Academic Programs: Concentrations
A concentration is a program of study taken in addition to a major. The purpose of a concentration, which includes an internship, is to help a student explore specific career possibilities within the framework of a liberal arts education. Six to eight units are normally required for a concentration, including all course work and the internship. See also the concentrations affiliated with Institutes: environmental sciences, environmental studies, professional management and public service (described in the preceding section).
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
See Institute for the Study of the Environment.
Ethnic Studies
Ethnic studies is both the comparative study of ethnicity and the study of the culture and history of particular ethnic groups within the United States. As the study of ethnicity, ethnic studies examines factors that account for the creation and maintenance of ethnic identity, the development of ethnic stereotypes and prejudice, and the quality of ethnic relations. In regard to particular ethnic groups, ethnic studies encourages the exploration of the specific histories, values and contributions of the country's many constituent groups. Ethnic studies provides the means to identify the prejudices and assumptions that have shaped traditional scholarship in the academic disciplines and to correct these biases.
The ethnic studies concentration allows students to acquire an area of expertise that will complement their major. Knowledge of ethnic traditions and ethnic relations are sought after in many fields including but not limited to politics, social services, business, law, medicine and psychology-related careers. This demand recognizes both that America is an increasingly multicultural society and that business people and professionals need to know these multiple groups in order to serve them better.
Requirements -- The ethnic studies concentration includes five or six units, to be divided as follows:
1. ETHN 103, Introduction to Ethnic Studies (one unit). All students must take Introduction to Ethnic Studies, unless exempted by the director of ethnic studies.
2. Four units of elective courses concentrating on ethnicity or particular ethnic groups.
The courses, to be chosen in consultation with the director of ethnic
studies, must include at least three upper-level units (defined as having a
prerequisite or as above the 100-level, depending on the department):
Native North America (Anthropology and Sociology 256)
Race and Ethnicity (Anthropology and Sociology 345)
Art as Political Action (Art History 311)
Race and Its Representation in American Art
(Art History 312)
Minority Images in American Media
(Communication Studies 312)
Issues in Modern Political Economy (Economics and Management 322)
Foundational Contexts of Education (Education 202)
Secondary Methods (Education 331)
Latina/o Literature (English 211)
African American Literature (English 234)
Twain and Faulkner (English 239)
Immigration in Literature (English 246)
Eighteenth-Century Culture Shocks (English 338)
Contemporary Literature (English 341)
The Problem of Race in American Literature (English 360)
French Louisiana (French 330)
Multicultural Germany (German 314)
Early America: Three Worlds Meet (History 121)
African American History from Africa to 1865 (History 242)
African American History, 1865 to the Present (History 243)
Native North America (History 256)
Slave Societies of the Americas, 1500-1900 (History 300)
Race and Nationality in American Life (History 331)
Harlem Renaissance (History 380)
History of Women in the United States, 1877-Present (History 390)
The 1960s (History 398)
Evolution of Jazz (Music 119)
Movement, Brain Development and the Classroom Teacher (Physical Education
310)
Special Education in Physical Education (Physical Education 360)
Urban Politics and Policy (Political Science 308)
Political and Social Movements (Political Science 319)
U.S. Latino/Chicano Literature and Culture (Spanish 362)
3. An ethnic studies-related internship (one-half to one unit) in the local community, in ethnic communities elsewhere in the United States, or study and research in ancestral communities or multi-ethnic communities outside the United States. (See also p. 108.)
4. ETHN 370, Ethnic Studies in Theory and Practice (one unit).
Admission -- The ethnic studies concentration is open to all students, regardless of academic major. However, students must be accepted into the program and should apply no later than the second semester of their sophomore year. For more information and an application form, contact Marcy Sacks (History), director of the concentration.
Human Services
Albion's human services concentration is designed to allow students to explore their interest in various human service careers as well as to prepare them for entry level positions upon graduation. This concentration is taken in addition to a student's academic major. Although open to any student, it will probably appeal most directly to students interested in areas such as public policy, health care, counseling, social work, community service, ministry, child care, legal aid and advocacy, and community action.
Requirements -- A total of eight units is required for the concentration. The concentration includes three important features. First, a core of five units, each focusing on a different area of competence, is required. These areas include introduction to human services and skills for human services, as well as knowledge of the individual within the lifespan, the theory and function of organizations, and the social and cultural context. A student may not take more than two core courses in his or her major.
Second, students complete at least one unit of internship. This requirement may be satisfied by either the psychology practicum or an appropriate internship which is arranged through the student's major department. The following represent possible internship sponsors: private social agencies, family-related agencies, institutions serving children and teenagers, churches and church-related institutions, crisis intervention agencies, state and local governments, and community organizations.
Third, students take a minimum of two units of supplemental courses that add depth to the internship experience. The courses are selected to complement and amplify a student's special interests, especially in relation to the internship. Existing courses have been identified as suitable supplemental courses and a list of these is available to students.
The five core areas are listed below, with a general description of each area and the designated course(s) which will fulfill the area requirement.
Introduction to Human Services -- Acquaints the beginning student with the human services field, including the philosophy, values, directions, and broad scope of the human services, and explores the student's motivation and values in relation to a career in a helping field. An interdisciplinary course is designed specifically for this area (HUSV 101).
Skills for Human Services -- Provides the student with theory, knowledge and instruction in some of the helping skills, such as listening, counseling, and small group and interpersonal communications. This area would be satisfied by one of the following:
Interpersonal and Family Communication (Communication Studies 202)
Small Group and Organizational Communication (Communication
Studies 203)
Introduction to Counseling (Psychology 380)
Individual in the Life Span -- Focuses upon the content, context and transitions of different stages in human life. Provides a broadly-based knowledge of the individual. This area would be satisfied by one of the following:
The Sociology of Sex and Gender (Anthropology and Sociology 333)
Developmental Psychology (Psychology 251)
Theory and Function of Organizations -- Provides knowledge of the theory, nature, and function of organizations. Students gain an overview that can enable them to evaluate and deal critically with bureaucracy, both within and without its institutional structures. This area would be satisfied by one of the following:
Human Resource Management (Economics and Management 355)
Public Policy Analysis (Political Science 216)
Urban Politics and Policy (Political Science 308)
Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Psychology 246)
Social and Cultural Context -- Provides the theory and knowledge necessary to perceive the significance of social and cultural contexts for understanding diverse ways of life. This area would be satisfied by one of the following:
Race and Ethnicity (Anthropology and Sociology 345)
Social Stratification (Anthropology and Sociology 370)
Christian Ethics (Religious Studies 242)
Admission -- Admission to the human services concentration is based on genuine interest in exploring one or more of the human services areas and evidence of academic ability. Students must apply for admission to the concentration and are urged to do so in their first year at Albion, and no later than their junior year.
The Human Services Advisory Committee administers the program and the members serve as advisers to the students in the human services concentration. For more information and an application form, contact the chair of the Human Services Committee.
Law, Justice, and Society
Law is one of the most significant expressions of a society's social and political development. We live in a period of widespread public interest in law that arises from a concern with problems of social justice, social control and social deviance. The traditional academic disciplines have increasingly focused on such issues as the nature and origin of law, law-making and law-breaking, rights and obligations, and freedom and responsibility. These are matters of increasing concern to teachers, social workers, business executives, doctors and public servants whose professional responsibilities demand knowledge of the relationship of law to their own fields.
The goals of this interdisciplinary concentration are to affirm the intellectual importance of the study of law and society, and to provide a framework whereby faculty and students may explore different approaches to law by using the resources of one or more disciplines. The curriculum is designed to equip students with the knowledge to understand legal institutions, practices and ideas, and also to grasp their relationship
to
larger
social,
economic
and
political
forces.
The
concentration in law, justice, and society should be seen within the context of an undergraduate liberal education. That is, it is not a preprofessional program, but is designed for interested students, whatever their future career orientation. Neither the American Bar Association (ABA) nor the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) recommends a specific course of pre-law studies. Instead, both recommend a broad-based undergraduate program of study that encourages the acquisition of critical reading, writing and analytical skills--i.e., a liberal arts education.
Requirements -- The law, justice, and society concentration will be satisfied by the completion of six units of study, as follows:
1. LWJS 101, Introduction to Law, Justice, and Society (one unit). All students must take this gateway course for the concentration, unless exempted by the director of the concentration.
2. Four units, drawn from an approved list of courses, to be chosen in consultation with the director of the concentration. No more than two of the courses can be from the student's major. The approved courses include:
History of Sociological Thought (Anthropology and Sociology 212)
Race and Ethnicity (Anthropology and Sociology 345)
Studies in Free Speech (Communication Studies 301)
Labor Law, Unions and Management (Economics and Management 353)
The Problem of Race in American Literature (English 360)
Literary Theory (English 363)
History of Women in the U.S., 1877-Present (History 240)
Slave Societies of the Americas (History 300)
Logic and Critical Reasoning (Philosophy 107)
Ethics (Philosophy 201)
Social Philosophy (Philosophy 202)
Contemporary Moral Philosophy (Philosophy 206)
Philosophical Issues in the Law (Philosophy 335)
American Political Development (Political Science 312)
Introduction to American Constitutional Law (Political Science 323)
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (Political Science 324)
Christian Ethics (Religion 242)
Feminist Theory (WGS 360)
3. A program-related internship (one unit), to be approved by the
director of the concentration.
Admission--The law, justice, and society concentration is open to all students, regardless of academic major. However, because of the nature of the requirements, students are advised to apply no later than the second semester of their sophomore year. For more information and an application form, contact William Rose (Political Science), director of the concentration.
Mass Communication
This concentration is designed to supplement a chosen academic major by providing course work which focuses on issues and choices in selected mass communication areas.
Requirements -- The concentration consists of six units of credit contracted between the candidate and the director of the concentration: one required course, a one-unit internship and four units of electives.
The following courses are required in the concentration:
1. Communication Studies 205, Mass Communication (one unit).
2. A writing course from the following list: English 203, 205, 207, 308, 310.
3. Internship (one or two units). Students are required to take one unit of internship but may receive credit for a two-unit internship. If a one-unit internship is selected, students may choose a directed study or another elective to fulfill the six-unit requirement. Special work experience or practicum credit may be used as internship credit with permission. All internships are taken on a credit/no credit basis and must be registered through Albion College. Tuition is charged.
A limited number of internships in a variety of mass media organizations are available to qualified students. Once accepted into the program, students should begin to plan for the internship. All students who apply for internships or practicums are expected to have a cumulative grade point average of 2.7.
4. At least three additional units from the following list of electives. With the director of the mass communication concentration, students will choose courses from the following electives to best fulfill their designated areas
of interest:
Anthropology and Sociology
366
Anthropology of Mass Culture
Art and Art History
241
Beginning Photography
341
Advanced Photography
Communication Studies
306
Public Relations
311
Environmental Communication
312
Minority Images in American Media
325
Visual Communication
351
Persuasion
301
Studies in Free Speech
365
Media Theory
English
203
Advanced Expository Writing
205
Introductory Creative Writing
207
News and Feature Writing
307, 308
Advanced News and Feature Writing
309, 310
News Editing I
321
Advanced Creative Writing
Other courses may be used for the concentration as they are offered.
Admission -- All concentrations are individually designed; therefore, students must be accepted into the program, and must contact Margaret Young (Communication
Studies), the director of the mass communication concentration, by the end of their sophomore year.
Neuroscience
Albion's neuroscience concentration was designed for students who are interested in the neural underpinnings of behavior and cognition. The core courses, Neuroscience I and Neuroscience II, provide students with a multi-disciplinary, multi-divisional introduction to the study of the mind/brain that spans all levels of current neuroscientific research. The four electives allow students to pursue lines of inquiry they find especially attractive in the core courses, and a major research project or internship allows them the choice of a theoretical or practical test of their developing skills. This approach to neuroscience provides Albion students with the knowledge, insight and research skills necessary for success in graduate study or careers in the life sciences.
Curriculum -- The neuroscience concentration consists of three components.
1. Three courses required of all students in the program:
Neuroscience I (covers basic systems, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience) (NEUR 241, with prerequisite Psychology 101)
Neuroscience II (covers molecular and cellular neuroscience) (NEUR 242, with prerequisites Neuroscience 241 and Biology 195)
Chemistry 121
2. Four of the following courses, selected from at least two different departments:
Biology
301
Cell Biology
314
Comparative Anatomy
317
Genetics
324
Developmental Biology
341
General Physiology
361
Immunobiology
362
Molecular Biology
366
Endocrinology
368
Behavioral Ecology
Philosophy
306
Neuroscience and Ethics
315
Epistemology
381/401
Philosophy of Mind
Psychology
243/343
Psychology of Perception
245/345
Psychology of Learning and Memory
348
Physiological Psychology
378
Cognitive Psychology
390
Neuropsychopharmacology
3. A major research project or internship.
Admission -- The neuroscience concentration is open to all students, regardless of academic major. However, because many of the courses have prerequisites, students who elect the neuroscience concentration are typically majors in biology, chemistry or psychology. Students must be accepted into the program, and thus should contact one of the faculty members listed below for application information. Students are advised to apply by the end of their sophomore year.
For more information, please contact any one of the following faculty members: Ned Garvin (Philosophy), Barbara Keyes (Psychology), Ruth Schmitter (Biology), W. Jeffrey Wilson (Psychology).
Professional Management
See Carl A. Gerstacker Liberal Arts Institute for Professional Management.
Public Policy and Service
See Gerald R. Ford Institute for Public Policy and Service.
Women's Studies
Contemporary scholars have challenged the invisibility of women and women-focused material in traditional academic disciplines. The field of women's studies emerged as the center for these new courses and new approaches to intellectual inquiry. Women's studies examines not only women's lives but also gender systems and the intersections of gender with race, class, sexuality, age and other power systems functioning in societies. The impact of feminist scholarship is evident most clearly in the humanities, arts and social sciences. In the sciences, where women historically have been underrepresented, the influence of gender-based work is growing.
While women's studies courses are open to all students, those who wish to explore the field in-depth may complete a formal concentration.
The women's studies concentration allows students to acquire an area of
expertise in addition to their major. Knowledge of gender- and women-centered issues and research is increasingly sought after in many fields including but not limited to politics, social services, business, law, medicine and psychology. This demand recognizes not only that women are increasingly important contributors in these fields but also that businesses and professions are acknowledging that they need to know this majority to better serve it.
Requirements -- The women's studies concentration includes seven units, to be divided as follows:
1. WGS 106, Introduction to Women's Studies (one unit). All students must take Introduction to Women's Studies, unless exempted by the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair.
2. WGS 360, Feminist Theory (one unit). All students must take Feminist Theory, unless exempted by the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair.
3. Two units from the following courses*:
The Anthropology of Sex and Gender (A&S 332)
The Sociology of Sex and Gender (A&S 333)
Women and Art (Art History 310)
Goddesses in Art (Art History 316)
Women in the Economy (E&M 271)
Women and Literature (English 243)
Gay and Lesbian Literature (English 285)
Victorian Sexualities (English 337)
Eighteenth Century Culture Shocks (English 338)
Redeeming Eve: Renaissance Women's Writing (English 345)
French Women Writers and Feminist Criticism (French 320)
History of Women in the U.S., 1877-present (History 240)
Women, Society and Gender in East Asia (History 365)
Women and Ethnic Minorities in Science (SCI 205)
Gender and Sport (Physical Education 279)
The Feminine in World Religions (Religious Studies 210)
Gender and Biblical Interpretation (Religious Studies 320)
Women in Hispanic Literature (Spanish 350)
Women in the American Theatre (Theatre 210)
Feminist Theatre (Theatre 371)
The preceding courses constitute the central courses in the women's studies concentration. The focus is exclusively devoted to scholarship on gender and/or women.
4. One unit from the following courses*:
Prehistoric Archaeology (A&S 241)
Foundations of Education (Education 225)
Literacy Pedagogy: Learning and Teaching Reading (Education 356)
The Age of Elizabeth (English 344)
Age of Satire (English 347)
Four American Poets (English 351)
Literary Theory (English 363)
Victorian England (History 308)
Human Sexuality (Psychology 272)
This unit will allow students to examine the impact of gender scholarship on various disciplines.
5. An internship: A one-unit internship will be approved by the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair.
6. A directed study: One unit of a directed study will be approved by the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair. Possible topics include:
Ecofeminism
Introduction to Gay/Lesbian Studies
Women and Popular Culture
Psychology of Women
Women and the Media
Women in Political Theory
Gender and African-American Women
Gender and Native American Women
Gender and Asian-American Women
Gender and Latinas
Feminism(s) and the Third World
Note:
- Only two courses may count for the major and the women's studies concentration.
- No more than two courses from sections 3 and 4 of the concentration may be taken in any one department.
- Any exemptions from the requirements must be approved by the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair.
- A course for the gender studies category requirement may count toward the concentration only if it comes from the courses listed in sections 3 and 4.
*Other courses may count in these categories. Please consult with the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair.
Admission -- Students must be accepted into the program, and thus should contact the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair by the end of their sophomore year for application information.
