Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology · Courses
SS
30 courses with the subject SS, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
SS 101AMERICAN POLITICS3
This course explores the fundamental principles of American government and politics. Students apply foundational concepts to current political topics in an environment where all voices will be heard and respected. Topics include political ideologies, the formation of the American government system, the Constitution, the role of political parties in the United States, politics in the age of information and social media, and the study of current political thought and behavior.
A concentration on major world events including significant social, economic and political shifts and changes viewed through various media including film, fiction, historical articles and non-fiction essays. Through discussions, written responses, presentations and creative projects, students will not only engage in historical studies, but will also use analytical and critical thinking skills to consider the ethical implications of historical events and to determine how accurately history is recorded, taught and represented in education, art, politics, the media and society.
Knowledge and Punishment embarks on a thought-provoking journey to deepen participants’ understanding of how laws and punishments intricately shape our learning processes and define societal acceptability. This course offers a comprehensive exploration of the legal frameworks that influence our educational systems, shedding light on the subtle ways in which consequences, whether doctrine or unintended, mold our perceptions of what is deemed appropriate. Ecology of Knowledge and Punishment: The course will focus on multiple levels of analysis, including international, historical, constitutional, federal, judicial, state, regional, district, individual schools, and personal experiences. Each of these levels will be examined as a framework for conceptualizing knowledge and punishments in schools.
A basic course introducing the major content areas of psychology as a scientific study of human behavior and mental processes through an acquaintance with the fundamental process of human behavior. Topics include: the nature of psychology, biological processes, human development, individual differences, personality and mental health.
An introductory course that studies human cultures across time and place in their various environmental and historical contexts. The majority of the course focuses on cultural anthropology, and the evolution and development of human societies. Some topics explored might be community, kinship, religion, economic structure, and political order. In addition, the ways in which culture shapes experience is discussed, and students will be called to recognize their role as both creators and by-products of culture.
This course analyzes, in both empirical and theoretical terms, many of the social problems currently facing Americans. Among these are deepening inequality and poverty among working and middle-class Americans, particularly racial minorities, women, and youth; related problems of racism and sexism; growing unemployment; deterioration of the health system; crime; and war and militarism. Strategies and political options for solving these problems are considered. Through additional coursework, students enrolled in the baccalaureate level course sections learn to practice enhanced critical thinking, especially through analyzing arguments, and to produce research-driven writing and projects to help understand the importance of awareness in addressing social issues. 2026-2027 COURSE CATALOG 143
SS 215WE THE PEOPLE: A CLASS ON COMMONALITIES AND DIFFERENCE3
This course will provide an analysis of society based on the interrelationships between race, class and gender (including LGBTQ++ ) and their influence on our social structure and behavior. There will be special focus on the ways in which any type of minority status impacts the social experience and the definition of personal and cultural roles. Both historical and contemporary perspectives will be explored through selected articles and multimedia. Prepared and thoughtful discussions will be integral to the student’s experience.
SS 216OPENING THE WINDOWS: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND3
THE SELF IN THE WORLD This is a course about emotions: yours and others’. To guide your discovery, we will read, watch, write, listen, and work together, as we investigate the ways in which our feelings shape our being in the world. We will explore compassion, experience, and agency while we build relationships and create avenues for self-expression and collaboration. Our primary goal in this class is to build confidence in your ability to be true to yourself while being effective with others. As you build trust and develop relationships with your classmates, you embark together on the design and production of collaborative projects that involve shared creativity, decision-making, and the often inevitable emergence of dissension. Together you will practice strategies for facilitating complex relationships and resolving conflict, such as expressing needs, identifying shared values, and seeking common ground.
SS 220MONSTRUOS, DEMONIOS Y SUEÑOS: LATIN-AMERICAN FANTASY3
IN SHORT STORIES AND FILMS This course will explore the ways in which Latin American authors and filmmakers use fantasy to comment on social and personal themes like oppression, poverty, war, religion, and family. Latin-American literature is well known for magical realism –the expansion of reality to include fantastical elements in a realistic setting. The authors and filmmakers we will discuss in this course engage with the marvelous and the real along a large gamut touching different genres from fable to horror. They sometimes suggest subtle fantastic elements within realistic settings, and other times they introduce supernatural beings like ghosts or the devil as central characters in their narratives. Often recovering figures from folktales, mixing indigenous and Christian traditions, or adapting myths from other cultures into the Latin American context, the short stories and films selected find intriguing ways to represent reality through fantasy. Throughout the course, we will discuss short stories by authors from Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, and films by Guillermo del Toro and other Mexican filmmakers set in the Mexico of the Colonial period and the Revolution, and in Civil War Spain.
This course examines how to address difficult conversations and how dialogue can be a tool for understanding ourselves and others in moments of tension or disagreement. We study and apply frameworks from Nonviolent Communication (NVC), restorative justice, and negotiation theory, and consider what it means to speak and listen with integrity in times of conflict. The course combines reading, discussion, practice, and reflection. Students will try communication practices, record what works and does not, and contribute to a collective reflective guide for navigating conflict.
In today’s fast-changing digital media landscape, the ability to critically assess information is essential. “Anti- Social: Media Literacy in the (Dis)Information Age” is a foundational course designed to equip students with critical skills to understand and navigate complex media environments. This includes social media, online news platforms, podcasts, and the examination of AI-generated content and its societal implications. This course explores the intricate interplay among media, society, and technology, with a specific emphasis on understanding and combating the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda.
In the seminar, we will begin by studying fundamental institutional realities of the criminal system and the factors that lead to the criminalization of an individual, potentially everything from poverty, childhood trauma, addiction, mental illness, and other causes of harmful choices to the vast discretion held by legislators, police, prosecutors, and others in choosing whom to criminalize. We will then study the experiences of criminalization and incarceration themselves as factors affecting an individual’s reintegration into the community, sometimes positively but often negatively. For some, an arrest, Re-entry prosecution, and punishment can successfully disrupt a pattern of harmful choices and lead to a more productive path. 144 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CUMMINGS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Through the analysis of film and television as texts, this course explores social issues such as race, class, gender, politics, education, religion, social and historical change, considering the ways film and television can reflect the realities behind sociological behavior. Students will reflect on the connections between film and society through in-depth discussions, presentations, readings, written responses, and research.
This course provides a framework for personal financial planning through the study of economic principles including emphasis on the current economy and its effects on the individual and society as a whole. Through discussions, projects, and presentations students will gain an understanding of principles such as budgeting, credit and debt, and processes such as mortgages and retirement planning.
This course provides students with a general introduction to photography as an art form and reflection of the human condition. In this course, students will study the history of photography, famous photographers and photographs, photographs as a record of their subject, and also the artistic value of photographs. Students will explore various photographs to consider not only their aesthetic value, but also the relationships between artist, subject, and audience, as well as the social, historical, and cultural significance of these images. Students will pay particular attention to the stories photographs tell, from their subject matter to the way they are composed. Students will consider these stories when viewing and also when taking photographs, telling stories of their own.
Drawing on psychological research at the level of the individual, group, and organization, the class focuses on how leaders think, feel, and behave. This course provides an opportunity for students to learn and discuss leadership theories, and to develop a personal leadership philosophy. Topics include visionary leadership, leadership development, goal setting, ethics, storytelling, charisma, systems thinking, and crucible experiences.
An exploration of the ways in which human behavior and mental processes relate to everyday life. Basic concepts of psychology are introduced with special emphasis on their application to the students’ understanding of themselves and their interactions with others.
Psychology is the study of cognitions, emotions, and behavior. This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of psychology, what we have learned about ourselves, and how psychology is applied to help improve our lives. The course focuses on the psychological aspects of a fulfilling and flourishing life. Psychology has often focused on deficits and disability. Recently, however, more focus has been placed on the more positive aspects of life. This course focuses on each person’s unique potential for positive growth and development. Topics include happiness, self-esteem, empathy, friendship, goal setting, love, achievement, creativity, mindfulness, spirituality, and humor.
This course will examine the meaning of sports and the role sports play in American culture and society. Various sports will be studied from historical and contemporary perspectives to consider the connection between sports and such issues as race, class, gender, ethnicity, education, nationalism, health, socialization, and the role of the media. Students will reflect on the connections between sport and society through in-depth discussions, presentations, readings, written responses, and research.
Through study of films, readings, websites and political policy, students will explore principles of sustainability with emphasis on how to meet human needs and reduce hunger and poverty while maintaining the life- support systems of the planet. Focus will be placed on discovering real ways that individuals, organizations, and governments can manage resources in a responsible manner, with minimal impact on the earth and its inhabitants. Discussion of solutions will include technological innovation, government and corporate policy, community organizations and individual advocacy.
In this course students would be able to survey the literature, history, and long-standing cultural impact of the Harlem Renaissance. Notable authors, texts, and events from that era would be examined with an eye towards understanding and coming to terms with how that era has shaped race relations in America and in local community advocacy, art, and politics.
This course examines the role of technology in contemporary social life. An overview of technological evolution and its impact on society from the Industrial Revolution to the present is explored, with emphasis on current technologies and the debates surrounding them. Through discussion, papers, projects, and presentations, students explore the impact of particular technologies on various aspects of human life, including society’s increasing reliance on technology and the consequences on human existence. (Offered in the fall, spring, and summer)
In addition to covering Einstein’s core scientific and philosophical contributions, this course uses his life as a frame to explore broader historical issues, including war and pacifism, Zionism and Nazism, civil rights, celebrity, gender, and the nuclear arms race.
This course explores the historical development of ecology as a professional science, before turning to the political and social ramifications of ecological ideas. Throughout the course, we will situate the history of ecological ideas in their cultural, political, and social context. 146 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CUMMINGS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SS 401REMEMBERING DEPORTATION AND GENOCIDE: A GLOBAL HISTORY3
OF MODERN MASS ATROCITIES This course explores the history, causes, and continuing impact of genocide, mass deportation, and other forms of large-scale violence. Students examine major cases from the late nineteenth century to the present, including the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, Stalinist repression, Rwanda, the Rohingya, and violence in Ukraine and China. The course also looks at how law, politics, technology, and ideology shape these atrocities, while asking why the international community so often fails to prevent them and what moral responsibilities come with remembrance.
