Undergraduate Research

ANTH 314: Practicing Anthropology (3)

The applications of anthropological data, methods, and theory in the analysis and understanding of contemporary human problems. 

Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of cross-cultural differences in the experience of illness, curing and health; cultural meanings and practices involved in substance abuse; the role of culture in educational practice and learning; and the influence of culture in business and workplace settings. 

ANTH 317: Ethnographic Methods (3)

This course is designed to offer an introduction to qualitative methods in anthropology. Students will learn methodologies such as participant observation, interviewing, and document analysis, and we will also address ethical issues in field research. Students will design and carry out an ethnographic research project. 

Outcomes: Students will demonstrate in-depth knowledge of qualitative research techniques; critically discuss ethical implications of ethnographic research; undertake original ethnographic fieldwork; prepare a comprehensive, theoretically informed, and clearly written report based on original ethnographic data.

ANTH 348: Museum & Material Culture Research (3)

This course offers direct experience with anthropological research methods and analysis using material culture and archival holdings from the May Weber Ethnographic Study Collection. Grounded in object-based studies and using examples from the collection, this course will examine collecting contexts, formal and technical analyses, operational sequences, cultural contexts, and interpretation.

Outcomes: Students gain knowledge of research techniques for working with museum-held objects while contributing to the permanent documentation and interpretation of the May Weber Ethnographic Study Collection through object research.

ANTH 361-002 (Section-Only): Issues in Cultural Anthropology: Language and Place (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement. These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details. 

The course is a vehicle for topics of particular interest to the instructor or an issue of contemporary relevance.  It may be a trial run for a course later added to the official list.

Prerequisite: ANTH 100 or ANTH 102.

Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate how cultural anthropology is relevant to contemporary issues or how a problem can be structured around a cultural anthropological viewpoint.

BIOI 397E/BIOL 395E: Bioinformatics Survey (3) - (Section Only)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement. These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details. 

This course trains students in conducting collaborative bioinformatics research as well reading and presenting scientific research.

Prerequisites: BIOL 101 and Instructor consent.

Outcomes: Provides an alternative to individual research; reflects trends in the field for collaborative, group research.

BIOI 399: Bioinformatics Research (1-4)

An independent research experience involving laboratory experiments, computer program development, or statistical analysis or any combination of these performed under the mentorship of one or more Bioinformatics faculty members.

Outcomes: All students will acquire skills to perform and report on independent research and to be intellectually responsible for evaluating their own and related work; Other outcomes will include at least one of the following: Experimental expertise, statistical evaluation of data sets, design and use of computational tools.

BIOL 296: Introduction to Research (1) (Effective Spring 2015)

Students will begin reading the literature in the field of their mentor, conduct experiments designed by the mentor, and give a presentation on their work or studies, in preparation for upper-level undergraduate research.

Prerequisites: BIOL 102, 112; Permission of the instructor; Biology Core highly recommended.

Outcomes: Students will develop critical reading skills and become familiar with basic lab techniques in the area of their mentor.

BIOL 366L: Cell Physiology and Biochemistry Lab (2)

Introduction to modern techniques and instrumentation with an emphasis on cellular metabolism and protein biochemistry including purification and quantitation methods and enzyme kinetics. 

Outcomes: Proficiency in performing a variety of biochemical assays and the ability to write up results as a formal lab report.

BIOL 373E: Neuroscience Lab I (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement. These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details. 

Students will be trained in various anatomical, physiological, behavioral, and neurobiological modeling techniques used to study the nervous system and the brain in the laboratory. This course is cross-listed as NEUR 301 & PSYC 388.

Prerequisite: NEUR 101 (Formerly PSYC/BIOL 202), BIOL 251; and students must be either a Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience Major, a Cognitive/Behavioral Neuroscience major, or a Neuroscience Minor.

Outcomes:  Students will demonstrate understanding of several research designs and methodologies of use in neuroscience research and will gain experience with basic neuroscience laboratory techniques. 

BIOL 390: Molecular Biology Laboratory (4)

This course is an intensive laboratory course in the basic principles and techniques of molecular biology, including bacterial cloning, polymerase chain reaction, restriction mapping, agarose gel electrophoresis, and DNA sequencing.

Prerequisites: Bioinformatics majors: BIOL 282 & BIOL 283 and CHEM 222 or CHEM 224 or (CHEM 240 pre-req and CHEM 260 co-req); All other majors: BIOL 251, BIOL 282, BIOL 283 and CHEM 222 or CHEM 224 or (CHEM 240 pre-req and CHEM 260 co-req).

Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate basic molecular biology skills including manipulation of bacterial cultures and DNA, plasmid minipreps, gel electrophoresis, cloning, polymerase chain reaction, and other molecular techniques that may be specific to their chosen independent projects.

BIOL 392/COMP 392: Metagenomics (3)

Exploration of next-generation sequencing technologies for assessing microbial diversity in ecological niches.

Prerequisite: BIOL 282.

Outcomes: Students will gain hands-on experience with metagenomic methodologies while working in an interdisciplinary, collaborative setting.

BIOL 395L: Special Topics Laboratory (3) - (Section Only)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement. These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

Laboratory. Special areas of study outside the usual curriculum, that vary each time the course is offered.

Outcome: Students will master a unique topic in biology. 

BIOL 396: Research (3)

Laboratory or field research under faculty guidance emphasizing hypothesis testing, literature searches, experimental design, and use of appropriate techniques.

Prerequisite: BIOL 296 (minimum 1 credit), Permission of Instructor; Contract Required.

Outcomes: Students will learn the full set of research skills required in doing an independent project and reporting the results.

BIOL 397H: Senior Honors Thesis (3)

For students in the Honors Program.  Laboratory or field research under faculty guidance emphasizing hypothesis testing, literature searches, experimental design, and use of appropriate techniques. Written thesis and research presentation required. 

Outcomes: Students will learn the full set of research skills required in doing an independent project and reporting the results.

CHEM 300: Undergraduate Research (1-6)

This course gives undergraduate students an opportunity to participate in research in a selected area.

Prerequisites: Prior consultation with the instructor and a completed agreement form; Agreement forms for this directed study course are obtained from the department office, and the completed form (signed by the student, instructor, and chairperson) must be deposited in the chemistry office before the student can register for the course.

Outcomes: Students will accomplish the research task defined in the contractual arrangement between the student and the instructor.

CJC 391: Capstone Experience Research (3) 

The course will allow students to be actively engaged in a faculty member's research project, providing the student with an opportunity to apply the research skills that they already have and to acquire additional skills and knowledge about research design, statistical analysis, and writing research presentations, briefs, or papers.

Prerequisite: Instructor approval required; major in criminal justice; junior or senior standing; Students must complete CJC 205: Research Methods (or equivalent) and four additional CJC courses.

Outcomes: Increasing knowledge about the research process from design, analysis, presentation, writing and policy implications.

Instructor Approval Required; major in criminal justice; junior or senior standing; Students must complete CJC 205: Research Methods (or equivalent) and four additional CJC courses. 

CLST 380 - Research in Classical Studies (3) 

Students complete a semester-long research project on a topic in Classical Studies.

Outcomes: Students will improve research methods and produce a research paper that engages with both primary sources and secondary scholarship.

COMP 312: Open-Source Computing (3)

This course will cover the fundamentals of Free and Open-Source software development. Topics to be addressed include licensing, Linux, typical software development tools, applications, and techniques for managing remote servers.

Prerequisite: COMP 231 or COMP 271 or instructor permission.

Outcomes: Students will learn to implement projects involving Free and Open-Source software and learn how to participate in open-source projects effectively.

COMP 363: Design and Analysis Computer Algorithms (3)

Theoretical design and analysis of computer algorithms may be supplemented by small amounts of programming.

Prerequisites: COMP 272 and (MATH 132 or MATH 162).

Outcomes: The ability to design and analyze efficient algorithms; understanding of the necessary models and mathematical tools; understanding of a variety of useful data structures and fundamental algorithms; exposure to the classification of computational problems into different complexity classes.

 

COMP 398: Computer Science Independent Study (1-6)
The student and a sponsoring faculty member will determine an advanced topic for the student to work on.

Outcomes:  Knowledge of an advanced topic.

 

DANC 398 - Research in Dance (1-3) - Must be a declared dance major or minor to enroll.

Faculty serve as mentors for dance students pursuing research opportunities. Platforms cross various domains in cognitive, psychomotor, and artistic development. Students and faculty work together to generate qualitative and quantitative data documented in multiple modalities including: dancemaking, regression analyses, interviews, correlational and case studies. This course satisfies the Engaged Learning-Undergraduate Research requirement.

Outcomes: Students will learn discipline-specific language skills, research ethics and methodologies; Students will gain valuable skills disseminating research through performances, scholarly articles, conference presentations and research symposia.

ENGL 210: Business Writing (3) - (Section Only)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement. These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details. 

English 210 provides training and practice in various forms of writing (such as memos, instructions, letters, resumes, proposals, and reports) relevant to students who are considering careers in business.

Outcomes: Students will demonstrate familiarity with genres and styles of writing commonly used in business, with the stages of the writing process, and with individual and collaborative methods of composing.

ENGL 283: Transgender in Literature (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement. These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

Course Description: This is an Engaged Learning course, approved for the Undergraduate Research category, and thus satisfies the Loyola University Chicago Engaged Learning requirement."
In this engaged learning course, students will study transgender literature and history of the early 20th century and will assist in completing a digital scholarly edition and archive of one such narrative: Man into Woman, the life narrative of Lili Elbe, one of the first persons to undergo a surgical change in sex in 1930. (If you have seen the 2015 film, ¿The Danish Girl, you have a sense of her life.) The primary work will be supplemented by essays on transgender history and on digital humanities; case studies by sexologists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries; and early 20th century novels, such as Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (1928) and Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness (1928). Students will immerse themselves in this history to better understand and work with the primary text. In addition, all students will be trained in how to encode materials according to TEI (Text Encoding Initiative) standards, and how to collate editions.

Requirement: UCLR 100 for students admitted to Loyola University for Fall 2012 or later.  No requirement for students admitted to Loyola prior to Fall 2012 or those with a declared major or minor in the Department of English, Department of Classical Studies, or Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. This course focuses on the representation of women in literature, as discussed in a variety of literary works.

Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the representations of women in various periods of literary history and diverse cultural contexts.

ENGL 299: Topics in Advance Writing (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement. These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

This is a course in writing clear and effective prose in whatever form/genre is being studied; the subtitle will define the form/genre more precisely.

Prerequisite: UCWR 110.

Outcomes: Students will gain an understanding of the principals involved in writing clear and effective prose in whatever form/genre is under study, and be able to apply these principles to their own writing in this form/genre.

FNAR 391: Senior Thesis in Art History (3)

Students develop an in-depth scholarly research paper while engaging new theoretical frames or topics to expand upon the writing and research of a paper of their choice from a previous art history class. In addition, they will share their research in a final, formal oral presentation.

Outcomes: Students produce a polished in-depth research paper; They demonstrate the ability to synthesize and apply ideas from scholarly sources; formulate, develop, and articulate in verbal and written form relevant issues.

FNAR 392: Senior Thesis II: FNAR Art History Capstone (3)
The second half of the capstone experience for art history majors. In Senior Thesis II, students write an in-depth scholarly research paper.

Prerequisite: FNAR 391 or instructor permission; Art History majors only; Senior standing.

Outcomes: Students produce a polished in-depth research paper; They demonstrate the ability to synthesize and apply ideas from scholarly sources; formulate, develop, and defend a thesis; and critically analyze and articulate in verbal and written form the issues and ideas relevant to their topic.

FNAR 394B: Special Topics in Art History: Traditional Chinese Architecture (3)
Students will master topics in areas of art history not offered elsewhere in the curriculum.

FRSC 371: Forensic Molecular Biology Lecture & Laboratory (5)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement. These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

This course prepares students to work in forensic DNA analysis.  The lectures cover the basic aspects of DNA structure and function while the laboratory gives students experience with the techniques and instruments used in forensic DNA analysis.

Prerequisites: BIOL 282, BIOL 283, FRSC 342, FRSC 370, FRSC 370L; Forensic Science Majors only - Biology/DNA Option.

Outcomes: Students will have a strong theoretical understanding of STR marker origin, population biology, and legal uses, and will be able to isolate and process DNA for STR scoring.

FRSC 394: Forensic Science Research (1-3)
This course gives undergraduate students an opportunity to participate in research in a selected area. Forensic Science Majors Only.

Prerequisites: Prior consultation with the instructor and a completed agreement form; Agreement forms for this directed study course are obtained from the program office, and the completed form (signed by the student, instructor, and program director) must be deposited in the program office before enrollment.

Outcomes: Students will accomplish the research task defined in the contractual arrangement between the student and the instructor.

HIST 300A: History of Psychiatry Research Seminar on Eating Disorders 1970-2000 (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement. These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

This is a CURE (Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience) course, in which students engage in intensive, primary-source based research individually and in small groups.  All students will be contributing to the same larger question: How and why did eating disorders become so prevalent in the United States and around the world during the late twentieth century? The course is linked to Prof. Weinreb’s current research project Pathologies of Democracy: The Rise of Disordered Eating in the Postwar World. Students will base their research on a collection of original archival sources provided by the instructor. Over the course of the semester, working individually and in small groups, students will carry out independent archival research building from this shared pool of sources; they will read extensively secondary and theoretical literature in history and psychology; they will develop an original research question; and complete an analytic, primary-source-based history paper of 15-20 pages.

Special topics or new approaches of current interest to the instructor. This course counts as a 300-level history elective. Students may repeat the course for credit when the topic changes.

Outcomes: Students will gain familiarity with the topic; the ability to make connections between secondary and primary sources; and the capacity to think critically about the ways that historians have approached major issues.

HIST 300D: Ramonat Seminar (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement.  These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

Special topics or new approaches of current interest to the instructor. This course may be used to fulfill the history major distribution requirement in 300-level U.S. history or may count as a 300-level history elective. Students may repeat the course for credit when the topic changes.

Outcome: Students will gain familiarity with the topic; the ability to make connections between secondary and primary sources; and the capacity to think critically about the ways that historians have approached major issues. 

HIST 375: Digital History: The History of Food (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement.  These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

Digital resources make primary source material available while databases, mapping, and text-mining applications allow us to ask new types of research questions. Digital history is more than just gaining familiarity with digital resources, applications, and platforms; it is about understanding how using these tools has changed the way we study history.

HIST 375: Digital History (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement.  These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

Digital resources make primary source material available while databases, mapping, and text-mining applications allow us to ask new types of research questions. Digital history is more than just gaining familiarity with digital resources, applications, and platforms; it is about understanding how using these tools has changed the way we study history.

Outcomes: Gain introductory technical knowledge of digital tools or methods; Learn to apply technical knowledge about digital history tools to historical questions; Acquire experience managing and creating a team-based digital humanities.

HONR 203A-01H (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement.  These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

This course examines the question, "Who are we in the United States of America?" Students approach this question using multiple texts and visual materials that address social, political, and cultural aspects of the U.S. experience.  The course illustrates the main contours of American society and the American story and explores the ways in which our self-image as a people reflects and contradicts reality.

Prerequisite: Completion of HONR 101, HONR D101, HONR 102, and HONR D102. Restricted to students in the Honors Program.

Outcomes: Students will understand the role of key historical processes such as the frontier experience, industrialization, immigration, religious pluralism, and the struggle for equality in the development of a distinctive American story; They will learn to use available public sources to conduct research on aspects of the American experience.  

INDS 380: Break the Chains: Revolt, Rebellion, and Resistance in the World of Atlantic Slavery

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement.  These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

From the early 1500s until the abolition of slavery in the US in 1865, the Western hemisphere witnessed hundreds of slave revolts. Drawing on the Newberry’s significant collections in Atlantic materials, as well as the most recent scholarship in history, archaeology, and literary studies, “Break the Chains” will explore the many varieties of slave resistance in the Atlantic world. In weekly class meetings that will discuss a common set of readings, the course will explore the many significant sites of resistance in the Atlantic world, from slave ships and plantation fields to print shops and parliaments. In the second part of the course, each student will develop an independent research project, guided by the instructors and by the Newberry librarians, who will assist the students in exploring the library’s extensive holdings.

MATH 390: Advanced Research Seminar in Mathematics (2)

The seminar will cultivate students' presentation skills through participation in and critical discussion of brief lectures on familiar and unfamiliar topics; preparation and presentation of two brief lectures by the student (one on a familiar topic from the curriculum, one on a higher-level material not customarily from the curriculum); and preparation of an extended abstract summarizing the advanced material presented.

Prerequisites: MATH 304/STAT 304 or MATH 313 or MATH 351.

Outcomes: Students will gain the ability to present material in Mathematics and applications to a general audience. 

MSTU 300-301: Integrative Experience I and II (3)

This course is the first in a two-semester sequence of courses designed to provide students with a synoptic view of the field of Medieval Studies and train them to do cross-disciplinary work within that field.

Outcomes: Students will be able to produce original research on some topic pertaining to the Middle Ages that utilizes and integrates no less than two methodologies drawn from diverse disciplines.

PHYS 126/126F: General Physics II and Freshman Projects (3 + 1)

A continuation of PHYS 125.

Outcome: Understanding of electrostatics, magnetostatics, time varying currents, resistive, capacitative and inductive elements, electromagnetic and sound waves, geometrical and wave optics, introductory special relativity. 

Under the guidance of a faculty member, students carry out research in the area of mechanics, waves or thermodynamics. The project must involve submission of a proposal, building of a setup, carrying out related theoretical calculations followed by experimentation.  Outcomes: Students should get a deeper understanding of the material covered in PHYS 125 (mechanics, waves and thermodynamics) and learn about research methods employed by physicists.

PHYS 338: Intermediate Physics Laboratory (2)

Lab course with advanced experiments in mechanics, biophysics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, solid state, and particle physics. Students will receive training in data analysis methods, data acquisition systems, signal processing, and 3D fabrication. Students will work in teams on a final independent project.

Prerequisites: PHYS 301 and PHYS 314; Restricted to PHYS, TPAM, PCSC, and BPHY majors.

Outcomes: Students will gain an understanding of experiment design, data analysis, and error estimation in the context of investigating physical principles and using different instrumentations.

PHYS 391: Research (1-12)

Research in physics or an associated field.  This is a variable credit course and can be repeated.

Co-Requisite: PHYS 126.

Outcomes: Under the guidance of a faculty member, students study and understand research methods employed by physicists and gain a deeper understanding of a particular area of physics.

PSCJ 399: Independent Study (3) - Program permission required.

This course provides students with the opportunity to work under the direction of a faculty member on a particular area of interest that is not part of the Psychology of Crime and Justice minor's usual curriculum.

Outcomes: Gain supervised research experience in a specific area of psychology and law.

PSYC 314: Lab in Experimental Psychology: Cognitive (3)

Laboratory demonstrations, experiments, and microcomputer applications in the area of human cognition. Topics vary, but include learning, memory, thinking and language processing.

Prerequisite:  PSYC 306 (C-) and (C- in PSYC 250, PSYC 251, PSCY 307, or PSYC 382).

Outcomes: Students gain skills and experience in experimental design, measurement, statistical analyses, and report writing as they relate to research on human cognition.

PSYC 370: Psychology Honors Research (3)

Students carry out the research proposed in PSYC 369 and prepare a formal report constituting the honors thesis. Approval of the thesis by the honors committee earns the psychology honors award. PSYC 370 is a capstone course.

Prerequisite: PSYC 369.

Outcomes: Students will conduct research, analyze and interpret data, and write a thesis.

PSYC 397: Independent Research (3)

Capstone opportunity to conduct research under the guidance of a psychology faculty member. Only one of PSYC 397 and 399 may count toward the psychology major.

Prerequisites: PSYC 306 and approval of internship coordinator.  Limited to psychology majors with senior standing.

Outcomes: Students will gain experience in all aspects of psychological research, including literature review, formulating hypotheses, designing and conducting research, analyzing data and interpreting results, communicating the results of research in written reports.

SOCL 265: Globalization and Society (3)

This course examines the nature of contemporary globalization and considers how it influences communities, nations and the world. The course examines the positive and negative consequences of globalization and the global justice movements that have emerged seeking more equality, tolerance and environmental stewardship.

Outcomes: Students learn how economic, political and cultural aspects of globalization impact society in an increasingly interconnected world.

SOCL 397: Independent Study Project (3)

Independent study of a topic delineated by the student in collaboration with an individual faculty member.

STAT 370: Data Science Consulting (3)

Students will work on a research project with a client acting as a consultant on the statistical and computational aspects of the project.  Students are required to meet with a client, develop a strategy for addressing their problem, and present their results to the client (and their classmates).

Prerequisites: STAT 308.

Outcomes: 1) Apply methods learned in classes to a address a real world problem; 2) Oral and Written presentation skills; 3) Collaboration skills.

THEO 280E: Religion, Fantasy, and Popular Culture (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement.  These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

This course examines Fantasy’s representation of the religious. We will begin by assessing the genre’s connections to religious myth, noting similarities and differences in the themes, narrative, and goals of each enterprise. Then, using the ‘secondary worlds’ created in literature, television, and film by Tolkien, Martin, and Basu, we will examine how these worlds reflect, reimagine, promote, and subvert the religious in our own world. Throughout the semester we will explore a variety of religious themes (good vs. evil, the sacred and profane, paths to salvation, morality and mortality—to name a few) through a diverse mix of religious practice from around the globe, all the while making connections to the ‘secondary worlds’ of our source material. At its end, we will seek to answer the question of whether or not Fantasy—the most ‘unrealistic’ kind of storytelling—actually succeeds (and where it fails) in addressing the very real spiritual and religious concerns of human beings.

THEO 280: Religion & Interdisciplinary Studies (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement.  These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

Course topics will rotate to incorporate the study of religion in a variety of other disciplines. Focus will be on the influence or application of religious teachings and traditions in the fields of healthcare, politics, education, etc.

Outcomes: Describe the ethical implications of the religious beliefs and traditions of at least one religion for the primary field of study.

This course explores the threat of science denial through a series of three questions. First, what is science denial? This first phase will analyze science denial as the unwarranted rejection of scientific consensus on a range of issues (e.g., evolution), identifying some of the faulty rationales used for rejecting consensus. Second, what motivates science denial? The presumption of conflict between science and faith motivates much (but not all) science denial, so this second phase explores the "Conflict Model," using detailed case studies of "creationism" and "scientism" to illustrate how the assumptions, methods, and rhetoric of these two views work to perpetuate conflict and facilitate science denial. Third, what mitigates science denial? If conflict facilitates science denial, then peaceful co-existence between science and faith can mitigate the problem. So, the final phase of the course will propose the late Stephen Jay Gould's model of "Non-Overlapping Magisteria" (NOMA) as a viable public model for framing a relation between science and faith that all civic stakeholders can endorse and support for the common good. The "Undergraduate Research" E-L designation of this course aims (1) to understand, analyze, and evaluate science denial, (2) to understand, analyze, and evaluate Gould's original NOMA model and its reception and (2) to revise Gould's NOMA into a more effective analytical tool. 

THEO 299: Religions of Asia (3)

An introductory survey of selected teachings, institutions, and practices of the great religious traditions of South Asia and East Asia placed in historical context.

Prerequisites: THEO 100, THEO 107, or equivalent; please check requirements for declared majors/minors for exceptions.

Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the central texts, beliefs, ethical understandings, and practices of at least three Asian religions. 

THEO 317: Christian Thought: Ancient-Medieval (3)
Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement.  These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

The development of various Christian doctrines in light of their historical milieu during the first fourteen centuries of Christian thought.

Outcomes: Students will be able to assess how various configurations of theological perspectives can both expand and foreshorten the way human thinking has gone on. 

THEO 353/373: Religious Traditions/Theology Capstone (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement.  These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

This course investigates the historical, social, ritual and reflective positions of one or more religious traditions. It likewise develops the student's abilities to use contemporary methods of historical, theological, and social scientific analysis of religious traditions.

This class satisfies the Engaged Learning requirement in the Undergraduate Research category.
Questions about existence, the `Creator', humanity's relationship to its `Creator', and the nature of human beings have been posed by nearly every culture and religious community throughout human history, and exploration of these questions has not been confined to religious texts and traditions. In this course, we will look at the various ways that these questions have been answered by religious communities, comparing them to the ways in which the creators of popular narratives (including John Milton's Paradise Lost, HBO's Westworld, and its adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, just to name a few) continue to do so up to the modern day. Comparisons will include not only the content of these narratives but also the hermeneutics of their interpreters. Through these comparisons, we will endeavor to understand the different methods of interpretation that religious communities use to address issues of creation and theological anthropology, making use of hermeneutics from Jewish Midrash, Christian Patristics, Islam, and other modern Biblical interpreters. The goal of this course is to explore with students’ different approaches to the topics of creation and theological anthropology, as well as a variety of interpretive methods, using materials from popular culture (literature, television, and film). Genesis 1-3, non-canonical Jewish literature, and other religious texts will serve as 'test cases', in an effort to make studying hermeneutics a bit more appealing and memorable.

 

EXPL 391: Seminar in Undergraduate Research Methods (3)

This seminar course offers undergraduate students the experiential opportunity to engage in research while building their foundation of research methods. Students may be part of the Loyola Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (LUROP) through a funded fellowship, or students may be working independently with a faculty mentor (volunteering in a lab, working on a research team). All students must have a research project with a faculty mentor identified prior to enrolling in this course. As an experiential learning course, students will need to be engaged in research with a faculty mentor concurrently to taking this course. Students must work a minimum of 5 - 10 hours each week over the semester on their research projects (10 - 15 hours per week over the summer session). Students will reflect on research experience in the context of understanding research paradigms, application of research methodologies, understanding the implications of ethical research, and preparing to present research professionally. This course will provide students engaged in research with the opportunity to develop a formal written research paper and poster, as if the students are preparing to present their research in a professional setting, such as the LUROP Symposium.

 

PUBH 399: Public Health Capstone (3)

This course is a cumulative, integrative and scholarly or applied experience or inquiry project. It may include internships, service-learning projects, senior seminars, portfolio projects, or research paper. The project provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate proficiency in effective communication skills through a written report and oral presentation.

Outcomes: Demonstrate in written report and oral presentation the knowledge and skills acquired during the undergraduate program through selected projects which translate gained information into public health practice, including research.

CIEP 290: Fact, Fiction, or Somewhere In Between? (3) 

The course investigates misconceptions about science, math, humanities, and social sciences through the lens of learners¿ varied social identities, prior knowledge and lived experiences, and research about how people learn. Students will identify misconceptions commonly learned in K-12 classes, reflect on how those misconceptions may shape ones, current understandings, and explore approaches for uncovering and confronting misconceptions and false beliefs in productive ways.

Outcomes: Students who take this course will understand that:

• Misconceptions are derived from a variety of sources including information environments, prior experiences, peers, culture, language, teachers, explanations, and instructional materials and are often resistant to change.
• Effective instruction is guided by research-based principles of how people learn.
• Student learning is facilitated through effective instruction and assessment.
• Instruction that promotes intellectual virtues including open-mindedness and intellectual humility, courage, and diligence can help prepare students to better resist misinformation and also promote empathy, caring, and responsibility

CIEP 366: Special Topic Seminar (3) 
This course is a seminar for Special Topics for SOE undergraduate students. This seminar will allow SOE to pilot newly developed and approved courses. This seminar will be used by SOE - ADSU, TL, and SPSY - programs covering various educational subjects and interdisciplinary topics.

ENVS 323: Environmental Microbiology (3) 

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement.  These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

This course introduces the significant role of microorganisms in numerous environmental and human-engineered processes. It covers microbiology and its basic methods to orient students to this field of science and the importance of microbial diversity relevant to agriculture, public health, and ecological restoration.  

Prerequisites: BIOL 101, BIOL 102, CHEM 101, and (CHEM 102 or ENVS 274).

Outcomes: Students will learn to isolate and characterize environmental microorganisms; Students will investigate the role of microorganisms in nutrient cycling, remediation of soils, and transmission of existing and emerging pathogens.

ENVS 338: Climate Change and Human Health (3) 

This course provides an introduction overview of the health consequences associated with climate change and the local, federal, and global response to mitigate these negative health outcomes. During this course students will be expected to incorporate course content and develop a realistic response public health plan to climate change for a locality of their choosing. 

Prerequisites: ENVS 101 or ENVS 137 or BIOL 101; Restricted to Majors and Minors in the School of Environmental Sustainability; Junior or Senior Standing. 

ENVS 350B: Solutions to Environmental Problems: Biogas (3)

Only specific sections satisfy the Engaged Learning requirement.  These will include the letter E in the section number. Please see LOCUS for details.

'STEP: Biogas' is an interdisciplinary and hands-on course in which students learn about a relevant and complex environmental problems pertaining to biogas production, processing and transport and then develop and implement projects that address the problem on campus and in the local community.

Prerequisites: UCSF 137 or ENVS 137 grade of C- or better

Outcomes: Students will develop understanding of environmental problems related to biogas, demonstrate skills/knowledge needed to address those problems, and develop skills to recognize/articulate future possibilities for environmental leadership and civic engagement.

ENVS 391: Environmental Research (1-4) 

Students may register for independent research on a topic mutually acceptable to the student and any professor in the department. Usually, this research is directed to a particular course or to the research of the professor.

Enrollment Conditions: Administrative Permission.

Outcomes: Students will be able to design and carry out the research that is original and meaningful, including data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

 

BHNR 343: Integrated Analytical Decision-Making (3)

This course will focus on the analysis of data, with applications of techniques to business problems. Students will conduct original research and create both a written analysis and presentation. This course satisfies the Engaged Learning requirement.

Prerequisites: Enrollment is restricted to Business Honors students; Junior Standing; C- or better in ISSCM 241 or ISSCM 241H or STAT 103.

Outcomes: At the end of this course, the student will know how to formulate a business problem, then collect and analyze data, and interpret results that address the problem.

BHNR 353: Research Practicum (3)

This course introduces students to the process of business research, including research ethics as well as implications of research outcomes in the broader business and social context. Good research helps business managers understand issues and make informed decisions. Restricted to students in the Business Honors Program.

ECON 346: Econometrics (3)

This course teaches students how to use statistical tools to evaluate hypotheses about economic models. 

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing; minimum grade of "C-" in ISSCM 241 or ISSCM 241H or STAT 103; ECON 202; ECON 303; and MATH 130 or MATH 131 or MATH 161.

Outcomes: Students will be able to interpret and critically analyze quantitative information related to economics; Students will understand regression analysis and understand how to use it to test economic models and to measure important economic parameters, and to predict economic relationships.

ENTR 390: Entrepreneurship Strategies - Capstone (3)

Students will understand how to build a product/service that is attractive to customers yet differentiates it from its competitors. The students will learn how to grow the venture using sales and marketing channels, strong team building, and the financial implications of their decisions.

Prerequisites: Junior Standing, minimum grade of "C-" in ENTR 201 or ENTR 310.

Outcomes: Demonstrate understanding of the importance of core business operational areas, how to launch and grow a new venture, and problem-solving and critical thinking skills through case analysis, experiential activities, and team-based project work.

FINC 345: Portfolio Management (3)

Topics include a critical appraisal of the efficient market hypothesis, asset allocation using the Markowitz mean-variance framework, fundamental and technical analysis, and mutual fund performance evaluation.

Prerequisites: Junior standing; Minimum grade of "C-" in FINC 335.

Outcomes: Students will understand how stocks and other assets are selected; how economic and company information is monitored and used to adjust portfolio holdings; and how portfolios can be optimized to achieve targeted risk/return characteristics.

FINC 356: Advanced Topics in Investment Banking and Asset Management (3)

This course examines selected topics in investment banking and asset management, including stock and bond offerings, private equity, buyouts, mergers and acquisitions.  Students in the course research publicly traded companies, write equity research reports and pitch investment ideas; they also mentor junior analysts in the Rambler Investment Fund (RIF).

Prerequisite: B- or higher in FINC 335.

Outcomes: Conduct research; Write an equity investment report and pitch a trade idea; Value companies; Analyze investment banking transactions.

FINC 399: Special Topics in Finance (3)
Scheduled classes are offered on an ad hoc basis. Specific titles, prerequisites and content may vary. 

Prerequisites: Junior Standing. 

MARK 311E: Marketing Research (3)

This course develops an understanding of the research process from problem formulation through research report preparation. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies are discussed. The focus is on using research results in marketing decision making. Empirical data are analyzed using state of the art analytical tools.

Prerequisites: Junior standing, minimum grade of "C-" in MARK 310 and (ISSCM 241 or ISSCM 241H or STAT 103).

Outcomes: Students identify managerial problems, research objectives, design data collection instruments, and sampling procedures; Data collection and analysis is discussed; Cases, exercises and/or a written research proposal or report is a primary outcome of the course.

 

COMM 365: Naturalistic Methods in Communication Research (3)

This course examines how communication research is conducted in naturalistic settings using qualitative methods associated with observation and in-depth interviewing.

Prerequisites: COMM 175 or COMM 201.

Outcomes: Students will become familiar with the reading and evaluation of communication research, and apply the concepts studied in class to the design and development of a research project.

COMM 368: Ethnographic Research Methods in Communication (3)

This course teaches principles of participant-observation research as a critical practice to produce a 'thick description' of meanings, values, hierarchies of interests, power structures and ideals of a particular cultural group or community.

Prerequisites: (COMM 175 or COMM 201) and Junior standing.

Outcomes: Students learn to conduct ethnographic research and its procedures - taking field notes, conducting interviews, examination of data and artifacts, and producing research results to a public audience.