Liberal Studies

Program Description

The Liberal Studies Program is a broad undergraduate liberal arts major leading to the B.A. degree. It is an interdisciplinary major with a balance of studies in the language arts, natural sciences, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, visual arts and performing arts. Courses are drawn from various academic departments throughout the University. The Liberal Studies major can provide a general liberal arts degree.

Program Requirements

Core Courses (33-35 units)

1. The Global Humanities (3 units)

HUM 101 Forms and Ideas in Humanities (3)

2. Philosophy and Culture (3 units)

Select one course from:

CHS 111 The Chicana/o and the Arts (3)
HUM 105 Cultural Eras in Humanities I (3)
LING 200 (How) Language Matters (3)*
PHIL 150 Introduction to Philosophical Thought (3)
PHIL 202 Modern Philosophy (3)
RS 150 World Religions (3)

*Not for Track G, Essential Knowledges for the Global Workplace.

3. Social Science (3 units)

Select one course from:

ANTH 150 The Human Adventure: Introduction to Anthropology (3)
ECON 175 Introduction to U.S. Economic History (3)
HIST 111 World History Since 1500 (3)
POLS 225 Elements of International Relations (3)
PSY 150 Introduction to Psychology (3)
SOC 150 Introductory Sociology (3)

4. Languages Other than English (3-4 units)

Select one course from:

ARMN 101 Elementary Armenian I (3)
CHIN 101 Elementary Mandarin Chinese I (4)
CLAS 101G Elementary Greek I (3)
CLAS 101L Elementary Latin I (3)
DEAF 160 American Sign Language I (4)
FREN 101/C Elementary French I (4)
GERM 101/C Elementary German I (3)
HEBR 101/C Elementary Hebrew I (4)
ITAL 101/C Elementary Italian I (4)
JAPN 101/C Elementary Japanese I (3/1)
KOR 101/C Elementary Korean I (4)
LING 200 (How) Language Matters (3)**
RUSS 101/C Elementary Russian I (4)
SPAN 101/C Elementary Spanish I and Lab (3/1)

**Only for Track G, Essential Knowledges for the Global Workplace.

5. Literature (3 units)

Select one course from:

AAS 321 Asian American Fiction (3)
AFRS 344 Literature of the Caribbean and African Experience (3)
AFRS 346 Contemporary Black Female Writers (3)
CAS 421 Central American Literature Seminar (3)
CHS 380 Chicana/o Literature (3)
CHS 381 Contemporary Chicana Literature (3)
ENGL 300 Contemporary Literature (3)
ENGL 311 History of African-American Writing (3)
ENGL 316 Shakespeare (3)
ENGL 364 The Short Story (3)
FLIT 331 Literary Masterpieces of Italian Humanism and Renaissance Literature (3)
RS 310 Religion and Literature (3)

6. Cultural Studies (3 units)

Select one course from:

AAS 345 Contemporary Issues in Asian American Studies (3)
AAS 430 Asian American Popular Culture (3)
AFRS 300 Contemporary Issues in the African-American Community (3)
>AFRS 368 Politics of Hip Hop (3)
AIS 301 First Peoples and Popular Culture (3)
ANTH 315 Third World Cultures (3)
CAS 303 Central American Film (3)
COMS 356 Intercultural Communication (3)
ENGL 312 Literature and Film (3)
ENGL 313 Studies in Popular Culture (3)
ENGL 333 Comics and Graphic Novels (3)
ENGL 430 Literature and the Visual Arts (3)
ENGL 455 Literacy, Rhetoric and Culture (3)
GWS 340 Women, Gender and Global Development (3)
GWS 350 Gender, Race, Class and Sexuality (3)
GWS 410 Sex, Lies and Media (3)
QS 302 L.A. in Transit: Communities, Organizations and Politics (3)
RS 378 American Jewish Experience (3)

7. Intermediate/Advanced Writing (3 units)

Select one course from:

AFRS 350 Advanced Writing (3)
ENGL 205 Business Communication in Its Rhetorical Contexts (3)**
ENGL 305 Intermediate Expository Writing (3)
ENGL 406 Advanced Expository Writing for Teachers (3)

**Only for Track G, Essential Knowledges for the Global Workplace.

8. The Environment (3 units)

Select one course from:

CAS 355 Environment, Development and Social Exclusion in Central America (3)
GEOG 316/L Environmental Geography (3)
RTM 351 Outdoor and Environmental Education (3)
SUST 300 Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Sustainability (3)
URBS 310 Growth and Sustainable Development of Cities (3)
URBS 350 Cities of the Developing World (3)**

**Only for Track G, Essential Knowledges for the Global Workplace.

9. Science, Technology Culture (3-4 units)

Select one course from:

ASTR 352 Current Developments in Astronomy (3)
BIOL 362/L Genetics and Society Lab (3/1)
COMP 300 Computer Fluency (3)
EOH 353 Global Perspective of Environmental Health (3)
GEOL 300 Environmental Geology (3)
HSCI 345 Public Health Issues (3)
PHIL 325 Philosophy and Biology (3)
PHIL 330 Philosophy of Science (3)
PHYS 305/L Physics of Music and Laboratory (3/1)

10. Ethics (3 units)

Select one course from:

GWS 360 Feminist Ethics (3)
JS 318 Applied Jewish Ethics (3)
PHIL 349 Contemporary Social and Political Issues (3)
RS 301 Religious Ethics: History and Interpretation (3)

11. Cultural Theories and Methodologies (3 Units)

Select one course from:

HUM 391 Cultural Theories and Methodologies (3)

Track A: The Humanities (21 units)

Prerequisite: Take HUM 105 in the Core.

12. Human Thought and Culture (3 units)

HUM 106 Cultural Eras in Humanities II (3)

13. The Arts I (3 units)

Select one course from:

ART 110 World Arts: The Western Tradition (3)
ART 112 World Arts: Africa, Oceania and the Americas (3)
ART 114 World Arts: Asia (3)
KIN 236/L Introduction to Choreography and Lab (2/1)
MUS 105 Understanding Music (3)
TH 110 Introduction to Theatre: Text/Drama/Performance (3)

14. The Arts II (3 units)

Select one course from:

ART 305 Art Today (3)
ART 315 World Perspectives in Art History (3)
KIN 380/L Perspectives of Dance and Lab (2/1)
KIN 428 Aesthetics of Human Movement (3)
MUS 307 Music from a Global Perspective (3)
MUS 309 Traditional Music of the U.S. (3)
MUS 310 Understanding World Cultures Through Music (3)
TH 310 Theatre in Performance (3)
TH 315 World Drama (3)

15. Intellectual History (3 units)

Select one course from:

ENGL 436 Major Critical Theories (3)
ENGL 438 Critical Approaches to Literature (3)
HIST 303 Themes in Western Civilization Before 1500 (3)
HIST 304 Themes in Western Civilization After 1500 (3)
JS 300 Ancient and Medieval Jewish Arts and Literature (3)
SPAN 307 Introduction to the Analysis of Hispanic Literature (3)

16. Cultural Studies (3 units)

Select one course from:

AAS 347 Asian American Politics and the Law (3)
AIS 401 Contemporary American Indian Social Issues (3)
ANTH 468 Cultural Heritage (3)
CAS 350 Urbanization in Central America (3)
CHS 453 Theory and the Chicana/o Experience (3)
GWS 315 Gender, Sexuality and Islam in the U.S. (3)

17. Cultural Theory (3 units)

Select one course from:

AFRS 386 African-American Philosophical Thought (3)
CHS 351 Survey of Mexican Philosophical Thought (3)
COMS 301 Performance, Language and Cultural Studies (3)
COMS 356 Intercultural Communication (3)
GWS 301 Feminist Theories (3)
GWS 350 Gender, Race, Class and Sexuality (3)
LING 325 Language, Gender, and Identity (3)
PHIL 343 Indian Philosophy (3)
PHIL 344 Chinese Philosophy (3)
RS 356 Contemporary Religious Thought (3)

18. Capstone Seminar (3 units)

HUM 491 Capstone Seminar (3)

Track B: Human Rights

Prerequisite: Take SOC 150 in the Core.

12. Ethics, Moral and Legal Issues (3-4 units)

AAS 347 Asian American Politics and the Law (3)
ANTH 432 Environmental Justice and Health (3)
BLAW 391 Women and the Law (3)
CADV 452 Child Advocacy (3)
GWS 360 Feminist Ethics (3)
PHIL 165 Today’s Moral Issues (3)
PHIL 349 Contemporary Social and Political Issues (3)
PHIL 365 Social and Political Philosophy (4)
RS 361 Contemporary Ethical Issues (3)

13. Human Rights and Social Movements Politics (6 units)

Select two courses from:

AFRS 271 African-American History to 1865 (3)
AFRS 272 African-American History Since 1865 (3)
AFRS 361 African-American Politics (3)
CAS 364 Culture and Violence in Central America (3)
CAS 369 Contemporary Social Movements in Central America (3)
CADV 310 Developmental Impacts of Abuse and Neglect (3)
CHS 420 The Chicana/o in the U.S. Economy (3)
CHS 460 Politics of the Chicana/o (3)
GWS 300 Women as Agents of Change (3)
GWS 350 Gender, Race, Class and Sexuality (3)
POLS 197 Racial and Ethnic Politics (3)

14. Human Rights in Los Angeles (3 units)

Select one course from:

AIS 401 Contemporary American Indian Social Issues (3)
CHS 360 Political Organizations and Social Movements of the Barrio (3)
HIST 380 Los Angeles: Past, Present, Future (3)
POLS 380 Los Angeles: Past, Present, Future (3)
URBS 380 Los Angeles: Past, Present, Future (3)

15. Gender and Sexuality (3 units)

Select one course from:

AAS 340 Asian American Women (3)
AFRS 324 The Black Woman in Contemporary Times (3)
AFRS 325 The Black Man in Contemporary Times (3)
ANTH 308 Gender and Culture (3)
GWS 370 Women and Violence (3)
GWS 380 Sexual and Reproductive Health (3)
GWS 430 Global Sexualities (3)
JS 330 Women in the Jewish Experience (3)
KIN 385 Women in Sport (3)
QS 302 L.A. in Transit: Communities, Organizations and Politics (3)

16. Human Rights in the U.S. (3 units)

Select one course from:

AIS 304 American Indian Law and Policy (3)
CHS 473 The Chicana/o and Social Institutions (3)
GWS 320 Women and Urban Life/Urban Space (3)
HIST 479L History of American Working People (3)
RS 361 Contemporary Ethical Issues (3)
SOC 390 Race Relations (3)
URBS 425 Social Policy, Environmental Justice and the City (3)

17. Human Rights in the Global Context (3 units)

Select one course from:

CAS 355 Environment, Development and Social Exclusion in Central America (3)
CAS 366 Contemporary Indigenous Peoples of Central America (3)
EOH 353 Global Perspective of Environmental Health (3)
GWS 340 Women, Gender and Global Development (3)

Track C: Sustainability (21 units)

Prerequisite: Take SUST 300 in the Core.

12. Best Practices in Sustainability (3 units)

SUST 310 Best Practices in Sustainability (3)

13. The Scientific Basis of Human-Ecosystems Interactions (3 units)

Select one course from:

BIOL 327 Ecology and People (3)
EOH 356A Environmental Health I (3)
GEOG 316/L Environmental Geography and Lab (3/1)
GEOG 416 Global Warming (3)
GEOG 444 Conservation (3)
GEOG 459 Environmental Impact Studies (3)

14. Society and the Environment (3 units)

Select one course from:

ANTH 346 Urban Anthropology (3)
ANTH 430 Ecological Anthropology (3)
CAS 355 Environment, Development and Social Exclusion in Central America (3)
EOH 353 Global Perspectives of Environmental Health (3)
JS 151 Natural Environment of Judaism (3)
RS 370 Religion and Ecology (3)
RTM 251 Recreation and the Natural Environment (3)
RTM 351 Outdoor and Environmental Education (3)
RTM 496ST Principles of Sustainable Tourism (3)
SOC 350 Population Dynamics (3)
URBS 150 Discover the City (3)
URBS 310 Growth and Sustainable Development of Cities (3)
URBS 400 Planning for the Natural and Built Environment (3)

15. Environmental Economics (3 units)

Select one course from:

ECON 300 Economic Principles and Problems (3)
ECON 360 Environmental Economics (3)

16. Policy, Law and the Environment (3 units)

Select one course from:

BLAW 481 Real Estate Law (3)
EOH 352 Environmental Health Policy, Law and Administration (3)
EOH 454 Environmental Health Law (3)
POLS 461 Environmental Policy (3)
POLS 464 Comparative Public Policy (3)

17. Elective Class from Sustainability Minor Elective List (3 units)

Select one course from the list of courses approved for the Sustainability minor.

18. Applied Sustainability (3 units)

SUST 401 Applied Sustainability (3)

Track D: Russian Studies (22 units)

Prerequisite: Take RUSS 101 in the Core.

12. Russian II (4 units)

RUSS 102 Elementary Russian II and Lab (4)

13. Intermediate Russian (3 units)

RUSS 201 Intermediate Russian (3)

14. Conversation, Reading (3 units)

Select one course from:

RUSS 200 Beginning Russian Conversation (3)
RUSS 202 Intermediate Russian Reading (3)

15. Composition, Conversation, Translation (3 units)

Select one course from:

RUSS 308 Translating and Interpreting (3)
RUSS 310 Composition and Conversation I (3)

16. Literature and Culture (6 units)

Select two courses from:

FLIT 380 Cultural Development of Modern Russia and Eastern Europe (3)
FLIT 485 Major Russian Writers (3)
RUSS 380 Russian Civilization (3)
RUSS 390 Russian Folklore: Slavic Myths and Traditions (3)

17. History (3 units)

Select one course from:

HIST 449 Russia to 1917 (3)
HIST 450 Russia Since 1917 (3)

Track E: China Studies (22 units)

Prerequisite: Take CHIN 101 in the Core.

12. Elementary Mandarin II (4 units)

CHIN 102 Elementary Mandarin Chinese II (4)>

13. Intermediate Mandarin Chinese I (3 units)

CHIN 201 Intermediate Mandarin Chinese I (3)

14. Intermediate Mandarin Chinese II (3 units)

CHIN 202 Intermediate Mandarin Chinese II (3)

15. Philosophy, Religion and Art (3 units)

Select one course from:

ART 413 History of Chinese Art (3)
PHIL 344 Chinese Philosophy (3)
RS 390 Buddhism (3)

16. History and Geography (6 units)

Select two courses from:

GEOG 324 China (3)
HIST 490 Traditional China (3)
HIST 491A Modern China (3)
HIST 491B The Rise of Communist China (3)

17. Politics and Society (3 units)

Select one course from:

POLS 435A Government and Politics of China (3)
SOC 333 Chinese Society (3)

Track F: Interdisciplinary Specialization or Minor (21 units)

With prior approval of a Liberal Studies advisor, students complete a 21-unit interdisciplinary specialization.

Track G: Essential Knowledges for the Global Workplace (21 units)

Notice: Admission to Track G: Essential Knowledges for the Global Workplace is suspended.

12. The American Enterprise System (3 units)

BUS 104 Introduction to Business (3)

13. Quantitative Literacy (3 units)

MATH 131 Mathematical Ideas (3)

14. Critical Thinking (3 units)

PHIL 200 Critical Reasoning (3)

15. Cultural Literacy (3 units)

LRS 402 Cultural Literacies in Career Contexts (3)

16. Communication Competency (6 units)

COMS 443 Rhetoric of Business (3)
ENGL 407 Composition and the Professions (3)

17. Information Literacy (3 units)

LRS 401 Research in the Digital Age for Professionals (3)