Courses and Descriptions
IND 101 Introduction to Education 3 Credits
High School Partnership introduces high schools students to the teaching profession through four main tenants: growth and development of learners, history, structure, and trends in teaching, classroom instruction, and analysis and reflection. Facilitated by their teacher-mentors (instructors of the course), students will work in small groups to learn about the development and structure of the American education system, explore careers in the teaching profession, analyze ways a teacher’s personality, disposition, and cultural competence impact how students learn, and observe, develop, implement, and evaluate lesson plans and teaching strategies. Students will have the opportunity to explore the various joys and challenges of teaching diverse learners in today’s classrooms along with an opportunity to examine their own motivations of why they wish to pursue the teaching profession.
IND 133 Creativity: Edu & Psych Persp 3 Credits
This course will examine both psychological and educational research about creativity. It will consider the various definitions of creativity that have guided research and theory; compare current theories of creativity in the fields of education and psychology, including cognitive, personality, and motivational theories; review research regarding what has been termed the "dark side"of creativity, including possible links to mental illness; and consider if and how schools and colleges might include creativity in admissions and promote creativity among students.
IND 200 Study Away 3-17 Credits
Study Away programs are domestic, off-campus programs that enable students to engage in experiential learning complemented by academic credit-bearing coursework at an accredited institution.
Prerequisite(s): 2.5 GPA, sophomore standing or above, and permission of Dean required.
IND 210 Global Encounters 3 Credits
This course provides students with an exposure to foreign cultures consisting of both travel and study components. Destinations may include countries in Europe, Latin America, or Asia. While traveling, students will be required to attend lecture/discussion sessions, site tours, and other planned activities. This experience will be preceded and/or followed by additional academic work to be conducted on campus. Study topics may include aspects of the historical, social, economic, political, and aesthetic cultural components appropriate to the location(s) visited. The travel component of the course will be scheduled to avoid conflict with normal semester offerings. A travel fee is required. No foreign language skills are required unless otherwise indicated.
IND 233 The Development of Children's Imagination 3 Credits
The Development of Children's Imagination will introduce students to key theories and research in developmental psychology related to the development of children's imaginations. It will focus especially on children's literature and how experiences with fiction in a variety of media influence the development of children's imaginations. Students will be introduced to relevant theory and research from the fields of developmental psychology and children's literature in class meetings at Rider University on weekends during Spring Term and use Disney World as a "laboratory" in which to apply developmental theory in a real-world context soon after Commencement.
IND 252 Cultural Transition: From China to U.S. 3 Credits
The primary purpose of this course is to help Sanda students adapting to American culture and college life at Rider. As a sequenced two-semester course, it will introduce students to a number of carefully selected intercultural theories/concepts that best explain major differences between Chinese and American culture and communication. In addition, this course is also designed to help Sanda students improving both oral and written communication in English.
During the course, each Sanda student will be paired with a Rider student who takes Chinese language classes his or her study partner. This partnership is meant to be mutually beneficial to both Sanda ad Rider students. Through their interaction, they can help each other to learn about their respective target languages and cultures. They will also be assigned a final project, such as a radio show or a presentation at the cultural event on campus, which will illustrates their effective collaboration and their understanding of each other's language and culture.
IND 300 Supervised Study 1-4 Credits
Juniors and seniors in good academic standing who, for reasons beyond their control, find that a required course has not been scheduled before they expect to graduate, may receive permission from a faculty sponsor, the chairperson, and the dean to register for a supervised study. Appropriate forms (available in the dean’s office) must be completed and approved no later than the last day to add courses for the semester in which the supervised study is to be undertaken.
IND 316 Nature's Business 3 Credits
This interdisciplinary, team-taught, experiential learning course brings together various science, liberal arts, and business perspectives in examining the relationships among biological, social, environmental, economic, geological, and political issues. Topics to be discussed and researched by students can include, but are not limited to, ecotourism, sustainable development, biodiversity, local and regional environmental and historical geology, cultural norms, and the legal and political systems of the country being visited. The study tour component of the course provides students with a first-hand opportunity to observe and record field data from settings outside of the United States and in their discipline of interest. Typically, there are approximately 12 hours of pre-trip lectures, seminars, and/or faculty/student presentations during the fall semester, an international study tour, 9-14 days in length, during January (exact dates and length depend on the international location), and approximately three hours of post-trip meetings, seminars, and student presentations during the spring semester. Students enroll in the course during the spring semester. Note: This course is cross-listed as CBA 316; Students may not get credit for both CBA 316 and IND 316. For Business students who take the course as CBA 316, the course will count as a business course. If taken as IND 316, the Business student will receive credit as a liberal arts and science course.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Instructor.
IND 350 The Rider Shadow Experience 1 Credits
The Rider Shadow Experiences provides students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a professional setting connected to their academic goals and career plan. The Shadow Experience helps students connect classroom learning to real-world applications and build mentoring relationships and networking skills. Students must have a GPA minimum of 3.0 and submit an application with at least one letter of recommendation from a member of the Rider Faculty. IND 350 is a pass/fail course.
Prerequisite(s): This course is open to students with 45 or more completed credits.
IND 381 Training Residence Educ I 1 Credits
The focus of this course will be on the basics duties and skills of the resident advisor position. The skills introduced in this course will be used in their role as a resident advisor and will also enhance their everyday lives. Participation in shared learning experiences will be part of this course.
IND 382 Training Residence Educ II 1 Credits
This course builds upon the skills learned in IND 381, providing continued support and training for students to become successful resident advisors or house managers. Students will gain a greater understanding of the RA/HM position through the discussions and written reflection on their job experiences. Out of class readings will be used to reinforce the basic policies and procedures they have learned, as well as emphasizing the types of personal characteristics that will allow one to excel in the position. Participants are exposed to leadership content that deals with concepts such as diversity, teamwork, critical thinking, ethical decision making, and peer leadership.
IND 383 Training ResIdence Educ III 1 Credits
A reinforcement of the skills learned in IND 382 through discussions and written reflections of job experiences. Basic policies, procedures and leadership characteristics will be emphasized. Students will further examine the various concepts of diversity, teamwork, critical thinking, ethical decision making and peer leadership.
IND 398 The Co-Operative Experience Seminar 3-6 Credits
This course will typically meet one day per week during the co-operative experience. The seminar is designed to expose participants to appropriate interdisciplinary content, ethical principles, professionalism, group and organizational behavior, interpersonal communication skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills. Students may be assessed on presentations, papers, journals and other measures as defined in a placement contract mutually agreed upon by the sponsoring faculty member, the organizational representative of the placement site, and the student. The proposed placement contract requires departmental approval and the approval of the appropriate office of the dean. Contact the appropriate department for additional information. Must have a 2.75 GPA at time of registration. Prerequisite(s): junior standing.
Corequisite(s): (dept) 399 The Cooperative Experience; IND 398 and (dept) 399 combined cannot exceed 15 credits.
IND 403 New Literacy for New Learning 3 Credits
As we consider the 21st century’s rapid expansion of information and text it is timely to take a critical view of what literacy means in the 21st century. Many argue that the rapidly evolving use of technology is potentially shifting the ways in which we construct and comprehend information, or is it? In this hybrid (a mix of online and face-face meetings) course, we aim to explore these sometimes competing conceptions of text as we consider what these new literacies mean for our own work as readers and writers across the varied disciplines and social and professional settings in which we engage as well as how we make sense of the information that streams across our bound books, our digital devices, and our visual landscapes. What counts? What doesn’t? How do we decide? Is the 21st century digital context in which we are situated shaping literacy differently than before the information explosion?.
IND 490 Independent Study: Research and Creative Expression 3 Credits
Students who wish to pursue special topics that they have become interested in as a result of course work may take up to 12 semester hours of independent research and study toward graduation. To be eligible for independent research and study, however, a student must be a junior or a senior in good academic standing. Only one project can be scheduled in a semester, and for no more than four semester hours. Each independent research and study proposal must be approved by a faculty sponsor, the department chairperson, and the dean of liberal arts an sciences by no later than the third week of the semester in which the project is to be conducted.