This is an archive of the 2020-2021 University Catalog.
To access the most recent version, please visit catalog.csun.edu.

This is an archive of the 2020-2021 University Catalog.
To access the most recent version, please visit catalog.csun.edu.

UNIVERSITY CATALOG: 2020-2021

Courses

QS 113A. Approaches to University Writing A (3)

Prerequisite: Placement in a supported GE subarea A2 Written Communication course. Corequisite: UNIV 061. Expository prose writing with a focus on both content and form. Specific emphases include the exercise of logical thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational strategies, and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes instruction on diction, syntax and grammar, as well as the elements of prose style. Students receive credit for only one course chosen from AAS 113AAFRS 113ACAS 113ACHS 113AENGL 113A, LING 113A or QS 113A. Students also are required to enroll in UNIV 061 (1 credit) or equivalent. Individual tutoring is available through the Learning Resource Center.

QS 113B. Approaches to University Writing B (3)

Prerequisite: Successful completion of 113A. Corequisite: UNIV 062. Expository prose writing, with a focus on both content and form. Specific emphases include the exercise of logical thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational strategies, and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes instruction on diction, syntax and grammar, as well as the elements of prose style. Students receive credit for only one course chosen from AAS 113BAFRS 113BCAS 113BCHS 113BENGL 113B, LING 113B or QS 113B. Students also are required to enroll in UNIV 062 (1 credit) or equivalent. Individual tutoring is available through the Learning Resource Center. (Available for General Education, Basic Skills A2 Written Communication.) (IC)

QS 114A. Approaches to University Writing A (3)

Prerequisite: Placement in a supported GE subarea A2 Written Communication course. Expository prose writing, with a focus on both content and form. Specific emphases include the exercise of logical thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational strategies, and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes instruction on diction, syntax and grammar, as well as the elements of prose style. Students receive credit for only one course chosen from AAS 114AAFRS 114ACAS 114ACHS 114AENGL 114A or QS 114A. Individual tutoring is available through the Learning Resource Center.

QS 114B. Approaches to University Writing B (3)

Prerequisite: Successful completion of 114A. Expository prose writing, with a focus on both content and form. Specific emphases include the exercise of logical thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational strategies, and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes instruction on diction, syntax and grammar, as well as the elements of prose style. Students receive credit for only one course chosen from AAS 114BAFRS 114BCAS 114BCHS 114BENGL 114B or QS 114B. Individual tutoring is available through the Learning Resource Center. (Available for General Education, Basic Skills A2 Written Communication.) (IC)

QS 115. Approaches to University Writing (3)

Prerequisite: Multiple Measures Placement in GE-level writing. Expository prose writing, with a focus on both content and form. Specific emphases include the exercise of logical thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational strategies, and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes instruction on diction, syntax and grammar, as well as the elements of prose style. Students receive credit for only one course chosen from AAS 115AFRS 115CAS 115CHS 115ENGL 115 or QS 115. Individual tutoring is available through the Learning Resource Center. (Available for General Education, Basic Skills A2 Written Communication.) (IC)

QS 204. Queer Identity: Pop Music and Its Audience (3)

This course analyzes queer identity and its relation to pop music, focusing primarily on explicit representations of LGBTQ themes, experiences, characters, and communities in pop music. Course themes include positive images, creation of alternative space, AIDS, coming out, celebrity, and the gay audience. Through close readings of queer theory and criticism, we will analyze the phenomenon of queer music by exploring the contested relationships between spectator and text, identity and commodity, realism and fantasy, activism and entertainment, desire and politics.

QS 208. Issues in Queer Health (3)

Issues in Queer Health explores and analyzes various health and illness topics affecting individuals and communities in non-normative and non-heterosexist positions in society. We explore experiences in health and illness through an interdisciplinary approach to navigate critical constructs of identity, gender, and sexuality. Through this course, we examine the intersection of non-normative communities with health status, health disparities, the health care system, and medicine, with a focus on the U.S., but also including a diversity of geographic contexts. (Available for General Education, F Comparative Cultural Studies.)

QS 301. Perspectives in Queer Studies (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course introduces students to the current theories and histories in queer studies, including such closely related fields as transgender studies. The course also introduces students to the scope of queer studies, to scholarly, community-based and activist resources, and to the varied interdisciplinary, methodological and theoretical paradigms in the field. (Available for General Education, F Comparative Cultural Studies.)

QS 302. L.A. in Transit: Communities, Organizations and Politics (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course provides students with a broad understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersexed and queer communities, organizations and politics in Los Angeles, with attention to how these are shaped by nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, class and other identifications. (Available for General Education, E Lifelong Learning.) (IC)

QS 304. Queering the Screen, Queering the Spectator (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course analyzes queer film and media since the 1970s, focusing primarily on explicit representations of LGBTQ characters and communities in cinema, television, and cyberculture. Themes include positive images, AIDS, coming out, celebrity, and the gay market. Through close readings of queer theory and criticism, we will analyze the contested relationships between spectator and text, identity and commodity, realism and fantasy, activism and entertainment, desire and politics. (Available for General Education, F Comparative Cultural Studies.)

QS 305. Queer Identity: Analyzing and Writing Fanfiction (3)

This class will survey the history and significance of queer fanfiction, from the early 1990s to the present, and examine a range of queer fan cultures and practices. Through an examination of the discourses of both pathology and empowerment that circulate around the cultural conception of the “queer fan,” this course will consider contemporary debates around fan labor and the commodification of queer fan culture. In addition to critically analyzing queer fans’ transformative works, students will mobilize course concepts to produce and theorize fan texts of their own.

QS 369. The Nature of Queer (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course introduces students to the biology of sex, gender, and sexual orientation. Students will gain an understanding of the biological determinants of sex, including the role of specific genes on human development and how hormones influence gross anatomy as well as brain development. Students will learn how to critically assess scientific literature and how the scientific method can be used to address issues of sex and gender. The biological evolution of sex from asexual to sexual reproduction will be discussed and students will be exposed to current hypotheses of the biological basis of sexual orientation. (Available for General Education, B5 Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning.)

QS 401A-Z. Advanced Topics in Queer Studies (3)

Intensive study of selected topics in queer studies, such as queer theory, transgender theory, queer issues in education, queer popular culture, the queer diaspora and the globalization and medicalization of sex and gender. Topics change from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit with instructor’s consent.

QS 490. Queer Studies Senior Capstone (3)

Students develop and complete theoretically informed individualized research projects in queer studies in a structured setting. The project will include peer and instructor feedback and guidance on selecting an appropriate topic; conducting research, drafting and revising the project; and presenting the completed project. Course may be offered online or in a classroom setting.

QS 499. Queer Studies Independent Study (3)

Queer Studies independent study is for advanced students who are interested in working on an independent project with a faculty sponsor. The student needs to complete an Independent Study Form with the approval signature from the faculty sponsor and the Queer Studies Coordinator.