University of North Carolina, Greensboro
EN-11: Continuing Education

The courses and descriptions below represent a portion of the full list, which was not available at the time of reporting. See the following link for more information: http://mals.uncg.edu/program/courses.php Religion and Ecology (MLS 610—Online) Religions are commonly viewed as ways to transcend nature, not abide in it. Religious people often describe themselves as pilgrims "just a-passin' through" rather than at home on the earth. Yet the current environmental crisis has motivated many people to re-examine their traditions and to align themselves with the earth. Whether Buddhist or Christian, Jew or Hindu, they discover a religiously-based eco-theology, an ethic of earth-care, a means of re-inhabitation, and rituals of sustainability—in short, an eco-spirituality. A dialogue about the fate of the earth has begun. We will enter a discussion with Christians, Buddhists, Native Americans, Taoists, Jews, Hindus, and Muslims, as well as with new voices of eco-feminism, deep ecology and sustainable design. Emphasis will be placed on what people and communities practice, and on new forms of Christian theology, and on the design of a sustainable future. This class is discussion oriented with readings and reflection papers. We will talk to each other through a discussion forum, post our papers for our peers' responses, and take advantage of relevant websites. Global Human Rights (MLS 620—Online) The setting of this course is a grassroots, intensely focused, and highly respected human rights organization. MALS students will join the organization as trainees to become human rights monitors (investigators). The highly interactive training program will require new monitors to learn by exploring human rights issues around the world. The research requires virtual travel to sites of current conflict to investigate allegations of genocide in Darfur, sex slavery in Thailand, detainee abuse in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and growing threats to civil liberties. Students will develop critical familiarity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, its historical antecedents in the U.S. Bill of Rights and the French Rights of Man, and explore their cultural and political foundations. Most required readings will be available online, but students will be expected to view documentaries and films as well as read additional materials that inform their human rights research. Students will become proficient in research methodologies that encourage investigative independence and creativity while maintaining academic rigor in order to understand complex issues and recommend achievable solutions in their reports to the agency director. Livable and Sustainable Cities (MLS 620—Online) This course asks students to learn a language composed of interlocking patterns that connect the people and buildings of a city with their history and natural ecology. We begin with an overview of the historical and social roots of the problem in James Kunstler's Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-made Landscapes. Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language, the main text of the course, provides us with a catalog of 100 urban patterns with which we can analyze any city landscape and design a better one. With this new language, each student conducts a study of what works well in their neighborhood and city. After several weeks a clear picture of the problems and possibilities of each urban space will become evident. We will add to our pattern recognition by incorporating the latest thinking of the leading theorist of sustainable places, William McDonough, in Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. He shows how to effectively integrate the economic necessities of life with the surrounding environment. Finally, we conclude with a study of patterns of sustainability in Timothy Beatley's The Ecology of Place: Planning for Environment, Economy and Community. Students choose their own patterns that enhance a community's sustainability and apply them to a particular case study in their own community. Sustainable Life on a Tuscan Farm (MLS 620—Online) This course begins in North Carolina, actually, online. Before we visit the farm, we will read and discuss online four books about Italian culture and agriculture. After our week together, each student presents online a paper about one of the facets of the farm or rural life and culture that they found most fascinating. Ten weeks in all, September 10- November 20. During our week in Italy, October 8-15, 2012, we will study diverse food production processes, learn the history of Italian farming and the architecture of rural buildings, study the current issues faced by the Italian farmer, and have opportunity to explore and enjoy the hill towns and cultural life in the Sienese region of Tuscany. Italians will introduce us to their language and customs, guide us through tastings of food—olive oil, cheese, wine, and prosciutto, conduct a cooking class of home-grown food, and show us the farm. Each evening we will enjoy a four-course farm meal in the company of staff and guests. The Global Economy (MLS 620—Online) For the past decade or so, "globalization" has been the media buzzword used to describe changes in the U.S. and world economies, perhaps second in recent years only to "the New Economy" in frequency of use. For the most part, this discussion of globalization has focused on changes that seem apparent in contrast to the period following WWII. According to one popular version of this story, in the 1970s the barriers to cross-border trade and financial transactions began to come down. By the late 1990s, as one commentator put it, we lived on the cusp of a "borderless world" where people, information, equipment and ideas would flow freely. In this context, it was imagined; the world would prosper as never before. During the post-war period, global cross-border trade and financial transactions were a fraction of what they are today. For many developed countries, the increased trade of the past few decades has meant a decline in the importance of manufacturing, as production of everything from cars to shoes has moved to places where labor was relatively cheap. For a few developing countries, this has meant increased investment from rich developed nations. But for many—especially countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, to say nothing of the ex-manufacturing sectors of the developed world—so called "globalization" has bought few, if any, of the beneficial effects once imagined. Or so it would seem. This course begins where the theory of the global economy and its reality meet. In general, the course highlights the theory of free trade, since it is on the back of this theory that the promise of globalization—or we might say, economic liberalization—rests. As we will see, the most recent episode of economic liberalization is but a small part of the whole story, although our recent experiences can tell us a good deal about how free trade might or might not work, and for whose benefit. The course is divided into eight basic units, each exploring an important topic for understanding the global economy. Global Perspectives in Biology (MLS 630—Online) Biology affects us on a global scale. It touches our lives every day, and understanding biological principles and concepts is vital for all citizens of the 21st century. In this course, you think and learn about some of the smallest organisms on the planet: bacteria and viruses that cause human diseases. Diseases caused by microbes have had an enormous impact on human health throughout history, and they continue to challenge us today. Although the Germ Theory of Disease was recognized in the 19th century and antibiotics were discovered in the 20th, we have not been able to eliminate the worldwide scourge of infectious diseases, especially in developing countries. In this course, we focus on several diseases caused by bacteria or viruses, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, influenza, and cholera. These diseases become models for understanding basic biological principles. In addition, we'll learn about their global consequences (past and present) and about the approaches used today to try to control infectious diseases.

The goal of the Certificate in Global Studies program is to increase knowledge of world cultures as well as economic, environmental, and social issues. This post-baccalaureate Certificate is earned by taking a minimum of 5 courses through the Graduate Liberal Studies program. Students in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program may also enroll in this certificate program. The certificate program seeks to instill a knowledge of particular cultures, while also providing training in the analysis of global trends. It is designed for college graduates interested in developing an understanding of global issues. Students will learn how to make connections between their particular part of the world and the larger trends and issues that affect all societies. Coursework for the certificate program consists of 15 hours of interdisciplinary online courses. Students must take 9 hours of required courses and 6 hours of approved electives. The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program requires that students take at least one course in the three traditional liberal arts areas – the humanities (MLS 610), the social sciences (MLS 620), and the sciences (MLS 630). Likewise, the certificate includes the same requirement. The aim is to approach a culture, geographical area, or global issue by reaching across disciplinary boundaries rather than focusing exclusively in one area or discipline. Students have three years to complete the certificate.

Information for this was received in part from Julee Johnson, Advisor for Graduate Liberal Studies at UNCG. Other information was taken from the GLS web.