These classes will be offered in the upcoming Spring 2025 semester. Check MavLINK for enrollment appointments and to enroll.
MA CCT Courses offered Spring 2025 Semester
CACT 8000: Intro to Critical and Creative Thinking
This course is the foundational introductory course for the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking program (MA CCT). It focuses on the development of students' skills as critical thinkers and creative problem solvers as well as the cultivation of students' capacity to recognize and leverage tools, resources, and ideas toward finding innovative solutions to everyday problems.
Prereq: Graduate status and acceptance into MA CACT program or permission of instructor. By permission number only. Please contact the MA CCT office (Tim) for permission number and eligibility.
Instructor: Brian Kanouse
CACT 8060-850: Special Topics: Occupations and Careers
This course examines what makes individuals and groups happy and satisfied with their jobs, and the factors that can turn "a dead-end job" into a meaningful pursuit that lasts decades. The course utilizes a life course approach and covers early socialization experiences to retirement transitions. It also employs a sociological lens to explore how individual experiences in the work realm are affected by stratification (such as race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social class, and parental status) and as well as by occupational norms and structures, workplace relationships, and culture and practices at the organizational and societal levels. Cross-listed with SOC 8186/4180.
This course supports the Organizational Science and Leadership concentration in the MA in Critical and Creative Thinking.
Instructor: Sam Ammons
CACT 8060-851: Special Topics: Written Communication and Leadership
This course focuses on the techniques leaders use in written communication, including emails, memos, letters, speeches, web pages, etc. Students will study the written style, development, and approach leaders practice in organizational contexts when communicating through writing to various stakeholders. Students will read about these public and private organizational practices through case studies, historical documents, organization web or print content, and internal documents when available. Discussions will include areas such as ethics, power and influence, storytelling, team interactions, cultural contexts, and diversity.
This course supports the Writing and Critical Reflection concentration and/or the Organizational Science and Leadership concentration in the MA in Critical and Creative Thinking. By permission number only. Please contact the MA CCT office (Tim) for permission number and eligibility.
Instructor: Tracy Bridgeford
CACT 8060-852: Special Topics: Technical Communication
Technical Communication introduces students to the field of technical communication. Students will study the development of print and electronic genres common to industry settings, the design and production of technical documents, the writing processes and work practices of professional technical communicators, and the roles of technical communicators in organizational contexts. Cross-listed with ENGL 8836/4830.
This course supports the Writing and Critical Reflection concentration in the MA in Critical and Creative Thinking.
Instructor: Tracy Bridgeford
CACT 8060-853: Special Topics: Philosophy of Art
The course is an inquiry into historical and contemporary philosophical perspectives on the making, interpreting and criticizing of works of art, including relations of the arts to other dimensions of cultures. Students will wrestle with foundational questions (e.g., "What is beauty?", "What is art?", "What makes good art good?", "Is there a right way to interpret art?"), consider connections between art and ethics, culture, and politics (e.g., "Can an artwork be both immoral and good?", "Can a particular culture have exclusive rights to an artform?", "How does public art create political communities and divisions?"), explore questions within particular arts (e.g., "Can music represent?", "Why do we respond emotionally to fictions?"), and experience and evaluate art in light of these investigations. Cross-listed with PHIL 3220/8225.
This course supports the Ethics and Values concentration in the MA in Critical and Creative Thinking.
Instructor: Rory Conces
CACT 8080: Independent Study
This course is designed for those students who are independently pursuing an area of study that is not covered under the existing curriculum. The student will be supervised by a member of the faculty of the MA in Critical and Creative Thinking program. All course assignments, readings, requirements, and expectations will be clearly communicated to the student in advance. May be repeated for credit for a total of six credit hours.
Prereq: Admission into the MA CCT program, successful completion of 6 hours of CACT coursework, including CACT 8000, and permission of faculty member. Not open to non-degree graduate students.
Instructor: Joseph Price
CACT 8090: Critical and Creative Thinking Graduate Project
The Graduate Project is an applied student project under the direction of a faculty advisor. In the project, the student will apply interdisciplinary knowledge and skills gained within the program to address a problem or to expand knowledge within or across disciplines. The product or artifact produced by the student may take a variety of forms.
Prerequisite(s): By permission number only. Please contact the MA CCT office (Tim) for permission number and eligibility. Not open to non-degree graduate students.
Instructor: Joseph Price
CACT 8116: Geography of Globalization
A study of the geography of economic globalization and the geography of the world economy. The major topics include the historical development of the world economy and globalization from the geographical perspective, trends in geography of global production, trade and investment, the most important factors and actors in the globalization processes and its geographic effects, geography of transnational corporations, case studies of economic geography of selected industries and service activities, effects of globalization on the developed and developing countries. Cross-listed with GEOG 8556/4550.
This course supports the Cultural and Global Analysis concentration in the MA in Critical and Creative Thinking.
Instructor: Petr Pavlinek
CACT 8200-820: Seminar in Political Theory
This course introduces students to the history of political theory, from its origins in ancient Greece to its manifestations in contemporary thought. Cross-listed with PSCI 8300.
This course supports the Ethics and Values concentration in the MA in Critical and Creative Thinking. By permission number only. Please contact the MA CCT office (Tim) for permission number and eligibility.
Please note that this course meets remotely on Monday nights.
Instructor: Carson Holloway
CACT 8530: Personnel Psychology and Leadership
This course provides an overview of personnel psychology from a leadership perspective. Topics include methodology, employee selection, performance appraisal, organizational attitudes and behavior, motivation, and leadership style.
This course supports the Organizational Science and Leadership concentration in the MA in Critical and Creative Thinking. By permission number only. Please contact the MA CCT office (Tim) for permission number and eligibility.
Instructor: Joseph James
For more information on any of the concentrations in the MA CCT, or to view course listings and course descriptions, please see the Graduate Catalog. For questions about enrollment or registration, please contact Mr. Tim Kniseley.