BDP 101 courses are restricted to Freshmen and Sophomores, or to students participating in the Bridging Disciplines Programs. The courses meet for two hours per week for the first eight weeks of the semester. They do not satisfy a substantial writing component requirement.
BDP 101: Children & Society
Unique Number 63570
Tuesdays, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Professors Cathy Echols and Alba Ortiz
Children and Society focuses on children and their development within topic areas such as children and health, families, education, and the media. Faculty members from across campus will introduce students to the breadth, complexity, and interdisciplinary nature of issues pertaining to children and development.
BDP 101: Environmental Change & Sustainability
Unique Number 63575
Wednesdays, 3-5 p.m.
Professor Christopher Bell
This forum seminar will explore the range of environmental challenges that our society faces, including those involving water resources, climate change, and ecosystems, as well as possible solutions to these problems. The roles of science, policy-making, economic interests, and sustainability will be examined in the context of these issues.
BDP 101: Intro to the Non-profit World
Unique Number 63590
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Professor Cal Streeter
The nonprofit sector is the fastest growing sector in the U.S. economy. This phenomenon presents enormous opportunities for communities, nonprofit managers, Boards of Directors, and those who fund nonprofit organizations. This course introduces students to the nonprofit sector and provides them with the knowledge they need to understand the role of nonprofit organizations in contemporary American society.
Students will learn what distinguishes the nonprofit sector from business and government, with particular attention to mission, organizational structure, funding, and culture. We will examine the statutory and regulatory requirements of nonprofit organizations and explore the ways in which philanthropic giving and volunteers shape the work of the nonprofit sector. Readings and class activities provide students with a broad understanding of the nonprofit sector and help them weigh the pros and cons of a career in the nonprofit world.
BDP 101: Going Global: Topics in International Studies
Unique Number 63580
Tuesdays, 2-4 p.m.
Professor Karin Wilkins
This course introduces students to explore a variety of issues in a global context. Building respect and understanding of our global environment is crucial in our educational system as well as our social and political engagement beyond the classroom. This introductory seminar will address current global concerns, particularly in the areas of conflict and negotiation; human rights and social justice; international development; and media systems.
BDP 101: Professional Ethics in Law/Business/Medicine
Unique Number 63595
Wednesdays, 3-5 p.m.
Professor John Dzienkowski
This course will examine 5-6 case studies presenting similar ethical dilemmas in the context of the professions of law, business, and medicine. We will first study each profession’s norms for resolving these ethical problems. We will then analyze the systems for regulating ethical issues in law, business, and medicine in an effort to determine whether the professionals are exercising appropriate self-regulation.
Students will write three short papers on the class material throughout the course and a longer paper on an ethical dilemma in their own field of interest. Issues to be covered include disclosure of professional malpractice to clients/patients, disclosure of life-threatening situations to third persons in conflict with other professional goals, and ethics in marketing professional services. Guest speakers help broaden our perspective on the material we are studying.
BDP 101: Social Inequality, Health & Policy
Unique Number 63600
Mondays, 10 a.m.-noon
Professor John Traphagan
This course explores the causes and consequences of the huge disparities in health, life expectancy, and medical care delivery in the world today. We will focus on what national and local governments, as well as non-governmental organizations, can do to reduce the most glaring health vulnerabilities.
As part of the course we will investigate how large-scale demographic and social developments—including international migration and growing numbers of refugees, changes in marriage and family patterns, and aging populations—affect nations’ population structures, the overall quality of life of their populations, and the evolution of their health care delivery systems.
Faculty experts from fields such as sociology, anthropology, social work, demography, and public affairs will present on topics, including marriage and health; welfare reform and child well-being; global poverty and infant mortality; America’s health care crisis; health care and immigration; health and aging; racial/ethnic differences in chronic illness; and state health care financing reforms.
BDP 301: Principles of Business
Unique Number 63610
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2-3:30 p.m.
Professor Michael Brandl
The vast majority of non-business majors will, at some point in their professional careers, work for a business or work in a business environment. However, many undergraduates finish their studies with little to no understanding of how business firms function. This course is designed to equip non-business undergraduates with the skills they will need to critically examine how business firms function, and the course will require students to contemplate their future role in a business setting/environment and the knowledge and skills they will need to be successful in such a setting.
The course will have three major components. In the first portion, the historical evolution of American business will be examined with an analysis of the ethical issues facing firms. The second section will focus on the 5 major areas of business: economics, finance, accounting, management and marketing. The final portion examines entrepreneurship, globalization and the future of American business. While the course takes a broad overview of business, it offers practical examinations of how businesses function and will prepare you for your future career in a business setting/environment. It is designed exclusively for non-business majors.
BDP 129: Leadership Principles in the Real World
Unique Number 63635
Wednesdays, 3-5 p.m.
Professor J.D. Howell
There are a dozen or so Principles or Eternal Truths of Leadership that have been taught by the military and other institutions for many years. It is the intent of this course to review these principles, discuss their meaning and show how they can be applied in our daily lives to help us in a practical way to become more effective leaders. The professor will also use examples from his own life experiences in the military and as Director of Johnson Space Center.
BDP 329: Ethics, Law and Health Care
Unique Number 63640
Mondays & Wednesdays, 3:30-5 p.m.
Professor William Winslade
This course will explore real medical and legal cases that create ethical controversies. An interdisciplinary approach will combine legal and ethical case analysis with medical and psychological perspectives.
Topics include, among others, emergency lifesaving treatment; organ donation; definition of death; brain injury treatment enhancement and research; mental illness; treatment and punishment of sex offenders; legal responsibility and brain function; competency and consent to or refusal of medical treatment for children and adults; physician assisted suicide and euthanasia; privacy, confidentiality, and privileged communications; termination and treatment of devastated patients; and responses to medical error.
“As a Sociology major, I have interests not only in how sociological theory is formulated, but also how it is implemented in the political context. The Social Inequality, Health, and Policy BDP provided an outlet for me to take courses and gain experience in this area, without having to declare multiple majors or extend my tenure at the University.”