LSTD-Liberal Studies

LSTD 1003. Introduction to Interdisciplinary Study.3 Credit Hours.

An introductory study of the concepts and practices of interdisciplinary inquiry, writing, critical thinking and problem solving across disciplines, and techniques for solving problems and writing papers from an interdisciplinary perspective. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 1053. Mathematics in Liberal Studies.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Norman Campus students only - DMAT 0123 at OU, satisfactory score on the placement test, or satisfactory score on the ACT/SAT. Designed to enhance the student's ability to understand and utilize mathematical tools in their daily lives. Covers such topics as use of statistics, evaluating others' use of statistics, mathematics in finance, and growth models. (F, Sp, Su) [I-M].

LSTD 1113. Interdisciplinary Composition I.3 Credit Hours.

First in a series of two courses that help prepare students for interdisciplinary work by emphasizing writing and the conventions of academic discourse through natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Students will employ a variety of writing strategies, study expository prose models and interpret, critique, summarize and paraphrase test. (F, Sp, Su) [I-ENGL].

LSTD 1133. Interdisciplinary Composition II.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: ENGL 1113 or LSTD 1113, or equivalent. This course completes the series of composition courses by emphasizing argument, library research, and style. Through its emphasis on thinking rhetorically, providing evidence for assertions, creative thinking, and writing as a process, this course will prepare students for argument and research-based writing in academic interdisciplinary settings. (F, Sp, Su) [I-ENGL] .

LSTD 1153. A History of the United States.3 Credit Hours.

A general historical overview of the United States with a particular focus on the role that the humanities played in shaping this country. (F, Sp, Su) [IV-US].

LSTD 1213. Creativity in the Arts.3 Credit Hours.

Students will learn about the literary, visual and performance arts by viewing, reading and listening to some of the most famous examples of the arts. Students will also learn about the creative process through the production of their own art. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 1313. What in the World are the Social Sciences?.3 Credit Hours.

Discusses what comprises the social sciences and how we perform research in the different areas, including addressing ethical questions. (F, Sp, Su) [III-SS] .

LSTD 1333. Government in the United States.3 Credit Hours.

An analysis of the differing ideologies governing autocratic vs. democratic systems of government, the structure of the United States government, and the role of extra-governmental elements such as lobbyists and the PACs on the process of governing. (F, Sp, Su) [III-PSC].

LSTD 1513. Introduction to Interdisciplinary Physical Sciences.3 Credit Hours.

Emphasis on physics and chemistry, including topics such as the laws of motion, elements of thermodynamics, wave forms and properties, structure of atoms, and the formation of chemical bonds. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 1603. Operation and Application of Small Unmanned Aerial Systems.3 Credit Hours.

Preparatory course in small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) for students planning to take the FAA's 14 CFR Part 107 initial aeronautical knowledge test. Topics include regulatory requirements associated with certification, registration, and waivers for sUAS flight scenarios and the practical application of sUAS in public and private sectors. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 2023. Strategies for Success.3 Credit Hours.

An exploration of useful skills and strategies for academic, professional, and personal success. Topics discussed include individual learning styles, emotional intelligence, time management, goal setting, effective listening and communication, organization, creative and critical thinking, interdependence and collaboration skills, and combating self-defeating patterns of thoughts and behaviors. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 2033. Writing for Success.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or departmental permission. An exploration of writing skills and strategies for academic essays, personal narratives and research. Topics include the selection of a research topic, development of a writing plan, the correct way to summarize and paraphrase, and the use of the APA citation style. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 2203. Evil Acts, Religious Reasons.3 Credit Hours.

Examines the ways in which religious faith has been used to rationalize war, terrorism, ethnic cleansing and other evil acts. Using comparative religious study as a basis for inquiry, students will learn the five warning signs of imminent evil in the name of religion. This is an interdisciplinary course, drawing upon perspectives from religious history, sociology, education and religious philosophy. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 2313. The Human Experience: The Role of Culture.3 Credit Hours.

A critical discussion of prejudice, discrimination, gender identity and crime and deviance from the perspective of the social sciences. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 2323. Human Groups and Distribution of Resources.3 Credit Hours.

A study of culture from a social sciences perspective, including investigating topics such as ethnocentrism, cultural relativism and personal identity within the context of being American. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 2333. Contemporary Social Issues.3 Credit Hours.

An introduction to social issues in modern day society. Beginning with an introduction to differing sociological perspectives, and addresses issues such as the changing demographics in the U.S., gender inequality, the environment, and both utopian and dystopian societies. Students will be expected to review, consider, and write how each of the topics impacts their lives, either directly or indirectly. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 2514. The Human Environment.4 Credit Hours.

Explores the interaction between the environment and multiple disciplines, such as society, the economy, and politics. Students will be immersed in an interactive experience in which they learn about the basic chemical properties and processes of the physical environment and how other parts of their world affect it. (F, Sp, Su) [II-NS].

LSTD 2533. Science as a Process.3 Credit Hours.

Analysis and criticism of the scientific method, design of experiments and collection and interpretation of data in scientific investigations. (F, Sp, Su) [II-NS].

LSTD 2553. Interdisciplinary Life Sciences.3 Credit Hours.

A study of the integration of biological systems at the cellular level. It includes discussions of metabolism, chromosome structure and function and the structure and function of the DNA molecule. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 2700. Special Topics in Liberal Studies.1-9 Credit Hours.

May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit nine credit hours. Specific course content will be defined each time the course is offered. A problem-oriented approach to interdisciplinary studies. Reading and research, arranged and directed in consultation with the instructor, in specified areas of liberal studies. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3003. Interdisciplinary Inquiry.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. Will focus on adult learning theory and development, assessment of prior learning, development of self-directed learning skills, educational and career planning and writing of portfolios and learning contracts. Designed for the returning, adult learner. Will also focus on preparation for academic writing and argumentation. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3021. Fundamentals of Online Research.1 Credit Hour.

Equips students to successfully complete academic research in an online environment. Topics will include fundamentals of online research, search tools and applications, OU online resources, research strategies, evaluation of sources, and basics of referencing and citation. Students will have the opportunity to practice online research strategies and apply research methods to topics in their current courses. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3043. Goal Setting and Attainment.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from academic advisor. Introduction to the importance of establishing goals and the goal attainment process in career, civic, and personal settings. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3071. Life Design 101.1 Credit Hour.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or departmental permission. A holistic examination of a student's life, skill set, and career aspirations. Includes assessment inventories, personal reflections, and the development of action plans. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3083. Life Design: A Better You.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or departmental permission. The Transformation Triad is designed to help students find ways to introduce more balance into their lives, uncover their purpose, and use that knowledge to produce meaningful change within themselves in order to lead their best life. Students will evaluate their life on a fundamental level and create balance along with a concrete plan for what will come after graduation. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3113. Special Topics in the Humanities of the Ancient World.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. Students will explore a broad variety of cultural themes found concurrently in both western and non-western cultures from Antiquity through the Middle Ages. (F, Sp, Su) [IV-WC].

LSTD 3133. Special Topics in the Humanities of the Modern World.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. Students will explore a broad variety of cultural themes found concurrently in both western and non-western cultures from the Renaissance through the Enlightenment and into the Modern World. (F, Sp, Su) [IV-WC].

LSTD 3153. Foundations of Ethics in Liberal Studies.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. A foundation for the scholarly research and discussion of ethics. Topics will include historical and philosophical grounding in the consideration of ethics. The course will utilize an interdisciplinary approach to the inquiry of ethics. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3173. Renaissance Art.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. A critical discussion of the art of the Italian Renaissance. The focus of this course will be on explicating religious textual narratives and exploring how artists translated these ideas into visual form to create an effective message. The course will deal with painting, sculpture and architecture and will highlight well-known artists. (F, Sp, Su) [IV-AF] .

LSTD 3193. Art of the Non-Western World.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. Explores variety of cultural themes found in non-western art from the ancient to the modern world. Introduction to art of non-western cultures and the role that art history plays in the study of these objects. Consists of four parts: African art; Asian art of India, China and Japan; native American art of North, Meso-America; and South America and the Pacific. (F, Sp, Su) [IV-WDC].

LSTD 3283. Film Noir.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or permission from CLS academic adviser. An exploration of film noir as an art form through the perspectives of history, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and technology. Topics include the intellectual and literary origins of film noir and the genre's impact on film making and culture. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3333. Human Arrangements: Troubled Institutions, Probs. Inequality.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. Issues affecting institutions from family through those affecting the national population, including health care, education, the economy, and the interaction of government with all such questions. Problems arising from inequality among groups in the society, including poverty, elderly and young, minority and majority, and gender concerns. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3343. Challenges in a Changing World.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. Conformity and deviance in societies. Topics addressed include sexual behavior, drug use and crime and violence. It also looks at social problems expressed on a broader scale, including those associated with increased problems and associated urbanization and the outbreaks of war, terrorism and international conflict arising from inequalities occurring on an international scale. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3363. Ethics in Social Sciences.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. Concepts, principles and case studies involved in ethics in the social sciences, with a particular emphasis on business ethics. Students will examine core values in light of social conditioning, short-term profiteering and the need for affiliation. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3373. American Public Intellectuals.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. Examines the unique and diverse styles of six important Americans from different eras in order to determine the impact these individuals had on society and posterity. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3383. Harry Potter and the Culture of the Wizarding World.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: ENGL 1113 or equivalent, ENGL 1213 or equivalent; junior standing or permission from Academic Advisor. This course takes a social sciences approach to analyze social and cultural themes within the films from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Students will practice social science methodologies and apply key social sciences concepts to evaluate character actions, relationships, and social structures within the wizarding world, drawing parallels to current and historical events and personal experiences as well. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3440. Mentored Research Experience.3 Credit Hours.

0 to 3 hours. Prerequisites: ENGL 1113 or equivalent, and permission of instructor. May be repeated; maximum credit 12 hours. For the inquisitive student to apply the scholarly processes of the discipline to a research or creative project under the mentorship of a faculty member. Student and instructor should complete an Undergraduate Research & Creative Projects (URCP) Mentoring Agreement and file it with the URCP office. Not for honors credit. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3513. The Dynamic Universe.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. Select topics including the Big Bang, formation of matter and its association into stars and planets, plate tectonics and the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3533. Ecology and Evolution.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. A study of the interactions of genetic change in organisms with environmental stress, and contributions of these interactions to evolution. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3573. Chemistry for Changing Times.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. An overview of chemistry, with fundamentals and organic processes explained. The course investigates chemicals found in everyday life and on the earth with the aim of understanding how chemical processes are at work, both in the environment around us and in energy, air, water, biochemistry, drugs, poisons and chemicals. It is ideal for the generalist and the interdisciplinary student, although it also provides excellent material for specialists. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3953. Study-in-Depth Prospectus.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing and LSTD 3003; or permission from CLS adviser. This course helps prepare the student for the senior capstone study in depth paper. Content will focus on upper-division level writing, research and argumentation. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 3960. Honors Reading.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: admission to Honors Program. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Consists of topics designated by the instructor in keeping with the student's major. The topics will cover materials not usually presented in the regular courses. (Irreg.)

LSTD 3970. Honors Seminar.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: admission to Honors Program. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Subjects covered vary. Deals with concepts not usually treated in regular courses. (Irreg.)

LSTD 3980. Honors Research.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: admission to Honors Program. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Provides an opportunity for the gifted Honors candidate to work on a special project under the guidance of a professor in the student's field. (Irreg.)

LSTD 4133. US History of World War II - Pacific Theater.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: None. A review of several contemporary theories of the United States involvement in World War II: Pacific Theater. Students examine the historical process and practice effective communication skills through exercise. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 4153. Exploring Justice.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission from academic advisor. A comparative exploration of the concept of justice as it is defined and applied around the world. Topics include historical and modern theories on justice, the potential contradictions between various understandings of justice, and the real-life implications of these different viewpoints. (Irreg.)

LSTD 4163. World Religions and Ecology.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission from academic advisor. A multi-religious perspective on the environment investigating how various religious traditions treat the relationship between human agency and the environment. Topics include the connections between religion, politics, economics, social policies and the environment, as well as sustainability, eco-justice, and globalization. (Irreg.) [IV-WDC].

LSTD 4173. Women in the Bible and Qur’an.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission from academic advisor. An examination of women in the Bible and Qur'an and the insight this exploration provides about religious traditions. Topics include the roles of women within these Scriptures, their role relative to men in general, their place in the foundational myths such as the creation accounts, and the ways in which women negotiate power and authority. (Irreg.) [IV-WC].

LSTD 4183. Crafting the Cinematic Jesus.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission from academic advisor. Surveys common understandings of the person and goals of Jesus, and the roles of other biblical figures, through film and literature. Examines the role that film plays in religious understanding, the role of culture in religion, the variety of conceptions of Jesus, and key issues of the Christian tradition. (Irreg.) [IV-AF].

LSTD 4193. Women of the Middle East and North Africa.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission from academic advisor. An examination of women in the Middle East and North Africa. Topics include the social, political, and economical status of women in the region, the effects of globalization, and a discussion of recent political and cultural changes. (F, Sp, Su) [IV-WDC].

LSTD 4213. A Critical Review of the Bible as a Literary Work.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. Examines the Bible as a work of literature, approaching it without concern for the doctrines of any particular religion. The aim of the course is to make students biblically familiar with both the Old and New Testaments. (F, Sp, Su) [IV-WC].

LSTD 4273. Jazz and the Global Community.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. A course about jazz, its social history, and its relationship to world cultures and the international community. Although jazz is no longer the most popular music in the United States, its history and the issues surrounding its nature stand at the heart of a diverse America that has borrowed cultures and traditions all over the world. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 4563. Weather and Climate.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. An introduction to energy balance, temperature, atmospheric moisture, cloud formation, static stability, precipitation mechanisms, winds, mid-latitude and severe storms, weather forecasting and climate. The course is designed for students who are not scientists. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 4593. The Role of Genetic Engineering: Past, Present and Future.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. Examines the role of gene manipulation in the past, present, and future. It will begin with descriptions of genes, evolution and fitness, and will conclude by exploring the scientific and political future of genetic engineering. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 4700. Advanced Topics in Liberal Studies.1-9 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit nine hours. Specific course content will be defined each time the course is offered. A problem-oriented approach to interdisciplinary studies. Reading and research, arranged and directed in consultation with the instructor in specified areas of liberal studies. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 4920. Internship in Liberal Studies.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: junior standing and permission from CLS adviser. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit nine hours. Field experience in issues related to a student's area of study. Students will gain knowledge through experiential and on-the-job practice. (F, Sp, Su)

LSTD 4953. Study-in-Depth: CLS Capstone Course.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing, LSTD 3003, and LSTD 3953; or permission from CLS adviser. A scholarly paper on a specialized topic, or an artistic or literary creation of the quality and extent comparable to a senior thesis. The study should reflect the student's originality, competence and achievement in sustained research or creative endeavor involving a specific or limited field in some depth. (F, Sp, Su) [V].

LSTD 4960. Directed Readings.1-4 Credit Hours.

1 to 4 hours. Prerequisite: junior standing and permission from CLS adviser and instructor. May be repeated; maximum credit four hours. Designed for upper-division students who need opportunity to study a specific problem in greater depth than formal course content permits. (Irreg.)

LSTD 4970. Special Topics/Seminar.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission from CLS adviser. May be repeated; maximum credit nine hours. Special topics or seminar course for content not currently offered in regularly scheduled courses. May include library and/or laboratory research and field projects. (Irreg.)

LSTD 4990. Independent Study.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: Junior standing and permission of CLS adviser and instructor. May be repeated; maximum credit nine hours. Contracted independent study for a topic not currently offered in regularly scheduled courses. Independent study may include library and/or laboratory research and field projects. (Irreg.)