The Data Renaissance delves into the complexities of data's role in various industries and its broader impact on society. It highlights the challenges in investigating data practices, citing examples like TikTok, where algorithms and data handling are closely guarded secrets. The content, contributed by students under the guidance of an expert, covers a wide range of topics, including the ethical aspects of generative AI in education and the workplace, and case studies reflecting real-world experiences. This evolving text, intended to be updated with each class, serves as a dynamic resource for educators and students alike, offering insights and discussion guides for an in-depth understanding of the ever-changing landscape of data in our digital age.

This is a suggested course syllabus for a 100-level introductory ethics course. I have focused primarily on primary source readings when possible, and using secondary or summary readings to supplement students' understanding of the primary sources. The only exception to this general rule, however, is the readings for Immanuel Kant, as his writings are far more dense and technical, and can be very difficult for the average undergraduate to parse through. For this reason I have included only secondary and summary readings for Kant's ethics. The suggested syllabus is formatted on the assumption that the readings are primarily a springboard for class discussion, and for each week's selections I have included suggested discussion starters which correlate to that week's readings. As I continue to build on and modify this resource I plan to attach some of my Google Slides for each section, as well as editable Mid Term and Final materials, so feel free to contact me about those or simply check back.

The open resources that I drew from each have additional selections which I chose not include but may be of interest to others, particularly "Introduction to Ethics" from Lumen Learning which contains various chapters exploring specific ethical dilemmas. So I encourage anyone who finds my course helpful to explore these other resources to see what else you may want to include for your students. Below are the various open sources I relied on to create this course.

Lumen Learning, "Introduction to Ethics," CC Licensed Content, Original, License: CC BY: Attribution.

Dimmock, Mark, and Andrew Fisher. Ethics for A-Level. 1st ed., Open Book Publishers, 2017. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1wc7r6j.

Jeff McLaughlin, "The Originals: Classic Readings in Western Philosophy," CC Licensed Content, License: CC BY: Attribution.

https://www.earlymoderntexts.com, operated Jonathan Bennett.

This textbook, Heritages of Change: Curatorial Activism and First-Year Writing, includes principles of writing and information literacy through the lenses of curatorial activism, cultural heritage, and curation/exhibition. Heritage topics that students are introduced to include (but are not limited to): anti-racism, #MeToo, indigenous peoples, women/gender/LGBTQIA+, climate change, etc. They gain a broader understanding of cultural heritage and heritages of change, particularly disability heritage, in general in order to apply the concepts through their writing. This textbook presents these topics, but more specifically how to communicate about and research them.

In first-year writing courses, it can often feel that we practice writing and research in a vacuum. Writing is about communication, and, if we do not feel that we have an audience, then it can seem like our writing has no purpose (even though practice of any kind will help us develop these skills). Heritages of Change: Curatorial Activism and First-Year Writing is a method for students to think about the social changes that were prevalent during the COVID years and remain important in their wake. Heritages of Change is a lens for thinking and writing about these ideas. Through curation and exhibition as an act of activism, students focus on a specific audience with whom they can communicate authentically about this dynamic world.

"Introduction to Communication and Media Studies" is an in-depth exploration of how communication shapes our world. This book traces the historical evolution of media, from the early days of the printing press to today’s digital age, examining key developments such as the telegraph, radio, television, and the internet. It also covers critical theories that explain media’s impact on society, including the effects of advertising, the role of public relations, and the emergence of social media as a powerful force in modern communication. Chapters on media literacy, critical thinking, and rhetorical analysis help students develop critical skills for understanding and analyzing media messages.

Most of you come into this class asking yourself, “What is sociology?” Good question, I found myself asking that same question in high school during my first sociology class. In short, sociology is the study of society. I define sociology as seeing society from a view point other than your own. In a society where we stress individualism more and more every day, this becomes more difficult to understand or contemplate. Through this class, students will learn to see society through a set of different eyes. Students will see how social theory and research shape the decisions we make, the social change we desire, and the social constructs around us.

Sociology enables us to make observations and insights into the social world. Our aim in this course is to develop a sociological perspective by addressing a series of broad questions regarding the society we inhabit. We will work together throughout the semester to analyze and develop a deeper understanding of the social world through the lens of sociological inquiry. Along the way, you will become familiar with the substantive topics within the field of sociology. We will also begin to develop critical thinking skills with a focus of application to the real world and current events.

Pedagogy: This class is web-enhanced and therefore has substantial online content. To encourage participation and increase ease of access for the maximum number of students, participants can complete assignments online instead of physically attending class without any negative repercussions.

This course provides the student with an understanding of the theories, methods, and approaches to the study of human social and group interactions. It emphasizes the development of sociological thought and the influences of social institutions and cultural factors on human behavior. Among subjects covered are: culture, groups, socialization, methodology, deviance and social inequalities.

This textbook introduces key feminist concepts and analytical frameworks used in the interdisciplinary Women, Gender, Sexualities field. It unpacks the social construction of knowledge and categories of difference, processes and structures of power and inequality, with a focus on gendered labor in the global economy, and the historical development of feminist social movements. The book emphasizes feminist sociological approaches to analyzing structures of power, drawing heavily from empirical feminist research.

This is an introductory course in Microeconomics. This course aims to introduce students to the basic concepts of microeconomics such as scarcity and choice, and their influences in the decision-making process of individual consumers, firms, and governmental entities. Economics involves all types of decisions. This class will help you understand how different actors, business, households, non-profits and government institutions act. You will realize that this class helps you to put in economic terms the many daily decisions you make about how you allocate your resources. You choose daily what products to buy, businesses decide what products they produce and how many and what services they offer. This class will give you the structure you will need to make decisions more rationally, improving the way you utilize the limited resources that you have at hand.

As part of the Worcester State University OER initiative in Spring 2017, Dr. Elizabeth Osborne created and translated course materials for her SP 322, Advanced Spanish Composition II, course. Materials have been divided into peer review (revisión por pares) handouts, close reading activities (actividades de lectura detallada) and other miscellaneous materials. The materials included here are by no means exhaustive, but they serve as a starting point to making education affordable and to filling the gap in Spanish-language OER for upper division courses.

This compilation gathers OER sources on body weight, nutrition, and movement, and it also problematizes the cultural meaning of these readings. Roughly, this anthology is divided into two parts--informational and theoretical--in depicting how medical research and journalism influence and are influenced by social stereotypes, constructed ideas about bodies, food, and individual choices within social systems.

Shared Voices is a student-centered cultural anthropology mini textbook built with an equity lens. We are excited to share this with you all. This book attempts to address the lack of current, reliable, and relevant resources for introductory anthropology courses that center equity and anti-racism.

We set out to create a culturally responsive and inclusive textbook with an anti-racist and global citizenry perspective. We center marginalized voices, stories, and community. This text is a starting point for any introductory anthropology course recognizing that cultural change is constant and the familiar is cousin to the weird and unusual. A work in progress, this text aims to provide students an opportunity to build content as they explore the topics within.

Given the high prevalence of disability worldwide, the status of disabled people remains an area of concern for practitioners who seek to respectfully engage with a stigmatized and often oppressed population. The book encourages practitioners to draw on intersectionality theory, the critical cultural competence framework and anti-oppressive practice approaches to contend with the concerns facing disabled people today. These issues include parenting, mass incarceration, ableism, aging and employment, among others. This title acknowledges difference and multisystemic privilege and oppression while also drawing readers’ attention to the importance of solidarity and allyship when it comes to meaningful social work practice with and social change for disabled people.

Why Do I Have to Take This Course? A Guide to General Education helps students think about why they take General Education courses and what significance they have, individually and as a program as a whole. It allows students the time to contemplate connections, the potential reasons for developing certain learning outcomes and skills, and the applications to other courses as well as their professional and personal lives. General education is viewed through the lens of what John Lewis called "good, necessary trouble," expanding on how the liberal arts and sciences contribute to understanding and creating change in the world. Sections include stories, research, testimonies and reflections about student success, links to further readings, and activities.

Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies textbook with primary source readings. This resource was supported by funding from the OER Creator Program at UMass Dartmouth.