Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of Asian American literature from the late 19th century to the present. Introductory study of prose fiction and nonfiction, poetry and drama written by Americans of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Southeast Asian, South Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry. Regular writing assignments required. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (ES)
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, C2 Humanities.) (ES)
Introduction to major African-American authors from 1930 to the present. The work of Richard Wright, Margaret Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, Ralph Ellison, John Killens, James Baldwin and LeRoi Jones are studied, as well as the works of writers who formed the Black Arts Movement that flourished during the 1970s. Focus on understanding the dynamics of African-American life through an analysis of the literature. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (ES)
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, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of selected works by contemporary Black women writers, including Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Ntozake Shange and Maya Angelou. Themes explored include correcting the images, movement from masking to self-revelation, male-female relationships and search for wholeness. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities or F Comparative Cultural Studies.) (Cross-listed with ENGL 318.)
Study of the varieties of religious beliefs, rituals and experiences showing the relationship between people and their society, culture, environment and universe. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities.)
Analysis of literary traditions throughout the history of Central America from pre-Hispanic times to the present. The course will focus on 20th and 21st century literary movements, with the main emphasis placed on the historical and political elements and the ideological proposals of these works. It includes a discussion of the relationship between literary creation and the construction of Central American identity. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (ES)
Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Comprehensive overview of the literary heritage of Mexico from pre-Colombian times to the present. Includes an analysis of its historical, technical and lyrical dimensions and its relationship with other Hispanic literature in order to develop a critical appreciation of literary art. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (ES)
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, C2 Humanities.) (ES)
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, C2 Humanities.) (ES)
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, C2 Humanities.) (ES)
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, C2 Humanities.) (ES)
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, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement; Recommended Preparatory: CTVA 100, CTVA 210 and CTVA 220. This course will provide students with an introduction to the “cult” film and television phenomena, to include critical examinations of film and televisual aesthetics, audience reception and fandom studies. (Available for General Education, C1 Arts or C2 Humanities.)
Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introduction to the study of one or more popular literary genres, such as mystery, crime fiction, urban romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, gothic, western, thriller, spy fiction, etc. Analysis of generic conventions and how these conventions reflect sociocultural concerns over time. Focus on skills requisite for thinking and writing critically about literary works within their historical contexts. Critical writing is an integral part of the course. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introductory study of the genres of imaginative literature—prose fiction, poetry and drama—with special emphasis on the interrelationships between form and theme. The course will feature a specific cultural tradition (e.g., Western, Postcolonial, African American, etc.) to be chosen by the instructor. Critical writing is an integral part of the course. Meets the lower division literature requirement for Liberal Studies majors. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of works of major English writers from the Middle Ages to Samuel Johnson, with attention to literary movements and backgrounds. Critical writing required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of works of major English writers, from Blake to the present, with attention to literary movements and backgrounds. Critical writing required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of the important works of a selected number of American writers from the colonial period to modern times. Critical writing required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities or F Comparative Cultural Studies.) (Cross-listed with AIS 318.)
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, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities.)
This course provides a survey of social and cultural patterns in modern China from 1911 to the present, focusing on the post-socialist period. Broad in scope, the course will examine the main areas of contemporary Chinese life: culture, visual arts, literature, politics, society, and the environment. In the realms of popular culture, literature, and film, it will show the performativity of everyday life, while paying great attention to state regulation and global influence. Through analysis and discussion, students will better understand the lived experiences of the Chinese people, as well as the causes and consequences of social inequality, social conflicts, and social change. Students will observe the influence of social structures and institutions on personal lives, as well as how individual and collective forms of action may in turn transform institutions and structures. Special attention will be paid to issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, sexuality, and other markers of social identity that impact life experiences and social relations. (Available for General Education, C1 Arts or C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introduction to masterpieces of European literature from the Middle Ages through the Classical period. Conducted in English. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities.) (IC)
Interdisciplinary study of women in American society, including such topics as social conditions, laws, symbols, values, communication and power. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities or F Comparative Cultural Studies.)
Preparatory: GWS 100. Women and Entertainment is a broad, introductory examination of women’s experience and interface with the entertainment arena, including but not limited to, film, music, and other popular cultural sites of knowledge production, from a uniquely feminist lens that focuses on the intersectionality of gender, race, class and sexuality. The course explores women’s roles in entertainment as producers, participants as well as consumers of various media. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities or D1 Social Sciences or F Comparative Cultural Studies.)
An introduction to the major topics, themes, literature and dreams of Western Civilization, from its ancient origins to the early modern era. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
An introduction to major social, political, intellectual and cultural developments in modern Western Civilization from the Renaissance to the present. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Multiple Measures Placement in GE-level writing or completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introductory course provides instruction in the interdisciplinary analysis and interpretation of meaning in art, music and literature ,and in the understanding of philosophical ideas in their own right and as they influence styles and themes in works of art. (Available for General Education, C1 Arts or C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Multiple Measures Placement in GE-level writing or completion of the lower division writing requirement. Interdisciplinary study of major eras of humanistic development from the ancient world to the 15th century through representative works of visual art, architecture, music, philosophy, religion and oral and written literature. (Available for General Education, C1 Arts or C2 Humanities)
Prerequisite: Multiple Measures Placement in GE-level writing or completion of the lower division writing requirement. Interdisciplinary study of major eras of humanistic development from the 16th to 20th century through representative works of visual art, architecture, film, music, philosophy, religion and oral and written literature. (Available for General Education, C1 Arts or C2 Humanities.)
This course explores Jewish religious concepts and practices, as well as Jewish culture in international contexts from the ancient period to the present. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
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, C1 Arts or C2 Humanities.) (IC)
This course draws heavily from current issues in society to highlight the role of language. It explores strategies used to construct and reflect our identities (as skaters, rappers, school girls, nerds, etc.), to form new meanings and to accommodate popular new technologies (e.g., texting). This course also examines personal and societal perceptions and attitudes toward the language use and competence of others. Students will undertake a challenging, collaborative, hands-on analysis to appreciate (how) language matters. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Multiple Measures Placement in GE-level writing, or completion of 113A or 114A, or completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introduction to philosophy emphasizing the concepts of knowledge, reality and mind, with attention to such topics as skepticism, dogmatism, common sense, materialism, mind-body dualism, the existence of God and free will. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Multiple Measures Placement in GE-level writing, or completion of 113A or 114A, or completion of the lower division writing requirement. Philosophical examination of a range of today’s moral issues, such as abortion, euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, the environment, war and world hunger. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (IC)
In this course, students will examine philosophical themes within popular culture, and will use philosophy to investigate how they relate to popular culture. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Multiple Measures Placement in GE-level writing, or completion of 113A or 114A, or completion of the lower division writing requirement. Critical examination of selected topics in ancient Western philosophic thought, with attention to the pervasive influence of Plato and Aristotle. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Multiple Measures Placement in GE-level writing, or completion of 113A or 114A, or completion of the lower division writing requirement. Critical examination of topics in modern philosophic thought selected from the writings of such figures as Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, Berkeley, Hume and Kant. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Examines the meaning and value of nature and the environment from a variety of ethical perspectives, including feminist and de-colonial perspectives. Questions can include: How should human beings relate to the natural world? How can we build sustainable interactions with the natural world? Do we have moral obligations toward non-human animals and other parts of nature? What do we owe to other beings, including future generations, with respect to the environment? In the face of catastrophic climate change, is it moral to procreate or to eat meat? (Cross-listed with SUST 240.) (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Introduction to the main issues in philosophy of technology, including the nature of technology, the distinction between technology and science, technology and values, the relationship between technology and society, and feminist approaches to the philosophy of technology. Applied issues to be addressed in this course may include: technology and the environment, the digital divide, the ethics of information technology, transhumanism, artificial intelligence, and existential risk. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities or E Lifelong Learning.)
Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement; 3 units of Philosophy. Introduction for upper division students to such central philosophic problems as knowledge, truth, reality and mind. Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. The course addresses philosophical issues central to biological sciences, including the creation/evolution debate and other social implications of contemporary biological theories. It 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, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Analysis of the concepts reality, knowledge, mind and theory that attempts to answer the question: What is the character of the scientific picture of human beings and nature? (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examination of the conceptual problems religious claims pose and arguments regarding knowledge of God, evil, miracles, death and survival, religious experience, religion and morals, faith and reason. Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities or E Lifelong Learning.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Philosophical examination of the concepts, values and arguments relevant to understanding and evaluating practical social and political issues central to current public debates concerning such matters as civil and political rights, social and economic inequality, the environment, biotechnology, economic policy and global trade, and the national defense. Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (IC)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of representative works of the major existentialists, with the aim of discovering the fundamental tenets of existentialism. Emphasis placed on existentialism’s influence on and relevance to contemporary thought. Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Widely acknowledged as forefathers of existentialist philosophy, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche are among the most important figures of 19th-century European thought. This course takes a close look at their lives and writings, comparing their views on issues of central importance to both thinkers. Questions addressed in this course may include: 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? Is there such a thing as objective truth? (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Queer Studies, which aims to problematize rigid identity categories and destabilize essentialized norms of expression. The course will cover the history of how concepts such as gender and desire have been understood and articulated; heteronormativity and its relationship to capitalism, race, and gender roles; queer aesthetics; and queer strategies and tactics of resistance. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities or F Comparative Cultural Studies.)
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, C2 Humanities or F Comparative Cultural Studies.)
Study of the elements of religion and selected contemporary religious issues. Examines such subjects as myth and ritual, the sacred and profane, dreams and theophanies, priests and prophets, science and religion, history and religion, and the possibility of religious faith today. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Survey of the basic content and major themes of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), New Testament and Apocryphal writings. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examination of religious views of women in oral and literary cultures, focusing on the roles, symbols and concepts of women within an international and historical framework. Also addresses women’s own perspectives on religion, as reflected in historical sources and in contemporary theology and religious life. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (IC)
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, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of literature to discover to what extent a religious tradition or the lack of one influences an author’s understanding of human existence. Writers who reflect religious traditions, as well as those who are informed by humanism or atheism, are read and interpreted. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Study of selected major writings in religious thought, with the aim of analyzing representative modern approaches to such questions as God and the world, faith and self-understanding, and belief and social consciousness. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course examines the intersection between race, power, and religion through the lens of colonialism. The main subject of inquiry will be the role that religion plays in the construction of the dominant ideas and politics of race and racial relations in the colonial/post‑colonial social contexts. Particular attention will be paid to ways in which both religion and race (racialized subjects) are “created” and how they inform and shape power relations that constitute colonialism and colonial ideology. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course examines how religious beliefs and practices contribute to humans’ protection, utilization and/or damage of the natural world. Students explore the resources for environmental sustainability within at least two world religious and in new “green” theologies, nature mysticism and radical environmentalism. Particular attention will be paid to land and food ethics, and issues of gender, race, and class. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
Examines the meaning and value of nature and the environment from a variety of ethical perspectives, including feminist and de-colonial perspectives. Questions can include: How should human beings relate to the natural world? How can we build sustainable interactions with the natural world? Do we have moral obligations toward non-human animals and other parts of nature? What do we owe to other beings, including future generations, with respect to the environment? In the face of catastrophic climate change, is it moral to procreate or to eat meat? (Cross-listed with PHIL 240.) (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.)
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, C2 Humanities.) (IC)