Metropolitan School of Professional Studies

Course Descriptions

Metro: Social Sciences (MSO)

To view the complete schedule of courses for
each semester, go to Cardinal Station.

MSO 101: Intro to Human Services

3.00 Credits

An overview of human/social service professions within the institution of social welfare. Basic definitions, historical development, trends in social welfare and social work, and a survey of various agencies. May include guest lectures and field trips. Students who have credit for SSS 101 may not receive credit for MSO 101.

MSO 115: The School-Home Connection: Partnerships Supporting Student Learning

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 150: The American Experience to 1877

3.00 Credits

A survey of American history to 1877. From colonization to the early Reconstruction period. Development of political and social institutions, economic growth, immigration and race, and social structures and mobility.

MSO 151: The American Experience 1877 to Present

3.00 Credits

A survey of American History from 1877, reconstruction, unfettered capitalism, the progressive movement, the rise of America as a world power, the depression, the world wars and the cold war.

MSO 152: America and the World

3.00 Credits

The relationship between the United States and the major European powers and the peoples of Latin America, Asia, and Africa in the period 1890-1945, particularly the technologies, economies, and societies.

MSO 170: American Political Science

3.00 Credits

A look into the evolution of American politics, from the enlightenment of Jefferson to the smoke-filled room; from all-male voting to the reformers of the twentieth century.

MSO 180: General Psychology

3.00 Credits

A study of the field of psychology, its nature and scope. Topics include growth and development, motivation and emotion, cognition and learning, sensation and perception, abnormal psychology and psychotherapy, mental abilities, personality and social psychology.

MSO 185: Organizational Behavior

3.00 Credits

This course relates existing theory and research of organizational problems by reviewing basic concepts in the following areas: individual motivation and behavior, leadership, job satisfaction, interpersonal communication and small group behavior. There will be an emphasis on the application of the principles of behavior on operational organizational programs such as organizational assessment, compensation, and training and devlopment programs.

MSO 200: Human Cultural Diversity

3.00 Credits

The basic concepts of culture, cultural transmission, diversity, human interaction, and cultural identity. Topics include the concept of ethnicity, the nature of prejudice and discrimination, internal and external culture, cultural change, biological versus environmental influences, majority/minority relations.

MSO 203: Social Problems

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 220: Pychology of Stress & Coping

3.00 Credits

Studies the theories and current research in related to stress, grief, and approaches to coping with the effects of these circumstances.

MSO 250: Abnormal Psychology

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 268: Comparative World Politics

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 270: Understanding Global Issues

3.00 Credits

This course identifies and examines some of the political and social issues that go beyond the traditional boundaries of our nation-state. Using a normative and value-oriented parameters, students are encouraged to identify and examine some of those issues and then make assessment as to how these global issues have affected or changed our lives. Some of the topics include globalization, violence and international terrorism, nuclear weapons and arms control, epidemic and endemic diseases, human rights, and the role of the US.

MSO 271: World Politics

3.00 Credits

Stresses an analytical approach to the understanding and evaluation of contemporary world politics and familiarizes the student with the central concepts and developments in the fields of international relations.

MSO 272: Comparative Politics

3.00 Credits

Introduces students to the major social and political movements and systems that have shaped our twentieth-century world. Focuses on common features of the developmental experiences of the western liberal capitalist, communist, ex-communist, and Third World nations, as well as the ways in which differing political structures have shaped differences between these worlds.

MSO 273: Impact of Technology on International Relations

3.00 Credits

This course, in seminar form, is a general examination of the impact of modern information and communication technology on international affairs. It will concentrate principally, but no exclusively, on exploring the decision making process and the "speed" with which policy-makers must respond to events in our increasingly interdependent geopolitical environment.

MSO 274: International Political Economy

3.00 Credits

This course will examine several current issues in international political economy from an analytical but not primarily from a theoretical standpoint. These include the international and monetary and trading systems, the role of multinational corporations, North-South and East-West economics relations in the Post Cold War era and several global issued including, energy, populationand poverty, and climate changes.

MSO 275: Public Administration

3.00 Credits

A survey of American public administration, considering its structure, management, and role in the American governmental system.

MSO 276: Public Policy

3.00 Credits

This course represents a study of public policy and process. We will study historical trends and institutions. And we will examine the role of regulators, lobbyists, political action committees, special interest groups, elections, the media, and elected lawmakers at various stages of the process on the local, state, and federal levels.

MSO 313: Contemporary American Politics

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 328: Public Policy & Human Services

3.00 Credits

Designed to provide students with an understanding of how changes within the local government affect the way social and human services are provided to the poor and indigent in the District of Columbia.

MSO 334: Human Services Delivery: A Comprehensive Evaluation

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 335: Human Services Delivery: Skills, Strategies, and Resources

3.00 Credits

Prerequisite: MSO 101 or MSO 334.

MSO 340: Human Services Administration

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 345: Legal Issues in Human Services

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 350: The American Civil War

3.00 Credits

A study of the background, development, personalities, and aftermath of the Civil War. Special attention to the coming of the war and the different explanations of its causes. Prerequisite: MSO151.

MSO 358: Immigrant Experience in America

3.00 Credits

Discusses the cultural, social, political, religious, and psychological aspects of immigration to the United States, the adjustment of immigrant groups to American society, and the reaction of Americans to the arrival of new groups.

MSO 363: Africa from Colonialism to Independence

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 365: Introduction to Counseling

3.00 Credits

Provides the student with background in the three basic elements of counseling: self-development, skill development, and process development. Engages students in research on theoretical issues and practical applications of various counseling modalities, as well as examining the process of assessment, treatment, and evaluation as practiced in professional counseling. Provides opportunities to practice a variety of counseling skills with appropriate monitoring and assessment of application.

MSO 371: International Cultures in American Literature

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 380: Social Psychology

3.00 Credits

An introduction to the study of the individual interacting in a social context. Theories of attitude development and change, social perception, and small group behavior. Applications of social psychology in social work and other professional fields.

MSO 381: Psychology of Aggression & Violence

3.00 Credits

Examines interpersonal, intergroup and international violence and aggression from the standpoints of physiological, motivational, learning, cognitive, and interpersonal factors, as well as structural and sociological factors. Also covers aspects of the psychology of nonviolence.

MSO 395: Conflict Resolution

3.00 Credits

The study of the analysis and resolution of human conflict. Emphasis on the role of mediation in dispute resolution focusing on language, listening, and problem-solving techniques.

MSO 396: Working with Couples and Families

3.00 Credits

Addiction problems affect more than the substance user. Finding solutions to addiction problems can be enhanced by engaging families in the treatment process. Integrating diverse approaches to family therapies through a multi-phase process will be presented. Participants will have the opportunity to apply the model to clinical situations they wish to discuss.

MSO 397: News Media International Affairs

3.00 Credits

This course presented in Seminar form, is an examination of the relationship between the news media and government decisions in international affairs. It will concentrate principally, but not exclusively, on the relationship between the press and the U.S. government. The press is often called the "fourth branch of the government" because of its extensive influence on international and domestic activity. The course will examine the complexities of this relationship.

MSO 398: International Conflict Resolution

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 401: Management for Public Health

3.00 Credits

This course provides the student with a broad range of factors that can affect public health policy development and implementation, which can influence how public health services are organized and developed. The differing approaches to develop and implement public health policy and to organize and manage a unit within the public health service.

MSO 412: Entrepreneurs, Innovators, and Problem Solvers

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 415: International Social Entrepreneurship

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 450: Case Management

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 453: Elections

3.00 Credits

no description available

MSO 455: Psych. Child Abuse & Neglect

3.00 Credits

Review of current literature on child abuse and neglect, including identification, etiology, treatment, prevention, and legal aspects. Also discusses family violence. Prerequisite: MSO180 or MSO190.

MSO 461: Psychology of Group Behaviour

3.00 Credits

An analysis of the effects of the individual on the group and the group on the individual. Investigates unstructured collective behavior, group formation and development, member characteristics, conformity, cohesiveness, and leadership.

MSO 490: Topics in Social Science

3.00 Credits

Selected subjects in the social science fields discussed from time to time.

MSO 494: International Political Economy

3.00 Credits

This course will examine several current issues in international political economy from an analytical but not primarily from a theoretical standpoint. These include the international and monetary and trading systems, the role of multinational corporations, North-South and East-West economics relations in the Post Cold War era and several global issued including, energy, population and poverty, and climate changes.