Political Science
- Politics: Paula Mohan, University of Wisconsin — Whitewater, offers four different courses on politics from ethnic to contemporary political theory. You'll find lecture notes, handouts, and links to other relevant sites for your studies at this site.
- Political Science Courses: Randall W. Stone, Associate Professor for the Department of Political Science, University of Rochester, offers various courses in political science along with lecture notes at his site. The courses are focused on international policies and theories.
- World Politics: Vincent Ferraro, The Ruth C. Lawson Professor of International Politics at Mount Holyoke College, introduces basic concepts in the study of world politics. No books to purchase for this learning experience, but it is highly recommended that the "student" subscribe to the New York Times or gain access to that newspaper's online venue.
Psychology
Who knows what the human mind holds? You can get a glimpse into its inner workings through
psychology courses offered online:
- Introduction to Personal Psychology: Study psychology basics at the University of Michigan, where you gain access to PowerPoint presentations, assignments, and study guides.
- Lecture Notes for a course in Abnormal Psychology: This web site contains lecture notes written for an undergraduate, honors-level course in Abnormal Psychology. It was written in the late 1980's, and as such relies on the American Psychiatric Association's now outdated third (revised) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (now in its 4th edition). With that said, the lectures contain information about the history of the field, philosophical debates, and comparisons of different theoretical approaches.
- SALMON Psychology: Study And Learning Materials ONline (SALMON) was written by Dr. Paul Kenyon who graduated from Queens University Belfast in 1969 with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology I. Paul has recently taken early retirement, and he devotes a good deal of his time to this ambitious project. The topics pertain to evolutionary psychology, the biological bases of behavior and psychobiology. If you note the URL, you'll see that Dr. Kenyon also like to fly fish.
Social Sciences (General)
While archaeology covers material culture, social sciences introduce the social aspects behind that culture. Hence, you may see courses in social sciences labeled "anthropology," much as you would find that same label in archaeology. The following list provides just a few samplings of many online social sciences courses:
- Ecological Anthropology: Whereas earth sciences deal with biological or geological aspects to the environment, this course approaches ecology through interactions between humans and the earth. Dr. Eric A. Smith offers lecture notes, assignments, and other materials that make this course thought-provoking and relevant.
Introduction to Sociology: Illinois State University provides basic concepts in sociology and an understanding of how sociological research is conducted. The best way to comprehend this course is to purchase the textbook and follow along with the lecture notes and other resources based upon that book. Another introductory course, provided by Dr. Arunas Juska, East Carolina University, also follows a textbook; however, this course offers illustrations and additional detailed notes that can supplement the first course. Sociology: The Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington offers some valuable information for the budding sociologist. While you can access lecture notes and other resources, the tips on essay writing, oral presentation, and careers in sociology are clear bonuses for the reader. Sociology Courses: Professor Robert O. Keel's list of sociology courses at the University of Missouri — St. Louis can keep you busy for a year or more. Each course contains different resources, from lecture notes to links to online resources, and each course brings a new light to different sociological aspects. Open courseware is proliferating so rapidly that it makes sense to use these quality online materials to supplement tuition courses or to learn at your own pace without the tuition costs. As I mentioned previously, thousands of open courseware projects exist, from university projects (like Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Open Courseware) to environments that encourage teachers and students to share experiences, lessons, and ideas (like Eduforge).
The best way to find a course that suits your passions is to search through some of the sites listed above and through resources listed on other OEDb articles, like "How the Open Source Movement Has Changed Education", or through courses offered at places like MIT. Be sure to bookmark any sites you find that seem promising, spend a little money on a textbook, and before you know it you'll have basic knowledge about any course offered online — perhaps enough knowledge to take exams for life credit in an undergraduate degree.
