Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of Asian American fiction written by Americans of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, South Asian and Southeast Asian ancestry. Regular writing assignments required. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (E.S.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examines African film and literature from an African cultural and historical lens. Establishes art as a critical tool of African people’s liberation and development through the framework of African agency and empowerment. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (E.S.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examines the literatures of people in Africa and the Caribbean. Establishes the theoretical, historical, cultural and imagistic framework within which that literature operates. Thematic analysis of the literatures with respect to both their comparative experiences and their specifically different backgrounds. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of the sociopolitical contexts and literary techniques of Black women writers. Themes include authors’ struggles to reconcile conflicting identities in a racist and sexist nation; the intertwining of class, gender identity, race, and sexual orientation in identity formation and politics; and how these writers portray Black women who develop and understand alternative ways of knowing and being in order to survive and thrive. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course examines the Black Novel, or more specially novels written by peoples of African descent in America, from the beginning of this genre in 1853 to the present day from an African Centered perspective. Using African/Black culture, the African Worldview, and the Black Aesthetic as our lens for examination; we will define Black Literature and the Black Novel, and explore the presence of truth within this writing style, regardless of its classification as “fiction.” Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (E.S.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Analysis and interpretation of representations of American Indians in popular culture, which may include art, literature, advertising, cinema, television, sports, and music. Examination of the historical, racial, political, and cultural contexts of these representations in various periods of U.S. history, including the present. Promotes critical media literacy. Meets the Lifelong Learning requirement. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (E.S.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of American Indian literatures, which may include traditional oral forms, autobiographies, and contemporary poetry and prose. Students who have taken AIS 314 will not receive credit for AIS 318. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities or CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies. (W.I.) (Cross-listed with ENGL 318.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introduction to the study of folklore from a cross-cultural perspective, including major forms such as folktale, legend, ballad, joke, riddle, proverb and festival, and the theories used to interpret them. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Comparative historical study of Mexican Catholicism and American Protestantism and their influence on Chicanas/os in the U.S. Examination of issues involving church, religion, and politics in Chicana/o communities including analysis of theologies of liberation, faith-based community organizing, and feminist, queer, and indigenous spiritualities. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (E.S.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of the intellectual life of Mexico from its indigenous pre-Colombian roots through the Spanish and European influences up to its own distinctive present-day perspectives and philosophical outlook. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (E.S.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of major Chicana/o writers. Includes an analysis of Chicano novels, short stories, theater and poetry. Students develop analytical skills through class discussions, written assignments and readings. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (E.S.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introduction to the literature produced by contemporary Chicana writers. Reading and discussion of narrative works, poetry and drama, as well as socio-historical criticism, literary theory and biography. Socio-critical and textual analysis. Regular written assignments required. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (E.S.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of lower division writing requirement. Chicano/a/x literary representations of the self will be examined historically and within their own literary and intellectual traditions. Parallel literary works of other ethnic groups will also be explored. The ideas of a lived experience, self-determination and decolonization will be covered as they pertain to a construction of the self in expressions that give voice to solidarity, resistance, liberation and artistic empowerment in a historically marginalized Chicano/a/x community. Critical writing and reading is an integral aspect of this course. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (E.S.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of the myths of Greeks and Romans, and of their impact on the literature of the Western world. Conducted in English. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. The course helps students understand how digital technologies are changing the ways we produce, preserve, share and disseminate knowledge in the humanities. Students will learn about major projects, theories and developments in the field of digital humanities, including text encoding, data analysis, visualization and/or digital archiving. The course emphasizes the flexibility of these concepts and methods for interdisciplinary work with various degrees of engagement with digital tools. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (I.C.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: Upper division standing. Study and analysis of selected major works of fiction, poetry, drama and major authors since approximately the end of World War II in England and America. Critical writing required. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: Upper division standing. Introductory study of representative poems and plays. Attendance at performances and/or films is required. Critical writing required. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of American Indian literature, which may include traditional oral forms, autobiographies, and contemporary poetry and prose. Students who have taken ENGL 314 will not receive credit for ENGL 318. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities or CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies. (W.I.) (Cross-listed with AIS 318.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introduction to the study of historical and/or contemporary portrayals of disability in literature and/or popular culture. Focus on thinking about disability as a rhetorical and cultural phenomenon. Critical thinking and writing are an integral part of the course. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of comics, including comic strips, comic books and graphic novels, from literary and cultural studies perspectives. Emphasis on both history and form, including image-text relationships. Topics also may include fan culture, particular genres of comics and connections between comics and other forms of visual text. Critical writing required. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: Upper division standing. A study of the short story, beginning with careful examination of some classics in the genre, followed by analysis of more contemporary works. Critical writing required. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. No background of Italy or knowledge of the language required. This course offers students an in-depth study of major Italian literary masterpieces (fiction, poetry and drama) and aesthetic theories developed during the period of Humanism and Renaissance (1380-1550). Such a study allows students to appreciate the importance of new literary, spiritual and human values that emerged at that time and the unique role played by Italian Humanism and Renaissance on European literature and civilization. Conducted in English. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course will examine different individuals within the Italian-American experience, exploring their contributions in the fields of cinema, literature, philosophy and classical music, and how through each we see an additional paradigm offered in and to the mainstream artistic and humanistic endeavor in the U.S. Conducted in English. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (I.C.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examines historical and contemporary issues surrounding the diversity of women living in the U.S. and other cultures. Gender, race, socioeconomic class and sexuality are presented as central theoretical concepts and as conditions of experience that affect all women and men, as well as being primary categories of social relations for us all cross-culturally. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities or Area 4 Social Sciences or CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Intended to introduce upper division students to the concepts and unresolved problems that have shaped the development of Western Civilization prior to 1500. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Themes in the institutional, political, socioeconomic and cultural development of Western Civilization since 1500. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This class explores how ancient and medieval Jews expressed themselves in literature, art and architecture, law, music, philosophy and science. It also explores how distinctive Jewish genres, styles and creative processes are related to similar expressions in non-Jewish cultures. Regular written assignments are required. Available for General Education, Area 3A Arts or Area 3B Humanities. (I.C.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of comics, including comic strips, comic books and graphic novels, from literary and cultural studies perspectives. Emphasis on both history and form, including image-text relationships. Topics also may include fan culture, particular genres of comics and connections between comics and other forms of visual text. This section will focus specifically on comics and graphic novels relating to Jewish history and culture. Critical writing required. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Investigation of philosophical concepts and problems relating to and expressed through film and literature. Questions may include: Why do we care about fictional characters? Do fictional characters exist? What is the relation of author to text? Do films have authors? Do creators’ intentions matter when we interpret a film or text? Regular written assignments will be required. Students who have taken PHIL 313 will not receive credit for PHIL 314. Available for General Education, Area 3A Arts or Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Addresses philosophical issues central to the life sciences, with particular attention to the social implications of contemporary biological theories. Topics may include the existence of biological laws, the distinction between natural and social kinds, and the relationship between biology and technology. The course also introduces basic concepts in philosophy of science, such as demarcation, scientific explanation, and the scientific method, which are necessary for examining the above issues. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities or Area 5 Physical and Biological Sciences, Upper Division. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Philosophical investigation of the nature of science and the ideas and practices used within the sciences. Questions may include: What is (a) science, and how does science differ from other disciplines? How do scientists explain and help us understand the world around us? How do they support their conclusions? What is the role of science in society? Should scientists be sensitive to social concerns? Regular written assignments will be required. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of Japanese philosophy, including Shinto, Japanese Confucianism, and Japanese Buddhism, with attention to relationships among Japan’s philosophies, history, and culture. Topics may include Japanese Bushido, Japanese aesthetics, or the presence of the philosophies of Japan in contemporary cultural forms. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities or CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Philosophical examination of conceptual problems posed by religious claims. Questions may include: What is religion? What is distinctive about religious experiences like revelation and religious ecstasy? What is faith? Should we be skeptical about someone’s claims to have performed or experienced miracles? What is evil? Is there an ultimate reality we can relate to, and if so, what is its nature? Regular written assignments will be required. Meets the Lifelong Learning requirement. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Philosophical examination of one or more issues of current public debate. Topics might include social and economic inequality, biotechnology, environmental justice, housing and homelessness, trans rights, or the abolition of prisons and police. Regular written assignments will be required. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (I.C.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of philosophical and literary works of the major existentialist thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries, with the aim of discovering the fundamental tenets of existentialism. Questions might include: What is the meaning of human existence? Is there such a thing as human nature? What is the source of human values? Is death bad? Key thinkers may include Friedrich Nietzsche, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Frantz Fanon, with emphasis on existentialism’s influence on and relevance to contemporary thought. Regular written assignments will be required. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of 19th century European philosophy through analysis of the lives and writings of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Compares their views on issues of central importance to both thinkers, such as: What is the role of the individual in society? What does it mean to lead a meaningful life? What is the relation between science and religion? What is the purpose of existence? Is there such a thing as objective truth? Regular written assignments will be required. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examines the interdisciplinary field of trans studies, tracing ongoing contestation over transgender identities in historical, medical, political, legal, social and cultural contexts. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities or CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examination of feminist and gender theories impacting religious experience, roles, and perspectives in various religious traditions. Students in the course will articulate and employ gender, feminist, and queer methods of analysis to the production of religious knowledge and symbols, and how these shape the life of religious communities and their larger social contexts. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (I.C.) (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. The study of the influence of religious traditions on the formation of American culture and the modification of religious traditions by the American context. Also addresses major American religious thinkers and movements, and religion’s role in shaping American thought, literature and ethos. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course introduces students to the varieties of spiritual experiences in Los Angeles, one of the most religiously diverse cities in the world. Students will explore the unique religious history of Southern California and the many ways Angelenos express, practice, and live religion and spirituality. Alongside examining the impact of demographics on religious traditions, the course introduces students to a variety of academic frameworks to analyze LA’s diversity, with a focus on adaptation and innovative expressions of religiosity and spirituality. Ethnographic research projects throughout the semester will allow students to engage with and experience the great variety of religious and spiritual sites and communities in the City of Angels. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course explores the relationship between religion and literature by looking at how religious themes are represented, interpreted, and critiqued in literary works across different time periods. Students will analyze the ways in which literature serves as a medium for expressing, questioning, and challenging religious ideas, practices, and institutions. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course examines the intersection of religion, sexuality, and gender and its unsettling effects on dominant forms of religious practice and embodiment. Through the lens of gender and queer theories, students will learn how a focus on sexuality and the body can blur the lines between the usual binaries of human/divine, infinite/finite, and male/female and reveals the complexity of human religious practice. Topics may include divine desire, purity culture, religious sexual celibacy, and the body in creation myths. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of selected themes in contemporary religious thought. Topics may include gender and sexuality, religious identity, the role of religion in political debates, climate change and environmental issues, race and colonialism, and other pressing contemporary issues. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course examines the history of atheism in Western history as well as its contemporary forms. Throughout history, many people in the West have claimed identities as atheists in reaction to organized religion and the notion of a transcendental God. In many cases, atheists respond to narrow conceptions of religion as defined by Christian/Western views. At the same time, atheists often embrace various other kinds of religious expressions even as they claim to reject religion. This course examines the ways in which atheism has developed through history in conversation with different philosophical, social, and political ideas. The course also examines the ways that contemporary theories of religion and the cases of Judaism, Islam and other world religions challenge atheism’s narrow conception of religion which is primarily based in Western/Christian understanding. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Emphasizes the development of skills in critical thinking through analysis of such contemporary ethical issues as abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, sexual behavior, racism, gender bias, punishment, animal rights, the environment and the relationships between religion and morality. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course explores how race, power, and religion are connected, especially in the context of colonialism. We’ll focus on how religion influences the main ideas and politics related to race in colonial and post-colonial societies. We’ll look closely at how both religion and race are formed and how they impact the power dynamics that make up colonialism and colonial beliefs. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course examines the intersection of religion and environmental values from a variety of perspectives as students learn how assumptions about religion, race, ethnicity, and class have shaped our ideas about environmentalism. As students learn about environmentalism’s exclusionary history, they will also develop tools for envisioning and supporting a more inclusive and equitable environmental future. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (W.I.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This class is a survey of Western musical theatre history, drama and practices from late 19th century through modern day. Students will analyze the role of musical theatre in the culture of the United States by examining the context of changes and trends in American musical theatre from the 1890s to the present. Students will evaluate American history as it is reflected in musical theatre and the effects of multicultural historical events on the theater. Students will study musical theatre’s elements and structure through the lens of major librettists, composers, lyricists, designers, directors, choreographers, and performers. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities. (I.C.) (W.I.)