CORE 1100 - Multimodal Communication I
Course Restriction: Restricted to students in the BS in Global Business program.
This course introduces students to the concept of communication as a process with multiple stakeholders that takes place in multiple modalities. Students will explore the connections among purpose, audience, style, and form that allow one to communicate ideas effectively. Students will analyze rhetorical strategies in communication messages and identify how they engage specific audiences. Students will develop skills in tailoring communications for different contexts and audiences, and they will reflect on their own writing and imaginative processes. Class sessions feature activities that foster analysis, develop one’s creative process, compose appeal-based texts and media, and explore the craft of critique.
Credit: 2
CORE 1101 - Cognition and Behavior
Course Restriction: Restricted to students in the BS in Global Business program.
This course covers a multitude of topics in the domain of human cognition related to how humans make sense of, and behave in, their outside world. The course will focus on attention, perception, memory, normal brain processes, and cognitive disorders related to brain injury. Other important topics such as language, decision-making, and problem solving will also be discussed. Each topic will be highlighted with current views and research being conducted in the field. Upon completion of this course you should have an understanding of cognitive psychology in general, and have surveyed representative research in experimental psychology dealing with human cognition.
Credit: 2
CORE 1200 - The Human Journey
Course Restriction: Restricted to students in the BS in Global Business program.
Examining humanity’s grand arc builds analytical skills to understand complex historical processes. Students examine archaeological/genetic evidence to understand early human environmental adaptation that engendered cultural differentiation. Students analyze how agricultural societies’ development affected social organization, technological innovation, and environmental relationships. Examining ancient trade networks to modern economic systems, students understand global societies/cultures and identify key human societal relationships. Examination of colonialism's multifaceted legacies teaches students to formulate arguments about how historical power structures still influence contemporary global inequalities/inequities. By mapping interconnected networks of cultural exchange, technological diffusion, migration, and resource circulation, students understand human societal functioning as complex, adaptive systems that respond to environmental pressures.
Credit: 2
CORE 1201 - Digital Information and Data Literacy
Course Restriction: Restricted to students in the BS in Global Business program.
Digital Information & Data Literacy provides students with foundational skills to understand, evaluate, and communicate digital information in an increasingly data-driven world. Students learn how to assess the credibility and limitations of information sources, how to create and interpret visualizations, and how to identify misleading visualizations or reasoning errors. The course emphasizes critical thinking, information literacy, quantitative reasoning, and introduces students to basic digital tools for processing and visualizing information. Through hands-on activities and applied assignments, students gain practical skills for analyzing real-world data and making informed decisions.
Credit: 2
CORE 1300 - Multimodal Communication II
Course Restriction: Restricted to students in the BS in Global Business program.
This course builds upon the communication fundamentals introduced in Multimodal Communication I and guides students from the analysis and critique of various communication messages in the media to the use of persuasive theory and rhetorical strategies to craft visual, oral, and written messages to achieve short-term and long-term goals, such as public awareness or changing certain behavioral actions. Students will develop skills in organizing their thoughts logically, expressing them with precision, and tailoring communications for different contexts and audiences. They will use human-centered design principles to create communication campaigns for specific audiences.
Credit: 2
CORE 1301 - Societies and Group Dynamics
Course Restriction: Restricted to students in the BS in Global Business program.
Building on the “Cognition and Behavior” course, this course examines human social structures through the lens of complex systems theory. Topics include the study of diverse group formations—from families to communities, organizations, and governments—and how each represents a distinctive system with unique emergent properties and interaction patterns. It explores case studies spanning traditional communities, modern workplaces, and digital networks.
Credit: 2
CORE 1400 - Sustaining Humanity
Course Restriction: Restricted to students in the BS in Global Business program.
Building on "The Human Journey," this course provides analytical frameworks for addressing complex global civilization challenges. Students develop reasoning skills by examining historical trends, evaluating technological/social innovations, and identifying causes driving or impeding human sustainability. Through systems-thinking, they analyze climate change, income inequality, and technological disruption, mapping networks of economic, political, and ecological interdependence. The course emphasizes conflict-resolution and collaborative problem-solving, instilled via practical approaches to stakeholder engagement and governance dilemmas. Design-thinking workshops challenge students to develop ethical solutions and innovative mindsets. Digital governance questions, including artificial intelligence and big data, require students to balance innovation with responsible technological power stewardship.
Credit: 2
CORE 1401 - Applied Financial Economics
Course Restriction: Restricted to students in the BS in Global Business program.
This interdisciplinary course develops essential quantitative and analytical skills through real-world applications of economic principles. Students explore how economic thinking varies across cultural, historical, and institutional contexts, preparing them to apply these concepts to both personal financial decisions and broader societal issues. Key topics include economic approaches to personal financial planning, basic investment decisions, and borrowing under different interest structures; reasoning under uncertainty; comparative analysis of microeconomic theories; and examination of how different economic systems shape opportunities and outcomes. The course also emphasizes data analysis, project management fundamentals, and macroeconomic frameworks that help explain the broader forces influencing economic well-being across societies.
Credit: 2