NCSSM COURSE CAtAlOG - North Carolina School of Science and ...

Meeting pattern: Four periods per week.
This course provides an understanding of the impact of society on the individual
and the impact of the individual on society. Topics include: socialization,
deviance, social class, inequality, family/life course, population changes, and
health care. This course also focuses on various levels of power and inequality
and their impacts on groups, organizations, and multinational corporations.
Finally, the course examines the various stages of social change over the course
of history.
SS370 Islamic Civilization
One trimester
Credit: One unit core elective credit.
Meeting pattern: Four periods per week.
William H. McNeill has written, “The rise of Islam offers perhaps the most
impressive example in world history of the power of words to alter human
behavior in sudden, surprising ways.” This course invites students to journey into
the remarkable story of a civilization that began with just one word — “Recite!”
— heard by the Prophet Muhammad in a dusty Arabian cave in 610 CE. Our
travels take us from Mecca across the globe, visiting the vibrant, diverse cultural
regions collectively known as the “Islamic World,” where Islam has been the
predominant religion since its expansion in the eighth century CE. Using an
interdisciplinary approach incorporating the fields of religion, science,
mathematics, art history, pop culture, and anthropology, we examine the
development of the religion and the spread of empire, including the
achievements of the Golden Age from “A to Q” — that is, from algebra to the
Qu’ran. Other topics include divergences within Islam, popular faith and
practice, global Islamic movements, and recent political developments.
SS402 AP Microeconomics (I)
One trimester
Credit: One unit core elective credit.
Meeting pattern: Two 75-minute evening class meetings.
This course offers students an opportunity for immersion in both a fascinating
discipline and in logical thinking. This immersive process involves not only an
introduction to general Economic theory and more specific Microeconomic
theory but also investigations into the very essence of the discipline itself.
Students pursue this topic through three case studies or strategic problems
involving pricing issues in product markets, various market structures, and
through industrial and social regulation within both an historic and
contemporary environment. We also address the business of inequality, poverty,
and discrimination, again within both historic and contemporary environments.
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