Interdisciplinary Majors

Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology

Faculty

Joan Wasilewski, Ph.D., Director
Timothy D. Foley, Ph.D.
Ashley M. Driver, Ph.D.
Bibi Rafeiza Khan, Ph.D.
Amelia Randich, Ph.D.

Overview

The Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology major is an interdisciplinary program of study between the Biology and Chemistry departments. The program provides students with an understanding of the fundamentals of biology and chemistry and the key principles of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, as suggested by the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. There is a strong emphasis on genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics.

The program is designed to provide students with expertise in both the fundamentals and frontline applications of these rapidly expanding fields, especially in the areas of genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics. Students who graduate from the program are expected to possess skills suitable for (a) biotechnical work in the pharmaceutical, health and agricultural industries and for (b) further academic pursuits in graduate or professional schools.

Course Information

Courses for Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology are listed under the prefixes BCMB. For more information on all courses offered, visit our Course Descriptions page.

For information on this major visit our Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, BS page.

Environmental Science

Nicholas Sizemore, Ph.D., Co-Director, Chemistry Department;
Robert J. Smith, Ph.D., Co-Director, Biology Department

See Biology and Chemistry for faculty listings.

Overview

The Environmental Science major is an interdisciplinary program of the Biology and Chemistry Departments at The University of Scranton. The Environmental Science major has the following objectives:

To prepare students for positions (in the public or private sector) in the broad field of environmental analysis, compliance, and technology;
To prepare students for advanced study in environmental science;
To provide a sufficiently comprehensive science and liberal arts background to allow students to pursue advanced training or work in other fields that deal with environmental issues, e.g., environmental law, environmental health, and environmental regulation in business and industry.

The Environmental Science program provides a rigorous and comprehensive grounding in the biological, chemical, and physical aspects of the natural environment, and in the analytical and instrumental techniques used to investigate environmental problems. Upper-class students may choose to focus more closely on either the chemical or biological aspects of environmental science, and must complete either an undergraduate research project or an internship in environmental science. The program also is designed to expose students to the social, political, regulatory, economic, and ethical concerns that are commensurate with defining and addressing environmental issues in today’s world.

Course Information

Courses for Environmental Science are listed under the prefixes CHEM, BIOL and ESCI. For more information on all courses offered, visit our Course Descriptions page.

For information on this major, visit our Environmental Science, BS page.

Individualize Major

Overview

The Individualized Major (IM) program provides University of Scranton students the opportunity to design interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary programs of study not presently available within the established University structure. Students may create their own unique programs of study, including specific learning outcome objectives, upgrade existing concentrations into majors, and use an IM major as a second major to explore interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary extensions of an established major. Students are not guaranteed an IM major program of study. Approval of all IM major program proposals is predicated on availability of faculty mentors and on an academically sound IM proposal.

Course Information

For information on courses offered, visit our Course Descriptions page. For more information on the program contact the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office.

For information on these courses, visit our Individualized Major page.

Latin American and Latinx Studies

Associate Faculty

Aiala Levy, Ph.D., Director of Latin American Studies
Michael Allison, Ph.D.
Roxana Curiel, Ph.D.
Susan Mendez, Ph.D.
Yamile Silva, Ph.D.
Janice Voltzow, Ph.D.

Overview

Latin American and Latinx Studies is a multi-disciplinary program designed to advance students’ understanding of Latin America and people of Latin American heritage. It seeks to provide general knowledge of Latin America and its diaspora alongside in-depth knowledge of specific countries, regions, cultures, and communities. Students in the program are encouraged to double-major and/or minor in the wide array of disciplines offered at The University of Scranton and to study abroad in Latin America for at least one semester.

Coursework in history and political science provides the foundation for understanding the historical, political, social, cultural, and economic development of Latin America. These classes provide familiarity with those factors that have shaped the experiences of individuals, groups, and countries. Students learn about the social significance of concrete events in the past and the present.

Examining the role of philosophy and religion within the context of Latin American and Latinx Studies allows students to appreciate how persons in other cultures have contemplated the human condition and the need for self-transcendence. Instruction in these courses engenders cultural sensitivity to the intellectual traditions, beliefs, and practices of others while enriching students in their quests to answer fundamental questions about themselves.

The natural history of Latin America has had a tremendous influence on the human societies that inhabit the region. Biology, anthropology, and geography courses provide students with a robust knowledge of the geological, geographic, biological, and cultural diversity of Latin America, and demonstrate how these dimensions have influenced the ways that humans have adapted to and altered their environment.

Literary works represent cultural, social, and political issues such as the articulation and negotiation of class, race, gender, and sexuality. The study of written, visual, and aural cultural production enhances an appreciation of the complexity and diversity of Latin American and Latinx communities. It also facilitates the acquisition of language skills and promotes effective written and oral expression.

Supporting courses allow students to acquire a general knowledge of the region by taking classes in a wide range of disciplines or to gain a deeper understanding of Latin America by focusing on one or two particular areas of interest.

Course Information

Courses for Latin American and Latinx Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies have many prefixes because most courses are cross-listed with other departments. In addition, we run courses that count for both Latin American and Latinx Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies with the prefix LAWS; courses that count for Women’s and Gender Studies with the prefix WOMN and courses that count for Latin American and Latinx Studies with the prefix LAS.

For course information on all courses offered, visit our Course Descriptions page.

For a list this major, visit our Latin American and Latinx Studies, BA page.

Neuroscience

Faculty

Primary

Robert F. Waldeck, Ph.D., Program Director
Gary G. Kwiecinski, Ph.D.
Patrick T. Orr, Ph.D.
Marc Seid, Ph.D.
Jong-Hyun Son, Ph.D.

Secondary

Yaodong Bi, Ph.D.
Joe Brague, Ph.D.
Bryan R. Burnham, Ph.D.
Ashley M. Driver, Ph.D.
Timothy D. Foley, Ph.D.
Jason M. Graham, Ph.D.
Christie P. Karpiak, Ph.D.
Joseph Klobusicky, Ph.D.
Jill A. Warker, Ph.D.

Overview

The foundation courses of this interdisciplinary curriculum are selected from the Biology, Psychology and Chemistry departments. Depending upon the electives chosen, the program can prepare students for a variety of graduate programs within the field of neuroscience. Such graduate training may draw from a range of disciplines, including biology, psychology, anatomy, pharmacology, toxicology, biophysics, biochemistry and medicine. Students have ample research opportunities in laboratories that can support a diversity of behavioral, biochemical, neurophysiological and neuroanatomical investigations. The program is administered by an interdisciplinary committee.

Course Information

Courses for Neuroscience are listed under the prefixes BIOL, CHEM, and PSYC. For more information on these and all courses offered, visit our Course Descriptions page.

For information on these courses, visit our Neuroscience, BS page.

Women’s and Gender Studies

Associate Faculty

Marzia Caporale, Ph.D., Director of Women’s and Gender Studies
Ovidiu Cocieru, Ph.D.
Paul A. Datti, Ph.D.
Michael Friedman, Ph.D.
Jean Harris, Ph.D.
Aiala Levy, Ph.D.
Susan Méndez, Ph.D.
Kimberly Pavlick, Ph.D.
Virginia Picchietti, Ph.D.
Susan Poulson, Ph.D.
Meghan Rich, Ph.D.
Yamile Silva, Ph.D.
Carole Slotterback, Ph.D.
Billie Tadros, Ph.D.
Loreen Wolfer, Ph.D.
Habib Zanzana, Ph.D.

Affiliated Faculty

Roxana Curiel, Ph.D.
Gretchen Van Dyke, Ph.D.
Stephen Whittaker, Ph.D.

Overview

The Women’s and Gender Studies Major provides an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to understanding the social and cultural constructions of gender that shape the experiences of individuals in society. The curriculum offers a solid foundation in Women’s and Gender Studies, facilitating graduate study and careers involving gender justice and preparing students for leadership roles in diverse workplaces and communities.

Through our partnership with the Jane Kopas Women’s Center and other community-based organizations and agencies, the Women’s and Gender Studies program offers students the opportunity to integrate theory and practice to develop leadership skills. The department works to create a learning community for students enrolled in its programs that integrates curricular and extra-curricular programming and encourages life-long learning and civic engagement.

While the degree offers students direct career paths to work in the non-profit, government, and private sectors for organizations that focus on issues of gender justice, the degree also aims to prepare students for a life of civic engagement and commitment to justice. Furthermore, the degree prepares students for graduate study in law, counseling, social work, and any field in the humanities or social sciences. Pre-medicine and allied health field students as well as business students find Women’s and Gender Studies to be helpful in preparing them to understand both their clients and their own lives as professionals.

As an inter- and multi-disciplinary field of study, Women’s and Gender Studies courses are drawn from departments across the University. All courses available for Women’s and Gender Studies credit have been reviewed and approved by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program Steering Committee. Women’s and Gender Studies courses focus on critiquing and understanding human experiences in relationship to gender and the evolution of gender in specific historical, social, and cultural contexts.; examining the complexity of power structures and modes of authority, especially as they pertain to structural and institutional modes of power and oppression; and developing an intersectional understanding of the methods women and the marginalized have employed to achieve self-expression, voice, and visibility and to exercise agency.

Course Information

Courses for Latin American Latinx Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies have many prefixes because most courses are cross-listed with other departments. In addition, we run courses that count for both Latin American and Latinx Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies with the prefix LAWS; courses that count for Women’s and Gender Studies with the prefix WOMN and courses that count for Latin American and Latinx Studies with the prefix LAS.

For course information on all courses offered, visit our Course Descriptions page.

For a more information on this major visit our Women’s and Gender Studies, BA page.