Comparative politics is the systematic study and comparison of the world's political systems. The course begins by discussing the factors and categories of analysis that political scientists and important international institutions like the World Bank, NATO, and the United Nations use regularly; it ends by comparing and contrasting governments from five different regions of the world: the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Define the chief characteristics of a nation state; Identify and explain various comparative methodologies used to compare various political systems; Distinguish between unitary, federal, and confederal governmental models; Compare and contrast political cultures in selected countries; Compare and contrast political socialization in selected countries; Describe and explain patterns of representation and participation in selected countries; Compare and contrast the roles and functions of political parties in selected countries; Compare and contrast the role of interest groups in selected countries; Identify and explain governance and policy-making in selected countries; Compare and contrast the role of the executive in selected countries; Compare and contrast the role of the judicial branch in selected countries; Compare and contrast the role of the bureaucracy and the policy process in selected countries; Describe and explain the political economy and development in selected countries; Identify and explain political challenges and changing agendas in selected countries. (Political Science 221)

This course will introduce students to the field of computer science and the fundamentals of computer programming. No prior programming experience is required. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of the history of computing as well as fundamental hardware and software concepts; Demonstrate an understanding of the programming life cycle; Explain how the JVM translates Java code into executable code; Demonstrate an understanding of Object-Oriented Programming concepts; Demonstrate an understanding of basic Java concepts by writing simple programs; Demonstrate an understanding of logical and relational operators as well as control structures; Demonstrate proficiency in basic Java I/O techniques by writing small programs. (Computer Science 101; See also: Mathematics 302)

This course is a continuation of the first-semester course titled Introduction to Computer Science I. It will introduce the student to a number of more advanced Computer Science topics, laying a strong foundation for future academic study in the discipline. The student will begin with a comparison between Java--the programming language utilized last semester--and C++, another popular, industry-standard programming language. The student will then discuss the fundamental building blocks of Object-Oriented Programming, reviewing what they have learned learned last semester and familiarizing themselves with some more advanced programming concepts. The remaining course units will be devoted to various advanced topics, including the Standard Template Library, Exceptions, Recursion, Searching and Sorting, and Template Classes. By the end of the class, the student will have a solid understanding of Java and C++ programming, as well as a familiarity with the major issues that programmers routinely address in a professional setting. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of Java and C++ and how they are used in Object-Oriented Programming; Demonstrate an understanding of the history and development of Object-Oriented Programming; Explain the importance of the C++ Standard Template Library and how basic components are used; Demonstrate a basic understanding of the importance of run-time analysis in programming; Demonstrate an understanding of important sorting and search routines in programming; Demonstrate an understanding of the generic usage of templates in programming for C++ and Java; Compare and contrast the features of Java and C++. (Computer Science 102; See also: Mathematics 303)

In this course, the student will first learn about waves and oscillations in extended objects using classical mechanics. The course will then examine the sources and laws that govern static electricity and magnetism. A brief look at electrical measurements and circuits will help establish how electromagnetic effects are observed, measured, and applied. These topics lead to an examination of how Maxwell's equations unify electric and magnetic effects and how the solutions to Maxwell's equations describe electromagnetic radiation, which will serve as the basis for understanding all electromagnetic radiation, from very low frequency radiation emitted by power transmission lines to the most powerful astrophysical gamma rays. The course also investigates optics and launches a brief overview of Einstein's special theory of relativity. A basic knowledge of calculus is assumed. (Physics 102; See also: Biology 110, Chemistry 002, Mechanical Engineering 006)

This course will survey physics concepts and their respective applications; it is intended as a basic introduction to the current physical understanding of our universe. In this course, the student will study physics from the ground up, learning the basic principles of physical law, their application to the behavior of objects, and the use of the scientific method in driving advances in this knowledge. This course focuses on Newtonian mechanics--how objects move and interact--rather than Electromagnetism or Quantum Mechanics. While mathematics is the language of physics, the student need only be familiar with high school-level algebra, geometry, and trigonometry; the small amount of additional math needed will be developed during the course. (Physics 101; See also: Biology 109, Chemistry 001, Mechanical Engineering 005)

This course provides a general overview of databases, including topics such as database history, modern database systems, the different models used to design a database, and Structured Query Language (SQL), which is the standard language used to access and manipulate databases. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: compare and contrast the database approach and the file system approach; explain what a database management system is as well as the various components; identify the various people involved in database management systems; explain the historical background of database management systems; compare the various database models; describe the functions of a database management system; explain the three-schema database architecture; describe what tables, indexes, and views are as well as discuss the differences among them; explain the entity-relationship model; develop an entity-relationship model based on user requirements; describe the relational database model; explain the process of normalization; convert an entity-relationship diagram to a set of normalized relations; explain referential integrity; identify how relational algebra is used to construct queries; describe and use data definition commands; describe and use data manipulation commands; explain how to join tables together for queries. (Computer Science 403)

This survey course can be used by students who are looking to take just one general overview course or by those who want to go on to more advanced study in any of the subfields that comprise the political science discipline, such as American politics, comparative politics, international politics, or political theory. The goal of this course is to introduce the student to the discipline's concepts, terminology, and methods and to explore instances of applied political science through real world examples. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Describe and evaluate the concepts of power, legitimacy, and authority; Discuss the origins and developments of the nation-state; Distinguish between traditional and behavioral approaches to the study of politics; Discuss general approaches to the study of politics, such as political philosophy, political systems theory, and political economy; Describe and discuss the political socialization process; Examine the nature of political participation from a comparative perspective; Discuss the nature of public opinion from a comparative perspective; Identify the different types of electoral systems and be able to assess the implications of those systems; Identify the role and functions of political parties; Identify the different types of party systems from a comparative perspective; Describe and evaluate the general principles of presidential and parliamentary political systems; Describe and compare the essential features of at least three governments of Western Europe; Identify and evaluate the principles of authoritarian and totalitarian governments; Discuss the concepts of political development and problems facing developing nations; Discuss and explain the origins and principles of democratic capitalism, democratic socialism, Marxist socialism, national socialism, fascism, and third world ideologies; Describe the origins, development, and principles of international law; Identify and assess the influence of major international organizations; Describe and analyze the causes of international conflict; Analyze current critical issues in international relationships. (Political Science 101)

This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles of psychology. It begins with a short overview of the discipline's development and principal methodologies. The subsequent units are arranged around broad areas of research, including emotion, development, memory, and psychopathology. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Identify the steps of the scientific method and explain how this method applies to psychological research methodology and statistical analyses; Demonstrate an understanding of the general history of the field; Explain the nature versus nurture argument and the current status of thinking regarding gene-environment interaction; Identify the basic components and mechanisms of the major biological systems often studied in psychology; Demonstrate an understanding of the basic findings within a variety of areas of psychology, including sensation and perception, memory and learning, development, social psychology, and psychopathology. (Psychology 101)

Sociology is the study of human social life. Human social life is complex and encompasses many facets of the human experience. Because of the complexity, the discipline of sociology subdivided over time into specialty areas. The first section of this book covers the foundations of sociology, including an introduction to the discipline, the methods of study, and some of the dominant theoretical perspectives. The remaining chapters focus on the different areas of study in sociology.

Introduction to Sociology is a featured book on Wikibooks because it contains substantial content, it is well-formatted, and the Wikibooks community has decided to feature it on the main page or in other places. Note: See "Instructor Resources" to find a list of Course Adoptions and accompanying PPTs.

This course covers descriptive statistics, the foundation of statistics, probability and random distributions, and the relationships between various characteristics of data. Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: Define the meaning of descriptive statistics and statistical inference; Distinguish between a population and a sample; Explain the purpose of measures of location, variability, and skewness; Calculate probabilities; Explain the difference between how probabilities are computed for discrete and continuous random variables; Recognize and understand discrete probability distribution functions, in general; Identify confidence intervals for means and proportions; Explain how the central limit theorem applies in inference; Calculate and interpret confidence intervals for one population average and one population proportion; Differentiate between Type I and Type II errors; Conduct and interpret hypothesis tests; Compute regression equations for data; Use regression equations to make predictions; Conduct and interpret ANOVA (Analysis of Variance). (Mathematics 121; See also: Biology 104, Computer Science 106, Economics 104, Psychology 201)

Political thought, otherwise known as political theory or philosophy, is the study of questions concerning power, justice, rights, law, and other issues pertaining to governance. This course examines major texts in the history of political thought and asks how different views on human nature inform the design of government. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: summarize the passage of political thought through the classical, Renaissance, and Enlightenment periods and based on the works of Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and Marx; compare and contrast the differences between Plato and Aristotle with regard to their understandings of the nature of the person, ethics, society, citizenship, and governance; explain the historical and intellectual context in which the political thought that helped to develop the modern state came to be; compare and contrast the concepts of justice, freedom, equality, citizenship, and sovereignty in the works of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau; explain the different versions of, and importance of, 'the state of nature' to political thought; identify the influences of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau on the development of the United States Constitution; summarize the thoughts of Alexis de Tocqueville on the American political landscape, particularly with regard to religion and equality, and why this has importance beyond the American context; explain Karl Marx's world view, with particular regard to his critique of democracy and the modern, politically liberal, state; how it came to be; and its fundamental link to capitalism. (Political Science 201)

Students are given the opportunity to explore and dictate the importance of general education in the Arts. Allowing students to critically think and put their views into works in a persuasive manner, while assisting their argument with the prior knowledge of art.

This course examines some of the most important political revolutions that took place between the 17th century and today, beginning with pre-revolutionary Europe and the Enlightenment and continuing with the English Revolution of the 17th century, the American and the French Revolutions, the Mexican Revolution, the Russian and the Chinese Revolutions, the Iranian Revolution, and finally, the Eastern European revolutions of 1989, which brought about radical changes without recourse to violence. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: provide a concise historical narrative of each of the revolutions presented in the course; identify the origins and causes of each revolution, and compare revolutions with respect to their causes; analyze the goals and ideals of the revolutionaries, and compare how these functioned in various modern revolutions; discuss how revolutions in various parts of the world have affected womenĺÎĺ_ĺĚĺ_s rights; analyze how religious and secular worldviews came into conflict during times of upheaval and revolution; discuss the patterns and dynamics of revolutionary violence, and evaluate how revolutionaries have used non violent tactics against oppressive regimes; evaluate connections between revolutionary ideologies and revolutionary events; analyze how the legacies of each revolution are present in modern politics; describe and evaluate competing theoretical models of revolutionary change; interpret primary historical documents. This free course may be completed online at any time. (History 362)

This course introduces students to the basic concepts and methods of moral and political philosophy. Its primary focus is on the development of moral reasoning skills and the application of those skills to contemporary social and political issues. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Discuss several major theories of justice and morality, including utilitarianism, libertarianism, social contract theory, deontology, and the ethics/politics of virtue; Demonstrate how moral and political dilemmas are handled differently by each set of theoretical principles; Develop their analytical skills through interpreting the consequences of various moral principles and revising principles to correspond with their own conceptions of justice; Discuss the relationship between morality and politics; Formulate their own positions concerning moral and political principles, especially in regards to particular issues discussed in this course; Discuss the origins of western democratic politics and constitutional government; Address a range of difficult and controversial moral and political issues, including murder, the income tax, corporate cost-benefit analysis, lying, affirmative action, and same-sex marriage. (Philosophy 103)

The courses on this portal are or will be Zero-Textbook-Cost courses. Course faculty are creating and adopting teaching, learning and research materials that permit no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.

The following course pages provide links to the syllabus and open course content, websites and learning tools:

Biology
SCB 201 – General Biology I
Chemistry
SCC 110 – Foundations of Chemistry
SCC 201 – General Chemistry I
SCC 202 – General Chemistry II
Physics and Astronomy
SCP 101 – Topics in Physics
SCP 105 – Life in the Universe
SCP 140 – Topics in Astronomy
SCP 201 – Fundamentals of Physics I
SCP 202 – Fundamentals of Physics II

The course presents an overview of the history and structure of modern operating systems, analyzing in detail each of the major components of an operating system, and exploring more advanced topics in the field, such as security concerns. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: explain what an operating system does and how it is used; identify the various components of a computer system and how they interact with an operating system; describe the differences between a 32-bit and 64-bit operating system; explain the different types of operating systems and the major ones in use today; discuss the importance and use of threads and processes in an operating system; describe concurrency; explain the difference between a thread and a process; discuss context switching and how it is used in an operating system; describe synchronization; explain a race condition; discuss interprocess communication; describe how semaphores can be used in an operating system; discuss three of the classic synchronization problems; explain the alternatives to semaphores; discuss CPU scheduling and its relevance to operating systems; explain the general goals of CPU scheduling; describe the differences between pre-emptive and non-preemptive scheduling; discuss four CPU scheduling algorithms; explain what deadlock is in relation to operating systems; discuss deadlock prevention, avoidance, and their differences; describe deadlock detection and recovery; explain the memory hierarchy; discuss how the operating system interacts with memory; describe how virtual memory works; discuss three algorithms for dynamic memory allocation; explain methods of memory access; describe paging and page replacement algorithms; describe a file system and its purpose; discuss various file allocation methods; explain disk allocation and associated algorithms; discuss types of security threats; describe the various types of malware; explain basic security techniques; explain basic networking principles; discuss protocols and how they are used; explain reference models, particularly TCP/IP and OSI. (Computer Science 401)

The online educational resource Physics For Everyone is the scaffolding for a 3 contact hour, 3 credit general education course that conveys the relevance, beauty, and power of physics as a foundation of science and technology in the public interest.

This slide deck provides the outline for the semester-long course. Each week’s lecture topics, with key points to be covered, are highlighted in two slides, which also list writing prompts, problem-solving exercises, and labs. Also, we have curated a list of high-quality online video resources that students (and instructors) should use to help them learn (and teach) physics ideas and concepts using demonstrations, animations, and humor. Many of those videos are parts of larger series and programs, created by some of the most skilled and popular online presenters in the world; that means some of their content is commercially sponsored, but all the content is free to students and instructors. Finally, we have envisioned this course so that students are assessed with a large set of low-stakes, just-in-time-type assignments and laboratory exercises.

This work has been generously supported by New America’s PIT-UN (Public Interest Technology University Network) challenge grant program, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

This course is designed to help the student improve his or her writing ability, which is necessary for ongoing success in all academic subjects. Coursework focuses on critical reading and analytic writing in response to readings with emphasis on organization, unity, coherence, and adequate development; an introduction to the expository essay; and a review of the rules and conventions of standard written English. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: recognize organizing principles, including the relationship between sentences; outline the relationships between main ideas and subordinate ideas within assigned readings; write analytical paragraphs in response to readings; recognize main and secondary points, making somewhat fine distinctions; make simple deductions from a series of facts; use punctuation correctly; demonstrate sound principles of reading critically; craft short essays employing a variety of organizational patterns; narrow a topic, write a clear and focused thesis statement, and create an outline with main and subordinate ideas; support the thesis statement with sufficient appropriate primary and secondary points and details; craft appropriate introductions and conclusions; use transitional words and expressions and employ a variety of sentence patterns to improve coherence; proofread to eliminate spelling and usage errors. This free course may be completed online at any time. It has been developed through a partnership with the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; the Saylor Foundation has modified some WSBCTC materials. (English 000)

The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a fundamental understanding of the principles of macroeconomics. Macroeconomists study how a country's economy works and try to determine the best choices to improve the overall wellbeing of a nation. Typical topics include inflation (the overall level of prices), employment, fiscal policy (government taxing and spending), and money and banking (interest rates and lending policies). By studying macroeconomics and understanding the critical ideas and tools used to measure economic data, the student will have a better perspective on the issues and problems discussed in contemporary economics. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Discuss key macroeconomic concerns, including national income accounting, saving and investment, and market forces; Describe the determinants of total output and the ways to measure nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as real GDP; Compare and contrast definitions of total employment and unemployment, the three forms of unemployment, and inflation; Explain different ways of computing the general movement in prices, and define the relationship between inflation and unemployment; Explain the model of aggregate demand and aggregate supply; Analyze the government's role in the economy and examine how it uses its fiscal policy and monetary policy to influence macroeconomic variables in order to enable macro and micro economic stability; Describe the mechanics of money supply in detail. They will specifically be able to identify different types of money; explain the money creation process, the money multiplier, and the process of interest rate determination; and discuss the role of the Federal Reserve System and its tools of monetary policy; Identify and analyze major theories of economic growth; Analyze various strategies for developing of less-developed nations; Present the concepts behind international trade. (Economics 102; See also: Business Administration 201)

The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a basic understanding of the principles of microeconomics. At its core, the study of economics deals with the choices and decisions that have to be made in order to manage scarce resources available to us. Microeconomics is the branch of economics that pertains to decisions made at the individual level, i.e. by individual consumers or individual firms, after evaluating resources, costs, and tradeoffs. "The economy" refers to the marketplace or system in which these choices interact with one another. In this course, the student will learn how and why these decisions are made and how they affect one another in the economy. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Think intuitively about economic problems; Identify how individual economic agents make rational choices given scarce resources and will know how to optimize the use of resources at hand; Understand some simplistic economic models related to Production, Trade, and the Circular Flow of Resources; Analyze and apply the mechanics of Demand and Supply for Individuals, Firms, and the Market; Apply the concept of Marginal Analysis in order to make optimal choices and identify whether the choices are 'efficient' or 'equitable'; Apply the concept of Elasticity as a measure of responsiveness to various variables; Identify the characteristic differences amongst various market structures, namely, Perfectly Competitive Markets, Non-Competitive Markets, and Imperfectly Competitive Markets and understand the differences in their operation; Analyze how the Demand and Supply technique works for the Resource Markets. (Economics 101; See also: Business Administration 200)