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Site announcements

Welcome to the '26 Spring Semester!

by Christopher Johnson -

Welcome to the '26 Spring Semester!

Your Spring classes are available on Moodle as of Friday, January 16th. You will find your classes under the 'My Courses' section at the top of your Moodle page.  

During the first two weeks of the term, you can browse Spring courses on offer for any class you may be interested in taking.  To learn about the classes and have a peek inside, visit the list of classes on Moodle here: All courses | UWest Online.  

This open course shopping period ends Jan. 30th (This is the last day that you may change your schedule. If you plan to do so, be sure and fill out an Add/Drop form and see your advisor.)

Classes begin Tuesday, January 20th.  

Please note: The campus is closed Monday January 19th. The campus will also be closed on Februarth16th for President's Day and Fubruary 17th for Lunar New Year.  Online courses will remain open.

Valuable resources (Also located on the Moodle Home page):

Have a great semester!
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Available courses

TESOL450 Syllabus & Material Design

Have you ever been asked to start a conversation class for English language learners? Have you been in charge of an English camp or club? Are you teaching in a school where you have freedom to design classes as you want? For various reasons, teachers often have to design courses on their own. This course will help you do that.
TESOL 450 part of a series of UWest courses that make up the TESOL Certificate, designed to equip our students with the essentials of teaching the English language, whether in informal, non-academic setting or a more standard, academic setting such as universities and language programs.

2026 Spring IEP Blocks A&C

ENGL100D College Reading

Preparation for college-level reading. Focus includes critical & analytical reading skills for academic texts, information literacy skills for college writing, & academic vocabulary.

BIO110 Ecology & Biodiversity

CAP401 Capstone: Religion, Science & Society

This seminar examines the politics and ethics of knowledge through the lenses of narrative, attention, and authority.  Humans make meaning through stories, beliefs, and evidence.  How do those narratives shape individuals, communities, and public life?  We examine how knowledge claims are constructed, evaluated, and lived, bridging religion, science, history, media, and technology.  This course is discussion-intensive, practice-oriented, and project-based. You will engage with readings, films, experiential practices, and media artifacts to build habits of care with attention, interpretation, and public expression.  This is not a course about easy answers but about better questions.

ENGL090A Academic Writing

ENGL100A College Writing

ENGL100B College Speech

ENGL101 English Composition

ENGL102 Composition II: Critical Thinking

ENGL412 Seminar: Folklore & Mythology - Oral Traditions to Popular Culture

IDS310 Art & Anthropology

In this course, you will examine the wide variety of material objects produced and consumed by people around the world. These objects are not only considered as “beautiful works of art” but play a crucial role in societies, including religious, economic and political roles. By defining ‘art’ as a social process, we will analyze these objects from diverse dimensions. Some of the questions that we will examine are; How were Anthropologists’ notion of ‘art’ influenced by particular historical processes, such as the emergence of colonialism, nationalism and the belief in scientific objectivities? Why are some objects successfully marketed as ‘art’ while others keep their ‘non-artistic’ status? What is the political dimension of collecting art/objects?

JPN102 Beginning Japanese II

Konnicniwa! In this second level of the Introductory Japanese course, students will further develop their skills for conversation, reading and writing in Japanese through a variety of activities. Topics of activities includes talking about families and friends, ordering food in a Japanese restaurant and planning a trip to Japan. Students will continue to explore various aspects of Japanese culture including Japanese history, traditional music and food, and current lifestyles.

JPN500B First Year Japanese II

Konnichiwa! This course is a continuation of First Year Japanese I. It develops an intermediate level of Japanese language skills focusing on sentence structures and elementary reading and writing with Kanji characters. It covers basic terms and social contexts useful for developing academic research in UWest’s fields of study.

L&C121 Life & Culture 2: World Philosophy

Philosophy literally translated from its greek roots is “love of wisdom.” This is an excellent summary of the aim of this course: a love/desire for seeking wisdom. about the deep questions in life. Wrestling with these questions and developing their own answers will ultimately help students live better, more intentional, and more fulfilling lives. We will accomplish this by standing on the shoulders of philosophers or “wisdom-lovers” of the past, using their writings and ideas as a basis for inquiry as we consider issues such as “what is the ultimate nature of reality?” “what, if anything, can we know for sure?” “Why is there evil in the world?” “How should we act towards our fellow humans and the rest of the world?” and “How can we live well?” Critical reasoning will play an important part in this course as we learn to make logically sound arguments and identify shortcomings and inconsistencies. The focus will be on taking these questions and making them practical as we pursue the good life.

LANG301 Introduction to Linguistics

Our world is constructed through communication-- it's worth taking a deeper look into how language works. We’ll tackle asking important questions like “how did language originate?” “How does language change over time?” “How does speech occur?” “How do humans learn languages?” and many others. This course provides foundational knowledge, approaching the study of language from a variety of sub-fields including language acquisition, sociolinguistics, phonetics/phonology, pragmatics and semantics, morphology and syntax, discourse analysis, and philosophy / politics. Each section of the course will provide insight into what language is, and different ways in which to examine it.

LIT302 Creative Writing

MATH102 Quantitative Reasoning I

Introduces fundamentals of algebra with emphasis on quantitative thinking. Reasoning quantitatively using tables & graphs, & application of linear functions, quadratic functions & linear systems to problems is emphasized.

MATH112 Quantitative Reasoning II

MATH212 Introductory Statistics

REL300 Dimensions of Religion

SPCH101 Oral Communication

Training in clear & effective public speaking, including impromptu & extemporaneous styles. Students prepare & deliver engaging, audience-centered presentations. Emphasis on interpersonal communication as a building block to communicating publicly.

TESOL430 Language Testing

WELL100 Yoga for Body & Mind

Course Description
Basic Hatha Yoga includes Pranayama (breathing techniques) combined with Asanas (physical postures), Dhyana (meditation), and Savasna (relaxation). Appropriate for all levels, emphasizing proper alignment, modifications and restorative elements, renewing the mind and body.

Course Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

a) reiterate the importance and relevance of 5 Points of Yoga and apply them into the practice of yoga
b) practice yoga as a regular activity to improve their postures and physical health
c) increase awareness of how physical, mental, and emotional health relate to each other through the practice of yoga

Instructional Modalities
This course incorporates physical instruction through weekly in-person yoga practice, didactic instruction (through short lectures), group learning (class discussion and observations), and experiential learning (self-reflection).

PSYCH320 Psychology of Learning

PSYCH330 Developmental Psychology

PSYCH415 Abnormal Psychology

This course will explore the historical views and current perspectives of abnormal behavior, including categorical versus dimensional perspectives. Major diagnostic categories and criteria, individual and social factors of maladaptive behavior, and types of therapy are reviewed. Additionally, various methods of clinical assessment and research strategies are covered. Special attention is paid to the impact of culture on abnormality.

PSYCH503 Fundamentals of Buddhist Psychology

PSYCH505 A Pre-Practicum

This one-hour seminar meets weekly to prepare students to apply for practicum positions. Activities include developing curriculum vitaes, authoring cover letters, and participating in mock-interviews. Additional topics related to personal development to prepare for the role of trainee.

PSYCH530 Psychopathology

PSYCH533 Multicultural Counseling

PSYCH536 Marriage & Family Therapy I: Families

PSYCH545 Psychopharmacology

PSYCH551 Theories II: Buddhist Inspired Evidence-Based Practice

PSYCH556 Marriage & Family Therapy II: Couples

PSYCH600 Group Psychotherapy

This course provides students with knowledge of the theoretical bases from which to conduct group psychotherapy and the experience to formulate goals, objectives and plans for a psychotherapy group. Students will demonstrate an ability to perceive and describe group dynamics; develop an understanding of the practical issues and problems related to beginning, conducting, and evaluating the group process; demonstrate an ethical foundation and awareness of professional issues; and demonstrate an awareness of self as a group leader

PSYCH607 Advanced Seminar in Culture & Psychotherapy

PSYCH651 Buddhist Psychology & Addiction

Examines the theories, etiology, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of alcohol and substance use disorders and addiction through the lenses of resiliency, recovery, medical, and Buddhist psychology models, with special attention to co-occurring disorders.

PSYCH699B Comprehensive Exam

Congratulations! You have reached the final milestone in your journey to become a licensed professional in the field of Behavioral Science. 

Your Comprehensive Exam (Comps) is a testimony to your education, training, and experience you have acquired in our MA-MFT Program at UWest. We are confident that the comps not only validates the efficacy of our training and your dedication, but it also prepares you for the BBS-LMFT licensure examination that you will undertake in the near future. 

The comps contains 180 questions and it covers the following areas it their respective percentages:

Clinical Evaluation 27%

Developing a Diagnostic Impression 11%

Managing Crisis Situations 11%

Case Conceptualization and Planning 12%

Treatment 29% 

Managing Legal and Ethical Obligations 10%

You will need to obtain answer correctly 80% of 180 questions, or 144 questions, to pass the comps. 

To ensure the efficaciousness of this process and the success of passing this exam, we have prepared three (3) practice exams this semester before you take your final exam in April 2025. These practice exams will be held in February, March, and early April 2025 (refer to Course Schedule for details). Each exam has 50 practice questions and needs to be completed in one hour. 

All exams are conducted online and timed. If missed, the practice exams cannot be rescheduled. The final exam will be conducted in the Computer Lab on campus (2nd Floor, ED Building) on April 24, 2025. The total time allowed to take the exam is two (2) hours. If a retake is necessary, the second and final date for taking the comps in Spring 2025 is May 8, 2025. 

Go well!

PSYCH710/712 Practicum

Hands-on clinical experience with a focus on multicultural psychotherapy theory and related interventions. Students develop personal and professional skills through individual and/or group supervision at their practicum site, discussing clinical cases and professional issues in the training seminar, working with clients individually and in groups, and connecting clients to the community. Coursework focuses on clinical group consultation, assessment, case conceptualization, intervention, self-of-the-therapist, and self-care

BUS303 Business Statistics

BUS304 Management Science

BUS306 Business Communications

This course focuses on communication skills in the business setting, including message strategy, effective business writing, presentation skills, verbal and non-verbal components of communication, and small group communication. The course is designed to strengthen written and verbal communication skills within modern organizations; improve individual and organizational communications in the emerging global context of diversity and inclusion in business, non-profits and government; and create practical knowledge of business documentation written in English.

BUS307 Managerial Accounting

Use and interpretation of financial statements; evaluation of accounting information systems; accounting for and analysis of costs; managerial use of accounting data for planning and decision making.

BUS410 Advanced Accounting

Dear Students,

Welcome to the BUS 410 Advanced Accounting class. In this class we will study the concepts & methods used in advanced financial accounting, such as Investments, Business Combinations, Partnerships, Governmental and Not-For-Profit Accounting, with emphasis on the use of financial information for internal decision making. The emphasis is also placed on case studies and research where students will identify the effect of current and emerging reporting trends, conduct research, weigh relevant factors, make informed decisions, and discuss their positions on the cases.

I wish you interesting study time!

Professor Sahakyan
BUS 413

BUS430 Digital Marketing

BUS454 International Business Law

BUS470 Business Philosophy & Ethics

Reviews relevant philosophies; discusses ethics from different religious perspectives, particularly humanistic Buddhism, & emphasizes how such philosophy & ethics can be effectively used in modern organizations & management.

Why This is Important?

How can you be an ethical corporate citizen in an increasingly complex, multiple-stakeholder world?

This is the most pressing question facing businesses today, small and large, local and global. Business Ethics is a thorough yet accessible exploration of the main ethical theories and how these apply to the major stakeholders facing this question.

BMIN608 Research Methods II

BMIN620 Engaged Compassion

This course examines aspects of suffering, social engagement, spiritual maturity and leading from within, through a developed meditation practice, ritualized life, awareness of conditioning, perspective taking, and spiritual bypass as seen in traditional and contemporary texts.

BMIN620C Engaged Compassion

This course examines aspects of suffering, social engagement, spiritual maturity and leading from within, through a developed meditation practice, ritualized life, awareness of conditioning, perspective taking, and spiritual bypass as seen in traditional and contemporary texts.

MDIV530 Interfaith Rituals for Chaplaincy

MDIV565 Buddhist Homiletics: Writing & Giving Dharma Talks

Introduces the art of writing & giving dharma talks. Students identify styles & methods to help them in their own homiletic work while exploring how to relate the professional imperatives of chaplaincy with the imperatives of a Buddhist faith.

MDIV645 Spiritual Care & Counseling

This course introduces students to the theories and practices of spiritual care and counseling in the field of professional chaplaincy. 

MDIV 655 Spiritual Formation for Buddhist Chaplains MASBC

This course examines the ways influential thinkers have understood stages of transformation in spiritual development. Students explore the ways in which significant works may deepen their own personal practice as well as their approach to chaplaincy.

MDIV670 Spiritual Leadership

Spiritual Leadership for chaplaincy. Leadership strengths and challenges. Ethical Leadership. Leadership in Trauma. Leadership - planning for the future.

MDIV670C Spiritual Leadership MABSC

Spiritual Leadership for chaplaincy. Leadership strengths and challenges. Ethical Leadership. Leadership in Trauma. Leadership - planning for the future.

BMIN-REL698B Dissertation Writing

A seminar focused on the development and writing of the Applied Dissertation Project (BMIN) and PhD dissertation (REL).

REL511Theravada Abhidhamma

Course Rationale

Throughout the history of development of Buddhist philosophy and scholaticism, the Abhidharma (Pāli: Abhidhamma) collection of texts sits at the center stage among the Three Baskets (Tripiṭaka) claimed to preserve the deepest terrains of the Buddha’s wisdom. As one of the earliest Abhidharma traditions, the Theravada (Pāli) Abhidhamma aims at comprehensively articulating and analyzing experiential realities and doctrinal points [Dharmā (Pāli: Dhammā)], offering a most systematic, fine-tuning guide for mastering Buddhist philosophy and meditation practice (mental cultivation, bhāvanā) toward liberative insight and realizing the ultimate freedom, the unconditioned Nirvana (Pāḷi: Nibbāna) element.  In modern times the Abhidharma philosophy has increasingly been recognized as carrying principal constituents of Buddhist psychophilosophy in light of its exhaustive system of analysis of the mentality-materiality (nāma-rūpa) operated hand-in-hand with the underlying conception/perception of reality shaped within the framework of conditionality and selflessness.

It was based on these over two millennia Abhidhamma texts that fueled the revitalization of mindfulness cum insight (Vipassanā) meditation in Burma in the early 20th century. And through the skillful adaptation and popularization by Jon Kabat-Zinn and others in the last three decades, an adapted mindfulness-insight meditation technique has gradually developed and grown into an array of specific mindfulness-based therapies. Today mindfulness-insight meditation has been used in various physical and mental health conditions with voluminous scientific findings backing up their potential benefit.  

Body CS'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Despite this, the invaluable inheritance of Theravada Abhidhamma can indeed do much more than being simply a therapeutic domain. It provides a logical premise of ethical living, and a thoroughly practical guideline of applying discriminative wisdom to living skillfully that ultimately lands in happiness here and now, and hereafter.  For that, a good grasp of important Abhidhamma concepts is crucial.  It’s with this aim that this course is introduced and offered at UWest.

REL520 Religions of India

REL530C Topics in Buddhist Studies: Buddhist Meditation

This class is a survey of the doctrinal contexts, theoretical frameworks, and the practice of and approaches to early Buddhist meditation. The course will contain both the emic/practitioner’s perspective as well as the study of meditation as an academic discipline.

Topics to be covered and discussed in this course include (primarily presented in this order): The etymology of meditation; the soteriology of Buddhist meditation; The dynamics of Calm and Insight (śamatha-vipaśyanā); the role of concentration and the nature of attention; mindfulness, clear comprehension, ardency, and other requisites in the culture of Buddhist mental development; meditative absorption/immersion/composure (jhāna); the controversies over jhāna and other aspects of meditation; stages of insight and the supramundane fruitions; eidetic and “antidotal” meditations; and new horizons in the study of meditation and consciousness.

REL607 Research Methods

REL622 Developments in Buddhist Philosophy

REL622C Developments in Buddhist Philosophy

REL641 Topics in Buddhist Studies: Maritime Buddhism

REL645 Seminar: Regional Buddhist Traditions: Tibetan Buddhism

REL655 Perspectives in the Study of Chan/Zen Buddhism

REL670 Spread of Buddhism to Central Asia & China

REL698A Dissertation Proposal

SNSK500B First Year Sanskrit II

MBA517 Investment & Portfolio Management

MBA507 Managerial Economics

MBA515 Corporate Finance

MBA526 Risk Management & Insurance

MBA530 Marketing

MBA549 Artificial Intelligence and its Applications

This course examines artificial intelligence as a transformative business technology that reshapes prediction, decision-making, and organizational design. Rather than focusing on technical implementation, the course emphasizes how AI lowers the cost of prediction and how this shift changes judgment, workflows, job roles, and competitive strategy across industries. Students will analyze real-world business applications of AI, evaluate managerial and ethical implications, and develop frameworks for responsible adoption and strategic use. The course equips future business leaders with the conceptual tools needed to understand where AI creates value, how it alters decision processes, and how organizations can integrate AI in ways that enhance human judgment rather than replace it.

MBA550 International Business

MBA572 Data Structure & Database Management

MBA580 Capstone: Strategic Management

Welcome to the real world of business! This class is about what it takes for organizations, businesses and executives to be successful in our ever-changing and increasingly competitive world. It challenges you to think strategically about complex organizational problems and find creative and imaginative solutions to deal with an unpredictable environment and get ahead of the competition. Whether you aspire to be an effective manager, leader, CEO or billionaire entrepreneur, this class will show you how to get there!

MBA590 Internship

EPM601 Proseminar on the Study of Traditional East Asian Religions

MGT608 Global Business Philosophy and Ethics

EPM602 Research Methods-Qualitative Analysis

WEXP599 Advanced Work Experience

BMIN698A Dissertation Proposal

BMIN600 | REL600

BMIN698B | REL698B Dissertation Writing

A seminar focused on the development and writing of the PhD/DBMin dissertation.

BMIN607/PSYCH501

BMIN610 Ethics in Buddhist Ministry

BMIN710 Research Training

All courses

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