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2019-2020 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Courses
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Communication |
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COMM 295 - Mass Comm Theory & Criticism
Prerequisites: COMM 100 ; or COMM 101
Delivery: Lecture
This course reviews factors that have shaped the nature of contemporary mass media, their content and their audiences. Students examine theories of the process and effects of mass communication and how they relate to the goals and activities of professional communicators.
3 credits
Fall and Spring
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COMM 299 - Special Topics in Communication
Prerequisites: COMM 100 or COMM 101
Examines topics from the various content areas of Communication suitable for a first or second year level. Initiated by student demand, interest of instructor, or timeliness of offering. The course, not the topic, may be repeated for credit.
1-3 credits
Special Offering
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COMM 310 - Media Law and Ethics
Prerequisites: COMM 100 or COMM 101 ; at least junior standing or consent of instructor
Provides study of legal and ethical issues encountered by writers, editors, and publishers. Topics include freedom of the press, libel, invasion of privacy, obscenity, advertising, broadcast regulation, and the evolution of ethical standards in media.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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COMM 330 - International Communication
Delivery: Lecture
Prerequisites: COMM 100 or COMM 101; junior standing or consent of instructor
International communication examines the role of media and communication technologies in the changing global political economy. This course will introduce students to the different media systems around the world. By both analyzing the content and context of these various media systems, students will gain a keen appreciation and understanding of cultural difference in the production and reception of media texts, audiences, and institutions. Further, students will explore the complex roles of western media and communication technology in the international arena and discuss specific aspects and issues with regard to their historical, political, and economic ramifications.
Fall and Spring
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COMM 360 - Communication in Organizations
Cross-Listed with: PA 360
Prerequisites: COMM 100 or COMM 101
Delivery: Lecture
A study of the nature and importance of communications in complex organizations such as corporations and agencies. Topics include communication theory, theory of organizations, managing communications in organizations, and effects of communication on behavior and attitudes.
Fall and Spring
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COMM 365 - Digital Media in a Global Context
Prerequisites: COMM 100 and junior standing or consent of instructor
Fulfills a course requirement in the Communication & Media Studies major, and the Global Communication Minor and core Concentration
Digital Communication is the fastest growing sector of digital media worldwide. As Marshall McLuhan predicted, the Global Village, as it is constructed on the Internet, is increasingly made up of virtual centers where people congregate and communicate, and where national and social boundaries disintegrate. From Kalamazoo to Korea, online environments draw millions of users and create virtual world and “dirt world” economies. This course examines online communication such as social computing, multi-player environments and other digital communication technologies in order to develop digital media literacy and to cultivate ethical digital practices.
3 credits
Spring, Alternate Years
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COMM 375 - Global Audiences, Global Consumers
Prerequisites: COMM 100 or COMM 101 and junior standing or consent of instructor
Fulfills a course requirement in the Communication & Media Studies major, and the Global Communication Minor and core Concentration
Given the increase in transnational movement of media content, the concept of the “audience” has now taken on international dimensions. We can now conceive of audiences in national and international contexts, as spread across nations around the world, and as interacting with media texts produced by global media industries. Global Audiences, Global Consumers addresses all these facets of international audiences, looking specifically at how the unique social and cultural characteristics of international media audiences/ consumers influence how they interpret transnational media texts. The course will examine, on one hand, the extent to which audiences around the globe adapt transnational media content to their particular lives, and, on the other hand, how they “buy into” the dominant (Western) worldviews of these texts. Throughout the course, students will 1) get a sense of the breadth of the field of audience studies by examining the development of this field across numerous disciplines, and 2) take an in-depth look at international audience studies by exploring representative research studies in this area.
3 credits
Fall, Alternate Years
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COMM 385 - Gender, Globalization and the Media
Prerequisites: COMM 100 and junior standing or consent of instructor
Fulfills a course requirement in the Communication & Media Studies major, and the Global Communication Minor and core Concentration
This course examines how definitions of gender and sexuality are reproduced, negotiated and deployed in the context of globalization and the transnational flows of media and marketing messages. By reading a range of theoretical texts, case-studies and analysis, students will understand some of the larger debates in globalization as reflected through the lens of gendered identities and sexuality.
3 credits
Fall
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COMM 390 - Qualitative Research Methods in Communication
Prerequisites: open to Communication & Media Studies Majors only with at least Junior standing, or consent of instructor
This course is designed to give students an introduction to the qualitative methods used in the communication discipline. The course will cover qualitative research methods such as ethnographic approaches in communication and rhetorical/historical/textual criticism that include analysis of cultural artifacts such as books, movies, videos, magazines, etc.
3 credits
Fall
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COMM 432 - Special Topics in Global Communication
Prerequisites: COMM 250 and junior standing; or consent of instructor
Emphasizes specialized areas related to global communication not regularly offered by the University. The variety of possible topics may include, but is not limited to: International Journalism, International Public Relations, The Global Entertainment Media Marketplace, and Emerging Communication Technologies and the Global Economy.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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COMM 460 - Internship
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing, COMM 250 , and a 2.33 GPA in Communication courses
Grants academic credit to students who work on a part-time basis in selected positions, usually without financial remuneration. Students select from a variety of positions offered at local radio and television stations, local newspapers, public relations offices, numerous not-for-profit organizations and government agencies.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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COMM 461 - Washington Internship and Experiential Seminar
Delivery: Lecture
Prerequisites: JR standing; either PR 200 or COMM 250; and min GPA 2.33 in COMM courses approval by the RWU Washington semester Communication advisor
Fulfills Internship requirement in the Communication majors
Participants in the Roger Williams University Washington experiential learning program work four days a week for the entire semester as interns at placements arranged, after extensive consultation with the students, by the Washington Center (WC) that occur either in Washington D.C. or in one of their Internship Abroad locations. Interns perform such work as research, attending meetings, writing reports, preparing briefings and other Communication related tasks. The experiential seminar, which meets weekly, provides an academic context in which students discuss, reflect upon and analyze their internship experiences, and relate those experiences to their major and other college courses. Interns design a learning plan, do an organizational analysis, write a reflective journal, and compile a “portfolio of learning” that is presented at the end of the term. The journal is reviewed regularly by the Center or Institute instructor. All materials are evaluated at the end of the term by an RWU faculty member.
Fall and Spring
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COMM 462 - Washington Global Communication Seminar
Prerequisites: At least Junior standing, COMM 100 or COMM 101 ; approval by the RWU Washington semester Communication advisor
Fulfills a course requirement in the Communication & Media Studies major, and the Global Communication Minor and core Concentration
Offered by faculty at the Washington Center for Experiential Learning as part of the Roger Williams University Semester in Washington, D.C. program. Seminar topics vary from semester to semester, and are chosen in consultation with the Washington Center Academic Advisory Board. Among topics offered in recent semesters applicable to the Global Communication program are “Global Policy Issues: the U.S., China and the World,” “International Organizations and Humanitarian Law,” “International Human Rights,” Global Health Intersections: Women’s Health and Pandemics,” “Peaceful Solutions: Alternatives to Violence,” “Citizenship in a Multicultural Society.”
3 credits
Fall, Spring, Summer
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COMM 463 - Washington DC Media Seminar
Prerequisites: At least Junior standing, COMM 100 or COMM 101 ; completion of interdisciplinary core and writing requirements; approval by the RWU Washington semester Communication advisor
Offered by faculty at the Washington Center as part of the Roger Williams University Semester in Washington, D.C. program. Seminar topics vary from semester to semester, and are chosen in consultation with the Washington Center Academic Advisory Board. Among topics offered in recent semesters applicable to the Communication program are “The Mass Media and National Politics,” “Media, Ethics and the Movies,” “Strategic Communication for the Policy-Making Arena,” “Fundraising in the 21st Century,” “How Washington Really Works: Government and Business in the New Economic Reality,” “Campaigning for a Cause: how Advocacy Groups Change the World.”
3 credits
Fall, Spring, Summer
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COMM 464 - Washington DC Independent Research Project
Prerequisites: At least Junior standing, COMM 100 or COMM 101 ; completion of interdisciplinary core and writing requirements; approval by the RWU Washington semester Communication advisor
This project is undertaken while students are participating in the Roger Williams University Washington semester program. The project is developed before the student leaves the Bristol campus, in consultation with faculty in the Communication program. It is supervised during the student’s time in Washington by a member of the Washington Center faculty. The project, based on the student’s internship work, requires academic research of the organization for which the student is working while in Washington.
3 credits
Fall, Spring, Summer
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COMM 465 - McLuhan’s Global Village
Delivery: Lecture
Prerequisites: COMM 100 or COMM 101; junior standing or consent of instructor
This seminar course examines the media of the 21st century through a media ecological lens using deep readings in two of McLuhan’s works, The Global Village and Understanding Media. Written in the latter half of the 20th century, McLuhan’s works display a prescience that makes them relevant in this digital age. Will the Internet make us a global village? Or will it fragment our societies? What does it mean to be human in this age of digital media technology? Readings in works by McLuhan scholars Paul Levinson, Robert Logan and others bring McLuhan’s ideas into the 21st century.
Fall and Spring
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COMM 480 - Senior Thesis Capstone
Prerequisites: Successful completion (B or higher) of COMM 390 or consent of instructor
This course serves as one of three possible capstone experiences, the others being the Communication Internship Capstone or the Washington DC Internship Capstone. The Senior Thesis Capstone is for students majoring in Communication & Media Studies who wish to apply what they have learned in the pre-requisite course, COMM 390 , to complete a research project. Working closely with a faculty mentor, students engage in original research and writing on a topic of their choice and produce a thesis suitable for presentation at a student research conference and publication in a student-level research journal.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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COMM 490 - Cultures in Contact
Prerequisites: Junior standing or consent of instructor
This is a variable topic course designed to be a stand alone or companion course in an off-campus faculty-led study abroad program. It focuses on communicative practices and technologies encountered in another culture. Students have an opportunity to practice an ethnographic approach that deepens and expands their understanding of the culture in which they are studying and to reflect critically upon their own cultures as well. In addition, students learn to use communicative technologies to narrate their experience and ethically photograph, write, and speak about the place and the culture they are visiting.
3 credits
Special Offering Summer I, Winter Intersession
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Computer Information Systems |
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CIS 101 - Intro Spreadsheet (Excel)
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CIS 102 - Computer Applications in Business
Prerequisites: None
Introduces students to the elements of business conducted via the Web, which is the paradigm of 21st century business transactions. Focused on the development of a database in Access and the design and deployment of a Web site, this course integrates the information management and communications aspects of the digital business environment. Taught in an interactive hands-on computer classroom.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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CIS 105 - Data Analysis & Analytics with Excel
Prerequisites: None
Excel has established itself as an important tool for the analysis of data and for the building of models that solve business problems. With the addition of the data mining toolbar, Excel becomes a tool for analyzing large, complex sets of data, while remaining within a software environment familiar to many business users. This course moves students from the fundamental skills of functions, graphing and various ways of manipulating, presenting and analyzing data - to the extremes of working with enormous quantities of data. These large datasets can be analyzed with data mining tools that have the potential of finding patterns and clusters of data that could provide a business with a strategic advantage. While we briefly discuss the underlying algorithms, our focus is on the use of tools to help a business make sense of the massive amounts of data generated by today’s digital environment.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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CIS 335 - Data Base Management
Prerequisites: At least Sophomore standing
This hands-on course introduces students to the world of relational databases in the context of web development by taking students on a step-by-step journey through the process of database design and implementation. In this course you will learn about data organization strategies, entities and attributes, tables and relationships, primary and foreign keys, normalization, integrity constraints, and hardware characteristics and constraints. The database implementation uses a mainstream database such as MySQL, that runs on Macintosh, Windows, or Unix systems. Relations to web languages such as PHP, JASON, or PERL are also considered. Theory is immediately put into practice as you apply each new concept and technique to your own database and web projects. Offered in an interactive hands-on computer classroom.
3 credits
Fall
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CIS 350 - Geographic Analysis of Data: An Introduction to GIS
Prerequisites: Junior standing
This course is a hands-on introduction to GIS. A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a tool for creating maps and for doing spatial analysis - that is, asking your maps questions and getting maps to assist in decision-making and problem solving. Typical applications include customer, crime, pollution and voting maps. You will learn to use existing geographic data sets and to incorporate your own data. You will build maps with multiple layers in an attempt to support an argument or to solve a problem that relates to your specific discipline.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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WEB 200 - Introduction to Computer Animation and Games
Delivery: Lec/Lab
Because of the pervasive digital nature of nearly everything in our technology and media environment, computing has become a fundamental literacy. Narrative, visual design and music are essential skills in making an animation or game experience come alive. In this course, students experience developing their own animated stories or games and, in the process acquire the basics of programming, accessibilty, algorithmic and critical thinking, and develop strategies for problem solving with or without computers. The experiential visual environment makes the course engaging and accessible to just about anyone in any major.
3 credits
Spring
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WEB 206 - Introduction to Web Development
Prerequisites: None
This course offers a practical hands-on approach to designing, creating and uploading sites for the Web. Using applications such as Macromedia Dreamweaver and Macromedia Fireworks, students in this course construct a multi-page Web site complete with links to other sites, photographs they have scanned and enhanced, and graphics and animations they have created. Students learn how images, audio and video are represented digitally and transmitted on the Web, and how to optimize information to provide visitors with quick response and high quality. Offered in an interactive hands-on computer classroom.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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WEB 299 - Web Development Center I
Prerequisites: None
Students enrolling in this course must be able to create and implement web pages using CSS, but students from other majors are encouraged to enroll. Students form multidisciplinary teams to design and develop a web presence for an actual client. Teams compete for the client’s business just as a real-world web design and development firm must do. Team members bring their own expertise to bear in seamlessly integrating the web site within a Content Management System. This project requires the application of your existing skill set and the acquisition of new skills. Employers are increasingly looking for graduates with real-world experience working in multi-disciplinary teams. The Web Development Center provides that experience. The team project becomes part of each student’s professional portfolio.
3 credits
Spring
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WEB 306 - Web 2.0: Creating Expressive Web Sites
Prerequisites: WEB 206
This course covers how to bring a web site to life with animations, transforms and transitions. Add audio, video, media queries, gradients, Web fonts and shadows. Creative implementations with HTML5, CSS3, jQuery and JavaScript are covered.
3 credits
Fall
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WEB 325 - Web Client: JavaScript
Prerequisites: WEB 206
Modern web sites are a blend of technologies. Hypertext Markup Language and Cascading Style Sheets define the appearance of web pages. Active Server Pages (ASP) or similar systems such as php, jsp or cfm are used to provide access to databases stored on web servers. JavaScript is the dominant language for controlling web page behavior on the client side of the system. JavaScript provides a way to validate form data, handle rollover effects, rotate advertisement content, generate dynamic menus and a host of other effects users have come to expect. By the end of this course you will be comfortable writing JavaScript, reading JavaScript code written by others and using widely available JavaScript libraries and APIs (such as the Google Maps API) as part of your web development efforts.
3 credits
Fall
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WEB 335 - Database Management
Prerequisites: at least Sophomore standing.
This hands-on course introduces students to the world of relational databases in the context of web development by taking students on a step-by-step journey through the process of database design and implementation. In this course you will learn about data organization strategies, entities and attributes, tables and relationships, primary and foreign keys, normalization, integrity constraints, and hardware characteristics and constraints. The database implementation uses a mainstream database such as MySQL, that runs on Macintosh, Windows, or Unix systems. Relations to web languages such as PHP, JASON, or PERL are also considered. Theory is immediately put into practice as you apply each new concept and technique to your own database and web projects. Offered in an interactive hands-on computer classroom.
3 credits
Fall
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WEB 399 - Web Development Center II
Prerequisites: WEB 299 - Web Development Center I
Web Development Center II continues the experience of Web Development Center I (WEB 299 ). In the second semester students take on a management and mentoring role in the project, possibly as a team leader. Mentor/managers play a larger role in formulating project strategy and in the interface between your team and the client. They also take charge of site promotion including search engine optimization (SEO) strategy and the design and implementation of effective landing pages. The team project will become part of each student’s professional portfolio.
3 credits
Spring
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WEB 410 - Web Independent Study
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WEB 425 - Webserver: Scripting and Database Connectivity
Prerequisites: WEB 200 and WEB 206 or permission of instructor
Would you use Facebook if everyone could see all your information? How do Netflix and Amazon decide what other titles you might be interested in? Twitter can send a text message to your phone. How does that work? All these features are created using server-side techniques. In this practical hands-on course you’ll use tools such as Dreamweaver, Blend, Expression Web and Visual Studio, MySQL and SQL Server to create Web sites that incorporate features like these.
3 credits
Spring
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WEB 429 - Community Partnerships Center Web Development Studies
Prerequisites: None
This course involves a project selected by the Community Partnerships Center and the Business School Dean as a Web Development project. The students will work with a professor and possibly students from other disciplines to fulfill a task requested by a regional company, organization, or governmental unit. Specific project details vary and will be announced prior to preregistration for each semester.
3 credits
Special Offering
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WEB 430 - Special Topics in Web Development
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Selected topics provide study in areas chosen by students in consultation with faculty. Provides an advanced level of course work or research in web development.
3 credits
Special Offering
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WEB 469 - Web Development Coop
Prerequisites: Senior standing in Web Development and consent of instructor
This course is designed to prepare students for the transition from academia to the real world, and to allow them to “sample the water” of their chosen profession. Prior to starting their internship, students are guided through the experience of preparing a resume, conducting a job search for an appropriate position, and applying for a position. Students select from a wide variety of positions offered at local businesses, web development firms, consulting firms, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. During the semester students perform meaningful tasks, usually without financial remuneration for their company, either individually or a part of a team. Students receive feedback and guidance from their employers, their RWU Career Services advisor, and their faculty sponsor.
3 credits
Fall, Spring & Summer
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WEB 499 - Web Dev Center III
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Community Development |
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CD 101 - Strategies in Community and Neighborhood Revitalization
Prerequisites: None
This course provides an introduction to the field of community development. As an introductory course, students will explore how community development practitioners function as agents of change within the cultural, social, and ecological systems that they work. It is intended for students with seeking an introduction to the field.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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CD 220 - Elements and Issues in Community Development
Prerequisites: None
Overview of the concepts, theories and applications in the field of community development. This is the foundation course for the Community Development program, but it is appropriate for all students interested in a comprehensive look at the elements required to understand what makes for successful communities, from housing to education, to social services and infrastructure.
3 credits
Fall, Summer
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CD 252 - Roles and Systems in Community Based Organizations
Prerequisites: None
This course focuses on organizational concepts and theories that are typically used in community based organizations settings and their impact on practice with particular emphasis on the relationship between the mission, bureaucracy and programs of community development agencies.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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CD 350 - Housing and Development Skills
Prerequisites: None
Blends the academic framework of theory and analysis of housing policy with skills-oriented instruction. Using readings, class discussions, guest speakers, lecturers, and class journals, the course explores key subject areas related to housing and development, including housing theory, planning, data analysis, assessment of housing needs, community participation, stakeholders, roles, negotiation, codes, construction procurement, homelessness, financing, foreclosures, tenant and management issues, sustainable design, regionalism and other issues.
3 credits
All
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CD 351 - Sustainable Economic and Community Development
Prerequisites: None
Explores key subject areas related to sustainable economic development, including business creation and retention, microenterprises, co-ops, job creation, asset development, sector analysis, the connection between economic development and social health. Examines the role that community development professionals can and should play in ensuring that economic development occurs in a sustainable manner.
3 credits
All
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CD 352 - Non-Profit Management
Cross-Listed with: MGMT 352
Prerequisites: None
The course provides students with an overview of the role of the non-profit sector in the United States, as well as comprehensive exposure to the various elements of managing a non-profit organization. Governance, personnel, finance, planning and service delivery will be examined and best practices located. Students emerge from this course better able to face the challenges of working in and managing a non-profit organization.
3 credits
Spring
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CD 401 - Research Methods in Community Based Practice
Prerequisites: CD 351 , CD 352
This course will provide an introduction to research methods used in the social sciences and their application to community based practice. This will include case studies, experiments, and surveys; Students will have the opportunity to learn specific research skills and how to develop empirically sound conclusions about social phenomena that they observe. Specific emphasis will be placed on how community practitioners investigate program and project outcomes. Students will apply this knowledge to a field-based project.
3 credits
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CD 430 - Special Topics in Community Development
Prerequisites: None
Study of special topics in community development. Topics will be determined by current trends in the field.
3 credits
All
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CD 440 - Public Administration Prcaticum
Prerequisites: POLSC 100 or PA 201 or PA 202 or consent of instructor
An internship experience within a public agency or non-profit organization designed to acquire, apply, or utilize administrative knowledge and skills.
3 credits
All
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CD 521 - Social Theories of Community Based Practice
Prerequisites: None
This class investigates community and economic development theories within the context of classical and contemporary economic and social theories. Since community development is an inter-disciplinary field, students in this course will consider theories as diverse as location and place theories, micro- and macro-economics, structural-functional and conflict social theories, among others and how they are used, on a daily basis by community based practitioners. Students will formulate a basic theory of change to be applied in community-based practice.
3 credits
All
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CD 522 - Fundamentals of Urban Ecology and Healthy Communities
Prerequisites: None
This course examines components and relationships within urban ecosystems. From both a historic and contemporary vantage point, students will explore the different stakeholders that make up the urban neighborhood environment, the relationships among and between them and how community and economic development initiatives can positively impact the health of a community.
3 credits
Fall
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CD 530 - Special Topics in Sustainable Community and Economic Development
Prerequisites: None
This course provides students the opportunity to explore, in greater depth, timely and significant topics influencing, affecting and/or impacting the field of community development. The course may be taken more than once depending on topical content.
3 credits
All
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CD 540 - Practicum in Sustainable Community and Economic Development
Prerequisites: CD 521 and CD 522
This course provides students with the opportunity to gain credit for practical, field, experience in community based organizational settings.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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CD 552 - Organizational Leadership, Management and Change in Community Based Organizations
Prerequisites: CD 521 and CD 522
Community Development, by definition, is a method of improving communities. Community development organizations are the agents of change. This course provides an introduction to the basic principles of organizational management and leadership as applied in community based, nonprofit agencies. Students will have the opportunity to develop a better understanding of their own competencies as leaders and managers and how these can be expanded and developed to be a successful organizational leader.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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CD 554 - Introduction to Project Design, Implementation and Evaluation in Community Based Practice
Prerequisites: CD 521 and CD 522
In this course, students will develop proficiency in using logic models as a tool for designing, monitoring and evaluating community based interventions. Students will identify a community or neighborhood problem and develop a preliminary project design using a logic model template. Students will also examine best practice models of formative and summative program evaluations.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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CD 555 - Fundamentals of Mixed Methods Research in Community Based Practices
Prerequisites: CD 521 and CD 554
When designing and planning or evaluating a program, community based practitioners are likely to use different research methods. Some mixture of quantitative and qualitative research is used to identify and define community problems and/or measure the outcomes of interventions. Students will develop a foundational understanding of investigative and evaluative research methodology. The focus of the course will be on the application of mixed methods research in community-based practice. Students will conduct a literature review; develop research questions and a research design based on the work they completed in CD 552 and CD 554 .
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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CD 556 - Advanced Research Methods in Community-Based Practice
Prerequisites: CD 521 , CD 522 , CD 552 CD 554 and CD 555
Drawing on case studies, “how to” materials, and writings from a variety of disciplines, this course is designed to help guide graduate students in how to think about, negotiate, and “do” methods in their research. We will focus on the theory, logic, and practice of fieldwork, specific methodological and ethical issues associated with studying people at first-hand, and current debates about what constitutes the bounds and limits of the ethnographic enterprise more generally.
3 credits
Annually
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CD 557 - Thesis Research Proposal Development
Prerequisites: CD 521, CD 522, CD 552, and CD 555
Delivery: Work Experience Internship Independent Study
This course strengthens community development graduate students’ research skills through its focus on writing and critiquing research proposals. Students will review components of research proposals and practice developing effective aims, hypotheses, background materials and analytic strategies. In addition to preparing a complete proposal for his or her research project, each student will be required to read assigned materials, hand in reflections about readings, give status updates, conduct peer reviews and make presentations.
3 credits
Fall, Spring, Summer
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CD 558 - Graduate Thesis Capstone
Prerequisites: CD 521 , CD 522 , CD 540 , CD 552 , CD 554 , CD 555 And CD 556
The graduate thesis capstone is offered in the Spring semester of Year II in the Masters in Community Development program. This course provides graduate students with an intensive thesis research and development framework and provides the tools to operationalize the content they have learned in the classroom and in the field leading up to the course. Students are provided direct guidance from the Program Director and the Community Development Advisory Board as they develop their thesis in preparation to defend their thesis via a comprehensive presentation in front of the Community Development Advisory Board.
6 credits
Spring
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Computer Science |
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COMSC 110 - Introduction to Computer Science & Lab
Prerequisites: None
This course is both an introduction to the field of computer science and a first programming course. Students will write, analyze, document, and debug programs in a high-level language. Topics include computer systems, variables, data types, control structures, methods, arrays, graphics and GUIs, and object oriented design principles. Emphasis is placed on problem solving and developing good programming style.
4 credits
Fall
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COMSC 111 - Data Structures & Lab
Prerequisites: COMSC 110
This course is the second in a two course sequence and is designed to build on the student’s existing programming knowledge. Major emphasis is placed on object-oriented design, programming methodology, data structures, and abstract data types as tools for analysis, design, and implementation of software modules to meet specified requirements. Topics include algorithmic complexity, searching, sorting, recursion, hashing, and data structures such as sets, heaps, linked lists, stacks, queues, and trees.
4 credits
Spring
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COMSC 210 - Principles of Computer Organization & Lab
Prerequisites: COMSC 111 or permission of instructor
Presents a detailed picture of contemporary computer systems with an emphasis on their hierarchical structure and the interplay between their hardware and software subsystems. Topics include digital logic; the architecture of processor, memory, and I/O subsystems; and the implementation of HLL abstractions. Parallel and RISC architectures may also be examined. Programming is in C/C++ and assembly language.
4 credits
Fall
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COMSC 230 - Principles of Programming Languages
Prerequisites: COMSC 111 or permission of instructor
Examines fundamental issues in the design, implementation and use of modern programming languages, while emphasizing alternative problem-solving paradigms and languages developed for exploiting them. Topics include procedural, functional, declarative, and object-oriented languages; the specification of syntax and semantics; and language implementation issues. Several modern languages are used to illustrate course topics.
3 credits
Spring
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COMSC 260 - Applied Operating Systems
Prerequisites: None
This course is an introduction to operating system design and implementation. It provides students with an understanding of the roles of an operating system and its basic functions and services. Topics include evolution of operating systems, processes and threads, memory management, concurrency and synchronization, file systems, access control, virtualization, and security and protection. Computer Science majors are not eligible to take the course.
3 credits
Spring
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COMSC 330 - Principles of Software Design
Prerequisites: COMSC 230 , COMSC 340
The course introduces principles of modern software design paradigms and concepts. Software design techniques and life-cycles are emphasized. Process models, requirement analysis, module design, coding, testing, and associated metrics are covered. Software project management, including cost and schedule estimation is incorporated into the course.
3 credits
Fall
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COMSC 331 - Bioinformatics & Lab
Cross-Listed with: BIO 331
Prerequisites: BIO 200 and COMSC 110 or consent of instructor
Fulfills a course requirement in the Biology Core Concentration and Biotechnology Certificate
The course reviews the fundamental concepts of molecular and evolutionary biology, with a focus on the types of questions that lend themselves to computer analysis. In web-based exercises students will become familiar with they content and format of the most commonly used databases and learn to query them with the associated search engines. Some of the basic algorithms used to compare and order sequence data will be presented, along with the programs that are used to evaluate the inferred patterns statistically and to present them graphically. A weekly computer-programming lab will train students to write simple scripts to extract sequence information from databases and to search for specific patterns within these data.
4 credits
Alternate Spring
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COMSC 335 - Theory of Computation
Prerequisites: COMSC 111 , MATH 221 or permission of instructor Students with COMSC 240 are not eligible to take this course except for grade replacement
Formal models of computation provide the framework for analyzing computing devices, with the goal of understanding the types of computations, which may be carried out on them. Finite and pushdown automata and the classes of languages, which they recognize, occupy the first part of the course. The remainder of the course addresses Turing machines, recursive functions, Church’s Thesis, undecidability, and NP-completeness.
3 credits
Fall
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COMSC 340 - Analysis of Algorithms
Prerequisites: COMSC 111 , MATH 221 or permission of instructor. A minimum final grade of C- is required in COMSC 111. Students with COMSC 220 are not eligible to take this course except for grade replacement
Delivery: Lecture
This course studies analysis of algorithms and the relevance of analysis to the design of efficient computer algorithms. Algorithmic approaches covered include greedy, divide and conquer, and dynamic programming. Topics include sorting, searching, graph algorithms, and disjoint set structure. NP-completeness and approximation algorithms are also introduced.
3 credits
Spring
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COMSC 360 - Mobile Application Programming
Prerequisites: COMSC 110 and COMSC 210
This course introduces design and implementation of applications for different mobile devices with focus on Android platform. Students will learn how to set up mobile applications development environment and how to code, run and debug a variety of mobile applications, including user interfaces, activities, persistent data, audio, and animations etc. using software emulators. Previous Java programming skills required.
3 credits
Spring
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COMSC 370 - Human Computer Interaction
Prerequisites: COMSC 111 or WEB 306 or WEB 299
This course explores the interaction between humans and technology with a focus on developing user-friendly interfaces and interactions. Topics include human cognition and abilities, established methodologies for interface design, the role of user experience design in the software development process, interface technologies, and current topics in HCI. Students will learn to establish requirements, develop prototypes, and evaluate interfaces.
3 credits
Alternate Fall
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COMSC 380 - Game Design and Development
Prerequisites: COMSC 230 Programming Languages
This course may be used to fulfill a computer science elective requirement for majors (BS or BA) or minors.
Delivery: Lecture
This course introduces students to concepts, tools, and algorithms used in the creation of computer games. Topics include the game industry, formal elements of games, level design, game balancing, game AI, and graphics. Working in teams, students will create a complete game, from conceptualization and prototyping through implementation and testing.
3 credits
Fall
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COMSC 401 - Computer Science Senior Seminar
Prerequisites: Senior standing or permission of the instructor
This seminar will meet once each week and will include all seniors majoring in computer science. Practicing professionals will present seminars on topics of current interest. Topics typically addressed will include professional ethics, state-of-the-art developments, business practices and procedures. Speakers will be drawn from the business, government and academic communities. Students will be required to maintain a journal and to participate in a professional reading program.
1 credits
Spring
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COMSC 410 - Artificial Intelligence
Prerequisites: COMSC 230 and COMSC 340
This course introduces the basic concepts, techniques, and applications of artificial intelligence. Topics include state space problems and search strategies, game playing and game theory, logic and knowledge representation, planning, reasoning and decision making in the presence of uncertainty, learning, and a survey of current topics and the state of the art.
3 credits
Spring
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COMSC 415 - Machine Learning
Prerequisites: MATH 315 ;
Corequisite: COMSC 111 or ENGR 424
This course is an introduction to the study of how to build computer systems that learn from data in order to make predictions, recognize patterns, and organize information. The course will explore both the theoretical basis and practical application of methods for machine learning, data mining, and statistical data analysis. Topics include supervised and unsupervised learning, generative and discriminative models, neural networks, support vector machines, decisions trees, and clustering. Students will apply these methods to real world data sets from science, engineering, and business.
3 credits
Alternate Spring
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COMSC 420 - Principles of Operating Systems
Prerequisites: COMSC 210 and COMSC 340
Examines problems which arise when limited machine resources must be shared among many contending processes; the software and hardware solutions which have been devised to address these problems; the algorithms and data structures used to implement disk files systems, memory management, multiple concurrent processes, and inter-process communications. Also considers efficiency and security issues, as well as the relationship between machine architecture and system software design.
3 credits
Fall
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COMSC 440 - Language Translation and Compiler Design
Prerequisites: COMSC 230 , COMSC 335 and PR 340
Examines the design and implementation of compilers as an application of algorithms, data structures, and formal language theory in a software engineering context. The lexical analysis, parsing, code generation, and optimization of programs written in a block-structured language are used to illustrate many concepts from earlier courses. Students implement a translator for a subset of a well-known programming language.
3 credits
Spring
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COMSC 450 - Special Topics
Prerequisites: Senior standing or permission of the instructor
Delivery: Independent Study.
This course is designed to allow advanced seniors in computer engineering and computer science to pursue more advanced study or research on selected topics under the supervision of a faculty member. Regular meetings, written reports, and final exam or term paper are required.
3 credits
Fall, Spring
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COMSC 490 - Integrated Senior Design I
Prerequisites: COMSC 210 , COMSC 330 , and senior standing
This course provides experience in the integration of math, science, engineering and computer science principles into a comprehensive computer science client-based design project. Open-ended problems emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach to total system design providing multiple paths to a number of feasible and acceptable solutions that meet the stated performance requirements. Design teams are required to generate alternatives, make practical approximations, perform appropriate analysis to support the technical feasibility of the design and make decisions leading to an optimized system design.
3 credits
Fall
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COMSC 492 - Integrated Senior Design II
Prerequisites: COMSC 490
A continuation of Integrated Senior Design I, students will be expected to develop a working prototype. Working closely with a faculty advisor, student teams will conduct periodic review presentations for their client ensuring the design meets the clients’ needs and expectations. The course objectives include the delivery of a successful project to the client by the end of the semester.
3 credits
Spring
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Construction Management |
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CNST 100 - Introduction to Construction Management
Prerequisites: None
An introduction to college and the construction industry. The course will discuss the responsibilities of successful college students and industry professionals. The course will analyze the cultural context of construction, emphasizing its centrality in the evolution and expansion of the built environment. Current “mega” projects, industry trends and technologies, and behavioral expectations will all be discussed.
3 credits
Fall
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CNST 116 - Computer Applications for Construction
Prerequisites: None
Uses the computer for formulation, analysis and solution of typical construction management problems. Special attention is given to spreadsheet packages and AutoCAD that are used in subsequent construction management and science courses.
3 credits
Fall
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CNST 130 - Plans, Specifications and Building Codes
Prerequisites: None
The fundamental study of all construction documents to include: drawings, specifications and building codes. The student will examine the relationship among drawings, specifications and codes and how to use the included design information to perform a quantity takeoff, an estimate, or build a project.
3 credits
Spring
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CNST 200 - Construction Methods and Materials and Lab
Prerequisites: None
A discussion of the behavior and properties of materials commonly used for construction, including wood, aggregates, Portland cement, and metals. Examines basic construction techniques of building materials and components including form work, steel erection and wood framing.
4 credits
Spring
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CNST 201 - Advanced Construction Methods and Materials and Lab
Prerequisites: CNST 200
Advanced studies in construction building materials and components. Emphasizes comprehensive analysis of material with respect to design, specifications, construction methods, testing, and inspection. Testing of soils, asphalt, concrete. Structural and behavioral characteristics, engineering properties, measurements, and applications of construction material.
4 credits
Fall
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CNST 250 - Construction Equipment
Prerequisites: CNST 200/L or CNST 201/L or ARCH 231
Delivery: Lecture
Emphasis on engineering construction equipment to include categorization by design and function. Students will learn to calculate engineering equipment operation and maintenance costs using the time value of money, apply engineering fundamentals of earth moving to the implementation of engineering equipment, and perform engineering equipment production estimating.
3 credits
Spring
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CNST 260 - Construction Estimating and Scheduling
Prerequisites: CNST 116 and CNST 201
An introduction to the fundamentals of construction estimating and scheduling. Conceptual, square foot, systems and unit price estimates will be studied and basic CPM scheduling theory to include bar charts and network schedules.
3 credits
Spring
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CNST 302 - Surveying and Lab
Prerequisites: MATH 136 or MATH 207
Theory and practice of plane and route surveying involving the use of tape, transit, and level for measuring traverses, determining topography, sectioning. Includes site layout and design, and vertical and horizontal curves.
4 credits
Fall
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CNST 304 - Applied Structures
Prerequisites: ENGR 210
Delivery: Lecture
An introduction to strength of materials, structural analysis and the structural design process for construction management students. Includes a review of the current beams, columns and formwork design specifications and building code requirements.
3 credits
Spring
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CNST 321 - Advanced Building Estimating
Prerequisites: CNST 260
Detailed unit price cost estimating including quantity takeoff, labor, material and equipment unit pricing, and computer applications. The course will also examine bidding strategies, worker and equipment productivity, and value engineering.
3 credits
Fall
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CNST 430 - Special Topics in Construction Management
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor
Selected topics determined by student needs and/or the availability of appropriate instruction.
3 credits
Special Offering
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CNST 445 - Construction Project Management and Safety & Lab
Prerequisites: CNST 260
Organization and management theory applied to the construction process, including leadership functions, ethical standards, project planning, organizing and staffing. Safety procedures and equipment. OSHA requirement for construction.
4 credits
Fall
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CNST 450 - Construction Planning and Scheduling
Prerequisites: CNST 260 or ARCH 484
Delivery: Lecture
Various network methods of project scheduling including AOA, AON Pert, bar-charting, line-of-balance, and VPM techniques. Microcomputers used for scheduling, resource allocation, and time/ cost analysis.
3 credits
Spring
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CNST 455 - Mechanical and Electrical Design for Buildings
Prerequisites: Junior standing
A basic study of the primary mechanical and electrical equipment and systems used in buildings. Design principles for selecting and sizing various systems are stressed throughout the course. Mechanical topics include plumbing, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, water supply, fire protection, and sanitary sewer systems. Electrical topics include basic principles of electricity, single and three phase systems, transformers, branch circuits and feeders and residential and commercial illumination.
3 credits
Spring
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CNST 460 - Construction Management Internship
Prerequisites: Permission of advisor
This course is designed to prepare students for the transition from student to professional by formalizing experience gained in employment. To register for this course, students must comply with the guidelines established by the RWU Center for Career & Professional Development for internships. Students who successfully complete the internship in compliance with Center for Career & Professional Development standards will have the course entered on their transcripts along with the name of the firm in which the internship was taken.
0 credits
Fall, Spring
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CNST 461 - Residential Construction & Development
Prerequisites: Senior standing or permission of instructor
Delivery: Lecture
Discussion of design, materials, means, and methods unique to construction of residential structures to include management of large-scale residential developments. Net-zero energy homes and affordable housing will also be discussed as well as codes and regulatory requirements specific to residential construction Minimum Passing Grade: C-
3 credits
Fall and Spring
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CNST 462 - Advanced Information Technology in Construction
Prerequisites: CNST 450 - Construction Planning and Scheduling
Delivery: Lecture
The need for leveraging information management technologies in construction projects continues to increase as projects become more complex and fast-tracked. This course introduces students to applications of trending information technologies in the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. Some of the topics covered in this course are Building Information Modeling (BIM), Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), and laser scanning. This course focuses on construction-specific uses of these technologies while building skills required for using them in collaboration with other project stakeholders.
3 credits
Fall and Spring
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CNST 463 - Heavy Construction Estimating
Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor
Delivery: Lecture
This course provides students with a solid foundation of fundamentals of estimating heavy civil projects. The main focus of the course is to prepare students to bid projects by incorporating takeoff, estimating, scheduling and means and methods.
3 credits
Special Offerings
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CNST 465 - Sustainable Construction
Cross-Listed with: CNST 540
Prerequisites: SUST 301 or SUST 401 or CNST 450
This course develops an awareness of environmental problems created by construction projects. The course also examines the means and methods of addressing these problems in a “green” way. Sustainability must be addressed on a life-cycle basis from the origins of the building materials, through the construction process, ending with the eventual disposal of the project. Topics include: LEED history and application; life-cycle costing; energy measurement; sustainable site planning and; “green” technologies; sustainability as a value-engineering exercise; the methods and means of sustainable construction; “green” site logistics; educating the sustainable work force; sustainable construction and public relations.
3 credits
Spring
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CNST 475 - Construction Project Control
Prerequisites: CNST 321 , CNST 450
An examination of the activities involved in the effective management of single and multiple construction projects. The course includes the study of basic control theory, the preparation of control models, the collection of actual production data, the computation of project performance, and the determination of appropriate corrective action.
3 credits
Fall
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CNST 480 - Capstone Project, Ethics and New Technology
Prerequisites: Senior standing and permission of instructors
Students will work with an industry advisor to develop a preconstruction plan for an actual construction project. At a minimum, this plan would include a project estimate and schedule, field and home office organization, a site logistics plan and a schedule of values. A formal presentation will be made to an industry panel. The course also addresses professional ethics through a case study and includes a research paper requirement.
3 credits
Spring
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CNST 500 - Fundamentals of Construction Management
Prerequisites: None
This course is designed to provide the foundation knowledge necessary for students entering the MSCM program from the related backgrounds of Architecture, Business and Engineering to successfully complete the program. The primary focus of the course will be the subject areas of construction project management, estimating, scheduling and cost, schedule and quality control. Not available to construction management undergraduate majors for credit.
3 credits
Summer
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CNST 501 - Construction Research Seminar
Gives the students practical experience in the development of research proposals.
Delivery: Other
Graduate students are provided with an opportunity to meet with industry professionals to discuss in depth current issues in the AEC industry that may benefit from funded research. Students will develop research proposals for external funding consideration Minimum Passing Grade: B-
1 credits
Special Offerings
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CNST 505 - Construction Business Management & Development
Fullfills the CNST core course requirements for the MSCM degree
Delivery: Lecture
This course develops an understanding of business concepts, general leadership, strategic management of construction projects and the design/construction/real estate industry from project concept to C of O. Business models, operation management, financial and human resource management will be analyzed and discussed to gain an extensive knowledge of design and construction management. Various technologies and innovations will be discussed and studied to understand how they strategically fit within, and impact a project Minimum Passing Grade: 80% or B-
3 credits
Fall
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CNST 510 - Modeling and Simulation Techniques for Construction Management
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor
Delivery: Delivery: Online
As construction projects become larger, more sophisticated, more complicated, and fast-tracked, the requirement for mathematical analysis and prediction of the outcome moves from being important to being critical for the success of the project. This course will introduce the student to useful techniques of analysis that require inexpensive, readily available software tools. This course explores the following topics: risk assessment, analysis and management; decision-making for probabilistic events; Total Quality Management (TQM) and Statistical Process Control (SPC); linear programming for project planning; game theory applications in the construction industry; and, simulation modeling of construction projects.
3 credits
Fall
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