Master of Arts in English

at State University of New York College at Brockport USA

The Kinesiology major (56 credits) is an undergraduate option that permits the student to individualize a course of study from several academic offerings in the Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies and Physical Education. The Kinesiology major is intended for the student who desires greater flexibility in choosing courses related to the study of human movement and physical activity, but is not interested in a specific professional major. The program of study chosen can prepare the student for graduate work in a specific discipline or degree program in human movement science (e .g. sport philosophy, history of sport, biomechanics, sport psychology, motor behavior, or other related areas) or allied health fields (e.g. physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, athletic training), or pursue careers in fitness or sport development. Students majoring in Kinesiology are required to complete a 43-credit academic core and a 9-credit elective pool in consultation with a major advisor.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Students will be able to explain physiological, kinesiological, and biomechanical principles related to physical activity.
• Students will be able to evaluate the socio-cultural and historical context of physical activity.
• Students will be able to explain psychological and motor behavior principles related to physical activity.
• Students will be able to explain physical activity's importance for health, wellness, and quality of life.
• Students will be able to analyze philosophic issues and arguments related to physical activity.
• Students will be able to exhibit the skills required for proficient performance in physical activity.

The English Major Adolescent Education Inclusive Generalist Track will allow students to prepare for CSTs in English and SWD-Generalist certification. Students will complete a program of study to teach English in grades 5-12 and Students with Disabilities as a Generalist 7-12. The program allows every student who so chooses the option of preparing for a career as an English teacher and as a Generalist special education teacher. Students in this track may pursue either the Literature or Creative Writing concentrations.

The English major is designed for students who wish to pursue a passion for reading and writing, and for those who seek a versatile education as they prepare for careers in education, law, business administration, public relations, advertising, government, or any field where analytical excellence and effective use of the English language are essential. English majors choose between a literature or creative writing concentration, where their course work is designed to develop analytical, research, and creative skills.

The Major in English Adolescence Inclusive Education Generalist Track (EAIEG) is a 126-credit program. It includes 46 credits of EDI/PRO courses and 36 credits to complete the English Major Content Core. As with all other undergraduate degrees, students in the program will have to complete 32 credits of General Education courses. Because some General Education courses also count as content core or pedagogy core, there will be room for electives. This curriculum meets the requirements for initial certification as outlined by the State Education Department for Adolescence Education (grades 5 through 12). Students will have an assigned advisor in the English department who will work closely with colleagues in the Department of Education.

Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the program,

Creative Writing Track students will be able to:

• Analyze the relationship between literary form and meaning, taking into consideration literary techniques and devices.
• Construct arguments about literary works using historical contexts.
• Apply basic elements of creative writing craft, including such elements as control of form and figurative language.
• Identify reputable and relevant sources, and incorporate the words and ideas of others without misrepresentation and with appropriate documentation practices.
• Write in conformity with standard usage and grammar.

Literature Track students will be able to:

• Analyze the relationship between literary form and meaning, taking into consideration literary techniques and devices.
• Construct arguments about literary works using historical contexts.
• Argue with a command of the rhetorical strategies, terms, and major interpretive methods characteristic of academic writing in the Humanities.
• Identify reputable and relevant sources, and incorporate the words and ideas of others without misrepresentation and with appropriate documentation practices.
• Write in conformity with standard usage and grammar.

Political Science is the study of the state and of power relations within and among states, as they are and as they ought to be. It seeks a better understanding of political and governmental behavior and institutions in order to enable society to use its collective resources more effectively for the general welfare. The principal sub-fields of the discipline are: American politics, comparative politics, international relations and political theory.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Students should have a college level understanding of American Government
• Students should have a fundamental understanding of the politics of at least 1 country/region/ system of government outside of the US
• Students will have a working familiarity with social science methodologies common to PLS/INS (including Theory and Quantitative methods)
• Students should have writing and speaking skills commensurate with BA/BS at SUNY Brockport

The Major in Biology Adolescence Education includes 36 credits of pedagogy courses and 57-58 credits to complete the Biology Content Core. As for other undergraduate programs, students in the program will have to complete 23-25 credits of General Education courses.

The Biology Teacher Education program leads to initial single certification in Adolescence Biology Grades 5-12.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate a basic understanding of life processes at the biochemical, molecular, cellular, and organismal levels.
• Demonstrate an understanding of developmental and physiological processes.
• Understand the learning needs of all students, and utilize their professional knowledge and skills, including the implementation of assessments and technology, to create effective learning experiences.
• Continuously evaluate the impact of their work with students, reflecting on their success as teachers and addressing their needs for continuing professional improvement.
• Practice professional ethics, including dedication, respect, intellectual integrity, positive outlook, self-awareness, and professionalism.
• Produce evidence that they engage students in meaningful activity that promotes the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and performance skills

As the nations of the world become more interconnected and interdependent, proficiency in other languages is a vital skill that allows you to engage with the world in a more immediate and meaningful way. Spanish language and culture studies prepare you for future opportunities to compete and succeed in the global economy. Through interdisciplinary instruction and the development of intercultural understanding, our curriculum is designed to help you become proficient in Spanish and prepares you to reach your career aspirations in your chosen field of interest. We encourage our students to double major and to participate in study abroad programs in Spanish-speaking countries sponsored by the Center for Global Education and Engagement.

The Spanish major consists of 33 credits and enables students to acquire an advanced level of proficiency in the language. Literature and culture courses are designed to provide a historical, political and social overview of the Spanish-speaking world. All courses are taught in Spanish.

Recent Modern Languages and Cultures' graduates have gone on to highly competitive Master's and PhD programs in Higher Education Administration, TESOL, French Literature, and Counseling at recognized research universities. Others have joined the workforce as Bilingual, French, and Spanish elementary and high-school teachers in Rochester and around NY state, ESL teachers for adult learners, translators, interpreters for defense attorneys, social workers, law enforcement officers, and health professionals.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of a baccalaureate degree in Spanish, graduates will be able to:

• Narrate and describe using a variety of time frames, extended discourse, and specialized vocabulary.
• Deliver oral presentations on a wide variety of topics, using a variety of strategies to tailor the presentation to the needs of their audience.
• Narrate and describe in all major time frames with good control of aspect and a range of general vocabulary in writing for personal and professional needs.
• Identify the main facts and many supporting details in conventional narrative and descriptive oral texts.
• Identify some of the essential points of argumentative texts in areas of special interest or knowledge.
• Explain key perspectives of  some Spanish-speaking cultures within a comparative framework and connect them to cultural products and practices.
• Interpret and synthesize ideas and critical issues from a wide range of historical and contemporary cultural artifacts.

Geology majors must earn a minimum of 42 credits in required core courses and complete two semesters each of physics, calculus and chemistry. This major offers sound training in the study of the earth and its resources, and equips the student for pursuit of careers in geology leading to professional licensure, and for graduate studies in geochemistry, petroleum exploration, paleontology, hydrogeology, ground water, environmental geology, or sedimentology/stratigraphy.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Explain the manner with which variables and data, relevant for geology, are properly collected using discipline appropriate methodology (fieldwork, instrumentation, remote sensing, or derived products from models).
• Properly interpret geology data using discipline-accepted qualitative analysis.
• Properly interpret geology data using discipline-accepted quantitative analysis.
• Define a scientific question and develop a methodology for answering it.
• Locate, evaluate and interpret primary source scientific literature.
• Effectively express geology concepts and research results following the accepted written format for the discipline.
• Explain geology concepts and communicate research results following the accepted oral format for the discipline.

The profession of social work is dedicated to preventing and solving social problems, whether they involve individuals, families, small groups, organizations, or communities. A broad range of employment opportunities exist. Social workers are found in hospitals, public schools, family agencies, industry, courts, probation departments, government facilities, children’s agencies, and in facilities that serve persons with disabilities. The Department of Social Work is committed to excellence in preparing ethical and competent professional social workers who foster the well-being of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Through teaching, service, and scholarship, the department promotes civic engagement in diverse societies. The faculty assigned to the undergraduate program at the College is committed to excellence in preparing students with the knowledge, values and skills necessary for generalist social work practice, as well as informed and involved citizenship. The undergraduate major in social work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Graduates who continue with their social work education may gain advanced standing in graduate programs because of the accredited status of the major.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior
• Engage diversity and difference in practice
• Advance human rights, and social, economic and environmental justice
• Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice
• Engage in policy practice
• Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
• Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
• Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities
• Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities

The Biology major is designed for students with an interest in aspects of the life sciences, to provide excellent preparation for postgraduate education and careers in biomedicine, health and secondary education, as well as other fields that require an understanding and practice of scientific reasoning and methods.

Students build a scientific foundation for understanding how biological systems function through courses taken during the freshman and sophomore years. In the junior and senior years, students may concentrate in areas such as: pre-professional health, biotechnology, secondary education, or an individualized program. Research opportunities with departmental faculty as well as internships and cooperative programs with public and private organizations afford students the opportunity to apply their skills outside the classroom. Due to the complex biological issues that face modern society, the department also encourages non-majors to take selected courses in the biological sciences.

Earth science majors must earn a minimum of 36 core and elective credits (in Earth Science and Geology) and an additional 12 credits in related lab sciences and mathematics. The core and elective courses that constitute the curriculum of this interdisciplinary major embody the knowledge base and methodologies of geology (solid earth and its resources), meteorology (the atmosphere and its movement), and hydrology (water and its cycling through the environment). As such, this major offers a flexible and broadly based program of study that is well suited for students who are preparing for a career in environmental regulation, resource management or park service. By supplementing the major-related course work with additional electives, or an appropriate minor, a student may structure her/his study toward a special interest area, such as journalism, technical writing, business, or graduate study in geography, resource management, urban planning, or museum science.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Explain the manner with which variables and data, relevant for earth science, are properly collected using discipline appropriate methodology (fieldwork, instrumentation, remote sensing, or derived products from models).
• Properly interpret earth science data using discipline-accepted qualitative analysis
• Properly interpret earth science data using discipline-accepted quantitative analysis.
• Define a scientific question and develop a methodology for answering it.
• Locate, evaluate and interpret primary source scientific literature.
• Effectively express earth science concepts and research results following the accepted written format for the discipline.
• Explain earth science concepts and communicate research results following the accepted oral format for the discipline.

The Master of Science in Biology provides students with a solid and comprehensive background in the field of biological sciences, including molecular biology, cell biology, physiology, genetics, microbiology, human biology and developmental biology. Upon completion of the program, students are prepared to enter a PhD program, medical or dental schools; work in academic, industrial or government research laboratories; or teach biologically related courses at the community college level or at the K-12 grade level (providing the student holds the appropriate New York state teaching certificate). Small class sizes and close working relationships with the advisor and advisory committee are ideal for students seeking a rigorous graduate education in a small-college atmosphere. A limited number of graduate teaching and research assistantships are available.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Use appropriate biological terminology to clearly communicate scientific results in oral presentations and written reports targeting for a variety of audiences.
• Develop a testable hypothesis and design appropriate experiments to solve biological problems.
• Critically evaluate and interpret experimental results.
• Solve quantitative problems that are routinely encountered in research laboratories using basic mathematical and statistical skills.
• Competently employ common laboratory equipment and develop an understanding of relevant theory, strengths and limitations for techniques.
• Integrate concepts in cellular and molecular biology to explain higher level biological systems.