis testing, and descriptive and inferential statistics. Students learn how to use and select among a variety of statistical tests such as z-statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, and correlation, as well as nonparametric tests such as chi-square. Technology intensive laboratory sessions train students in the use computer software to analyze data and create graphs that are appropriate for the sciences. Students will be charged an additional Psychology Lab Fee when enrolling in this course.

This course teaches students the process of social scientific inquiry. Students will learn the fundamentals of social science research methods, including the process by which research questions are formulated, relevant literature is reviewed, data are collected and analyzed, and results are written up. As this is a writing intensive course, students will learn methods in part through weekly writing assignments. The end product of the course will be a paper or proposal that has been improved through an iterative process of feedback by the professor and revision by the student.

An opportunity for advanced study and discussion of issues and questions, together with the opportunity to study and analyze the research available in various areas of communication. Each student chooses an area of communication in which to plan and carry out a research project. (Pre-Requisite: COMM 1210)

Major emphasis on techniques for solving business problems, the development of marketing policies, and the sale of consumer and industrial products. Various marketing decisions are examined with respect to product planning, channels of distribution, promotion activity, selling and sales management, pricing, and international marketing.

Applied Statistics provides an introduction to basic statistical procedures for the behavioral sciences, including probability theory, hypothesis testing, and descriptive and inferential statistics. Students learn how to use and select among a variety of statistical tests such as z-statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, and correlation, as well as nonparametric tests such as chi-square. Technology intensive laboratory sessions train students in the use computer software to analyze data and create graphs that are appropriate for the sciences. Students will be charged an additional Psychology Lab Fee when enrolling in this course.

Through the study of communication theory as it relates to business and the professions and through practice simulations, the student acquires a knowledge of those communicative and motivational skills essential for success in business and professional life.

This course will help students develop knowledge of and capability in various approaches to business writing contexts, as well as the forms and styles of business writing. Students will study and produce different products typical in business writing, including such items as reports, letters, proposals, and analyses. This is a writing intensive course.

Intensive work on the elements of successful technical writing through such forms as the expanded definition, instructions, the informative abstract, and the long technical report. This course is both writing and technology intensive.

This course introduces students to the theories and practices of human capital management, specifically emphasizing the role human resources plays as a strategic partner in supporting, upholding, and delivering a business entities mission and values. Students will develop and apply the critical thinking skills necessary to integrate the myriad of moving parts involved in the human capital planning process by applying them to real life business situations designed to move a company forward. Some sections of this course are writing intensive.

This course is designed to provide a basic introduction to leadership by focusing on what it means to be an effective leader. It provides a broad understanding of the history of leadership, theoretical approaches to leadership, and ethical and practical issues facing contemporary leaders. The course will examine topics such as: understanding the relationship between leadership, culture, and diversity; recognizing leadership traits; engaging people’s strengths; building effective and inclusive teams; developing leadership skills in self and others; establishing a constructive climate; initiating and adjusting to change; and, negotiating conflict. Course participants will assess their leadership traits and skills as well as identify means to improve their own leadership performance.

Leadership skills are increasingly demanded of individuals to lead or transform organizations and communities. This course enables participants to define their own learning goals and apply them to leadership approaches, management, team building, decision-making, communication, financial and technological skills, cultural competency, and ethics in the workplace or on community engagement projects. Critical & transformative models of power, politics, and leadership that attend to difference and diversity in an interconnected world will be highlighted. Prerequisite(s): LPS 3000

This course is designed to enable students to reflect upon, critique, appraise and synthesize the core experience, knowledge and skills gained in the LPS program. Students will complete and finalize their e-portfolio for the program which will demonstrate their critical perspectives, portable skills, and domain knowledge of leadership. Class projects and activities will enhance career-related skills (such as interviewing techniques, oral presentation, and the ability to state and develop one’s leadership philosophy) and assess the student’s ability to apply their leadership experience, concepts, and theories to create practical, effective, strategic, ethical, and socially just outcomes for various contexts (organizations, communities, workgroups, governance). Prerequisite(s): LPS 4000