English

This course acquaints students with major theories, concepts, and research findings related to the study of organizational communication. As a field of study, organizational communication analyzes how, through interaction, we create, sustain, and change organizations. It also examines how we are shaped by our organizational interactions. This course focuses on the way we communicate within organizations and navigate the complexities of organizational life, including socialization, decision-making errors, supervisor-subordinate relationships, conflict, and diversity. While it is more of a theoretical course than a practical skills course, students are expected to apply the theories and concepts to real-life cases and their own experiences related to groups and organizations. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of multiple perspectives, theories, concepts, methods, and lenses through which we can explore and explain organizational communication; to identify how we communicate with one another within organizations and critically assess the role of communication in organizations; to gain a better understanding of communication pitfalls, decision-making biases, and problem-solving blind spots that may negatively affect our performance in organizations to communicate, innovate in teams, and make high-quality and ethical decisions; and to apply course material to a variety of situations, including organizational experiences, current events, and common issues. 

This course explores the contemporary host culture through the lenses of intercultural studies. Students learn about current cultural, societal and political themes in the host city, compare ethnic and racial identities in the host country and the U.S., and explore the experiences of diverse populations within the host country. The course examines the complexity of host culture values, beliefs, and practices and learn to identify the cultural differences and similarities between the host culture and U.S. American cultures. Students study key intercultural communication theories, frameworks and leadership practices in order to deepen their cultural self-awareness, acquire new perspectives and effectively communicate and interact with culturally different others.

Discrimination, crime, marriage, fertility, education, or religion are all examples of key parts of our societies. The behavior of people and the design of institutions in these social contexts have major consequences for society (including policy and the economy as a whole). Economists claim that the economic approach is useful in explaining human behavior and social interactions in such settings and hence helps to better understand the functioning of societies. This in turn helps to design policies helping to achieve societal goals. This course analyzes different social phenomena through the lens of economists. It trains students to understand and analyze a wide range of social phenomena from an economic point of view and to investigate and interpret these issues empirically. In particular, students are given a thorough understanding of how social phenomena can be analyzed from an economic perspective and they get an introduction to econometric tools with which empirical claims about causality can be established. PREREQUISITES: Basic understanding of economic theory and quantitative methods, an advanced level of English.

This course examines fundamental concepts of nervous system organization and function. Anatomy of the brain and spinal cord is studied using models to understand the cortical and subcortical pathways as well as integrating centers that control movements and posture. The physiology component introduces students to mechanisms of signal generation and transmission, basic mechanisms of spinal reflexes, the function of the sensory systems and autonomic nervous system and motor pathways. 

This course examines how contemporary linguists address issues of language use. It explores topics such as the nature of human communication, the influence of social attitudes on language, first and second language acquisition and development, the historical development of languages, language universals and language typology, and regional and situational variation in language. 

This interdisciplinary course provides students with the opportunity to address complex problems identified by industry, community, and government organizations, and gain valuable experience in working across disciplinary boundaries. In collaboration with a major industry partner and an academic lead, students integrate their academic skills and knowledge by working in teams with students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds. This experience allows students to research, analyze and present solutions to a real-world problem, and to build on their interpersonal and transferable skills by engaging with and learning from industry experts and presenting their ideas and solutions to the industry partner.

CIEE supports qualified students who wish to pursue an academically rigorous independent research project while abroad. In order to enroll, students must submit a research proposal including a clearly defined research topic,
explanation of research plans, description of preparation in the planned area of study, list of resources, tentative outline of a final paper, and suggested schedule of progress. Students complete a total of 100-120 hours of
research and meet regularly with an advisor to complete an academically rigorous, ethically sound, and culturally appropriate research project and final research paper. Approval for participation in Directed Independent Research
must be obtained from CIEE and the student's home institution prior to arrival on the program.

Where do the current beliefs - theories, doctrines, postulates and attitudes - of modern economics come from? If current theories and doctrines have a definite historical beginning, what schools of thought did they supplant? Are there alternative or dissident views which subsisted alongside mainstream economics in the twentieth century - and if so, what are they and where did they originate from? This course seeks to answer these questions, as well as others. It provides an overview of the development of economic ideas from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, combined with a more intensive focus on the thought of certain key figures in that history. The particular topics covered include: the formation of economics to 1776; Adam Smith; classical economics from Smith to J.S. Mill; the rise of marginalist economics; John Maynard Keynes; and orthodox and heterodox currents in twentieth century economics.

This course examines the relationship between architecture, place and society and explores the meaning of cultural and social sustainability in architectural design. A key aspect of social sustainability is the practice of social responsibility, and the course explores how this may occur, including involving people in the design process. On completion of this course students will be able to demonstrate: an ability to better understand the connections between architecture place and society, and the social, cultural, political and economic factors affecting sustainable environments; skills and knowledge in participatory processes necessary for effective communication about environmental design issues; increased critical awareness about social responsibility in relation to the practice of architecture and the design of the built environment, and an ability to exercise this awareness.