Graduate & Professional Studies

Instructor: N. Brickett

This course is designed to acquaint students with the Internal Revenue Code as it pertains to individuals. Students gain an understanding of gross income, adjusted gross income, deductions, exemptions, and taxable income. Tax planning and research are stressed, students are responsible for a projects requiring tax research, return preparation and planning.

Instructor: R. Wheaton

This course is designed to offer instruction in the basic skills of communicating professionally. Emphasis is placed on written communications: letters, memoranda, e-mail, short reports, in-house pieces, and resume. Exercises in team building, case review, and decision-making complement the offerings.

Instructor: J. Libby

This course examines the impact of economic systems on sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations.  Economic theories and individual market structures are detailed.  Topics include the basic economic concepts of opportunity cost, supply and demand, product pricing and elasticity, resource allocation in the product market, factor pricing and income distribution in the resource market, and the effects of public policy on firms and their market structures.

Instructor: K. Rybakova

In this course, students read and write poetry, developing their abilities to analyze and create through reading, practice, discussion, and workshops. Students interested in teaching have the opportunity to learn about and develop strategies to include poetry in the elementary classroom.

Instructor: J. Hasen-Childers

In this course we will begin by examining debates surrounding the definition of genocide and its emergence as a crime under international law. From there we will explore different explanations as to how and why people and governments commit genocide. With this framework in place, we will then examine a series of in-depth comparative case studies of genocide drawn from around the world. Finally, we will investigate contemporary attempts by the international community to prevent future genocide.

Instructor: K. Rybakova

Have you heard, seen, or used something new and wondered how someone came up with the idea? How do people develop new ideas for music, advertisements, or uses of technology? Generally new ideas are developed through creative thinking and a creative process that is used to expand on the “usual” way of thinking. In this course students will study creative thinking and the creative process. Students will apply creative techniques and process to develop creative outcomes in non-arts and music related projects. No prior experience in music or creative related areas is necessary.

Instructor: R. Saucier

The focus of this course is on retailing strategy, merchandise management, and store management. Cases are used to stimulate class discussions on current issues facing retailers. Hands-on projects and speakers are included.

At the conclusion of this course, a student will be able to:

• Analyze retail situations by using basic concepts in the decision-making process
• Explain career opportunities in retailing
• Determine how to provide excellent customer service and an exciting shopping environment
• Discuss the financial issues experienced by retailers
• Discuss the legal and ethical issues facing retailers
• Explain how technology has affected retailing
• Discuss the globalization of the retail industry.

Instructor: B. Kelsey

This course considers some of the primary themes of ethics, such as the nature of goodness, individual rights and social responsibility, relativism vs. absolutism, sources of ethical systems and moral behavior, and the value of right behavior in both private and public realms.

Instructor: J. Hansen-Childers

This course addresses how to approach some the world’s most pressing problems today by examining such topics as global poverty and inequality, labor exploitation, public health, human rights, multiculturalism, the nature of war and peace, terrorism, torture, gender equality, sexual orientation, globalization, and environmental justice. These topics involve urgent practical problems and raise fundamental conceptual, normative, theoretical, and practical questions in need of philosophical clarification, investigation, and analysis. Students study various philosophical attempts to address these matters in an effort to deepen their understanding of these important and timely issues and to enhance their development as global citizens.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: Outline the political and ethical issues related to global poverty, public health, human rights, the environment, globalization, labor exploitation, gender equality, multiculturalism, as well as war and plight of refugees;  Critically reflect on and apply political and ethical theory to global justice issues; Develop and defend arguments on global justice issues; Apply the skills learned in this course to be better informed, responsible global citizens

Instructor: D. Leland

This course involves a comprehensive analysis of behavioral theory and practical, analytical techniques for dealing with day-to-day problems in work situations. The specific objective is to develop the action-taking ability and the administrative capacity and know-how to handle the human problems of organizations within an appropriate policy framework.

Instructor: R. Wheaton

Students are exposed to the principles and techniques of collective bargaining. Topics include references to national and state statutes and cases of precedential value, preparation for bargaining, scope of the bargaining process, use of impasse procedures, unfair labor practices, and the role of the grievance procedure under a collective bargaining agreement.

Instructor: F. Appunn

Managers need to understand how they personally value risk in order to recognize the potential impact their behavior may have on organizations and stakeholders. They need to be able to foster sound processes in group environments. The course will include approaches to optimize decision-making and risk analysis to solve problems in different operating environments. This is a qualitative course covering a framework for making decisions, as well as understanding how these decisions can be used to manage risk. Contemporary techniques such as TRIZ, KT, McMaster, and others are explored.

Instructor: R. Wheaton

This course analyzes marketing functions, institutions, and policies dealing with consumer and industrial products and services in both profit and non-profit organizations. Strategic marketing plans are formulated by students through the use of case analysis. Decision-making, dealing with product/service development, pricing strategies, distribution methods, and promotional activities are stressed.

Instructor: K. Rybakova

This course will allow students to explore the depth of young adult literature available that spans audience ages 10-24. Students will engage in reading, synthesizing, and analyzing various young adult literature texts with a focus on how to utilize these texts to teach English Language Arts at the 7-12th grade level.

Instructor: T. Martin

Teachers will participate in a clinical model (small group and 1:1 setting) to help transition developing readers into literate learners.  Participants will assess and assist children in grades K-8 who are having difficulties in orchestrating literacy processes to be effective readers and writers.  There will be an emphasis on research-based assessment practices/analysis and implementing interventions that focus on how students process, which will result in an increase in student achievement in text level data over the course of six weeks.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Develop a multi-pedagogical approach in teaching, learning, and research that will increase student achievement data of children who are developing readers and writers;
•  Focus on the literacy behaviors of children in order to create an intervention that will allow children to begin to orchestrate the various skills and processes needed to be an effective reader;
•  Develop a school-based system in which the literacy specialist/interventionist is a teaching and learning partner with classroom teachers and administrators;
•  Utilize the reflective process and inquiry by collaborating with colleagues with the primary focus of improving teaching and learning within a school framework;
•  Create a comprehensive school-wide intervention model focused on student achievement;
•  Develop a system for tracking school-wide literacy data of students to be used for instructional purposes, school goal-setting, and professional dialogue among all stakeholders within a school.

Instructor: G. LaBreck
Dates: June 24-28
Time: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Room: AD-205

The purpose of this course is to examine the literature, including the historical perspective, used for pre- kindergarten to the early adolescent (grades pre-K to 8). This course will emphasize current children’s literature and award-winning prose and poetry, using best practices in literacy along with instructional strategies and techniques that motivate students; planning the literature curriculum, using literature within content areas; and an analysis of the current research in children’s literature.

Instructor: G. Labreck
Dates: July 29 – August 2
Time: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Room: AD-205

Though classroom instructional strategies should clearly be based on sound science and research, knowing when to use them and with whom is more of an art. This course presents a model for ensuring quality teaching that balances the necessity of research-based data with the equally vital need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of individual students using the brain research. The author of one of the texts, Robert Marzano, articulates his framework in the form of 10 questions that represent a logical planning sequence for successful instructional design.

Instructor: T. Martin
Dates: August 5-9
Time: 8:00 am – 4:30pm
Room: AD-205A

This course examines the educators’ roles and duties in addressing the needs of students at risk. Various “at risk” categories are identified and explored. Focus areas include implications for school improvement programs, individual intervention, and referrals to community services.

Instructor: J. Donato
Day: Mondays
On-Campus Dates to be determined

An introduction to internal accounting, this course emphasizes the use of accounting information in controlling the operations of the enterprise. Specific areas include cost-volume-profit analysis, cost classifications, cost accumulation through job-order and process-costing techniques, budgeting, responsibility accounting, and transfer pricing. The fundamental accounting concepts and techniques for planning and control apply to all types and functions of organizations.

Instructor: M. Ziobro
Day: Wednesdays
Room: AL-227

This course is designed to help the student develop the ability to prepare and deliver effective speeches and presentations.  The course covers both the knowledge required to plan and organize a speech and the interpersonal delivery techniques necessary to overcome nervousness and achieve maximum impact.

Instructor: D. Leland
Days: Thursdays
On-campus dates to be determined

This course introduces students to Entrepreneurship inside and outside the organization. The special problems of small businesses are considered. Students study the management and marketing skills necessary to succeed as an independent business owner. This course incorporates lectures, guest speakers, case studies, and business plan preparation.

Instructor: TBD
Day: TBD

This course introduces students to legal issues likely to be encountered in the business world. Topics include torts, contracts, agency, partnerships, corporations, property, commercial paper, and secured transactions.

Instructor: D. Cragen

This course provides students with an introduction to the role of marketing and the process involved in developing a marketing mix for a new product. Topics covered include marketing functions, product development, channels of distribution, market segmentation, pricing policies, product life cycle, and promotional activities. Students will complete a project developing a product that incorporates the marketing mix.

Instructor: T. McAdam
Day: Mondays
Room: AL-228

The complexity of today’s health care reimbursement and payment systems requires an in-depth understanding of health insurance mechanisms, public funding sources, managed care functions, and the wide array of reimbursement options. This course includes a required, function-specific research project.

Instructor: TBD
Day: Tuesdays
Room: AL-209
On campus dates to be determined

This course analyzes the use of accounting as a managerial tool. Topics include budgeting, systems building and evaluation, inventory valuation, fixed asset valuation, and analysis and interpretation of financial reports from internal and external sources.

Instructor: F. Appunn
Day: Wednesdays
Room: AL-204
On campus dates to be determined

This course intends to build on a thorough project management foundation to include detailed insight into large projects, projects with diversified stakeholders, multi-location, and international projects. Topics including portfolio theory and information economics are designed to enhance previous learning and extend to project portfolio management and project management office functions

Instructor: B. Harrington
Day: Thursdays
Room: AL-116
On campus dates to be determined

This course focuses on financial decision-making by the firm. Topics include financial analysis and planning, valuation and the cost of capital, capital budgeting, capital structure and dividend policy, long-term financing, and working capital management. Emphasis is placed on case studies of practical business problems using computer electronic spreadsheet programs.

Instructor: R. Wheaton
Day: Thursdays
Room: AD-123
On campus dates to be determined

This course enables students to build skill in developing, managing, and maintaining outstanding customer service to internal and external customers. It includes a technology component, addressing how companies can use technology accelerators to build customer intimacy through data mining, point-of-purchase systems, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. There is also a significant human component, as that is a crucial part of customer service. The value of customer loyalty and the importance of communications and emotional intelligence to providing exceptional customer service are addressed. Additional areas of emphasis will include developing a customer-centered culture, as well as the use of customer service as a way to differentiate your organization from the competition.

Instructor: W. Alexander
Day: Mondays
Room: AD-205A

This class will provide a broad background for thinking about issues of education in historical and philosophical context. As the introductory course in the Thomas College Masters of Education Program, it will help prepare students for subsequent courses in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment of learning. Students will have the opportunity to begin to identify questions about teaching and learning that will help focus their research throughout the remainder of the program.

Instructor: G. LaBreck
Day: Wednesday
Room: AD-205

This course provides an introduction to the concepts, principles, and practices related to designing and administering effective assessments in education. Teacher-designed assessments and standardized achievement tests are examined.

Instructor: P. Thompson
Day: Tuesdays
Room: AD-205A

In this course, students will examine concepts of leadership through the lens of poetry and selected films. The main focus of the course will be connecting key leadership characteristics and behaviors with the art and aesthetics of language and dramatic performance. Main topics will include leadership scenarios for building administrators, the reading and discussion of published poems on the theme of leadership, and the viewing and discussion of a variety of film scenes whose characters display a varied leadership style and/or behavior. Students will be encouraged to connect their personal and professional experiences in leadership with the course material.

Instructor: T. Brewer
Day: Thursdays
Room: AD-205A

This course is about understanding schools as organizations and how to change them to improve learning for all. It draws on literature about organization theory, organizational behavior, culture, change, leadership, and professional learning communities. It is designed to promote critical thinking about and planful action toward creating schools that are true learning organizations. The course begins with an overview of diverse models of organizations and moves to a focused examination of culture and its impact on organizational behavior. Frameworks for understanding organization change and resistance to change are then explored, followed by critical examination of leadership capabilities and skills necessary to lead successful school change efforts, including shared vision, inquiry-based use of data, and broad-based involvement and collaboration.

Instructor: T. Martin
Day: Thursdays
Room: AD-205A

Students in this course will investigate how to effectively implement a comprehensive literacy assessment approach and to link assessment results to the day to day instruction in the classroom. Students will gain theoretical knowledge as well as experience in application, design and architecture of the RTI model, and RTI implementation (including instructional practices) for literacy improvement.

Instructor: K. Rybakova

Through current research and best practices, reading development and instruction across a variety of texts and contexts from early childhood through adolescence will be explored in this course. Students will assess and implement a variety of instructional strategies to address the literacy acquisition process of students from diverse backgrounds.

Instructor: F. Appunn

Managers need to understand how they personally value risk in order to recognize the potential impact their behavior may have on organizations and stakeholders. They need to be able to foster sound processes in group environments. The course will include approaches to optimize decision-making and risk analysis to solve problems in different operating environments. This is a qualitative course covering a framework for making decisions, as well as understanding how these decisions can be used to manage risk. Contemporary techniques such as TRIZ, KT, McMaster, and others are explored.

Instructor: J. Grady
Day: Thursdays
Room: AL-204

Provides an understanding of the technology used to deliver safer hardware, software, and external links. Technologies includes IoT, cloud computing, asset control, authentication, access controls, models, controls and countermeasures, assessment of vulnerabilities in the light of threats and their mitigation, cryptography. The diverse areas lead to solution designs, practical execution of security assessments, and comprehensive solution testing strategies.

Instructor: M. Marsolais

Homeland Security is a national and international service and protection initiative that experienced significant growth following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Additionally, Homeland Security refers to the vast network of federal, state, local, and private agencies that organized and integrated after the attacks to respond to future threats to the country, its people, its infrastructure, and way of life. This course provides a student with a comprehensive examination of Homeland Security from its mission and organizational perspectives.

Instructor: H. Felch
Day: Thursdays (Hybrid)
Room: AL-204

Provides a foundation in digital forensics and investigations in general. The course includes forensics acquisition methods for computers (physical as well as virtual), mobile devices to include cell phones, network intrusions, and cloud storage. It will include forensic analysis and validation, examine e-mail, social media investigations.