Students write a mini-essay applying W.D. Ross’s theory of prima facie duties to compare moral obligations in two familiar social contexts: the family and the college classroom.

Students write three response papers throughout the course, each analyzing one of two assigned psychological research articles. Each paper includes a summary of the theory or hypothesis, evaluation of the methodology, discussion of results or conclusions, critique of the study, and personal reflection on its relevance. The goal is to build students’ ability to read, interpret, and critically assess original psychological research.

In this multi-step assignment, students select a topic and write an informative research paper about an approved topic of significance to their audience (peers comprised of business majors and software engineering majors). Phases of the project include: a formal topic proposal, an annotated bibliography, a progress report, and the research paper.

Students select a New York Times editorial and write an essay that summarizes the author’s argument, analyzes its connection to a relevant chapter from Controversies in Science and Technology, and constructs a counterargument using at least two credible sources. The essay must explore differing stakeholder perspectives, values, and worldviews, and evaluate the credibility of sources used.

Students write an essay analyzing the social forces behind global migration, using course material to unpack a quotation from The Myth of Individualism. The assignment emphasizes how economic globalization, corporate power, and structural inequalities shape migration patterns and challenge simplistic narratives about immigration. Students must demonstrate their understanding of systemic factors that influence individual decisions.

Students write an analytical essay on a seventeenth-century still life painting, applying insights from class discussions and Charlotte Houghton’s article. The essay explores how a contemporary viewer of the time might interpret the painting, identifying symbolic elements and their social significance. Students are also asked to reflect on the nature of still life as a genre and propose a modern reinterpretation for a twenty-first-century audience.

Students write an essay responding to a question about the distinction between pre- and post-1848 art, using examples from class to explain what defines “modern” art. The essay explores how modern artists approached subject matter, technique, and medium differently from earlier artists, particularly in their representation of contemporary life and the concept of modernity. Students are encouraged to reflect on how these shifts mark a turning point in art history.