Xavier University News August 2017 Xavier University of Louisiana Adds New Academic Programs Beginning this fall, students at Xavier University of Louisiana will have four new options to consider when choosing their preferred courses of study. Heading the list of additions to the College of Arts and Sciences is an undergraduate major in Neuroscience, as well as a minor in the area of Cognitive Neuroscience. The Neuroscience program is the first of its kind to be offered at an HBCU (Historically Black College and University). Xavier has also added another choice of concentration for its undergraduate major in Sociology, this one focused on Crime and Social Justice. A minor in Bioethics rounds out the newest augmentations to the curriculum. Neuroscience Research and technological developments are fueling rapid growth in the interdisciplinary field of Neuroscience, which is a study of the brain and the nervous system. Students in Xavier's program will gain understanding and skills relevant to the broad field of neuroscience, including current issues, trends, and questions. Students pursuing a degree in Neuroscience will augment a suite of Psychology courses with a flexible menu of coursework from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Computer Science. Graduates of the program will be qualified to work as scientists, to pursue further graduate training in Neuroscience or other scientific fields, or to enter training programs for health professionals. "Neuroscience is an exciting and expanding field exploring how the brain and nervous system give rise to cognition from the level of genes and molecules up to whole brain function," said Dr. Jeremy Cohen, the Neuroscience Program Coordinator. "Xavier offers a unique opportunity to study this field by capitalizing on its rich history of training students in the biomedical sciences, and leading the nation in African Americans who graduate from medical school." The new program's flexibility and interdisciplinary curriculum allow students interested in medical school to complete a pre-med curriculum in addition to the Neuroscience major. Alternatively, students may opt for a new minor in Cognitive Neuroscience. Crime and Social Justice Students interested in sociology now have the opportunity to focus their study on the subfield of criminology and the criminal justice system. The new interdisciplinary concentration will use the lens of social justice to expand the study of criminology to encompass inequalities in the criminal justice system, the relationships among behavior, punishment, and public perceptions, and how social identities such as race, class, gender, disability and sexuality affect how individuals experience crime or the criminal justice system. Unlike programs focused on vocational skills, Xavier's new program will allow students to use sociological tools to develop critical, social scientific perspectives to consider how our definitions of crime, our awareness of its causes, and our reactions to crime are rooted in larger economic, political, and social contexts. "Today, criminal justice professionals must possess critical thinking and communication skills to not only reduce crime, but to mitigate violence and foster communication and cooperation among citizens and those enforcing laws," said Dr. Amy Bellone Hite, Head of the Department of Sociology. "Given Xavier's mission to promote social justice by preparing students to assume leadership roles, the study of crime in the context of a rigorous liberal arts program will better prepare students for career advancement not just within the traditional criminal justice system, but also in working with families, schools, and government." The program is built around a core set of sociology courses, specialized criminology courses, and electives from sociology, political science, and communication studies. Bioethics The new Bioethics minor will give students the opportunity to study the ethical dimensions inherent in medical and scientific research, the delivery and practice of health care, and the creation of national and global health policy. This interdisciplinary program will include a wide variety of perspectives: topics in Biology and Public Health, social and cultural issues, and dilemmas in philosophical and theological ethics. Students will have a considerable amount of freedom to navigate through the program. In this way, the new Minor will complement Xavier's existing strengths in STEM, while also appealing to students in the Humanities. Further, the questions raised by the cutting-edge nature of this discipline play a significant role in contemporary national debates with enormous political implications. In this way, the study of Bioethics challenges students to continually reflect on the meaning of a just and humane society. Relevant topics include the doctor-patient relationship, the allocation of scarce medical resources, the relationship between human beings and the natural environment, scientific and medical experimentation, access to healthcare, assisted dying and end-of-life care, genetic engineering and enhancement, and advances in biotechnology, genetics, and neuroscience. For information on these new programs, as well as other Xavier offerings, visit the website at www.xula.edu. SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. 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