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Social and Behavioral Sciences College (SBS)

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Program Overview

Academic Contributions

Academic Programs

 

 

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Social and Behavioral Sciences College (SBS)

SBS Assessment Component

 

Program Overview

Mission

The faculty members of the Social and Behavioral Sciences College (SBS) believe that there is a common body of theories, methods, and data management systems underlying all of the social and behavioral sciences. They share a common interest in interdisciplinary study of the entire range of human behavior and the social institutions that mold such behavior. SBS is committed to promoting scientific and critical understanding of contemporary society in its global manifestations and local and national dimensions. The SBS curriculum encourages students to explore innovative, alternative solutions to human problems and prepares them for effective and ethical social intervention and advocacy.

Unlike other universities where the mountain of social and behavioral science is usually conquered by dividing it into disciplines such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, social work, criminal justice, history, geography, political science, and social studies education, SBS offers all of these fields and their imaginable combinations as possible concentrations within an interdisciplinary whole.

Academic Philosophy

The format of the Social and Behavioral Sciences program at CSUMB is outcomes-based in that it assesses students on the basis of demonstrated competencies. An SBS major is expected to demonstrate competency in the core body of theory, research methods, area studies, disciplinary concentrations, and information technologies that SBS faculty have defined as necessary for all professional social and behavioral scientists and students planning to pursue postgraduate studies. Students participate in learning experiences that are project-based, service-oriented, and facilitated by the College’s interdisciplinary faculty. The projects, reports, and demonstrations that result from such a practice-based approach are the basis for the assessment of student progress toward graduation.

 

Academic Contributions

Bachelor of Arts Curriculum

The Social and Behavioral Sciences College offers a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Behavioral Sciences.

University Learning Requirements (ULRs)

The College offers several courses that satisfy various ULRs including Creative and Artistic Expression, Culture and Equity, Democratic Participation, Ethics, Mathematics Communication, Technology and Information, and U.S. Histories.

Institutes

Seven Institutes housed within SBS provide collaborative, interdisciplinary, and educational opportunities for students. These Institutes work with local, state, federal, and global organizations to provide service and project-based learning opportunities for students, an important component of achieving CSUMB's unique educational mission. Institutes exist as resource centers as well, and Institute directors actively seek external funding to assist in realizing the CSUMB Vision and SBS’s educational objectives.

 

 

Institute for Archaeology

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Institute for Archaeology

Program Overview

Mission

The primary initiative of the Institute for Archaeology is to develop a fully integrated curriculum centered on archaeological science, technology, and visualization. This Institute's curriculum encompasses the social, geospatial, virtual, environmental, and archaeological sciences. Project-based and both lab and fieldwork oriented, the Institute explores and engages the development of:

Academic Philosophy

Virtual archaeology intersects archaeology with the realms of electronic information technology, multimedia, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It brings these powerful new technologies to the forefront of scientific interpretation, reconstruction, and the modeling of past worlds. The Institute for Archaeology is committed to the development of an innovative interdisciplinary curriculum that includes project-based learning, instructional technology development, and Service Learning.

Institute Contributions

Curriculum

The newness of both CSUMB and the Institute, not to mention the embryonic development of virtual archaeology itself, are reflected in the current Institute curriculum which initiates an applied approach combining virtual archaeology and area studies. The multidisciplinary faculty of SBS and other campus and off-campus associates and course offerings round out the curriculum. The Institute offers learning experiences in archaeology and other social science research methods, museum anthropology, social history, VRML-based multimedia and software development, GIS, and telecommunications.

Projects and Programs

The Institute for Archaeology provisions project-based learning experiences, applied research, laboratory and field-based opportunities, and training in the art and science of archaeology and museum studies. The Institute is home to several ongoing projects and lab programs that include:

 

Institute for Community Networking

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Institute for Community Networking (ICN)

Program Overview

The Institute for Community Networking (ICN) promotes the academic study of civic networking: the use of telecommunications by the general public for local community and economic development, nonprofit service delivery, and civic participation in government. Various names have been used to describe such systems: community computer networks, civic networks, public access networks, free-nets, public information utilities, electronic town halls, telecommunities, community communication centers, and telecottages. Others have defined public access networks as "an electronic system of information bases and/or person-to-person communications, structured around defined public interest goals in a particular geographical area or jurisdiction."

Institute Contributions

Learning Laboratory

Using a Silicon Graphics Indy computer and Netscape server software, ICN has developed an online, project-based learning laboratory for CSUMB students and community members who are interested in the social, behavioral, and policy dimensions of community information systems. The principles of human behavior are experimentally tested within the virtual communities of the Internet. Students study topics as diverse as child pornography, gender differences in conversation, online hate crimes, and the most effective interface for supporting live chat. Telecommunication policy, especially as it is related to constitutional rights in the digital age, provides the framework for developing and testing the new communication technologies that build capacity in the community.

Curriculum

ICN is dedicated to the study of "virtual communities," "virtual identities," and the emerging global community of the Internet. The social psychology of online behavior and how such behavior is shaped by telecommunication policy is explored through project-based learning labs, simulations, and real-life activities on the Internet. Students are encouraged to work closely with their own community to develop such a system then publish and present their findings at regional and national community networking conferences.

Projects

Specific projects and research supported by ICN include:

 

Institute of GIS and Spatial Analysis

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Institute of GIS and Spatial Analysis

Program Overview

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an emerging computer technology that manages georeferenced information. GIS integrates digital maps with any kind of attribute data that have important spatial significance such as land use, population, housing, road network, natural resources, crime rates, and diseases. As GIS develops further and its applications multiply, GIS education is becoming very popular in colleges and universities around the country. Most recently, the term Geographic Information Science has emerged to represent the science of spatial data processing which includes the theory and method of spatial data acquisition, storage, analysis, and visualization.

CSUMB's Institute of GIS and Spatial Analysis is dedicated to research, instruction, and deployment of geographic information technologies as they are applied to the social and behavioral sciences. GIS technology provides unique and powerful approaches to the study of complex social, economic, cultural, and environmental issues.

Institute Contributions

Curriculum

The study of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) requires a basic core of knowledge, in-depth understanding of state-of-the-art technology, computer proficiency, and demonstrated ability to conduct complex spatial analysis. This Institute offers nationally certified GIS training courses both at introductory and advanced level. Service Learning opportunities are also offered, giving students experiences in real world GIS applications. CSUMB has developed cooperative arrangements with the Census Bureau and serves as an electronic repository and collection point for U.S. Census Tiger Files and general socioeconomic statistics (SES) information shared on CD-ROM with the American Indian and Alaskan Native Census Information Center of CSUMB (http://indian.csumb.edu).

Projects

By its very nature, GIS programs must be interdisciplinary. GIS-related teaching, research, and community services facilitate integration of pedagogical effort at the university level and promote collaboration among faculty, staff, students, and members of the community. Some of the projects supported by the Institute of GIS and Spatial Analysis include:

 

Institute for Mexico and U.S./Mexican Studies

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Institute for Mexico and U.S./Mexican Studies (IMUSMS)

Program Overview

The Institute for Mexico and U.S./Mexican Studies (IMUSMS) promotes the teaching of subjects related to Mexican society, culture, and history. It also seeks to advance and disseminate knowledge about the economic, political, and cultural relations between the United States and Mexico, especially ties between California and Mexico. Other activities include the fostering of academic exchanges with Mexican universities, and promoting electronic communications between CSUMB students and faculty and their counterparts in Mexican universities.

Institute Contributions

Curriculum

The Institute offers learning opportunities in Mexico for SBS and other CSUMB students. All of these teaching initiatives feature project-based learning including experiential learning and internships. The cornerstone of the curriculum is a four-week summer exchange program in Mexico. During that time students work with Mexican and Institute faculty to conduct directed field studies. To ready themselves, students are expected to participate in a field research preparation course in the semester prior to leaving for Mexico. Students live in Mexican rural communities.

Programs and Projects

Activities and Courses sponsored by IMUSMS include:

 

Institute for Pacific Rim Studies

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Institute for Pacific Rim Studies (PRS)

Program Overview

The Institute for Pacific Rim Studies promotes greater understanding about peoples and societies in Asian-Pacific countries (including Vietnam, China, Japan, and East and Southeast Asian countries), and their interconnections with American lives. The Institute explores social justice issues, responses of all these peoples–especially workers and peasants–to global processes, and the effects of these processes on their daily lives. Through learning experiences, Service Learning group projects, colloquium series, roundtable discussions, seminars, workshops, and joint publication, the Institute facilitates collaboration with other CSUMB Institutes and Centers in program planning and implementation. Moreover, PRS invites participation from students, faculty, staff, guest experts, and members from the larger community.

The objectives of the Institute for Pacific Rim Studies include:

Institute Contributions

Social Justice Colloquium Series

The Social Justice Colloquium Series annually hosts invited scholars and experts who explore social justice issues of importance to the region with an audience of Monterey Bay region community members and CSUMB students, faculty, and administrators. The goal is to connect the local with the global, the personal with the political, and the academic with the practical. CSUMB’s Institute for Social History cosponsors the series.

 

Institute for Research and Instructional Technologies for the Social And Behavioral Sciences

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Institute for Research and Instructional Technologies (RIT) for the Social And Behavioral Sciences

Program Overview

MISSION

The Institute for Research and Instructional Technologies (RIT) for the Social and Behavioral Sciences promotes the use of collaborative innovative new technologies for research and instruction (teaching, learning, and assessment). The Institute fosters collaborative research and the development of new instructional technologies to advance the social and behavioral sciences discipline. The Institute works with faculty, staff, and students, as well as the local community to achieve these goals.

Academic Philosophy

The changing nature of research and higher education effects new pedagogical approaches and instructional technologies. The Institute was created in response to this demand and is committed to a multilingual, multicultural, and intellectual community to enable students, faculty, and staff in the Social and Behavioral Sciences to develop an innovative curriculum and new instructional tools to advance education as a whole.

Institute Contributions

Curriculum

The Institute promotes the development of new pedagogical approaches and use of new media and technology in research and higher education. The Institute critically examines and reflects upon the use of instructionally related technological advances in the social and behavioral sciences discipline and educational institutions.

Projects and Programs

The Institute provisions project-based learning experiences, applied research, and exchange opportunities. It provides services to faculty, students, and staff at SBS as well as collaborative projects within CSUMB. The Institute is home to several ongoing projects and lab programs that include:

 

Institute for Social History

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Institute for Social History

Program Overview

The Institute for Social History fosters innovative teaching and research in social history and the practical application of historical knowledge in contemporary society.

Institute Contributions

The Institute for Social History seeks to achieve these goals at CSUMB, through the social history curriculum in the Social and Behavioral Sciences College, and as sponsor of the following projects.

Fort Ord Historic Documents Project

The Fort Ord Historic Documents Project is being conducted by the Institute for Social History in conjunction with the Fort Ord Alumni Association and the CSUMB Library. The purpose is to identify, inventory, accession, catalog, and digitize documents relating to the history of Fort Ord. A large collection of documents has already been donated and additional materials are expected as awareness of the project spreads. This will result in valuable work and learning opportunities for interested students over the next several years. The accumulated materials will become a special collection within the CSUMB Library and will be available to students and professional scholars for historical research.

Social Justice Colloquium Series

The Social Justice Colloquium Series annually hosts invited scholars and experts who explore social justice issues of importance to the region with an audience of Monterey Bay region community members and CSUMB students, faculty, and administrators. The goal is to connect the local with the global, the personal with the political, and the academic with the practical. CSUMB’s Institute for Pacific Rim Studies cosponsors the series.

 

 

Last updated 01 JUL 2002 by: webfolk
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