Course Catalogue

Foundations

IMA 551 Applied Curriculum Design I (3 Credits)
Introduction to curriculum and program planning for individualized graduate study. Topics include planning a self-directed graduate education program, developing an individualized reflective statement on educational and professional goals for the self-designed program, course and syllabus development, basic principles of academic and professional writing, and academic and topical research. Standard components of graduate degree programs, such as foundational courses, theory courses, electives, research, and capstone courses, are covered. Students also begin the groundwork for establishing an academic network of resources in their selected field of study. Students demonstrate their proficiency through the development of foundational elements of their individualized curricula, which includes educational and professional goals statement, academic and professional standards in selected field of study, and syllabi for individualized courses up to ten credits.

IMA 552 Applied Curriculum Design II (1 Credit)
Introduction to curriculum and program planning for individualized graduate study. Topics include graduate education program planning, course and syllabus development, self-directed learning, learning styles, academic writing, professional writing, and academic and topical research. Standard components of graduate degree programs, such as foundational courses, theory courses, electives, research, and capstone courses, are covered. Students demonstrate their proficiency through the development of an individualized master of arts degree in their selected field of study.

IMA 560 Foundations of Academic Discourse (4 credits)
This course is designed to enhance students' skills in researching and analyzing the current literature in the students’ selected area of study. Emphasis will be placed on identifying, analyzing and evaluating the current theories and practices in the students’ selected area of study as well as developing the skills associated with scholarly writing. Portions of the readings will focus on the topic of social responsibility.

IMA 590 The Professional Writer (4 credits)
Students begin their programs with this course, using it to familiarize themselves with writers and writing in their genre. A number of different readings will be used to show how individual literary artists have answered questions of craft and technique in addition to writing about other literary and nonliterary issues that have engaged them. The role of social responsibility will be one of the course themes.

IMA 680 Individualized Course (credit varies)
Each individualized course is documented through a student-designed course syllabus that includes a title, learning objectives, learning activities, reading list, evaluation plan, instructor, time period, and approved credit amount. Note that this course number is assigned to all individualized courses, but each course will be assigned a unique title. Therefore, when transcripted, this course will appear more than once although the course titles will differ.

Capstone Learning

IMA 690a Thesis (10 credits)
The thesis is culminating and integrating effort for master’s students. It involves the original investigation of a problem of limited scope and contributes to the body of knowledge in the students’ field. Through the thesis process, students become and feel more expert in a focused field of inquiry. Students produce a written product that documents a synthesis of the appropriate literature in the field, the methodology used, their research findings, and an analysis and discussion of those findings.

IMA 690b Visual Arts Thesis (10 credits)
The master’s thesis for students in the visual arts is most often a thesis by project. This is action research in which the process of making or designing an artifact constitutes the methodology. Students studying visual arts keep a journal of their readings, interviews, work, experimentation, and reflections, as well as a bibliography during the entire degree process.

IMA 690c Creative Writing Thesis (10 credits)
The creative writing thesis is the culminating work in a student’s program. It involves imaginative and original writing in a particular genre. Often, students enter the creative writing program with writing drafts that are the basis for their course of study. Students study literary texts to gain a deeper understanding of their own genre. Literary texts are studied as models of good writing. Craft and technique books augment each student’s understanding of his or her genre.

IMA 690d Performing Arts Thesis (10 credits)
The master’s thesis for students in the performing arts is most often a thesis by project. This is action research in which the process of producing one’s craft constitutes the methodology. Students studying performing arts keep a journal of their readings, interviews, work, experimentation, and reflections, as well as a bibliography during the entire degree process.IMA 692 Capstone Project (5 credits)
The capstone project is the culminating and integrating effort for master’s students. Students design and conduct a research project under the guidance of the instructor. This research topic is established through a collaborative process involving the students and their graduate committees. The research may not be applied to a master’s thesis.

Community Change and Civic Leadership (CCCL)

CCL 540 Concepts of Civic Leadership Education (4 credits)
Learning and change go hand-in-hand. Those leading community change efforts must therefore know how to effectively plan and facilitate relevant engaging learning experiences among adult community members. The purpose of this course is to expose participants to the principles and methods of adult education that can be applied to community change and civic leadership. Topics include: the role that adult education has played historically in civic engagement and social change movements; traditional and contemporary theories that inform the practice of teaching adults; practical methods to actively engage adults in learning; adapting instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse individuals; and the role of the facilitator in negotiating power relationships among learners structured along lines of ethnicity, race, class, and gender.

CCL 560 Principles of Community Leadership (4 credits)
Leadership has long been considered a place reserved for the few-- not the many. Experience has shown, however, that we live in communities of plenty that is, plenty of people with untapped talents who make their communities better places to live, work and raise families. Leadership involves skills to be learned and practiced but also requires reflecting on the role and responsibility of leaders in a democratic society. The objective of this course is to provide students with a conceptual framework and the practical skills for identifying and developing broad-based civic leadership. Through an exploration of the asset approach to community development and organizing, students will learn how to mobilize a community for action using techniques such as community asset mapping and stakeholder analysis and explore such concepts as the role of reflection in action.

CCL 565 Group Process and Community Change (4 credits)
This course is designed to explore the dynamics that affect group members' ability to work together effectively. Emphasis will be placed on theories of group behavior and development, and the roles of structure, influence, power, decision- making and consensus building within groups. Leadership skills that enhance collaboration and problem solving in diverse groups will be also be explored. Students will have opportunities to examine their own group experiences and to apply their learning in the context of several team projects.

CCL 570 Managing Conflict for Community Change (4 credits)
The success and outcome of conflict resolution in community development projects with citizen involvement is influenced by many variables, such as culture, gender, and ethnicity. The objective of this course is to familiarize students with theories of conflict and to explore practical and diverse approaches to conflict resolution. Students will study strategies, processes and models to address different types of conflict resolution ranging from interest-based negotiation to facilitated community dialogue. Leadership, decision-making, communication, conflict management styles and appropriate responses to conflict will be examined as well. Students are expected to produce a final paper that will analyze a selected community conflict. They will investigate this conflict throughout the course to analyze the role(s) of leadership, causes of the conflict, variables influencing the outcome, sequencing of events, and problem solving processes and resolutions.

CCL 580 Building Partnerships: Issues of Power in Relationships (4 credits)
In this course, students will be introduced to the issues involved in building partnerships between communities and organizations. This course is an introduction to understanding partnerships, power, and relationships related to leadership in communities. Topics of study will include partnerships, power, relationships, leadership, community, and organizational contexts. We will explore the particular challenges involved when different types of organizations such as government, business, non-profits, and faith-based groups form partnerships. Adult learners will use a variety of options for studying power and relationships among these community structures. Resources for these activities include adult learner experience, text and on-line materials. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to conduct site visits, observations, and personal interviews with leaders within a variety of organizational contexts in their community.

CCL 640 Implementing Action Strategies (4 credits)
Community issues are complex, and long-term solutions are difficult to craft. The objective of this course is to provide students with both a conceptual framework and the practical skills for developing and implementing a community-driven change strategy. Through an exploration of four social-action organizing models: neighborhood, faith-based, issue, and coalition, students will examine how communities move effectively from “talk” to “action”. This class will also examine key concepts including self-interest, power, institutional change, community control, and leadership development and the role they play in developing not only a winnable strategy but in building the capacity of the community to solve problems.

CCL 645 Communicating for Change (4 credits)
In this course students will study the elements necessary to formulate a successful strategic communications plan. Students will identify and study the work and literature of advertising, pubic relations and communications firms who specialize in helping non-profits and community leaders get their message across and engage a broader audience. Students will learn how to identify target audiences and to choose appropriate- conventional and unconventional- channels of communication, in order to reach diverse audiences and to promote action that leads to measurable change. Class members will work individually or in teams of two or three to complete two projects during the course. For one project, students will describe and critique an existing issue oriented public campaign with a national or regional focus. For the second project, students will design a strategic communication plan around a local issue, with a timeline for implementation and evaluation. Both projects will require interviews and face-to-face interactions with community leaders and the public regarding the effectiveness of a wide variety of messaging techniques.

Integral Knowledge Systems (IKS)

IMA603 Integral Yoga Psychology (4 Credits)
This course covers the basics of Integral Yoga Psychology as developed by Sri Aurobindo. Purna Yoga or Integral Yoga is a vast synthesis of the various schools of yoga, and provides a systematic and logical process to observe the psychological processes that go on in one’s inner self with a goal to transform human way of thinking, seeing, feeling, and being into a deep and wide spiritual consciousness and an integrated inner and outer existence. Topics covered in this class include the various planes and parts of the being; the fundamentals and basic approaches of spiritual practice in integral yoga; spiritual experiences and realizations; the stages of transformation of the consciousness; the transformation of the outer nature; difficulties in practice and practical considerations.

IMA 604: Self-Awareness and Transformation (4 credits)
Integral Yoga is a vast synthesis of the various schools of yoga, and provides a systematic and logical process to observe the psychological processes that go on in one’s inner self with a goal to transform human way of thinking, seeing, feeling, and being into a deep and wide spiritual consciousness and an integrated inner and outer existence. The starting point for the transformational integral yoga is self-awareness: becoming aware of the different parts of human nature, their character and movements, and of a distinct consciousness of a divine nature. This course provides an in-depth analysis of the main parts and planes of the human being as a preliminary step towards knowing oneself. The second part of the course introduces the learner to a fourfold discipline of the different parts of the being leading to an integral self – perfection.

IMA605 Integral Social Transformation (4 credits)
Many believe that the present social crisis and upheaval concerning individuals, communities, states, and nations can be addressed by developing a new vision and a new hope. This course examines the necessity of a spiritual transformation as the only and permanent solution to the present day crisis of consciousness. We also explore the conditions that need to be fulfilled by individuals and by the group-soul for an advent of such a spiritual age in the spiral of social evolution. The sociology, politics, economics of a spiritual society will also be examined.

IMA 606 Applied Integral Psychology: East and West (4 credits)
Integral Psychology as a framework provides a common ground for many major schools of psychology and human consciousness from both Eastern and Western perspectives in response to our search for meaning, healing and wholeness.  The scientific mindset prevalent in traditional Western psychology when combined with the systematic approach to inner inquiry developed by Eastern yogis can provide a strong, balanced and multi-dimensional therapeutic approach that can address many modern ills. This course will explore the practical applications of Integral Psychology from both the Eastern and Western perspectives, covering such subjects as:  What is Integral Psychology in practice?  How can I develop an integral approach in my life and work?  What are the elements that make my life and practice integral and how can they be developed?  Learning activities will include reading, discussion, introspection, and experiential exploration of spiritual practices, contemplation and written assignments. This course will be useful for people interested in various helping professions such as psychotherapists, counselors and health care professionals who are seeking to develop means to address the spiritual dimension in their work.

IMA 607 Spirituality for Helping Professions (4 credits)

This course is designed to help complementary and preventive healers, and mental health and other medical professionals explore and examine various issues surrounding spirituality and religion in their professional setting. Students will explore their own spiritual and religious beliefs, influences and experiences in order to develop an empathetic and compassionate understanding to work with their clients in a non-judgmental and constructive way.

IMA 609 Meditation: Theory & Techniques (4 credits)
This course will help the student acquire the necessary theoretical as well as experiential learning required to develop a personal balanced and sustainable meditation practice, as well as to understand the role that meditation plays in the spiritual traditions studied.  Through a mix of various learning opportunities, the student will gain a broad overview of meditation traditions with special focus on Yogic and Buddhist traditions. The other focus of the class will be on learning essential meditation principles and developing skills such as focusing the mind, purification of mind and enhancing awareness of the present moment.  Time will also be spent on researching the benefits of mindfulness practices such as meditation for psychological and emotional well being in modern times.

IMA613 Integral Education (4 Credits)
This course covers the basics of Integral Education as developed by Sri Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa (known as The Mother). This educational philosophy and approach aims to develop the whole person, including the spiritual part, by bringing out what is latent in the being and seeking to emerge. Thus, it is a learner-centered approach, grounded in the individual student’s unique personality, capacities, and style and rhythm of progress. The focus of this course is on the nature and training of the spiritual, psychic, mental, vital, and physical parts of the being. It also covers various practical insights into the educational process. Towards the latter part of the course, the student will also learn briefly about the educational philosophies of two other Indian thinkers – Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. This will be done primarily for developing a broader understanding and appreciation of holistic approaches to education as emerging from within Indian thought.

IMA 602 Spiritual Traditions of India (4 credits)
This course will give the student a broad overview of spiritual foundations of Indian culture from its ancient times to contemporary scenario. A learner who is keen to understand and experience an inner dimension of life will gain considerably from this course focusing on selected contributions of Indian culture in this regard. Some of the course readings and assignments will also help the student develop an appreciation for spiritual expression as the basis of arts, aesthetics, and other human enterprise. In addition to providing an overview of key spiritual traditions of India, this course also presents students with an opportunity to engage in cross-cultural study and analysis.

Research and Inquiry

IMA 608 Art, Culture & Inquiry: Creative Practice and Critical Engagement
(4 Credits)
This course is intended to provide a forum in which students can acquire, develop and extend their theoretical, critical and methodological expertise for graduate level studies in the arts and humanities. The general premise here is that an exploration of creative inquiry and critical engagement, applied to sites and productions of art and culture, can meaningfully contribute to our understanding of such works as culturally situated acts both shaped by and shaping contexts of culture in which they occur. This course will involve us in the engagement of varied forms of textual expression with relevance to contemporary art and culture practice and criticism. With selected readings, an emphasis will be placed upon providing us opportunity for gaining familiarity with different styles and strategies, for exercising our critical skills and potentially for expanding our vocabularies of questions that we might bring to such matters. A significant portion of this course will be discussion-oriented, and centered around the sharing of observations and ideas. As a preparation for students’ eventual thesis or capstone projects, occasion for honing and improving skills in written expression will also be included.

IMA616 Transpersonal Inquiry (4 credits)
This course covers basic approaches and methods in transpersonal research. Approaches examined include integral inquiry, intuitive inquiry, phenomenological approaches, organic research, and studies of exceptional human experience. Guidance and examples are considered in the collecting and processing of subjective, experiential data, the validity of findings, ethical considerations in research, and communicating the findings. The course will proceed through readings and discussions, the development of a research proposal utilizing one or more of the approaches examined, and the execution of a mini- research project and the development of a report on the study.

RSH 615 Qualitative Research (4 credits)
This course is designed to help students learn about different genres of qualitative research and the various issues in designing a qualitative study. Emphasis will be given to qualitative methodologies, with an aim to bring students closer to designing their research studies in selected areas. Students will also become familiar with the differences in epistemology, axioms, and methodological assumptions behind qualitative and quantitative paradigms. This discussion will help students select an appropriate methodology for their particular research objective. They will also conduct some practice fieldwork to understand the real-world challenges in doing qualitative research. This course requires that students have some general idea of their research interests. The content and learning activities of this class are designed to help them refine their research interests and narrow down their focus to manageable research question(s) or objective(s).

RSH612 Women’s Ways of Knowing: Issues in Identity and Research
(4 credits)
This course examines the ways in which gender, gender roles, and gender identity influence the construction of knowledge and the representation of objectivity. We will address important questions including, what makes a research feminist; are there methods that are uniquely feminist; and what do feminist researchers have in common. Special emphasis will be given to investigation of these questions - what is the relationship between the researcher and the researched; what is the connection between research and social change; and what is the connection between the “self” and the “other”? Is rationality gendered? Are scientific conceptions of objectivity "masculine"? What could it mean to make such claims, and how could they be justified? What should a feminist conception of knowledge look like?

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