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Critical & Creative Thinking, MA (Organizational Science & Leadership)

Master of Arts Degree in Critical and Creative Thinking with a Concentration in Organizational Science and Leadership

The online Master of Arts in Critical & Creative Thinking with a concentration in Organizational Science & Leadership degree program is designed to prepare students for leadership success in various organizational contexts across industries.

Total Credits

Cost Per Credit

Through coursework, students will:

• Learn tools of social science and cutting edge scholarship in the fields of organizational behavior and leadership to understand both organizational-level and individual-level causes of employee behavior, performance and well-being.
• Identify application to organizational contexts with a special focus on leadership challenges and opportunities.
• Learn to question the status quo.

Students will gain the ability to look at issues and tasks and solve them with a multi-disciplinary approach to the problem Students completing this program must complete 30 credit hours, including the following requirements:

• Introduction to Critical and Creative Thinking.
• 12 credit hours chosen from a primary concentration.
• An additional 12 credit hours chosen through an array of electives from outside the primary concentration or from a secondary MA CCT concentration.
• A graduate project.

Additional Program Information

For up-to-date application, course and licensure information, visit the campus program page.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is dedicated to the city and state in its name. As the University of Nebraska's metropolitan university campus, no fences or barriers separate students from the opportunities offered by the greater Omaha area. The campus addresses real issues, by providing relevant learning opportunities that uniquely prepare graduates as professionals and active members of their community so they can transform and improve the lives of those on a local, regional, national, and international level.

Career Outlook

This interdisciplinary degree provides a unique opportunity to pursue both breadth and depth within the rich and diverse landscape of the liberal arts and sciences. Students pursuing this degree will enhance their career potential by developing advanced skills and abilities necessary for critical thinking, creativity and leadership.

Finance Your Education

The University of Nebraska offers some of the most affordable tuition rates in the region, particularly for our online programs. Explore the array of funding options to finance your education in a way that makes sense for you.

Online tuition rates are calculated by credit hour and college offering the course and, because the University of Nebraska is a public institution supported by Nebraska taxpayers, Nebraska residents may receive a lower tuition rate than out-of-state students.

If you are a college student considering transferring courses, an adult returning to college or a high school student with college credit, Transfer Nebraska is for you.

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Creativity and Critical Thinking

• First Online: 31 January 2022

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• Peter Ellerton 6 &
• Robert Kelly 7  

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The twenty-first century has seen a rapid growth of curriculum initiatives that consider the development of cross-curriculum competencies as a core issue, and significant for every discipline area. Both because of such cross-curriculum developments and because of the nature of STEM itself, the integration of the particular core competencies of ‘creativity’ and ‘critical thinking’ across the STEM disciplines has also grown rapidly in educational importance. Creativity and critical thinking in education are best viewed from the perspectives of both learner development and teacher expertise, with the attributes specific to each concept appropriately seen as increasing in sophistication or complexity over time. A broad examination of each of the two concepts and their interrelatedness, and the consequent implications for educational practice concerned with developing them, creates a lens through which to view the application of creativity and critical thinking across the complexity and diversity of the STEM disciplines and their integrated forms.

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Ellerton, P., Kelly, R. (2021). Creativity and Critical Thinking. In: Berry, A., Buntting, C., Corrigan, D., Gunstone, R., Jones, A. (eds) Education in the 21st Century. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85300-6_2

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• Graduate Degree Programs, Certificates & Minors /
• Critical and Creative Thinking

Critical and Creative Thinking, MA

College of Arts and Sciences

Vision Statement

The Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking (MA CCT) embodies the College of Arts and Sciences’ ongoing commitment to personal enrichment as well as to the practical application of analytical skills and knowledge in a diverse array of both for-profit and nonprofit professional environments. This interdisciplinary degree provides a unique opportunity to pursue both breadth and depth within the rich and diverse landscape of the liberal arts and sciences. Students pursuing this degree will enhance their career potential by developing advanced skills and abilities necessary for critical thinking, creativity, and leadership.

Program Contact Information

Joseph (Joe) Price, PhD, Administrative Coordinator Arts & Sciences Hall (ASH)  402.554.2545 [email protected]

Katie Berger, Advisor/Program Coordinator Arts & Sciences Hall (ASH)  402.554.6638 [email protected]

Program Website

General Application Requirements and Admission Criteria

Program-Specific Requirements

Application deadlines (spring 2024, summer 2024, and fall 2024).

• Fall: July 15
• Spring: October 31
• Summer: March 1

Other Requirements

• All applicants must have the equivalent of a four-year undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution of higher learning or the equivalent international institution with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0 in undergraduate courses related to major.

English Language Proficiency: Applicants are required to have a command of oral and written English. Those who do not hold a baccalaureate or other advanced degree from the United States,  OR  a baccalaureate or other advanced degree from a predetermined country on the  waiver list , must meet the minimum language proficiency score requirement in order to be considered for admission.

Internet-based TOEFL: 100, IELTS: 7.5, PTE: 68, Duolingo: 130

Degree Requirements

This course must be completed within your first nine (9) hours of study.

This course can be completed in your second or last semester of study.

At least 15 hours of the MA CACT program must be done at the seminar level (courses ending in zero). Students can apply up to nine (9) hours of coursework outside of the MA CACT to their program of study with the permission of the administrative coordinator. Other course substitutions may be made with the permission of the administrative coordinator.

Concentrations

Cultural and global analysis concentration, ethics and values concentration, health and the environment concentration, international migration, development and citizenship concentration, organizational science and leadership concentration, writing and critical reflection concentration.

CACT 8000  INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate status and acceptance into MA CACT program or permission of instructor.CACT8000

CACT 8060  TOPICS IN CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing.

CACT 8080  INDEPENDENT STUDY (1-3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Admission into the MA CCT program, successful completion of 6 hours of CACT coursework, including CACT 8000 , and permission of faculty member. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CACT 8090  CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING GRADUATE PROJECT (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Permission of faculty advisor and Graduate Program Committee Leadership (or its designee). Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CACT 8100  GLOBAL CINEMA (3 credits)

A critical and analytic study of foreign films focusing on overlapping global issues. This course supports the Cultural and Global Analysis concentration in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking.

CACT 8106  CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in MA in Critical & Creative Thinking program or by permission of the instructor.

CACT 8110  GLOBAL SOCIAL ISSUES: CREATIVE AND CRITICAL ANALYSES (3 credits)

CACT 8116  GEOGRAPHY OF ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate status.

CACT 8186  URBAN LATIN AMERICA (3 credits)

This course examines the experience of Latin American urbanization, attending to its contributions to urban sociology, social movements, and policymaking. Topics include urban transitions (e.g. pre-Hispanic to colonial, post-colonial to industrial, and the neoliberal turn), socio-spatial configurations (e.g. plazas, squatter settlements), urban marginality debates, urban politics, and planning as well as governance innovations (e.g. bus rapid transit systems, participatory budgeting). Students will compare city case studies across the region and to urban life in the United States. (Cross-listed with SOC 8786 , SOC 4780 , LLS 8786 , LLS 4780 ).

CACT 8200  SEMINAR IN POLITICAL THEORY (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Permission of graduate advisor. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CACT 8206  COMPARATIVE RELIGIOUS ETHICS (3 credits)

An introduction to historical and contemporary approaches to comparative religious ethics, with special focus on specific case studies as encountered in societies and religious communities across the globe. In addition to reading authors from a variety of perspectives (Aristotelians, natural law theorists, philosophers of law, pragmatists, theologians, and historians of religion), students will be introduced to special topics in the field, e.g., religion and public life, religion and law, syncretism, the secular/non-secular divide, etc. This course supports the Ethics and Values concentration in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking. (Cross-listed with RELI 4200 , RELI 8206 )

CACT 8215  VALUES AND VIRTUES (3 credits)

This course explores advanced topics in ethics with particular emphasis on value theory and virtue ethics. Topics to be considered include the meaning and status of value claims, sources of value, intrinsic goods, agent-relative goods, practical reason, moral development, happiness, moral ambiguity, moral luck, the identification of virtues, and relationships of care, trust, and responsibility. This course supports the Ethics and Values concentration in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking. (Cross-listed with PHIL 3060 )

CACT 8216  PUBLIC HEALTH, RELIGION, AND HUMAN RIGHTS (3 credits)

CACT 8226  VIOLENT CONFLICTS, PEACEBUILDING, AND THE ETHICS OF INTERVENTION (3 credits)

This course is designed to familiarize the student with the nature of violent conflict, including terrorism, and a variety of the mechanisms for peacebuilding. The course will also explore human rights and the ethics of intervention. This course supports the Ethics and Values concentration in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking. (Cross-listed with RELI 4220 , RELI 8226 )

CACT 8306  INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT & SUSTAINABILITY (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): PSCI 2210 or equivalent is recommended.

CACT 8310  ECOLOGICAL WRITING AND ANALYSIS (3 credits)

CACT 8316  OUR ENERGY FUTURE: SOCIETY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY (3 credits)

CACT 8326  ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY AND HUMAN HEALTH (3 credits)

CACT 8400  A HISTORY OF AMERICAN IMMIGRATION POLICIES AND LAWS (3 credits)

CACT 8410  IMMIGRATION, MIGRATION, AND DIASPORA: CRITICAL APPROACHES AND THEORIES OF MOVEMENT IN LITERATURE (3 credits)

CACT 8416  LITERATURE/CULTURE: CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 1898-2000 (3 credits)

"Literature/ Culture: Central America and the Caribbean 1898- 2000" studies major historical and socio-cultural events in Latin American history in the 20th century, through their articulation in literary texts, film, and other cultural expressions from Central America and the Hispanic Caribbean. (Cross-listed with SPAN 4150 , SPAN 8156 )

CACT 8420  MEXICO AND THE U.S. BORDERLANDS: TWO HISTORIES, ONE DESTINY (3 credits)

Exploration of U.S.-Mexico Borderlands history and its pathways to current developments. It reviews borderland encounters, miscegenation, and wars between Indigenous groups, Europeans, North Americans, and Mexicans. It looks at the history of the drafting of the imaginary U.S.-Mexico borderline and follows its development until the construction of a wall to separate an undividable socio-cultural space. The course integrates a comparative conceptual approach to empires, nation-building, territorial expansion, identity formation, code-mixed English-Spanish uses, and state sovereignty.

CACT 8436  INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, DEVELOPMENT AND CITIZENSHIP (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

CACT 8500  COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONS (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate enrollment or permission of class instructor.

CACT 8506  CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION IN ORGANIZATIONS (3 credits)

To provide a discussion of the antecedents of individual and organizational creativity, including measurement, models, characteristics of the individual and the environment that facilitate creativity and innovation in an organizational setting. Students in this course will be able to understand the research literature related to creativity and innovation and apply the findings to improve critical and creative thinking, implementation of creative ideas, and development of creative teams and organizations. This course supports the Organizational Science and Leadership concentration in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking. (Cross-listed with PSYC 4650 , PSYC 8656 )

CACT 8510  SEMINAR IN LEADERSHIP (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Permission of graduate adviser. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CACT 8520  POSITIVE ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND LEADERSHIP (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of instructor.

CACT 8530  PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY AND LEADERSHIP (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of instructor

CACT 8540  SEMINAR ON INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CACT 8610  PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL WRITING (3 credits)

CACT 8630  DIGITAL RHETORIC (3 credits)

CACT 8640  CREATIVE NONFICTION IN DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS (3 credits)

CACT 8650  WRITING ACROSS DIFFERENCES: RHETORICAL THEORY FOR PERSUASION AND PUBLIC ADVOCACY (3 credits)

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• Summarize HIPAA documentation and training.
• Review applied HIPAA security for healthcare professionals.

Dental Office Management and Employment

• Identify the dental office staff and their areas of responsibility.
• Explain how database management concepts can be used in the dental office.
• Identify the equipment needed for record management.
• Define key terms related to accounts receivable.
• Identify the accounts payable expenses that the dental practice is responsible for.
• Identify the steps in preparing a cover letter and a résumé.
• Describe the interview process, and identify the skills and preparation techniques that will aid in obtaining a job.
• Identify the skills that a successful dental assistant possesses.
• Explain how to terminate employment.

Externship Readiness Skills

• Explore CareerStep Community career resources
• Develop effective time management skills
• Enhance your creative and critical thinking
• Integrate critical and creative thinking skills into your life
• Learn physical and emotional coping techniques to deal with stress
• Acquire methods to maximize verbal, nonverbal, and written communication
• Relate the importance of professional image to career success
• Identify key elements of successful interviews
• Identify traits related to self-motivation and self-esteem
• Incorporate a positive and professional attitude in dealing with others

Dental Office and Basic Chairside Assisting

• Describe the design of a dental office, explaining the purpose of each area, the function of the equipment in each area.
• Describe the daily routine to open and close the dental office.
• Describe the necessary steps to prepare the treatment room.
• Explain the necessary steps to seat the patient for treatment and dismiss the patient after treatment is complete.
• Identify the special needs of certain patients.
• Describe the grasps, positions, and transfer of instruments for a procedure.
• List the eight rules for instrument transfer.
• Describe and demonstrate how to maintain the oral cavity.
• Describe techniques for moisture control and isolation.

Dental Restorative and Laboratory Materials

• Differentiate between dental cements, bases, liners, and bonding agents.
• Explain the role of the dental assistant in preparing materials.
• List and explain the properties of dental materials.
• Identify the types of dental cements.
• Explain etchants and their function.
• Describe bonding agents and their manipulation.
• Discuss restorative dentistry and the various materials and techniques involved, including cavity detection and cavity cleaners, disinfectants, and desensitizers.
• Describe the steps of cavity preparation.
• Explain the use of glass ionomer, resin, resin-reinforced glass ionomer, and compomer restorative materials.
• Describe the functions and parts of the Tofflemire matrix.
• Demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed to prepare, take, and remove alginate impressions and wax bites, prepare reversible hydrocolloid and elastomeric impression material for the dentist.
• Identify the skills necessary to use gypsum products Identify various classifications and uses of waxes used in dentistry.
• Identify the steps necessary to fabricate acrylic tray resin self-curing and light-curing custom trays, vacuum-formed trays, and thermoplastic custom trays.
• Identify the steps necessary to contour prefabricated temporary crowns and to fabricate and fit custom temporary restorations.

Clinical Dental Procedures

• Identify and describe ways to help patient manage pain and anxiety of a dental procedure
• List the steps for preparing for the administration of local anesthetic
• List the indications and contraindications of placing sealants.
• Describe the types of sealant materials, including composite, glass ionomer, and filled and unfilled sealants.
• Describe and explain the rational for each step in the coronal polish procedure.
• Identify the general steps for the procedure and materials used for fixed prostheses.
• List the advantages and disadvantages of the CAD/CAM technology.
• Describe considerations about the patient related to removable prosthetic treatment
• Describe the procedure for a denture repair and a reline procedure

Dental Specialities

• Define endodontics and describe what an endodontist does.
• Identify instruments and material used in endodontic procedures and describe their functions
• Describe the scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery.
• Identify the surgical instruments used in various types of surgery and describe their functions
• List the indications and contraindications for dental implants.
• Explain the steps in the treatment sequence for dental implants
• Identify oral diseases and lesions related to biological, physical, and chemical agents.
• Distinguish among oral conditions related to nutritional disturbances.
• Define and describe occlusion and malocclusion.
• Describe preventive, interceptive, and corrective orthodontics.
• Describe child behavior management techniques.
• Identify the signs of child abuse and the procedure for reporting suspected child abuse.
• Define cosmetic dentistry and describe what is involved in cosmetic dentistry.
• Describe the types of restorations that are placed and materials used for cosmetic restorations.
• Understand common procedures in pediatric dentistry, including preventive procedures, restorative procedures, preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment.

Career Success in Healthcare

• Assess and develop time-management skills
• Develop plans to enhance creative and critical thinking
• Learn the basics of professional communication

Dental Assistant Entry Level Final Exam

• Review Dental Assistant Final Exam instructions
• Take the Dental Assistant Final Exam

Initiating Your Externship

• Create your profile in the Learner Placement Portal
• Review the externship preparation resources
• Understand the benefits of an externship
• Access externship participation eligibility requirements
• Recognize the externship site placement process and considerations

Clinical Externship

• Work with local dentists for real-world, hands-on experience

Program Completion: Dental Assistant Entry Level

• Prepare for certification exams
• Take Certification Practice Exam(s)
• Request voucher for Certification exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does dental assistant training take?

This course is designed to take 300 hours (plus a clinical experience) of learning, with 12 months of full access.

Are clinical hours included in my training?

Clinical hours are an essential component of your training—particularly as you work towards certification and potential employment. They give you a chance to test your current skill level and put all your new knowledge to work in real-world settings. That’s why we work with a vast network of healthcare organizations to provide these hands-on learning experiences. Please keep in mind that while clinical hours are included as part of your course, placement is based on a number of factors—including geography and availability—so we can’t guarantee that you’ll find placement in your area.

How much do dental assistants make?

The median salary for dental assistants is $37,630 annually—and many dental assistants also qualify for benefits.*

What’s the job market like for dental assistants?

Short answer: Great! Long answer: Thanks to an aging population and continual oral health research, the dental care industry is growing rapidly. Many opportunities are available across the country, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for dental assistants will grow over 19% in the next 10 years.*

What does a dental assistant do?

Dental assistants provide dentists with chairside support during exams and procedures; greet, seat, and situate patients; sterilize and prepare instruments; take dental impressions; manage office records; schedule and confirm appointments; advise patients on basic at-home oral care; and sometimes take X-rays.

What are dental assistants not allowed to do?

It varies by state, but most dental assistants cannot administer anesthesia or perform most direct-contact dental procedures. Your employer will clarify.

Moodle & Zoom

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Course Requirements

Course prerequisites, instructor(s):, you may also be interested in ..., certified clinical medical assistant (ccma) (voucher included), certified medical administrative assistant (cmaa) (voucher included), veterinary assistant.

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• Vision Statement
• Faculty Directory
• Admission Criteria
• The Online Advantage
• Technology Requirements
• Non-Degree Option
• Cultural & Global Analysis Concentration
• Ethics & Values Concentration
• Health & the Environment Concentration
• International Migration, Development & Citizenship
• Organizational Science & Leadership
• Writing & Critical Reflection
• Upcoming Classes
• Skills and Knowledge Gained
• Student Opportunities
• Student Research Support

Faculty & Staff Directory

The Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking is comprised of graduate faculty from across the varied disciplines of the College of Arts and Sciences, working as a team to provide unique interdisciplinary courses, areas of study, and educational opportunities for our students.

Cultural & Global Analysis Faculty Ethics & Values Faculty Health & the Environment Faculty International Migration, Development & Citizenship Faculty Organizational Science & Leadership Faculty Writing & Critical Reflection Faculty Introductory Course Emeritus Faculty

Cultural & Global Analysis Faculty

Lissette Aliaga-Linares, PhD

she/her/hers

Sociology & Anthropology

Associate Professor

Sociology & Anthropology, Assistant Professor

• Urban Sociology, Work, Population and Development, Research Methods, US Latinos and Latin America

Gwyneth Cliver

402.554.3820

Eugenio Di Stefano

402.554.4841

Cristián Doña-Reveco

OLLAS Director

Sociology & Anthropology, Associate Professor

Nikitah Imani, Ph.D.

402.554.4033

Patrice J. Proulx

Professor of Foreign Languages & Director, Women's and Gender Studies

Jonathan Santo, PhD

402.554.4056

• Developmental Psychology

Steven Torres

402.554.3749

Ethics & Values Faculty

Laura Alexander, PhD

Executive Director, Goldstein Center for Human Rights

402.554.2628

Rory J. Conces, PhD

• Social and Political Philosophy, Ethics, Applied Philosophy, Critical Reasoning

Laura Grams, PhD

• Ancient Philosophy, History of Philosophy

Carson Holloway, Ph.D.

Political Science, Professor and Department Chair

402.554.4862

Curtis Hutt, PhD

Professor of Religious Studies

402.554.4067

Tammie Kennedy, Ph.D.

Paul Williams, PhD

Health & the environment faculty.

Patrick McNamara, Ph.D.

Instructor, Political Science

Dana Richter-Egger, Ph.D.

Math Science Learning Center Director

• General Chemistry, Analytical

Eric O'Brien, PhD

International migration, development & citizenship faculty.

Danielle Battisti, Ph.D.

Department Chair

U.S. Immigration & Ethnic History, U.S. Foreign Relations, Modern America

Claudia Garcia

402.554.4837

Dr. Ramón Javier Guerra

Graduate Program Chair

English, Associate Professor

Organizational Science & Leadership Faculty

Dr. Samantha Kay Ammons

• Work, Family, Sex and Gender, Organizations, Qualitative Research Methods

Michelle Black, PhD

Donald C. Simmons Jr.

Political Science

Adjunct Professor

Ryan Royston

Lisa Scherer, PhD

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Joseph James

Writing & critical reflection faculty.

Dr. Tracy Bridgeford

Director of Graduate Certificate in Technical Communication

English, Professor

Dr. Margarette Christensen

English, Lecturer

Jody Lynn Keisner

English, Assistant Professor

Introductory Course

Brian Kanouse, PhD

Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking

Emeritus Faculty

Maria Arbelaez, PhD

Professor Emerita

Modern Mexico, Borderlands, Latino/Chicano Studies

Lourdes Gouveia, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Latino/Latin American Studies

• Development, Food and Agriculture, Latino/a Latin American Sociology, Immigration

Paul Landow, Ph.D.

Tatyana Novikov

Juliette Parnell

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• Courses A-Z /

Critical and Creative Thinking (CACT)

Critical and creative thinking graduate courses.

CACT 8000  INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate status and acceptance into MA CACT program or permission of instructor.CACT8000

CACT 8060  TOPICS IN CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing.

CACT 8080  INDEPENDENT STUDY (1-3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Admission into the MA CCT program, successful completion of 6 hours of CACT coursework, including CACT 8000 , and permission of faculty member. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CACT 8090  CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING GRADUATE PROJECT (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Permission of faculty advisor and Graduate Program Committee Leadership (or its designee). Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CACT 8100  GLOBAL CINEMA (3 credits)

A critical and analytic study of foreign films focusing on overlapping global issues. This course supports the Cultural and Global Analysis concentration in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking.

CACT 8106  CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in MA in Critical & Creative Thinking program or by permission of the instructor.

CACT 8110  GLOBAL SOCIAL ISSUES: CREATIVE AND CRITICAL ANALYSES (3 credits)

CACT 8116  GEOGRAPHY OF ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate status.

CACT 8186  URBAN LATIN AMERICA (3 credits)

This course examines the experience of Latin American urbanization, attending to its contributions to urban sociology, social movements, and policymaking. Topics include urban transitions (e.g. pre-Hispanic to colonial, post-colonial to industrial, and the neoliberal turn), socio-spatial configurations (e.g. plazas, squatter settlements), urban marginality debates, urban politics, and planning as well as governance innovations (e.g. bus rapid transit systems, participatory budgeting). Students will compare city case studies across the region and to urban life in the United States. (Cross-listed with SOC 8786 , SOC 4780 , LLS 8786 , LLS 4780 ).

CACT 8200  SEMINAR IN POLITICAL THEORY (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Permission of graduate advisor. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CACT 8206  COMPARATIVE RELIGIOUS ETHICS (3 credits)

An introduction to historical and contemporary approaches to comparative religious ethics, with special focus on specific case studies as encountered in societies and religious communities across the globe. In addition to reading authors from a variety of perspectives (Aristotelians, natural law theorists, philosophers of law, pragmatists, theologians, and historians of religion), students will be introduced to special topics in the field, e.g., religion and public life, religion and law, syncretism, the secular/non-secular divide, etc. This course supports the Ethics and Values concentration in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking. (Cross-listed with RELI 4200 , RELI 8206 )

CACT 8215  VALUES AND VIRTUES (3 credits)

This course explores advanced topics in ethics with particular emphasis on value theory and virtue ethics. Topics to be considered include the meaning and status of value claims, sources of value, intrinsic goods, agent-relative goods, practical reason, moral development, happiness, moral ambiguity, moral luck, the identification of virtues, and relationships of care, trust, and responsibility. This course supports the Ethics and Values concentration in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking. (Cross-listed with PHIL 3060 )

CACT 8216  PUBLIC HEALTH, RELIGION, AND HUMAN RIGHTS (3 credits)

CACT 8226  VIOLENT CONFLICTS, PEACEBUILDING, AND THE ETHICS OF INTERVENTION (3 credits)

This course is designed to familiarize the student with the nature of violent conflict, including terrorism, and a variety of the mechanisms for peacebuilding. The course will also explore human rights and the ethics of intervention. This course supports the Ethics and Values concentration in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking. (Cross-listed with RELI 4220 , RELI 8226 )

CACT 8306  INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT & SUSTAINABILITY (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): PSCI 2210 or equivalent is recommended.

CACT 8310  ECOLOGICAL WRITING AND ANALYSIS (3 credits)

CACT 8316  OUR ENERGY FUTURE: SOCIETY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY (3 credits)

CACT 8326  ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY AND HUMAN HEALTH (3 credits)

CACT 8400  A HISTORY OF AMERICAN IMMIGRATION POLICIES AND LAWS (3 credits)

CACT 8410  IMMIGRATION, MIGRATION, AND DIASPORA: CRITICAL APPROACHES AND THEORIES OF MOVEMENT IN LITERATURE (3 credits)

CACT 8416  LITERATURE/CULTURE: CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 1898-2000 (3 credits)

"Literature/ Culture: Central America and the Caribbean 1898- 2000" studies major historical and socio-cultural events in Latin American history in the 20th century, through their articulation in literary texts, film, and other cultural expressions from Central America and the Hispanic Caribbean. (Cross-listed with SPAN 4150 , SPAN 8156 )

CACT 8420  MEXICO AND THE U.S. BORDERLANDS: TWO HISTORIES, ONE DESTINY (3 credits)

Exploration of U.S.-Mexico Borderlands history and its pathways to current developments. It reviews borderland encounters, miscegenation, and wars between Indigenous groups, Europeans, North Americans, and Mexicans. It looks at the history of the drafting of the imaginary U.S.-Mexico borderline and follows its development until the construction of a wall to separate an undividable socio-cultural space. The course integrates a comparative conceptual approach to empires, nation-building, territorial expansion, identity formation, code-mixed English-Spanish uses, and state sovereignty.

CACT 8436  INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, DEVELOPMENT AND CITIZENSHIP (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

CACT 8500  COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONS (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate enrollment or permission of class instructor.

CACT 8506  CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION IN ORGANIZATIONS (3 credits)

To provide a discussion of the antecedents of individual and organizational creativity, including measurement, models, characteristics of the individual and the environment that facilitate creativity and innovation in an organizational setting. Students in this course will be able to understand the research literature related to creativity and innovation and apply the findings to improve critical and creative thinking, implementation of creative ideas, and development of creative teams and organizations. This course supports the Organizational Science and Leadership concentration in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking. (Cross-listed with PSYC 4650 , PSYC 8656 )

CACT 8510  SEMINAR IN LEADERSHIP (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Permission of graduate adviser. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CACT 8520  POSITIVE ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND LEADERSHIP (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of instructor.

CACT 8530  PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY AND LEADERSHIP (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of instructor

CACT 8540  SEMINAR ON INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CACT 8610  PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL WRITING (3 credits)

CACT 8630  DIGITAL RHETORIC (3 credits)

CACT 8640  CREATIVE NONFICTION IN DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS (3 credits)

CACT 8650  WRITING ACROSS DIFFERENCES: RHETORICAL THEORY FOR PERSUASION AND PUBLIC ADVOCACY (3 credits)

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A PDF of the 2023-2024 catalog.

The Peak Performance Center

The pursuit of performance excellence, critical thinking vs. creative thinking.

Creative thinking is a way of looking at problems or situations from a fresh perspective to conceive of something new or original.

Critical thinking is the logical, sequential disciplined process of rationalizing, analyzing, evaluating, and interpreting information to make informed judgments and/or decisions.

Critical Thinking vs. Creative Thinking – Key Differences

• Creative thinking tries to create something new, while critical thinking seeks to assess worth or validity of something that already exists.
• Creative thinking is generative, while critical thinking is analytical.
• Creative thinking is divergent, while critical thinking is convergent.
• Creative thinking is focused on possibilities, while critical thinking is focused on probability.
• Creative thinking is accomplished by disregarding accepted principles, while critical thinking is accomplished by applying accepted principles.

About Creative Thinking

Creative thinking is a process utilized to generate lists of new, varied and unique ideas or possibilities. Creative thinking brings a fresh perspective and sometimes unconventional solution to solve a problem or address a challenge.  When you are thinking creatively, you are focused on exploring ideas, generating possibilities, and/or developing various theories.

Creative thinking can be performed both by an unstructured process such as brainstorming, or by a structured process such as lateral thinking.

Brainstorming is the process for generating unique ideas and solutions through spontaneous and freewheeling group discussion. Participants are encouraged to think aloud and suggest as many ideas as they can, no matter how outlandish it may seem.

Lateral thinking uses a systematic process that leads to logical conclusions. However, it involves changing a standard thinking sequence and arriving at a solution from completely different angles.

No matter what process you chose, the ultimate goal is to generate ideas that are unique, useful and worthy of further elaboration. Often times, critical thinking is performed after creative thinking has generated various possibilities. Critical thinking is used to vet those ideas to determine if they are practical.

Creative Thinking Skills

• Open-mindedness
• Flexibility
• Imagination
• Adaptability
• Risk-taking
• Originality
• Elaboration
• Brainstorming

About Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the process of actively analyzing, interpreting, synthesizing, evaluating information gathered from observation, experience, or communication. It is thinking in a clear, logical, reasoned, and reflective manner to make informed judgments and/or decisions.

Critical thinking involves the ability to:

• remain objective

In general, critical thinking is used to make logical well-formed decisions after analyzing and evaluating information and/or an array of ideas.

On a daily basis, it can be used for a variety of reasons including:

• to form an argument
• to articulate and justify a position or point of view
• to reduce possibilities to convergent toward a single answer
• to vet creative ideas to determine if they are practical
• to judge an assumption
• to solve a problem
• to reach a conclusion

Critical Thinking Skills

• Interpreting
• Integrating
• Contrasting
• Classifying
• Forecasting
• Hypothesizing

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