Online courses directory (52)

This course is about the fundamental concepts of sociology; foundations of group life; social change, processes, and problems. This class describes the discipline of sociology—the study of social life. It is a fundamental social science (in good company with Economics, Psychology, History, Anthroplogy, Communication, and Political Science). What is interesting about sociology is that it actually tackles fundamental questions in each of these sub-disciplines. You might even call it the “father” of the social sciences. That said, it is a pretty new discipline (younger than our country). Still, we have done a lot in just a very short time. It is very likely that you have heard of some of its early founders—the most famous is Karl Marx but others include Max Weber and Emile Durkheim.

This course is an undergraduate-level introduction to social statistics. The central focus is descriptive, bivariate, and inferential statistics as they are used in social sciences to analyze survey data. Students will be introduced to how statistics are calculated. The class will focus on (1) understanding the intuitive meaning behind a variety of common social statistics, (2) calculating these statistics by hand with commonly-available spreadsheet software, and (3) practical application of statistical procedures.

This course covers the process of brewing from grain to final bottle product and the chemical and biochemical process involved in each step. Students will be required to utilize previous knowledge in General and Organic chemistry to understand: analytical techniques in brewing, chemistry of the ingredients and products, and the molecules involved in the biochemical processes. During the course, students will also learn the similarities and differences between beer styles, home and commercial brewing processes, and analytical techniques. There is a great deal of Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry involved in the malting, mashing and fermentation process and understanding the chemistry behind the flavor, aroma, and color of beer. Students should have a basic knowledge of general and organic chemistry.

The common acceptance of globalization in today's world demonstrates the importance of understanding what happens in the global community. This course, therefore, introduces students to key concepts and principles relevant in international studies. We will explore and analyze global actors, trends, issues, challenges and concerns, as well as their interactions and the resulting implications. Moreover, we will examine and debate various critical international issues and explore a range of theoretical approaches that help us understand relations within and among the global community.

What is it to be human? How did we get here, and what should we strive for, or try to be like? What can we hope for in this life, or (if there is one) the next? In this course we will consider and critically examine a variety of different answers to these questions, both Religious and Secular, from both the East and the West. We will examine accounts of human nature and destiny as presented in the writings of philosophers, theologians and authors whose works explore the fundamental meaning of our individual lives and the destiny of the human species.

What makes a law just? In this course we explore fundamental questions about the nature of law and justice through engagement with the great texts of the western tradition. The course covers the sweep of documented history in five units: classical Greece, ancient Rome, early Christianity, the Enlightenment, and the age of market capitalism. The focus of this course is on law, because law is the meeting point between the theory and practice of justice. With Aristotle's Politics as our principal guide, we will participate in an ancient and enduring conversation about the nature of law and justice.

Elementary Business Statistics is the first level statistics class required for all Business and Economics majors and can be used to satisfy the statistics requirement in other departments if you are enrolled as a for-credit OU-student. It is designed as an introductory course to statistics theory and methodology. The foundation of statistical inference is first developed through coverage of descriptive statistics and then close coverage of probability theory and probability density functions: specifically the binomial, Poisson, geometric, and normal distributions. The leap from probability theory to actual inferential statistics by way of the Central Limit Theory is accomplished with the use of a gaming model in which students actively participate to solve a constrained goals a constrained goal that requires an understanding of the link between the Central Limit Theorem and the sample size. Confidence internals and Hypothesis testing follow with careful development of both the theory and philosophy of the hypothesis test. Specific hypotheses are covered including test for means, proportions, differences in mean and differences in proportions, and for variances. Finally correlations and regression are covered in detail. The foundation OLS model is developed and students will be able to propose and test various hypotheses concerning a causal relationship assumed to be linear. For credit Oklahoma University students will have the opportunity to interact with face2face teaching assistants once per week in regularly scheduled lab classes.

Human Physiology is the study of normal biological function from atoms to molecules, to cells to tissues, and to organs and organ systems. It is the integration of each of these elements that allows for the human body to function as a whole to accomplish particular tasks. In this course, we will focus on how the human body works through the activities of interconnected organ systems. We will begin by reviewing fundamental concepts from related fields of study including Chemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology. We will then build upon those concepts as we explore each of the organ systems, their interconnectivity and the effects that specific perturbations will have on those organ systems and subsequent ability to maintain homeostasis. Students will also apply their physiology knowledge to information they encounter on the Internet, in magazines, and on television. Students will complete this course using online resources including lecture videos, animations, workbooks, and discussions, followed by in-class activities that are designed to reinforce online activities and to promote critical thinking skills via case studies and clinical applications. The laboratory session will give students an appreciation of human physiology by conducting hands-on experiments that deal with principles discussed online and in-class.

Studying general chemistry gives you a basic understanding of how the universe works at an atomic level. Everything you see, touch, or feel is made up of elements. This course begins with the basic concepts of chemistry such as atoms, molecules, ions, how to express measured quantities through scientific notation, and the periodic table. The course then progresses to energy, atomic and molecular structure, the properties of gases, liquids, solids, and solutions, and an introduction to organic chemistry.

This course will begin with an overview of the history of virtue ethics from the ancient Greeks to the present day, covering the historical zenith of virtue ethics through the Middle Ages, the fall of virtue concepts in the early modern period, and the rebirth of virtue ethics in the later 20th century. We will discuss a number of executive, moral, intellectual, and civic virtues and their related vices, and will address some of the fundamental philosophical questions that arise in the study of virtue ethics: What is a virtue? How is virtue related to a life that is good for the individual and good for the community? Can virtue be taught? Can virtue be measured? Are we suspicious of virtue? What are the grounds for critique of some of the traditional virtues?

This course examines Supreme Court decisions concerning the development of the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 14th Amendments to the United States Constitution. We will look specifically at establishment and free exercise; free speech, including obscene speech; 4th Amendment guarantees against unreasonable searches and seizures; the 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination; 8th Amendment prohibitions against cruel and usual punishment; as well as related cases that have recognized rights of historically marginalized groups in United States history, including African-Americans, women, and sexual minorities through these Amendments. Particular attention will be paid to how the Supreme Court has developed arguments which have expanded and contracted “rights” and “liberties.” We will also pay close attention to larger political contexts apart from court decisions that contribute to the overall development of “civil rights and civil liberties” in the United States.

This course provides fundamental concepts in probability and statistical inference, with application to engineering contexts. Probability topics include counting methods, discrete and continuous random variables, and their associated distributions. Statistical inference topics include sampling distributions, point estimation, confidence intervals and hypothesis testing for single- and two-sample experiments, nonparametric statistics, and goodness-of-fit testing. Excel will be used to demonstrate how to solve some class examples, and you'll be expected to use Excel to solve some homework problems. The statistical software package R will be introduced to address very basic statistics problems. Course prerequisites include calculus (differentiation and integration).