College Courses for High School Students

UAH 101 - Art History I (3 credits)

A survey of the major visual arts-architecture, painting, sculpture- from prehistoric times, through the Middle Ages. Given fall semester, every year.

UALH 111 - Medical Terminology (3 credits)

Allied health, like any other professional discipline, has its own specialized lexicon. Those in the various fields of allied health must understand this shared language not only to interact with other professionals but also to carry out career responsibilities. In this entry-level course, students learn and practice medical terminology—from anatomy and physiology to diagnostics and technology.

UANT 105 - Cultural Anthropology (3 credits)

This course acquaints students with how anthropologists use a cross cultural approach to understanding shared human perceptions and behaviors, and teaches anthropological research techniques of ethnography and corporate culture analysis. Why are cultures different? This course looks at similarities and differences among world’s cultures in terms of technological levels, social organization, and ideology. Topics include symbolism, language, sex roles, economic systems, kinship, political systems, religion, warfare, and cultural change. Students get to explore local culture through experiential projects outside the classroom.

UCJ 105 - Introduction to Criminal Justice (3 credits)

A general introduction to the study of the American system of criminal justice.

UCOM 180 - Public Speaking and Presentation (3 credits)

The course provides students with the skills needed to deliver compelling speeches and presentations. Students will learn to communicate information powerfully for both small groups and large audiences.

UMAT 101 - Fundamentals of Mathematics (3 credits)

This is a developmental mathematics course designed to review elementary algebra, to prepare students for further mathematics courses, and to develop problem-solving skills and critical thinking in mathematics. Topics include the real number system, linear equations and inequalities, exponents and polynomials, factorization, rational expressions, roots and radicals, and graphing. Because this course is developmental, it cannot count toward fulfilling the science distribution requirement. It may not be taken after completing any mathematics course with a higher number.

UPSY 105 - Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)

A general introduction to scientific psychology, including biological psychology, development, learning, memory, psychological disorders, and social psychology. Psychology majors must receive a “C” or better in this course to satisfy psychology major requirements.

USOC 245 – Race & Hip Hop (3 credits)

This course explores the contemporary emergence of rap and hip hop culture. The course engages students in listening to music, viewing DVDs, and reading books and articles related to rap, hip hop, and cultural values. Societal issues of social control and freedom of speech are examined. Students explore these issues with the intent to broaden their sociological imaginations.  

UCOM 290 – Interpersonal Communications (3 credits)

This course introduces students to principles of interpersonal communication. The course examines basic verbal and nonverbal elements that affect communication between individuals in a variety of interpersonal and small group contexts: friendship, romantic relationships, marriage, the family, the social peer group, and the work group.

UENG 101 – Composition and Critical Thought (3 credits)

Success in college calls for curiosity, engagement, and a willingness to be challenged, as well as having a strong foundation in reading, writing, and thinking. First-year students at Widener begin their college career with ENGL 101, a course designed to prepare undergraduates for serious academic inquiry, full participation in the intellectual life and mission of the university, and sustained self-directed learning throughout the curriculum. Students have the opportunity to select a section of ENGL 101 focused on a particular theme or topic. Through a variety of challenging reading and writing assignments engaging with the topic of choice (including a common reading), students become more careful and discerning readers. They will express insights and craft sustained arguments supported by carefully chosen evidence from primary and secondary material, and they will strengthen their ability to ask questions, evaluate, and synthesize complex information and draw conclusions.

UHIS 383 – The Civil Rights Movement (3 credits)

This course contextualizes the movement for social justice and legal equality for African Americans that took place during the 1950s and 1960s within a much longer history of protest against racial injustice in the United States. It envisions the struggle for civil rights in America, even during the 1950s and 1960s, as not one movement but many, facilitated by a variety of individuals and groups that adhered to different goals, philosophies, and strategies in a collective quest for racial equality. Students examine the origins, achievements, and failures of the civil rights movement, as well as its legacy in our own time.

UPOL 221 – Intro to International Relations (3 credits)

An introduction to various approaches and methods of analysis in international relations. The course examines the nature of the international system, the manner in which states and other actors behave, the causes of war and techniques of conflict resolution, economic interactions, and the implications of growing international interdependence. The course also addresses socio-economic imbalances among nations. Sophomore standing required.

USOC 105 – Intro to Sociology (3 credits)

A general introduction to sociology covering empirically based theoretical insights on social groups, culture, institutions, social organization, stratification, deviance, social movements, and social change. The development of a sociological perspective through the application of core concepts, such as the sociological imagination and the social construction of reality, formulates the basic framework for this course.

UALH 218 - Nutrition in Health Care (3 credits)

This course is designed to increase the student’s knowledge about the scientific principles of human nutrition and how sound nutrition practices are related to achieving optimal health and wellness. The following aspects of dietary nutrients will be covered: physical and chemical properties, physiological functions, dietary allowances, energy balance, food labeling, food-borne illnesses, deficiency diseases, and availability of nutrients from various food sources.

UHIS 102 - Western Civilization III: 1789–Present (3 credits)

A study of select themes in European history from the French Revolution to the present. Topics of special interest include the emergence of liberalism, nationalism, the growth of industrialization, socialism, and militarism.

UIS 110 - Introduction to Applied Data Analytics (3 credits)

The goal of this course is to teach applied job skills in close connection to the concepts and theories that drive the daily decisions relevant to data analysis and business intelligence. Each module will focus on the primary theme. Students will start by grappling with real-world cases, then will methodically drill down to solve the problems from a technical approach. A few of these topics include applications of statistics, data visualization tools in Excel, linear regression, time-series, classification algorithms, and bias in data.

UHIS 121 - American Civilization I (3 credits)

American Civilization I surveys the history of the United States to 1877, with emphasis on how major economic, political, and social changes affected the lives and values of Americans. The focus is on how diverse peoples experienced and influenced the processes of colonization, nation-building, and sectional development. The class examines the kinds of evidence historians use to reconstruct the past and challenges students to think analytically about historical sources to learn how people made sense of and shaped American civilization.

USOC 245 – Race & Hip Hop (3 credits)

This course explores the contemporary emergence of rap and hip hop culture. The course engages students in listening to music, viewing DVDs, and reading books and articles related to rap, hip hop, and cultural values. Societal issues of social control and freedom of speech are examined. Students explore these issues with the intent to broaden their sociological imaginations.  

UENG 166 – Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror (3 credits)

Although they have often lacked critical respect, science fiction, fantasy, and horror are vitally important genres in fiction and mass media, especially in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. These genres offer ways to explore questions, dreams, and worries raised by technological innovation and scientific exploration. Texts can include novels, short stories, graphic novels, film, and television, and students will use a variety of critical approaches to study how these fantastical genres provide a lens to consider very human concerns. 

UENV 104 – Earth Processes as Natural Disasters (3 credits)

This course is a survey of Earth's surface processes that have a direct impact, often violently and without warning, on our global society. Information presented in this course integrates the principles of geology, meteorology, climatology, oceanography, and ecology and explores the many ways humans leave themselves susceptible to hazards driven by Earth's dynamic geologic and atmospheric processes. A series of case studies will be presented to students that outline each topic area covered. These include the broad topic areas of earthquakes, volcanoes, flooding, mass wasting, coastal hazards, subsidence, severe weather, mass extinction, wildfires, and global climate change. Designed for a general audience, this course is opened to all students who have a natural curiosity about events that often control our global existence.

UIS 101 – Intro to Personal Computers (3 credits)

This course introduces microcomputer applications as tools for productive automation of work. It introduces the computer system and the operating system. It instructs the student in the rudiments of three popular software applications-word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation graphics. CSCI or CIS students may not take this course. This course does not satisfy the science distribution requirement.

UCJ 105 – Intro to Criminal Justice (3 credits)

A general introduction to the study of the American system of criminal justice.

UHIS 100 – Western Civilization I (Ancient World to 1300) (3 credits)

A study of select themes in historical development from ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations through Classical Greece and Rome to the Later Middle Ages. A humanistic analysis of the traditional and popular elements in social behavior.

UPSY 105 – Intro to Psychology (3 credits)

A general introduction to scientific psychology, including biological psychology, development, learning, memory, psychological disorders, and social psychology. Psychology majors must receive a “C” or better in this course to satisfy psychology major requirements.

UANT 105 – Cultural Anthropology (3 credits)

This course acquaints students with how anthropologists use a cross cultural approach to understanding shared human perceptions and behaviors, and teaches anthropological research techniques of ethnography and corporate culture analysis. Why are cultures different? This course looks at similarities and differences among world’s cultures in terms of technological levels, social organization, and ideology. Topics include symbolism, language, sex roles, economic systems, kinship, political systems, religion, warfare, and cultural change. Students get to explore local culture through experiential projects outside the classroom.

UMAT 101 – Fund Mathematics (3 credits)

This is a developmental mathematics course designed to review elementary algebra, to prepare students for further mathematics courses, and to develop problem-solving skills and critical thinking in mathematics. Topics include the real number system, linear equations and inequalities, exponents and polynomials, factorization, rational expressions, roots and radicals, and graphing. Because this course is developmental, it cannot count toward fulfilling the science distribution requirement. It may not be taken after completing any mathematics course with a higher number.

UPHI 110 – Critical Thinking (3 credits)

Techniques of critical thinking. Topics include analysis and systematization of ideas, uses of definition, methods of distinguishing valid arguments from fallacies, ways of improving statistical samples, strategies for presenting arguments clearly, equivalent ways of phrasing ideas, and legitimate versus inappropriate appeals to authority. The last weeks of the course are devoted to practicing what has been learned on topics such as medical ethics (e.g., euthanasia) and political theory (e.g., government regulation of business).

USOC 105 – Intro to Sociology (3 credits)

A general introduction to sociology covering empirically based theoretical insights on social groups, culture, institutions, social organization, stratification, deviance, social movements, and social change. The development of a sociological perspective through the application of core concepts, such as the sociological imagination and the social construction of reality, formulates the basic framework for this course.