Spotlight on Courses

Corvallis Campus 

Find the day/time and CRN details for these courses in the OSU Schedule for Winter 2025.

H 425H Foundations of Epidemiology

Instructor(s): Jeffrey Bethel

Discover the Science Behind Public Health! Join H425H Foundations of Epidemiology — a dynamic course designed for curious minds eager to understand how diseases spread, who they affect, and how we can stop them. Epidemiologists—often called “disease detectives”—analyze data on populations to identify patterns, risk factors, and effective interventions. Their work informs everything from tracking infectious outbreaks (like COVID-19 or influenza) to studying chronic diseases (like cancer or diabetes), injuries, and even social determinants of health. Through real-world case studies, data analysis, and projects, you’ll learn the core principles of population health, disease investigation, and outbreak response. Whether you’re interested in medicine, biology, policy, or data science, this course offers a powerful foundation in critical thinking and problem-solving that transcends disciplines. Step into the role of an epidemiologist and uncover how evidence shapes health decisions worldwide.

SUS 103H Introduction to Climate Change

Instructor(s): Jillian Gregg

Introduces the principles of climate change science with an emphasis on the empirical evidence for human-caused climate change. Critically assesses such questions as: How do we determine the processes controlling global warming? What is valid science in the global warming debate? Utilizes scientific language, concepts, hypotheses, theories, and laws of basic natural sciences. Articulates the consequences and implications of climate change science for society, daily life, and decision-making.

HC 407 You Can Model That

Instructor(s): Swati Patel

The central idea of this course is for students to identify a culturally relevant and topical question and then use the math that they know (no particular expertise needed; e.g. algebra, geometry, calculus) to model and address that question.  The objective is to empower students to use quantitative reasoning to address important problems in their world and to grow informed citizens critical of implications and limitations of data and modeling. Through guided but self-designed projects, discussions with peers, and presentations, the course will encourage creativity and reflections on the modeling process. All are welcome!

HC 407 Tech & The Good Life

Instructor(s): Ken Funk

We all seek the Good Life, a life wherein our material needs are met and certain higher goods are realized, and, for many of us, technology has become a chief, if not the pre-eminent, means to it. But technology can also be an impediment to the Good Life, and the roots of this ambivalent nature of technology may lie in our own fallibilities, mental and moral. In this Colloquium, we will discuss the Good Life, why technology can be both means and impediment to it, and how to make technology more of the former and less of the latter.

HC 407 The Art of Raw Journalism

Instructor(s): Harold Collins III

We all seek the Good Life, a life wherein our material needs are met and certain higher goods are realized, and, for many of us, technology has become a chief, if not the pre-eminent, means to it. But technology can also be an impediment to the Good Life, and the roots of this ambivalent nature of technology may lie in our own fallibilities, mental and moral. In this Colloquium, we will discuss the Good Life, why technology can be both means and impediment to it, and how to make technology more of the former and less of the latter.

Ecampus

Find the day/time and CRN details for these courses in the OSU Schedule for Winter 2025.

PSY 202HZ General Psychology

Instructor(s): Ameer Almuaybid

Introduces science and application of psychology. Emphasizes psychological concepts, theories, and principles related to: Personality, Social Psychology, Health and Well-Being, Motivation and Emotion, Disorders, Therapies, Lifespan Development, and related topics.

HC 407 Lady Detectives

Instructor(s): Clare Braun

From Agatha Christie's Miss Marple to Kristen Bell's Veronica Mars, women have solved some of the dastardliest crimes of the detective genre both on the page and on the screen. We will look at a variety of texts and films featuring lady detectives - some very ladylike indeed, some decidedly not - to examine the cross-sections between gender and genre. How do these detectives use their performance of gender to solve mysteries? How do these stories challenge, reinforce, and/or complicate traditional notions of gender and crime?

HC 407 Religion and Morality

Instructor(s): Tenisha Tevis

Reading The Shack, together we will interrogate the relationship between religion and morality, and whether society needs religion to be moral. Set in Oregon, this fictional tale takes us on a spiritual journey with the main character, his experience with extreme loss and the choices he makes about God. The book provokes questions about who/what is God and whether individuals can not only be moral but also heal, forgive, and let go of deep hurt without religion. As a class, we will grapple with religion, more specifically Christianity, as a founding principle for Western societies, and its impact on the world today.

HC 407 Vampires, Race, & Gender

Instructor(s): Jonathan Kaplan

Vampires are more than characters in scary stories. Monsters have been key figures in both oral and written accounts since ancient times. Together, we will explore the ways in which vampires tell us who we are, and who and what we fear. In this course, we will explore the reasons for modern society"s fascination with the vampire myth, and some of the uses that authors have made of the vampire figure in fiction. We will focus especially on the ways in which vampire stories interact with issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality, using a variety of methodologies.

HC 407 Trauma-Informed Care

Instructor(s): Beth Rankin

This course addresses the need for trauma-informed care principles in the helping professions and beyond. Training and experience in trauma-informed care practices helps alleviate the stress experienced by both the traumatized individual and those serving them. These practices include forming and maintaining positive relationships, de-escalation strategies, avoiding triggering circumstances, and strategies for developing resiliency. Additionally, it is central to trauma-informed care principles to understand how trauma affects the developing brain's functioning. In practice, trauma-informed care strategies are beneficial for many career paths because of the statistics of how prevalent trauma is in many populations.

HC 407 Crafting Stories with AI

Instructor(s): Wayne Harrison

This course introduces students to the art of fiction writing using large language model AI tools to enhance creativity. Students will learn how to prompt AI to support idea generation, build compelling plotlines, create dimensional characters, write engaging dialogue, and craft emotionally resonant figurative language. Through hands-on work and revision, we’ll explore how to collaboratively shape scenes that emphasize tension, voice, and subtext, then use AI to deepen conflict, raise stakes, and expand emotional and narrative complexity. Students will leave not only as stronger writers but also as more discerning and ethical users of creative AI tools.

HC 407 The Quest for Happiness

Instructor(s): Marta Kunecka

Be immersed in the wisdom of Western and Eastern thought as we explore varied ideas of "happiness" through the ages. By closely examining the works of chosen philosophers, we will explore the concept of happiness in order to understand its essence. The analysis of the studies emerging from the field of positive psychology will help us understand how these concepts can be applied in our lives.   

HC 407 (How) Is a Better World Possible? Politics Between Utopia & Dystopia

Instructor(s): Philipp Kneis

Would a better world be possible? In fact, one of the oldest problems for political and social theory is how to create an ideal state. Yet this quest for utopia has always come at the price of dystopia. An ideal state for whom? Every utopia, it seems, is someone else's dystopia. Even the most well-meaning ideas for creating a better society will have unintended consequences.
This colloquium class will address some of these problems. We will survey key utopian ideas, dystopian fears, and discuss how to develop sustainable solutions for concrete political and social problems while anticipating possible unintended consequences. 

HC 407 Jazz Literature: "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"

Instructor(s): Damien Weaver

This course explores the concept of "jazz fiction." By this, we mean novels and stories that are not only about jazz, but those which strive to be jazz in their attempts to imitate, evoke, or metaphorically suggest the music in narrative form. We are also interested in the notion of call-and-[reader]-response; that is, how authors attempt to involve the reader as active participants in the creation of the work. Features of the course include jam session-style discussions, creative writing exercises, and a final collaborative project. Much music will also be played throughout.

OSU-Cascades Campus

Find the day/time and CRN details for these courses in the OSU Schedule for Winter 2025.

HC 408 Thesis Stage 1 & 2

Instructor(s): Elizabeth Marino

HC 408 Stages 1 & 2: Plan, Explore & Build will introduce you to the Thesis Success in Stages (TheSIS) process, guiding you through the first two stages. You will explore research happening at OSU, examine ways that your own interests, academic or otherwise, can be a springboard to a thesis topic, and discover the benefits of doing a thesis that goes well beyond your time at OSU. Utilizing the many resources the HC and OSU offer to help you find a mentor and a project, this course helps you build strategies for a successful thesis experience, learn the components of the thesis, and plan out your next steps. By the end of the term, you’ll have a (flexible) plan of action in place for the years ahead.