Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Course List
This course provides a practical understanding of the ad-making process with emphasis on a strategic approach to copywriting. Students learn to create effective communication strategies for specific audiences with the goal of forming or changing opinions and attitudes. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: COMS - 202.
This course surveys advertising as communication and examines its place in a free society where corporate rhetoric best serves the community when ethically sound. Areas covered: history, the modern marketplace, societal effects, best practices, creativity, communication, ad placement and critical evaluation.
Offers a practical understanding of the communication dynamics of an advertising agency. Students create, write and present a comprehensive campaign for a real-world client, then enter their campaigns in the National Student Advertising Competition, where professionals in the advertising industry evaluate and provide valuable feedback on their work. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: ADVT - 341.
This course studies the placement of advertising as "communication," rather than merely creating "exposure" to a message as it relates to the advertising/marketing process. Topic areas covered include: terminology, research and analysis, resources and evaluation of placement as to ethics, audience and message. Prerequisite: ADVT - 341.
Field experience in a setting that relates communication study to the student's professional goals. Students may count no more than four (4) credits of Internship credit toward the major. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: completion of 12 credits of Professional Development coursework in Communication Studies or ADVT 341.
First Semester Filipino introduces students to the basic structure of the Philippine national language, its development, grammatical characteristics, and to learn basic "survival" Filipino vocabulary. It also exposes students to important Filipino non-verbal discourse and communication patterns.
Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: CHIN - 101 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department. Continuation of CHIN 101.
This course provides an introduction to the field of international relations. Students will critically assess the competing conceptual/theoretical issues and debates in the field, analyze the origins and evolution of the post-war global order, the legacy of the cold war on the international system, and the challenges for global peace and security in the emerging new world order. Offered every year.
Introductory survey of the four East Asian civilizations of China, Japan, Korea, and the Asian area of Russia. The course offers a selective treatment of key issues and important achievements of these societies. Its methodology is historical, analyzing the political, economic, social, and cultural institutions as they have developed from antiquity to the present. The emphasis will be on the modern period, primarily after the middle of the nineteenth century. Junior or Senior standing advised. Offered every semester.
A broad survey of South and Southeast Asian history from antiquity to modern times. Beginning with the rise of the Indus valley civilization, the course considers topics like European colonialism and imperialism, nationalism, and the post-independence period. Offered intermittently.
This course introduces students to Asian American experiences through writings and films by Asians in America (including Chinese, Filipino/a, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islanders--both immigrants and U.S.-born), from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Students analyze the evolution of Asian American consciousness expressed through their writings, raising historical and political issues such as acculturation processes, intergroup relations, media representation, race, culture, gender, sexuality, identity and Third World politics.
This course explores musics of various Asian cultures and musics of Asian Americans. Students will attend concerts, develop listening skills, and investigate these musics' aesthetics, meanings, and sociological contexts.
This course helps students build an understanding and appreciation of the visual arts of China, Japan, and India. Lectures illustrated with slides and museum visits.
This course examines both the historical development and contemporary debates of the philosophical traditions of Asia. The topics include metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical questions raised in Indian, Chinese, Buddhist, and Japanese philosophies. References will also be made to the larger cultural and political issues that are relevant in these traditions today. Offered regularly.
This is a non-contact Philippine boxing course that introduces students to the history, art, and science of the Filipino/a boxer's workout, exercise, technique, and routines. It focuses primarily on the physical conditioning, protocols, rituals, and self-defense aspects of boxing as influenced by Philippine culture and Filipino traits, behavior, psyche, and antics. A physicians' certificate is required. All students are required to consult his/her physician before beginning this or any other USF fitness, sports, and exercise oriented course.
An introduction to the historical development and social structure of cities; their changing historical importance in the growth of social, economic, and political life; and their crucial role in the political economy of a global society. Offered in Fall.
Philippine Spirituality and Music investigates the numerous ways in which music is embedded in the world—particularly its influence on spirituality and society as a whole. The course delves into the intersections of music with the fields of philosophy, religious studies, and sociology. It also explores various musical traditions in the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora, while the class collaborates in rigorous discussion, analysis, and performance of these musical traditions and how they correlate with the course’s theories.
Filipino American and Philippine Literature is a unique Philippine literature survey course where students will read and discuss short works of fiction, essay, and poetry written by Filipina/o writers in English. They will also critically analyze literature as art and document, and the writers as cultural historians humanizing the supposedly objective details of academic texts. The course starts at the very beginning of the Filipino relationship with English. Moving through history into the present day, the course expands into writings by the Philippines and Filipinos in diaspora.
The course provides a general introduction to the social, economic, and political history of the Philippines from the early times (i.e. pre-Spanish period) to the Spanish colonial period(1565-1898). The lectures and readings highlight the various aspects of local-indigenous culture before the advent of Spanish colonization, and how the meshing of Spanish-Catholic culture with the local one help explain what is known today as "Philippine culture." The course also includes a discussion on some of the more recent themes in Philippine historical studies, such as gender, identity, and the role of nationalist discourse in shaping historical writing. In addition, a number of original documents, essays, and visual-arts materials, including the reading of Noli Me Tangere (a satirical novel written by Philippine national hero José Rizal) are included to provide the students with a more direct feel for earlier eras.
The course examines the legal history of Asian Americans in the United States, focusing on critical topics like immigration, citizenship and naturalization, and the movements against economic and social discrimination. The course also explores the role of dominant groups that utilize the U.S. judicial and legal system as a tool of oppression and the reactions and actions of subordinate groups which use the same system as an instrument towards achieving equality, social justice, and civil rights. Finally, the course looks at the relevance of popular attitudes in the shaping of law in the United States.
This course increases understanding of the similarities and differences among cultures through experimental evidence, group experience, and class discussion. Offered every year. Prerequisite: PSY - 101 or permission of instructor.
Philippine History from 1900 to Present focuses on the political and socio-economic history of the Philippines from the end of the colonial Spanish period (1898), right through the US colonial period and the "Americanization" of the Philippines, the Japanese occupation, the establishment of the Philippine Republic, the martial law years, and the EDSA revolutions. The course also includes in-depth discussions and analyses of important themes, such as colonialism, nationalism, poverty, Muslim-Christian conflicts, globalization, and the pursuit of democracy. Tours to museums/exhibits on Filipinos and the Philippines, as well as films complement the learning experiences in the classroom.
Knowledge Activism Iis an introductory course in activism focusing on Filipino and Asian American communities. The course explores issues that are paramount to the Filipino American community, as well as the Asian American community in general.
This combined studio and cultural history course offers a survey of Filipino American artistic production,looking at visual art, literature, music, and performance. The goal of the course is for students to develop their own artistic voice in response to histories of colonization, transnationalism, and globalization. Cross-listed with ART 316.
This course examines social, economic, political and cultural dimensions of globalization from a sociological perspective. Theoretical approaches to the globalization thesis, neo-liberalism, and the decline of the nation-state are analyzed along with case studies of transnational movements of resistance that include workers, students, women, indigenous peoples, and environmentalists. Offered intermittently.
A survey of the Filipino political and economic experiences and issues in and out of the Philippines. It examines classic and contemporary issues being discussed and engaged by Filipinos in the Philippines and in their diasporic communities found in Asia and all over the world. Discussion topics include: patronage, empowerment, ethnicity, land ownership, poverty and crime, church power, cronyism, corruption, and the historical, economic, political, and social dimensions of the Filipino diaspora.
This course is an introductory survey of the Filipino social and cultural experiences. It encompasses concepts and issues encountered by Filipinos in the Philippines and in their diasporic communities. Discussion topics include: class and kinship formation, values, behavior and psychology, languages, literature, religion, food, music, art, dance, ethnic minorities, education, gender and the Filipinazation of the United States.
East Asia is often mistakenly characterized as a culturally homogeneous region in popular discourse. However, this region has a long history of migration, which has been an important driving force in enriching their cultural diversity. This course examines the history and politics of internal and transnational migration in China, Korea and Japan from the 19th century to the 21st century. This course offers a comparative exploration of how migration impacts various aspects of each society, such as social inequality, ethno-racial identities, nationality and citizenship, gender and family, and political economy. This course investigates how the colonial past and globalization connect these regional powers and influence public attitudes and policies toward migration and diversity today.
Boxing and Social Justice is a unique combined recreational sports, cultural diversity, and service learning course. After the fundamentals of Filipino studies are reviewed and reinforced, students will be trained to teach boxing as a recreational and self-defense activity to at-risk new migrant populations in the San Francisco Bay Area. They will act as mentors, tutors, and service providers. Immersed at their service learning sites, students will reflect on the health, recreational, social, economic, and political issues new migrants to the United States face. Prerequisite: YPSP 222: Philippine Boxing and Culture or instructor’s permission.
Course is taught in China.
This course delves into laws, lawmaking, and the politico-legal systems of selected Asian countries. It examines a sampling of Asian states in the context of their historical and traditional heritage vis-a-vis the sweeping changes that are driven by globalization and democratization. The organization and administration of the courts and judicial system in each country will be discussed. Comparative analysis will be made with the United States and Asian American legal issues.
This course will introduce essential aspects of Japanese culture. It is taught in English and may be repeated for credit when different topics are treated. Offered every other Fall.
An introduction to significant examples of classical and modern literature, with emphasis on fiction, drama, and poetry (shi and ci).
This course will introduce the classics of Japanese literature as well as works by the Nobel laureates. The course is taught in English. Offered every Spring.
A survey of major religious traditions-- Hinduism, Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity--that have helped shape the societies and cultural identities of Asian peoples.
Asia Advocacy and Activism is a unique USF service learning and cultural diversity fieldwork course that immerses the student in advocacy, action, and activism among San Francisco's Asia and Asian American social justice organizations. The first part of the course discusses critical issues concerning international and transnational relations of Asia and Asian Americans. The second part exposes students to the influence and consequences of the Asian diasporas through Asiatown ethnotours and fieldwork activities. The third part of the course requires the student to perform faculty supervised political action, community advocacy, or public service that relates directly to the social justice worlds of Asians in North America and elsewhere.
Introduction to the theory and policy of international trade and international economic relations. Course also covers areas of migration, international corporations, and investment. Offered every Fall.
This course will tour the centuries as we try to understand the traditions, people, teachings, rituals, cultures, and allure of diverse "Buddhisms" in the world today. Of particular concern will be local Buddhist institutions and their global links to Buddhist communities and traditions, near and far. Offered every other year.
A survey of Japan's history after 1868, emphasizing its rapid modernization and its rise to great power status. Offered every other year.
A comprehensive survey of the enormous changes, yet also important continuities, in China's domestic and foreign policy since 1978. Important themes include the transition to a market economy or "market Leninism"; environmental impacts and the sustainability of growth; population policy; military modernization and the "China threat" scenario; village democracy and human rights issues; changing attitudes to sex and sexuality; and the search for values both new and traditional. Offered every other year.
Students do interesting work six to ten hours per week in a federal, state, or municipal agency, giving them a chance to strengthen their skills, and network. They will prepare journal themes, read relevant assigned material, and meet every two weeks in a seminar. Permission of the instructor required. Offered every semester.
Analysis of structures and content of international media and role of culture in globalization. Prerequisite: Completion of 200-level requirements.
This course aims to develop linguistic knowledge about the Japanese language. The course will focus on understanding the Japanese language in terms of history, lexicon, phonology, morphology, syntax, pragmatics, and sociolinguistics. Such linguistic training provides essential background for teaching Japanese. Offered every Spring.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Anthropology.
An introduction to the discipline of anthropology -- the study of human societies - with an emphasis on socio-cultural anthropology, the subfield of anthropology dealing with the study of human society and culture.
This introduction to the field of communication examines how cultures and sub-cultures differ in their language use, and how their communicative practices shape the production, interpretation, and reproduction of social meanings.
This course explores non-Western cultures as they are portrayed in ethnographic film. The course introduces students to ethnographic film--both its history and the work of some of its leading practitioners--and to the broad range of cultures and issues that are the subjects of these films.
This course looks at contemporary women's lives and the special circumstances they face in different economic and cultural settings, including practices like polygyny, female genital cutting, and veiling. Also looks at women's strengths, strategies, and collective efforts to effect change and produce better societies.
This course explores the role museums (especially history and natural history museums) play in society and the range of issues they face in conserving and presenting cultural and historical materials to the public. Topics include the politics of representation, collecting practices, intellectual property rights and repatriation, displaying culture, and working with diverse publics. Will include visits to area museums.
How is sport linked to institutions of society? What role does sport play in transmitting values to youth? Does sport perpetuate gender-role stereotypes? These questions are explored while using sport as a vehicle for understanding culture patterns and social problems in society.
This 17-day, 4-credit Arrupe Justice immersion course in
anthropology and environmental studies examines the relationship between
culture and the environment in the unique island setting of Sitka,
Alaska. Students will learn about the region’s terrestrial and marine
environments, its occupation and use by the indigenous Tlingit
population and by non-Native peoples, and contemporary controversies
surrounding the appropriate use of its natural resources – its fish,
timber, and natural beauty. The focus will be on experiential learning,
beginning with a 3-day trip up the Inland Passage abroad an Alaska
Marine Highway ship. All students are welcome to apply; especially suited for Anthropology and Environmental Studies students.
A survey of the relationship between diverse racial/ethnic groups and the media within the context of the United States. It explores representation and diversity in popular media, racial equity in media industries, and ethnic minorities as audiences and as independent producers. Prerequisite: Junior status.
This course introduces students to ethnomusicology, the study of music using anthropological methods, using case studies of music from selected traditions from around the world. We will explore various modes of engagement with music by analyzing academic texts, doing in-class listening and performance labs, and participating in fieldwork research in the SF Bay Area.
Is health a basic human right? How is illness related to social inequality, poverty, and political conflict across the world? Are pandemics increasing in frequency and severity? This introductory course reviews cross-disciplinary approaches to the new field of global health and focuses on the unique contributions of anthropology to reveal the social, political, and cultural forces that underlie international patterns of health and disease.
Why do we eat what we eat? This exciting new course explores the myriad ways that different societies and cultures across the world produce, value, and consume food. We will learn how food practices and rituals are changing with globalization, new technologies, and a faster pace of life. Through films, readings, and fieldwork, students will engage with the current debates about the sociocultural, political, and ecological contexts of food.
Through study of the dances of Bali we examine the arts in contemporary Balinese life, along with the various historical and socio-political forces that have influenced its evolution. Lecture/discussion format, videos, and classes in Balinese music and dance.
The course explores the city from anthropological perspective. Specific topics include urban migration and urbanization, rural-urban differences, neighborhoods and ethnic groups, urban planning, global cities, and how people negotiate urban life as a particular socio-cultural world.
Students in this seminar will explore the communicative practices of various organizations concerned with social justice. Readings from cultural and communication theory will provide the conceptual background for their fieldwork.
This course combines 90-100 hours of volunteer or internship work in the San Francisco Bay Area; reading-based discussion of fieldwork research techniques, ethics, and writing; and classroom workshop discussions of students' projects. Requirements include weekly class meetings; extensive written field notes; class presentations; commentaries on other students' projects; literature review; and a final paper. It is highly recommended that students take Research Methods before enrolling in this course.
Written permission of instructor and dean is required. Offered intermittently.
This course introduces students to modern standard Arabic (MSA) and the diverse cultures of the Arab-speaking world. In addition to acquiring basic reading, writing and conversational skills, students will be introduced to Arabic grammar within a lively and communicative context. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time.
Building on Arabic 101, Arabic 102 reinforces and develops the students' acquired skills. The students will gain more confidence in Arabic conversation, as well as read, understand and write more advanced Arabic. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time.
Architecture and community design encompasses diverse forms of engagement with society and the environment. Each of these raises important questions about the principles, purpose, and practice of architecture. Through lectures, readings, and walking tours, we will explore these questions and establish a solid foundation for continuing academic study in the ARCD program.
This is the first semester of a two-year sequence, which provides conceptual and analytical tools to understand the morphology of buildings and cities. Social justice, underserved communities and developing regions of the world are equally emphasized alongside the more traditional view of focusing on the "great buildings" in history.
This is the second semester of a two-year sequence, which provides the conceptual and analytical tools to interpret the morphology of the built environment from the macro scale of cities to the micro scale of buildings. The social role and cultural significance of architecture is explored alongside the formal and technological aspects of the discipline.
Students are introduced to all the major drawing conventions, learning to coordinate a range of drawing types and techniques from free-hand sketching to drafting by hand and with computer. The course begins with contour drawing (line weight, overlap, scale), then tone drawing (shade and shadow), then orthographic projection and perspective. It is a learning to observe and represent what you see kind of course and is preparatory for the more advanced design studios. Students are expected to keep a sketchbook, which they may use in conjunction with other courses, as a place to examine various forms of representation as part of their design process.
Students will engage in an active interrogation of the city, understanding its structure and patterns and simultaneously uncovering the social imperatives of its residents. They will learn how to use the tools and conventions of representation and apply them creatively and rigorously in the examination of the city at different scales and in varying contexts. Through small-scale design projects, students will evolve designs based on research and exploration and a critical reading of the built environment that takes into account aspects of ecology and landscape.
This is an introductory course to the art, science and practical implementation of community gardening techniques. Students study local community-supported agriculture programs, analyze different models for urban garden projects, and develop and hold community garden design meetings. Based on research, field trips, first-hand study of the university garden site and hosting of university-wide meetings, students will produce a draft proposal for the university garden by the end of the semester.
The intention of this course is to develop an understanding of architectonics. Lectures and studio projects explore the concepts of dimension, scale, and order. Design investigations are assigned to develop methods for analysis, articulation of space, relationships of scale, and clarity of structure.
Architectonics will focus on improving both representational and conceptual skills, viewing their mastery as interdependent. Three core semester projects will provide a framework for investigating how to conceptualize, construct, and represent complex architectural space. Our projects will not necessarily begin with a priori concepts, but with a theme, collective and personal, that is to be investigated through construction and representation.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Architecture and Community Design.
This is the third semester of a two-year sequence, which examines architectural production, drawing from significant precedents from antiquity to the present. Social, political, economic and cultural issues of cities and buildings are equally emphasized, as are formal and technological processes.
This is the fourth semester of a two-year sequence that studies building typologies and urban patterns using the example of the world's cities and their histories. Cities and buildings resulting from the dominance of wealth and power are important, but so too are settlement patterns, streets, buildings, homes and gardens of all peoples through history.
This studio introduces students to design issues at different scales of urban complexity. In part one of the studio, students explore the "grain" of the city--the individual dwelling unit--its history, place and relationship to the larger urban fabric. In part 2, they continue to examine aspects of living in the city through design projects that deal with multi-family housing and issues of affordability and social justice.
Through a consideration of land use, housing, natural resources, environmental factors, aesthetics and comfort, students will develop a critique of the architecture on the urban fringe. Students will be introduced to alternative methods of design and building in contrast to accepting normative practices as a given. They will be introduced to vernacular, contemporary and renewable construction methods and how they relate to building type, location, life-cycle and design issues. Students will develop individual projects, which follow the design process from schematice presentation through design development and basic construction documents.
CADD 1 is an introductory course in Computer Aided Design and Drawing in VectorWorks, a CADD program for both the Mac and PC platforms that integrates 2D, 3D, and hybrid objects in the same drawing. The class will cover both line drawing and 3D modeling techniques.
One-time offerings of special interest courses in architecture and community design.
This course will develop an understanding of digital tools and strategies, which engage and expand the design process, with the primary goal of utilizing the computer as a fluid, critical investigative tool. We will examine the impact of digital strategies, methodologies and practices on the work of contemporary architects, with individual research into modes of representation and its impact on tectonic development. Cross-listed with ENVA 300.
An understanding of the basic properties of major construction materials is fundamental to becoming an effective architect or engineer. This course will introduce students to the properties, applications and design considerations of common construction materials. The course will be a lecture format supplemented by readings, field trips, laboratory experiments, exams and individual research projects. While designed primarily for students of Architecture, the course is also a rigorous introduction to civil engineering materials.
This course explores the history, principles and techniques of successful "greenworld" design. Course includes slide lectures, extensive field trips, guest artist presentations, and hands-on campus design projects.
This course will provide an interdisciplinary overview of Sustainable Design by presenting a historical and contemporary overview of ecological living practices through lecture, readings, guest speakers, and field trips. Topics include: Bioregion assessments, Sustainable communities, Environmental and Social justice, Permaculture, Native Science, Biomimicry, Urban Gardens and Food Security, Ecoliteracy and Primary Education, Global Economies, Environmental Preservation and Restoration vs. Development, The Global Environment, Impact of Developed Countries consumptive patterns, City Planning, and Green Business and Manufacturing.
A thorough introduction to Landscape Architecture as the discipline of designing and mediating between natural and built environments, and utilizing knowledge from arts and sciences to create quality outdoor community spaces. Lectures supplemented by field trips and small studio projects. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
This course sends students overseas for a semester to apply their skills of analysis, interpretation and design in a new cultural setting with its backdrop of social, political and environmental issues. Models for design that the students have honed over the course of the previous three studios will be adjusted and evolve in the face of the particularities and demands of another place, people and history. Student designers will be asked to propose alternative building strategies that could respond to and generate new patterns of living.
International Projects provides students an opportunity to provide design assistance to international underserved communities, while gaining real world experience in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. The course combines student development of an understanding and appreciation for contextual and cultural needs with the acquisition of professional practice skills.
This studio will deal with the identity of public buildings and their intersection with the social, cultural and political realities, directions and aspirations of their communities. Through an analysis of context and program, and a critical appreciation of building precedents, students will provide architectural solutions that explore the design of collective space, institutional form, building structure and materiality. Throughout the studio, the emphasis will be on understanding and devising design processes that enable an analytical and rigorous approach to architectural design.
Structural engineering is an essential component of building design. The goal of this course is to familiarize architecture students with structural engineering principles, so that they can incorporate them into their design processes. This will enable them to see structural engineering as an integral part of the process, rather than something separate that occurs after the "design work" is done. From their unique perspective as architecture students, students will find ways to question and challenge structural engineering principles that an engineering student may not. Students will become familiar with the many concepts and considerations needed in order to be a better designer, architect, planner, engineer, or related professional.
Construction Innovation Lab pairs student teams with real world design/build projects in local and international underserved communities, where innovation in technology and building systems is required to best serve the needs of the partnering community. The course combines student acquisition of cultural competency with professional practice.
One-time offerings of special interest courses in architecture and community design.
Student involvement in real architecture design/build projects for non-profits, schools, and municipalities in the Bay Area and internationally. In this studio class students take on a larger urban or rural design problem. Through extensive fieldwork, students obtain the requisite understanding of the role of community design in underserved communities and the larger urban forces involved. The projects may be local, national, or international and are intended to lead to student participation and leadership in a community building process.
The discipline of architecture is as centered on its discourse-writing and verbalizing-as it is on building production. Through this course students will investigate the various approaches to writing about their work and establish a distinct focus of future professional inquiry. The class will examine how other architects have presented their work through publication and look at how the architectural press covers the work of architects. Students will then delve into their own projects to create a snapshot of their work projected in the form of a portfolio.
Student internships with architecture firms, non-profit low-income housing developers, municipal planning or building departments, and social and environmental justice oriented organizations. Through the practicum and internship process, students will obtain the experience of working with a range of populations with varying needs, the meaning of professionalism, and the place of community design in the larger context of urban design.
A career in architecture is a series of choices about the complex relationship amongst architecture, society, and the environment. Students will reflect on these choices in the context of professional practice, as well as their own interests, skills, and opportunities.
The course provides an understanding of the methods of identifying, interpreting, and evaluating ideas in the creative arts. Areas covered include art's functions, the visual elements and principles of design, the styles of art, and the art object. Offered every semester.
Survey of Western Art History 1 introduces students chronologically to major themes, movements, and issues in Western Art History from prehistoric times through the Rococco (approximately 1750). This course is ordinarily restricted to Visual Arts and Architecture/Community Design Majors, although other students may be admitted on a space-availalbe basis with permission of the instructor.
Survey of Western Art History 2 studies the complex relationships between artists and the cultures in which they work, from 1750 to the present, exploring how art deals with questions of war and peace, social justice, religious belief, censorship, propaganda, gender, ethnic and social identity, and social critique.
In this course, students will cultivate observational skills and learn to use drawing tools, such as pencils, charcoal and ink to create drawings on a variety of traditional 2-dimensional surfaces. Technical aspects of the course will cover composition, shape, contrast, texture and gesture as they relate to the history of the medium. Field trips to museums and other resources will supplement readings and studio based assignments.
The Imaginary Museum presents the great formal and historical issues of art history in western and world art traditions, with emphasis on the styles of objective accuracy, formal order, emotion, and fantasy.
This core studio class introduces the student to the broad range of materials, methodologies, and strategies that compose the art and design program. The student will explore a series of studio problems that begin simple and move to greater complexity. The language of art and design point, line, plane, space, color, light, value, texture, proportion, and scale will be the framework of our 2D and 3D investigations. (Required for all BAVA majors)
This basic drawing class introduces the student to the notion of mark-making. We will look at the way representations are made, their structure in space, and their context. A range of materials from dry (i.e. charcoals, chalks, pencils) to wet (inks) and various surfaces will be studied.
The Visual Communication course series will introduce students to the technical and conceptual study of graphic design as a wide-ranging practice for the creation, reproduction, and dissemination of visual messages. In Visual Communication I, students will explore these issues while developing fluency in the Macintosh OS operating system, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and In Design.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Art.
Introduction to Museum Studies presents the historical development of museums, their collection, exhibition and education functions, administration, physical facilities, fundraising and ethics. Particular attention will be given to issues of diversity and multiculturalism; relationship of museums to changing populations and disciplinary trends; and examination of diverse types of collections. USF's Thacher Gallery serves as the laboratory for this course.
This course will introduce students to the practice, history, and theory of typography. Through design research, independent project work, and collaborative exercises, students will produce typographic solutions to applied and experimental problems using typography as their primary, if not exclusive, design element.
Arts for Educators is an interdisciplinary course for future elementary classroom teachers and students desiring an overview of the visual and performing arts. This course will offer students critical perspectives on arts education and hands-on experience in music, theater, dance/movement and visual art, with the goal of preparing them for reflective, culturally inclusive integration of the arts into the academic curriculum. The guiding framework for students’ examination of arts education theory and practice originates from the California Visual and Performing Arts (CA VAPA) Content Standards and the professor’s experience in the education and arts disciplines. The CA VAPA Standards include: 1) artistic perception, 2) creative expression, 3) understanding the cultural and historical origins of the arts, 4) pursuing meaning in the arts, and 5) making informed judgments about the arts. The course will culminate in student presentations of integrated arts units.
This introductory class will provide students with experience in acrylic, gouache, and watercolor as means for the exploration into the visual language of color, light, shape, and mass as they are embodied in paint. Painting support and the preparation of various surfaces will be studied.
This course explores the role museums (especially history and natural history museums) play in society and the range of issues they face in conserving and presenting cultural and historical materials to the public. Topics include the politics of representation, collecting practices, intellectual property rights and repatriation, displaying culture, and working with diverse publics. Will include visits to area museums.
This course develops the student's creative and technical skills in sculpture. Specific problems are given to explore and utilize the elements of form, space, line and mass. Emphasis is placed on problem solving and the physical means of realizing an idea three-dimensionally. Various media and techniques are explored, and students are encouraged to develop their own unique styles and visual language.
This course will expose students to the history and development of the book as an art form unto itself, from text to illustration to fine art, while teaching them a variety of techniques and materials with which to make their own books.
Visual Theology explores humanity's experience of the transcendent and sacred by learning to "read" the visual texts of religious myth, symbol, iconography and architecture from the Western and other traditions. Lecture course combines slide shows, reading and discussions, fieldtrips and creative projects.
This course utilizes the concepts and skills introduced in previous graphic design courses and builds upon these skills to further expand the palette and vocabulary of design. Students will develop a stronger understanding of typography and the integration of information into a publication format. Projects expand in complexity and focus on the challenges of design publication. Prerequisite: ART 205.
This course is designed to develop your skills in pixel based photographic manipulation and printing. The class will use Adobe Photoshop as the primary image-editing tool. Students will attend presentations, exhibitions and group critiques, and create a portfolio of digital photographic work.
A variable topic introduction to art, designed for incoming Transfer students (Students-In-Transition).
Directed study of a subject in the visual arts. The written permission of the instructor and the dean is required. Offered every semester.
Principles of collection development, management, conservation and use are taught in a special semester-long course using collections of Bay Area Museums.
This upper-division seminar explores issues and moments in European art and visual culture, circa 1400-1600, with an emphasis on the early modern visual traditions in Italy and the Lowlands. Weekly class meeting focus on individual topics such as: Humanist Art and Republican Values in Early Renaissance Florence, the Medici and the Age of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Botticelli as Visual Poet, Leonardo da Vinci: Drawing and Visual Knowledge, Papal Power and Visual Propaganda in Early 16th-Century Rome, Michelangelo and the Robust Male Nude, Gender, Virtue(s) and Social Status in Renaissance Portraiture and the Courtly Art in the Burgundian Netherlands.
This upper-division seminar examines topics in Baroque painting, sculpture and architecture, with special attention to the varied visual, cultural and religious traditions that flourished in and around some of the major urban areas of 17th-century Europe, including Rome, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Paris. Focusing on the works of Caravaggio, the Carracci, Bernini, Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Poussin, the course trains a special eye on issues such as the rise of the famed, international artist in the 17th-century, church and court patronage in the post-Tridentine period, the impact of the devastating Thirty-Years' War and the expansion of global exploration and trade on European artistic practice, and shifting conceptions of painting in the new Dutch Republic and the French court of Louis XIV.
This upper-division seminar takes into account new approaches to the study of visual culture--including painting, sculpture, photography, performance, video, architecture--from 1945 to the present. Through thematic and monographic case studies, students investigate questions about artistic identity, the status and function of art in the post-World War II period, and the changing nature of avant-garde practices in the wake of the social, cultural, and economic changes of the 1960s and 1970s. Moving along a clear timeline, the course looks at key movements such as Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism, Conceptualism, Feminist Art, Postmodernism, performance and video art to explore the political, theoretical and issue-based debates that have inspired the art and criticism since 1945. Throughout the course, students examine the political and social context for contemporary art practice and criticism, including the civil rights movement, feminism, environmentalism, the anti-war movement, postmodernism and globalization.
This course examines the history of female artists from the Middle Ages to the present, with an emphasis on artists working in Europe and the United States for the first half of the coure, and a global perspective on modern and contemporary art for the second. Students explore how the identity of the "woman artist" has been socially constructed over time, with particular emphasis upon how gender and sexual-identity, social class, race, and ethnicity have informed both artistic creation and reception. The course addresses how art history and institutions (educational and exhibition forums) have accounted for--or failed to account for--women's artistic production in a global context.
This lecture course examines periods and monuments of Asian art from India, China, and Japan, and offers an introduction to the methods of art-historical analysis. Emphasis will be placed on the understanding of works of art in their original religious, intellectual, political, and social contexts, with particular attention to the ways each developed characteristics appropriate to these contests. Among the topics to be explored are ritual arts, Buddhist art (painting, sculpture, and architecture), secular painting, and garden architecture.
This introductory class helps students gain knowledge and appreciation of the plastic and kinetic arts of sub-Saharan Africa. Mythology, masking traditions, ritual and spirituality, gender and cultural issues of traditional and contemporary African cultures are examined through slide lectures, videos, and museum visits.
This course surveys the arts of the Americas from pre-Columbian North and South America through the present. The course emphasizes the native arts of the Americas in the broadest sense by examining the work of native cultures, immigrant cultures with special attention to Latino art.
This course investigates at a more advanced level the complex representation of space on the two dimensional drawing plane. The focus is on issues such as figure and still life as well as personal and conceptual questions in aesthetics and in the larger culture. The student will work in a range of scales and with a range of drawing materials.
Digital Literacy will introduce students to the practice and history of screen-based interactive design and web publishing using Dreamweaver, Flash, and introductory program languages. Course work will cover topics of interaction design, networked culture, and critical analysis of the use of technology in design and our everyday lives.
This combined studio and cultural history course offers a survey of Filipino American artistic production,looking at visual art, literature, music, and performance. The goal of the course is for students to develop their own artistic voice in response to histories of colonization, transnationalism, and globalization.
This intermediate studio class will build upon previous experience gained from Painting 1. The course will provide students with the introduction to personal subject matter while still providing expertise with technical issues in acryllic painting. Personal expression will be emphasized within the context of painting's history and contemporary issues with society and culture.
COLOR THEORY is an intermediate course for students in the four majors of the Department of Art + Architecture. This class is designed to meet the needs of students to prepare them for aesthetic and theoretical color use in their respective disciplines. Each student will attend presentations, workshops and group critiques, and create a portfolio of studio work individually and collaboratively.
This course builds upon the student's creative and technical skills developed in Introduction to Sculpture. As a continuing exploration of the physical means of realizing an idea three-dimensionally, students make molds of their own original clay sculptures and then cast them in a variety of media. Emphasis is placed on quality and craftsmanship, while students are encouraged to develop their own unique styles and visual language.
This course will introduce students to the study of information visualization as a wide-ranging practice for the creation of complex visual messages. Through sustained project work, students will investigate the ways that illustration, text, photography, sound, and the moving image can, in different ways, participate in the process of communicating multi-faceted and multi-dimensional systems of information. Lectures, readings, and student research will supplement project work, introducing students to the concentrated disciplines of mapping, timelines, and the history of information representation.
Exhibition Design Practicum will provide students working experience with the professional practice of exhibition design. Through research and collaborative project work, students will curate, design, and mount an exhibition for the university's Thacher Gallery.
This course will build on
the skills and framework learned in Typography to allow students to create
advanced typographic project work and research. Students will develop their own
design for a single-case font as well as integrate digital and non-digital
technologies to develop an experimental type.
Stained Glass 2 builds on skills developed in the introductory class. Course includes flat glass painting, kiln work, fusing, slumping, and glass casting techniques.
This internship offers students an opportunity to work on self-directed study projects with external and/or internal non-profit clients. Students are encouraged to locate internship-type opportunities to engage in client-based work and gain direct, full-immersion experience working with selected design professionals in their studios and businesses.
This is a studio course in mural painting that will contextualize the studio activities within the history and theories of mural painting and art activism. The field of cultural studies will be used to raise issues and questions fundamental to creating collaborative, public and activist art.
This course is an introduction to the most famous artistic movement in the history of art and one of the most important: Impressionism. It analyzes how a group of passionate young men and women struggled for years to offer their own vision of art and planted the seeds of many 20th century art movements.
This course investigates a visual art making through a multi-disciplinary approach. Students will utilize the potential of landscape, environmental, social and aesthetic phenomena for initiating group and/or individual actions. Students will experience the full public art process (collaboration with communities/local agencies, preliminary presentation, permitting process, fundraising, publicity, and preparation and implementation of an installation piece).
This intermediate level course introduces students to traditional printmaking practices. Wood relief and copper intaglio methods will be used to create original multiples of art. Environmentally sensitive chemicals and safe processes will be used.
This course introduces students to the history of stained and leaded glass design and technique through background and slide lectures and site visits to Bay Area churches and installations ("Glass Traditions"). The bulk of the class is in studio format in which the students learn to design and construct stained glass panels.
Interaction Design will advance students’ technical and conceptual skills in interaction design within the digital environment. Coursework emphasizes immersive and engaging user experience, site optimization, data visualization, and networked databases, along with readings that examine the history of human-machine interaction. Prerequisite: ART 315.
One-time offerings of special interest courses in art history.
Directed study of a subject. The written permission of the instructor and the dean is required. Offered every semester.
In this course, students of Drawing will build upon their general knowledge of the field of study while making an in-depth investigation of this particular focus.
In this course, students of Painting will build upon their general knowledge of the field of study while making an in-depth investigation of this particular focus.
Students learn the practical "nuts and bolts" business aspects of the art world through museum and gallery visits, curating of exhibitions,and presentations on finance, insurance, portfolio building, and grant writing from art professionals.
This internship places students in a museum setting where they learn the skills of community outreach, educational programming, fund raising, curating of exhibitions, among other skills. Partner organizations include: the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (De Young Museum and Legion of Honor), the San Francisco Museum of Modern art (SFMOMA), the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Exploratorium, the Museum of Craft and Design, among others.
This internship serves as an opportunity for students to develop patterns of professional behavior in the commercial art world setting. Students will be placed in a Bay Area art gallery where they will learn skills such as client interaction, cataloguing of works of art, shipping and insuring art, sales techniques, curating exhibitions, planning receptions, art fairs, and other public events, etc. Partner art galleries in San Francisco include: Franklin Bowles, Braunstein/Quay, Catharine Clark, Christopher Clark, Frey Norris, Haines Gallery, Hespe Gallery, Robert Koch, and Toomey Tourrell Fine Art.
This internship places students in a non-profit arts organization where they learn the skills of community outreach, fund raising, and curating of exhibitions in an alternative arts setting. Partner organizations include: Creativity Explored, Intersection for the Arts, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, New Langton Arts, and the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery.
In this studio/practicum course students will learn how sculptors working in such areas as the film industry and medical and forensic science apply their art in creative and innovative ways.
Design Internship provides students a supervised work experience within a professional Bay Area design setting that complements the theoretical, methodological and practical instruction received in the Design major. Additional course work will contextualize the students’ work experience and will helps them to prepare for future work within the field.
This course prepares students for exploring employment, internship and graduate educational opportunities. Concepts, cross platform developments and issues concerning aesthetics, interface design and use of media are addressed. Students investigate specific areas of the graphic design industry and prepare applications and portfolios geared towards their area of interest. Students collect relevant material and produce a CD/DVD/Web-based portfolio, packaging for CD/DVD, resume, cover letter, business card, and a flatbook portfolio. Corequisite concurrent lab.
Corequisite: ART 460 Senior Design Project studio.
The course Fine Arts Internship offers students supervised pre-professional internship experiences designed to complement the conceptual, theoretical and practical instruction received in the Fine Arts major in the Department of Art + Architecture.
Senior Studio is a capstone course in the Fine Arts major in the department of Visual Arts that is designed to meet the professional needs of students whose concentration is studio art. The goal of the course is to prepare students for lives as working visual artists. Each student will complete a studio internship with a professional artist, attend presentations, workshops and group critiques, and create a solo senior exhibition and accompanying slide or CD portfolio.
This advanced level course introduces students to contemporary methods and processes, building upon experiences from the prerequisite course: ART 375 - Printmaking 1. Solar intaglio, lithography and linocut methods will be used to create original multiples of art. Environmentally sensitive chemicals and safe processes will be used.
Professional Practice in Design will bring students greater awareness of the career options that will be available to them following graduation and will provide them with the skills that will enable them to successfully enter the profession.
First part of a year-long sequence. Artist as Citizen A is primarily conceptual and theoretical. The class is composed of lectures/discussions with guests from various communities, readings, slides, journal keeping and a full scale proposal for a community-based art project.
Artist as Citizen B, Artist in the Community, is the outreach portion of the year-long sequence, (the "street" component). This includes work on site, collaborations, designing visual narratives and survival strategies that focus on marginalized communities. Possible communities could be those concerned with environmental issues, health, homelessness, teens at risk, racism, educational institutions, among others.
Study of the fundamentals of American Sign Language. Preparation for visual/gestural communication including basic information relating to Deaf culture, intensive work on comprehension skills and grammatical structures. Novice to Beginner proficiency.The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Prerequisite: None. Not open to native signers.
Continuation of the study of the fundamentals of American Sign Language: Comprehension skills, grammatical structures, practice in the production aspects of the language, and exposure to Deaf culture. Upper beginner to moderate proficiency. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Prerequisite: Completion of ASL 101 or equivalent. Not open to native signers.
Continuation of the study of the fundamentals of American Sign Language: Comprehension skills, grammatical structures, practice in the production aspects of the language, and exposure to Deaf culture. Moderate to lower advanced proficiency. Prerequisite: Completion of ASL 102 or equivalent. Not open to native signers.
An interpretive political history of the world since 1945, focusing on major actors, events, and international affairs, both Western and non-Western. Offered intermittently.
A course which situates and compares the political institutions, cultures, and processes of states in a variety of world regions. Special attention is paid to the comparison of non-Western regions, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Offered every semester.
This course offers an introduction to the world economy, international trade, and economic development, designed especially for non-economics majors. Foundations of international markets and trade, comparative advantage, foreign investment, international inequality, and the study of international institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization will form key components of the class.
Quantitative and qualitative research skills with applications to international topics. Applied statistical reasoning; establishing causal relationships; introductory regression analysis; experimental methods; interviewing, focus group, and case study techniques; archival and oral history methods; and data sources for international research projects.
This course focuses on a special subject in International Studies. Offered intermittently. Course may be repeated for credit as subject varies. Prerequisites may be applied in any given semester at the discretion of the professor offering the course.
This course provides students with an opportunity to engage in a focused study of a topic in International Studies using advanced theoretical readings as well as primary and secondary material to write an honors thesis or policy brief.
A survey of selected biological concepts, including the chemical basis of life, cell structure, organismal physiology, genetics, evolution, and ecology. This course should provide the non-biologist with a working knowledge of life science that will be useful in making informed decisions on health and the environment. Two lectures and one laboratory weekly. Offered Fall and Spring.
A course for non-majors surveying the major systems of the human body and introducing concepts of human health and disease. Two lectures and one laboratory weekly. Offered Fall and Spring.
Introduction to the principles and concepts of biology with emphasis on molecular biology and cell physiology. Intended for science majors and pre-med students. Not recommended for non-science students. Three hours lecture and one laboratory session each week. Offered every Fall and Spring.
Introduction to the principles and concepts of biology with emphasis on biological diversity, organismal biology and ecology. Intended for science majors and pre-med students. Nor recommended for non-science students. Three hours lecture and one laboratory session each week. Offered every Fall and Spring.
A course for non-majors surveying basic human biology, biological theories of aging, aging-related changes in physiological and anatomical systems, and medical conditions associated with aging. Three hours lecture each week. Offered every Fall.
Laboratory exercises illustrating and examining topics covered in lecture. One laboratory session per week. Offered every Fall.
Corequisite: BIOL - 114. A survey of the structure of the tissues and organs in the human. Three hours lecture each week. Offered every Fall and Spring. Intended for Nursing, Exercise and Sport Science students and related fields. Does not satisfy Biology major requirements. Offered every Fall and Spring. Majors restricted to Chemistry, Nursing, and Exercise and Sport Science.
Corequisite: BIOL - 113. One laboratory session each week.
Corequisite: BIOL - 116. Survey of the functions of tissues, organs and organ systems in the human with an emphasis on the mechanisms involved. Three hours lecture each week. Offered every Fall and Spring. Intended for Nursing, Exercise and Sport Science students and related fields. Does not satisfy Biology major requirements. Offered every Fall and Spring. Majors restricted to Chemistry, Neuroscience, Nursing, and Exercise and Sport Science.
Corequisite: BIOL - 115. One laboratory session each week.
Corequisite: BIOL - 135. An elementary study of bacteria and other microorganisms causing disease and immunity. Three hours lecture each week. Offered every Fall and Spring. Intended for Nursing, Exercise and Sport Science students and related fields. Does not satisfy Biology major requirements. Offered every Fall and Spring. Majors restricted to Chemistry, Nursing, and Exercise and Sport Science.
Corequisite: BIOL - 134. One laboratory session each week.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Biology.
Study of cellular activities, with emphasis on the fundamental relationships between structure and function at the cellular and molecular levels. Four hours lecture each week. Offered every Fall and Spring. Prerequisites: BIOL - 105 with a minimum grade of C-; and BIOL - 106
with a minimum grade of C-; Pre- or corequisite: CHEM - 236 or CHEM - 230.
Basic principles of Mendelian and molecular genetics covering both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Three hours lecture and one hour recitation each week. Offered every Fall and Spring. Prerequisites: BIOL - 212 with a minimum grade of C; Pre- or corequisite: CHEM 231 or CHEM 236.
The principles of the structure and function of ecosystems and types of data/analyses utilized in order to study, e.g., energy flow, biogeochemical cycling, and population dynamics. Four hours lecture each week. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: Concurrent CHEM 231 or concurrent CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Survey of the function of the tissues, organs and organ systems in the human, with an emphasis on the mechanisms involved. Three hours lecture each week. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: CHEM 231 or CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Corequisite: BIOL - 320. One laboratory session each week.
Focuses on topics specific to females, including health issues, reproduction, genetics, evolution, sexuality, anatomy, physiology, neurobiology and behavior. Four hours lecture each week. Offered every other Fall. Prerequisite: BIOL - 310 with a minimum grade of C.
A study of the reptiles and amphibians of North America, with an emphasis placed on northern California species. Three lecture hours each week. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: Concurrent CHEM 231 or concurrent CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Corequisite: BIOL - 331. One laboratory session or field trip each week. (May be some weekend field trips). Offered every Fall.
A study of basic endocrine function, hormonal mechanisms, endocrine disorders, and contemporary isuses in endocrinology. Three hours of lecture each week. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: CHEM 231 or CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Corequisite: BIOL - 333. One laboratory session each week.
Mechanisms of uptake, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity of selected chemicals in animals. Emphasis will be on toxicity to cells and organ systems. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: CHEM 231 or CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with a minumum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
An introduction to microbiology and survey of microbial pathogens, mechanisms of pathogenicity, and host responses. The emphasis is on microbes that cause disease in humans. Three hours of lecture each week. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: BIOL - 310 with a minimum grade of C. Corequisite: BIOL - 342.
Corequisite: BIOL - 341. One laboratory session each week.
Structure, replication, and genetics of viruses with emphasis on viruses that infect vertebrates and dynamics of host-virus interactions. Four hours lecture each week. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: BIOL - 310 with a minimum grade of C.
An introduction to microorganisms: structure, metabolism, and biological properties. Three hours lecture each week. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: BIOL - 310 with a minimum grade of C. Corequisite: BIOL - 347.
Corequisite: BIOL - 346. One laboratory session each week.
Animal physiology, from invertebrates to mammals, emphasizing basic physiological principles. Four hours lecture each week. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C.
An introduction to the processes of organismal development in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Prerequisite: BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C.
Laboratory exercises on cell, tissue and organ differentiation.
A study of the microscopic anatomy of cells, tissues, and organs of the human body. Three hours lecture each week. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Corequisite: BIOL - 362. One laboratory session each week.
A survey of the structure of the tissues and organs in the human. Two hours lecture each week. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Corequisite: BIOL - 365. Two laboratory sessions each week.
A study of basic neural function, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, disorders of the nervous system, and contemporary issues in neurobiology. Four hours lecture each week. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: CHEM 231 or CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
An introduction to cancer biology, including molecular mechanisms for cancer initiation and progression, cancer diagnosis and treatment, and contemporary issues related to cancer. Four hours lecture each week. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: BIOL - 310 with a minimum grade of C.
A study of conservation biology, examining ecological methods for monitoring and maintaining biodiversity on the planet. Three hours lecture. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: Concurrent CHEM 231 or concurrent CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Corequisite: BIOL - 379. One laboratory session or field trip each week. Some weekend trips are required.
A study of the natural history, phylogeny and ecology of the vertebrates, especially California species. Three hours lecture each week. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: Concurrent CHEM 231 or concurrent CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Corequisite: BIOL - 381. One laboratory session or field trip each week. (This class may be scheduled on Saturdays.)
A study of the major protistan and helminth parasites causing disease in animals and humans. Three hours lecture each week. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: Concurrent CHEM 231 or concurrent CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Corequisite: BIOL - 385. One laboratory session each week.
A study of the natural history of marine organisms, exclusive of protozoa and insects, with emphasis on local intertidal invertebrates and fishes. Two hours lecture each week. (May be scheduled on Saturdays.) Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: Concurrent CHEM 231 or concurrent CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Corequisite: BIOL - 390. Two laboratory sessions or field trips each week. (May be scheduled on Saturdays. Some weekend trips are required.)
An introduction to the major physical, chemical and biological factors in the marine environment. Special emphasis on the interaction of these variables in determining the ecology of the world's oceans. Three hours lecture each week. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: BIOL - 310 with a minimum grade of C. Corequisite: BIOL - 393.
One laboratory session or field trip each week. (May be some weekend field trips.) Offered every Fall. Corequisite: BIOL - 392.
This course treats topics not covered in other Biology courses, but of interest to faculty and students. May be repeated for credit. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: BIOL - 310 with a minimum grade of C, or corequisite.
Inquiry into a specific topic requiring a literature search for current information, supervised by a faculty member with credit to be fixed in each case. Designed for outstanding upper-division students. (Note: There are restrictions on the maximum number of credits for 0201-398 that can be applied to upper division credit. See BIOL 498). Offered every Fall and Spring. Prerequisite: Minimum science GPA of 3.0 and consent of instructor and department chair.
A study of the field of pharmacogenomics, which examines the genetic influence of drug responses in humans. Four hours lecture each week. Offered every other Fall.
A study of modern evolutionary theory, including processes and patterns of evolution. Four hours lecture each week. Offered every Fall and Spring. Prerequisites: BIOL - 310 with a minimum grade of C; Senior Standing; Minimum GPA of C.
Advanced study of the molecular basis of cell function, with an emphasis on the unifying principles and approaches that define the field of molecular biology. Four hours lecture each week. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: BIOL - 310 with a minimum grade of C.
Introduction to humoral and cell-mediated immunity in health and disease, with a focus on cellular and molecular immunology and immunochemistry. Three hours lecture each week. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: BIOL - 310 with a minimum grade of C. Corequisite: BIOL - 444.
Principles of immunological techniques. A survey of those techniques used widely in diagnostics and research. One laboratory session each week. Corequisite: BIOL - 443.
Theory of light and electron microscope operation and preparation of biological specimens for microscopy. Two hours of lecture. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: CHEM 231 or CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Corequisite: BIOL - 458. Preparation of biological specimens for light and electron microscopy. Two laboratory sessions each week.
A phylogenetic study of the anatomy of the vertebrate classes. Three hours lecture and one laboratory session each week. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
A study of the effects of solar radiation on biological systems. Four hours lecture each week. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: Concurrent CHEM 231 or concurrent CHEM 236 and BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C or concurrent BIOL 310.
Principles of animal physiology and adaptive mechanisms. Three hours lecture each week. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C.
Corequisite: BIOL - 470. Project-oriented course with an emphasis on adaptive mechanisms and environmental toxicology. One laboratory session each week. Offered intermittently.
Principles and practices of laboratory techniques used in cell biology. Two hours lecture each week. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: BIOL 310 with a minimum grade of C.
Corequisite: BIOL - 481. Two laboratory sessions each week.
Recombinant DNA techniques; methods of nucleic acid isolation and characterization. Two hours lecture each week. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: BIOL - 310 with a minimum grade of C. Corequisite: BIOL - 486.
Corequisite: BIOL - 485. Two laboratory sessions each week.
This course introduces students to the language of Tagalog. Particular emphasis will be given to facilitate the student’s ability to communicate in the praxis sites.
The course seeks to study the actors, ideas, and the institutions of governing Philippine political system. The course looks into the theories that frame and reframe the analyses of events that describe continuity and change in Philippine politics.
This course looks at human-environmental relations through sociological and anthropological lenses/perspectives. Key concepts such as culture, social structure, and agency are applied to Philippine and Asian case studies that demonstrate how human interaction with the environment and their resource management practices are embedded in society’s norms, institutions, social organization and culture. Case studies will highlight different resource management regimes in the upland, coastal and urban environments. The course will also examine the iterative relationship between natural resource utilization and management practices and the prevailing development paradigm in particular societies.
This course will examine a range of philosophical and theological questions that emerge as students critically engage experiences of interconnection, solidarity, and suffering in their praxis communities.
This course will focus on the role of women in Filipino society. Particular attention will be given to women living in poverty as well as the area of human trafficking.
This seminar will provide students with the chance to process their praxis experience in the communities. Emphasis will be given to the themes of accompaniment, community and discerning one’s vocation.
Designed for students intending to take CHEM 111-113, with intensive study of problem solving. Offered every spring.
This multidisciplinary introductory course for non-science majors fulfills Area B2 of the CORE. It explores several key topics including the solar system, energy and its forms, and the composition and behavior of atoms. Science is presented as a human endeavor through which we come to understand the natural world of which we are a part. Three lectures per week plus one two-hour lab session. Offered intermittently.
How can we understand ourselves? In this interdisciplinary course we will examine the evidence that all life forms on earth, including human beings, have evolved from a common ancestor by means of natural selection. We will draw on ideas from biology, geology, paleontology, philosophy and history in order to gain an evolutionary perspective on what it means to be human. This lecture/lab course fulfills the CORE B2 Science requirement for non-science majors. Field trips during class time will include SF Zoo, SF Botanical Garden and Cal Academy of Science. Corequisite: CHEM 105L Laboratory.
The lecture/lab course Molecular Gastronomy fulfills the Core B2 Science requirement for non-science majors. This course will focus on the science of food and drink, including pasta, coffee and ice cream. What happens on the molecular level when eggs are whipped? And why does popcorn pop? Such questions will form the basis for the science you will learn in lecture and underlie our approach to the laboratory component of the course where we will cook, scientifically examine (and eat) food. This course is for SII students only.
The first in a two-semester course sequence, this course introduces the fundamental principles of modern chemistry, including atomic and molecular structure, periodicity of the elements, stoichiometry, properties of gases and of solutions. Three lectures weekly. Prerequisite: Concurrent registration in CHEM 112 Lab. Offered every Fall.
A laboratory course designed to accompany General Chemistry I. Emphasis is placed on experiments that illustrate the fundamental principles and laws of chemical behavior and engage students in cooperative data acquisition and analysis. Topics include accuracy/precision, qualitative analysis, titrations, atomic spectroscopy, properties of gases and of solutions. Assessment based on laboratory technique, pre-lab assignments, written laboratory reports, accuracy of analysis, and a final exam. One four-hour lab per week. Prerequisite of co-requisite: Concurrent registration in CHEM 111, or prior completion of that course with a grade of C or higher. Offered every Fall.
The second in a two-semester course sequence, this course covers the principles of modern chemistry with an emphasis on quantitative problem solving. Topics include energy, equilibrium, kinetics, acids, bases and buffers, thermochemistry, redox chemistry and coordination compounds. Three lectures weekly. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: CHEM 111 with a grade of C or higher; concurrent registration in CHEM 114 Lab.
A laboratory course designed to accompany General Chemistry II. Topics include techniques of data analysis, thermochemistry, chemical kinetics, equilibrium, acids, bases and buffers, electrochemistry and coordination chemistry. Wherever appropriate, computer skills are introduced and applied to data collection and analysis. Assessment based on laboratory technique, pre-lab assignments, written laboratory reports, accuracy of analyses, and a laboratory practical exam. One four-hour lab per week. Prerequisite or co-requisite: CHEM 111 and CHEM 112 with a grade of C or higher; concurrent registration in CHEM 113, or prior completion of that course with a grade of C or higher. Offered every Spring.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Chemistry.
First semester of a two-semester course. This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts necessary for understanding organic molecules. These include nomenclature, conformational analysis, stereochemistry, radical and nucleophilic reactions, and spectroscopy. Strongly recommended for pre-medical students. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: CHEM 113 with grade of C (2.0) or higher.
Second semester of a two-semester course. Surveys the chemistry of functionalized organic compounds emphasizing mechanisms and multi-step syntheses. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: CHEM 230 with grade of C (2.0) or higher.
Experimental course that highlights the concepts learned in lecture. Students will learn and employ techniques for the preparation, isolation, purification and characterization of organic molecules. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite or corequisite: CHEM 230 or CHEM 236.
Experimental course emphasizing advanced laboratory techniques and concepts in organic chemistry. These include the handling of air-sensitive reagents, spectroscopic analysis of compounds, and the use of computational methods to complement experimental results. In addition, students will learn literature searching techniques and ACS-style writing. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: CHEM 230 with minimum grade of C and CHEM 232 with minimum grade of C. Restricted to Chemistry Majors.
A continuation of the first semester lab course. Students will gain more experience in multistep synthesis and analysis of products. Offered every Spring. For non-Chemistry Majors. Prerequisites: CHEM 230 with minimum grade of C and CHEM 232 with minimum grade of C.
A survey of the fundamentals of organic chemistry. May be taken prior to, or along with, CHEM 232. This course may not be substituted for CHEM 230. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: CHEM 113 with minimum grade of C-.
Modern and classical methods of quantitative analysis. Detailed chemical equilibria. Two lectures and two laboratory periods weekly. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: CHEM 113 with grade of C (2.0) or higher.
This course provides in-depth coverage of major topics in the chemistry of the environment, including tropospheric air pollution, stratospheric ozone depletion, aquatic chemistry, water pollution and water treatment, soil chemistry, and toxic organic compounds. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: CHEM 113 with a minimum grade of C-, and one of the following: ENVS 212, CHEM 230, or CHEM 236. Cross-listed with: ENVS 311.
First semester of a two-semester sequence.The main topics are thermodynamics, electrochemistry, and kinetics. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: CHEM 113, PHYS 210 and MATH 110 with a minimum grade of C.
Second semester of a two-semester sequence. The main topics are: quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, and statistical thermodynamics. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: CHEM 340 with minimum grade of C.
First semester of a two-semester course. Surveys the physical and chemical properties of biomolecules and how these properties lead to observed biological functions. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: CHEM 231 with minimum grade of C, or CHEM 236 with minimum grade of C, BIOL 105 with minimum grade of C- and BIOL 106 with minimum grade of C-.
Second semester of a two-semester course. Surveys the major metabolic pathways and the control of metabolism at the nucleic acid and protein levels. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: CHEM 350 with minimum grade of C.
Techniques commonly used in biochemical research, with emphasis upon protein and enzyme isolation and characterization.Instructor approval required. Priority given to Chemistry Majors with a concentration in Biochemistry. Offered every other year. Prerequisite: CHEM - 350 with minimum grade of C. Corequisite: CHEM - 351.
A survey of biochemical concepts emphasizing the nature of cell components, their interaction in metabolism and the regulation of metabolism. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: CHEM 231 with minimum grade of C, or CHEM 236 with minimum grade of C.
Topics not covered by other Chemistry curriculum offerings. Three hours lecture or two hours lecture and two hours lab. Offered intermittently. Pre-requisites: CHEM 111, CHEM 113, CHEM 230 and CHEM 231.
The primary purpose of the course will be a hands-on research experience as part of a faculty-led research or scholarly project. Students must be accepted into a research group before adding the course, with priority given to majors who have completed CHEM 231/260. In fall, all undergraduate researchers will meet periodically to evaluate the chemical literature, review safety and give an informal presentation. In addition, the faculty will assist students in writing a required research progress report from work completed in fall or the preceding summer. In spring, the course instructor will assist students in preparing a professional oral or graphical presentation of research for a campus, local and/or national meeting. A full written report is required for students in their final semester who are completing the optional ACS-certified degree. Offered every semester for 1 credit and can be repeated for a maximum of 4 credits.
Study of selected topic, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. The consent of the instructor is required.
In this laboratory course students will perform experiments designed to deepen instrumentation skills and build upon the conceptual material being delivered in the second semester P-Chem lecture course (CHEM 341). The introduction of quantum mechanics will allow a deeper discussion of spectroscopy and reaction kinetics. The conceptual basis of NMR will be elaborated upon and NMR spectroscopy will form a major element of the course. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: CHEM 340 with minimum grade of C.
Bonding, structure, and reactivity of the elements, inorganic, and organometallic compounds. In the laboratory students will perform experiments designed to: a) build upon foundational measurement taking and documenting skills learned in Analytical Chemistry (CHEM 260) as well as b) reinforce and extend the conceptual material being presented in the Physical Chemistry lecture course (CHEM 340), c) build upon previous lower division experience with Inorganic and Organic synthesis and characterization. Three lectures weekly and two laboratory periods. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: CHEM 340 with minimum grade of C.
Intensive grammar, composition, conversation, reading. Stress on spoken language. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Fall.
The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: CHIN - 101 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department. Continuation of CHIN 101.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Chinese.
The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: CHIN - 102 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department. Continuation of CHIN 102.
The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: CHIN - 201 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department. Continuation of CHIN 201.
Develops intermediate-to-advanced-level skills in oral and written expression, and introduces modern literary Chinese through texts such as newspapers, short stories, and essays. Prerequisite: CHIN - 202 or equivalent.
Develops intermediate-to-advanced level skills in oral and written expression, and introduces modern literary Chinese through newspaper articles, short stories, and literary essays. Prerequisite: CHIN - 301 or equivalent.
Business Chinese is a language course for students interested in international business and seeking a more in-depth perspective on contemporary Chinese business communications. It is aimed to enhance students' Chinese skills in everyday business situations and to promote their understanding of the business environments and culture in the contemporary China. Class will be taught in Chinese. Prerequisite: three semesters of Chinese or equivalent language proficiency.
A history of the literati arts of landscape and bird and flower painting, calligraphy, and zither music, along with closely affiliated pursuits such as poetry, garden design, religious or literary pilgrimage, and philosophical contemplation. The impact of literati culture on Japan, Korea, and elsewhere is also covered.
An introduction to significant examples of classical and modern literature, with emphasis on fiction, drama, and poetry (shi and ci). Offered every Fall.
A broad survey of China since 1840, emphasizing China's response to the West and the impact of the Revolutions of 1911 and 1949. Offered every other year.
A comprehensive survey of the enormous changes, yet also important continuities, in China's domestic and foreign policy since 1978. Important themes include the transition to a market economy or 'market Leninism'; environmental impacts and the sustainability of growth; population policy; military modernization and the 'China threat' scenario; village democracy and human rights issues; changing attitudes to sex and sexuality; and the search for values both new and traditional. Offered every other year.
A study of the United States-China relations from the 1780s to the present day, with special emphasis on the period since 1945. Offered every other year.
The written permission of the instructor, the department chair and the dean is required. Offered every semester.
The development of epic, epic hero, and the social backdrop of epic in ancient Greece and Rome. Of special importance are the influence of Homer on Virgil and Virgil's originality.
An introduction to the principle myths of ancient Mediterranean society, particularly those of ancient Greece and Rome, with an emphasis on the transformation of primary mythic themes (e.g., origin of the gods, creation, the mythic hero) in a variety of historical, cultural, and social contexts.
The classical world as portrayed in present film. Ancient Greek and Roman texts are examined through modern films with classical themes. The interdependence of war and social phenomena is examined. The readings and films are analyzed from historical, cultural, and modern perspectives.
An examination of the major religious themes and practices of ancient Greeks and Romans. While we will survey historical developments, our focus will be on the Classical Period for the Greeks and the Imperial Period for the Romans. Special consideration will be given to the relationship between beliefs, rituals and concerns of the state, as well as various reactions to "state religion" by philosophers, practitioners in mystery cults, Jews, and Christians.
The course links the study of gender and sexuality to the values and practices of power in ancient Greece and Rome. The readings trace the articulation of gender historically through epic, lyric, Greek tragedy, Plato's moral position, and Roman pronouncements and orientations. The readings are substantiated by illustrations from Greek and Roman art.
This course examines the creation and emergence of classical rhetorical theories and practices from early to late antiquity. Students will read, analyze and research the varying rhetorical traditions that helped shape educational practices and civic debate within different social contexts. This class is a Writing Intensive course. Passing this class with a B- or better counts toward the Certificate in Rhetoric and Writing. This class also counts as an elective toward the Interdisciplinary Minor in Classical Studies.
A varying series of topics examined by means of critical theory, research methods and cultural context. Topics include mythology, political theater, gender and the classical world, ancient arts. Offered every year. Prerequisites: CLAS 110 or SII 100 or THETR 301.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Comparative Literature and Culture.
A substantial introduction to the basic principles and concepts needed for understanding and comparing works of literature and cultures from different parts of the world. Students will read and analyze a selection of literary works with a comparative focus, be it a genre, a time period, a cross-disciplinary theme or its relevance to another discipline. This course is required for all majors and minors in CMPL.
This course builds on the analytical and critical skills introduced in CMPL 195 or CMPL 200 through examination of the major methodologies of Twentieth Century literary theories. Offered in the Fall only.
A course that integrates the comparative knowledge and skills derived from previous work in a seminar setting and a significant research project. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: CMPL 200 ENGL 390 and senior standing.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Communication Studies.
This course focuses on the history and theory of rhetoric as an art central to public life, exploring the ways that language affects how we construct knowledge, create communities, delimit social space, promote our collective interests, and critique the laws and norms that bind us together. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: Core A2; Co-requisite RHET 250 or RHET 295 (see instructor for permission).
This course examines how the communication experiences in daily life - interactions with friends, family, significant others, peers, and coworkers - are illuminated by interpersonal communication theory. Throughout this course, students engage with a variety of materials designed to enhance both their analytic and experiential knowledge about everyday communication. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: Core A2; Co-requisite RHET 250 or RHET 295 (see instructor for permission).
This introduction to the field of communication examines how cultures and sub-cultures differ in their language use, and how their communicative practices shape the production, interpretation, and reproduction of social meanings.Students will learn how to conduct fieldwork to study everyday cultural communication. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: Core A2; Co-requisite RHET 250 or RHET 295 (see instructor for permission).
This course explores methods for close textual reading and analysis. Students study a number of theoretical approaches to rhetorical criticism and apply those theories in analyzing speeches, essays, images, public spaces, and other texts. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: COMS 202 or permission from instructor.
This course explores methods for understanding and conducting experimental and survey research. Students study a number of approaches encompassed in empirical research methods and apply those data analysis techniques in reading, designing, and analyzing quantitative research. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: COMS 203 or permission from instructor.
This course explores methods for understanding and conducting qualitative research. Students will learn and practice a number of approaches to qualitative data collection such as interviewing, focus group, participant-observation, and audio/video recording and inductive data analysis techniques that analyze meaning and understanding in communication. Students will practice the skills of reading, designing and analyzing qualitative research. Prerequistite: COMS 204 or permission from instructor.
This introduction to the social scientific study of holistic health care examines the role of communication in complementary and alternative medicine settings in the U.S. Students will have the opportunity to try holistic health practices in class. This class does not count toward the COMS major/minor.
This course sets out to explore research and theory that illuminates the dark side of interpersonal and family communication and provides an orientation for understanding the dark side as inseparable from the brighter side in understanding human communication. Prerequisites: COMS 203 and COMS 205, 253, or 254 or permission from instructor.
This course will focus on the central role that communication plays in family life. Some topics covered include: family forms, family systems and communication patterns, family rituals and stories, conflict, and family stress. Prerequisites: COMS 203 and COMS 205, 253, or 254 or permission from instructor.
Analysis of major variables affecting interpersonal communication between persons of different cultural and subcultural backgrounds.Prerequisite: COMS/ANTH 204 or permission from instructor.
This course explores the communication patterns of Asian Pacific Americans. Students will examine cultural practices, language, and discourse and how these construct shared and contested individual and collective identities. Prerequisite: Core A2 or permission from instructor.
An introduction to the theory and practice of public relations as an applied social science. Provides an overview of historical approaches, discussion of current trends, analysis of legal and ethical issues, and application of strategic communication theories in the field of public relations. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: Core A1 and A2.
An investigation of legal and ethical concerns in public relations. Using actual public relations cases, students assess the ethical dilemmas presented and devise ethical, theoretically sound solutions. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: Core A1 and A2.
Public relations writing employs a variety of styles, formats, message structures, and technologies in the design, implementation, and evaluation of communication programs. Students apply advanced persuasive strategies across a variety of print and electronic media. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: Core A2 and COMS 320.
Using a combination of case-study and experiential approaches, students learn to create communication programs for nonprofit organizations. Topics covered include planning, strategic and ethical message construction, risk assessment, and crisis management. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: COMS 320.
This service-learning course examines how social movements employ rhetoric to bring about social change. We will study the foundations of social movement theory while examining various historical movements in order to understand how rhetorical strategies and techniques move various audiences to action. Prerequisite: COMS 202.
This course offers students both a theoretical understanding of the relationship between rhetoric and law, as well as the practical knowledge of how to read, engage and critique legal texts addressing a specific social problem or legal question.
This course investigates how discourses structure and critique our experiences of sex, gender, and sexuality. Students will be introduced to a variety of theories about gender and sexuality that will help them analyze and evaluate everyday discourses and objects. Prerequisite: COMS 202 or permission of instructor.
Theoretical approaches and methods to study nonverbal communication. Focus on individual and cultural differences; functions by stage and type of social relationships. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: COMS 203 and COMS 205, 253 or 254 or permission from instructor.
This class examines communication's role in maintaining, creating, and promoting health. Some topics covered include: practitioner-patient communication, ethnicity and health, social support, gender and health, health campaigns, media and health, and health beliefs. Prerequisite: COMS 205 or COMS 253 or COMS 254 or permission from instructor.
An analysis of the communication theories used to explore the complex structures and processes within organizational settings. Prerequisite: COMS 205 or 253 or 254.
The study of behavior, attitude formation and change, and the principles of persuasion. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: COMS 205 or 253.
This class explores language in use including how people use language to accomplish tasks, create meaning, and interact with one another. Students will learn language components such as phonetics, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics in relation to the communication process. Examines sociolinguistics, roles in prejudice, differences in language use in functional communication skills. Prerequisite: COMS/ANTH 204 or permission from instructor.
This seminar service-learning looks cross-culturally at the issue of justice and social change in various communicative environments - from courtrooms to non-governmental organizations, to the media and international assemblies. The course will explore the communicative practices involved in legal proceedings, human rights, conflict resolution, and the struggle for social justice and change. Using a format that combines lectures, discussions, and student's service-learning projects, we will tackle issues such as the communicative nature of conflict; the unequal access to justice and other social resources; the debate over universal vs. relativistic human rights; the cultural and communicative practices involved in conflict and its resolution; the link between power and communication. Prerequisite: Core A2 or permission from instructor.
This course explores how our experience of communication is shaped by the physical realities of communication media: transportation routes, cable lines, switchboards, relay stations, GPS and communication satellites, computer networks, cellular towers, and the fiber optic layout of the postmetropolis. Such media generate a communicative environment, or infosphere, that empowers a growing number of people with the electronic capabilities to produce and disseminate communication all over the world. In this class we will use contemporary communicative theories to study how geography and communication interact. Prerequisite: Core A2 or permission from instructor.
Students in this service-learning seminar will explore the communicative practices of various organizations concerned with social justice through ethnographic participant-observation in a community non-profit organization. Readings from cultural and communication theory will provide the conceptual background for their fieldwork. Prerequisite: COMS/ANTH 204.
Communication and Aging examines the construction of what it means to age and be "old", specifically, the communication processes inherent in this phenomenon, the impact of aging on human relationship/communication, and communication in contexts involving and impacting older adults. Prerequisite: COMS - 203 or permission from instructor.
An advanced course designed to provide an understanding of the communication processes in health-related interaction. Specifically, the curriculum addresses the types of health-related messages produced, their pragmatic goal, the known effectiveness of these messages, and the theoretical and methodological concerns when examining messages used in health-related interaction in a medical context. Prerequisite: COMS 205 or 253 or permission from instructor.
An advanced service-learning course designed to examine the attitudes and perceptions of and toward persons with disabilities, how communication creates and perpetuates an inaccurate and unjust depiction of disabled persons, the communicative behaviors of persons who are disabled and the nondisabled during their interaction, and how theories of communication and social justice can illuminate how this socially interactive inequity may be remedied. Prerequisite: COMS 205 or 253 or permission from instructor.
This course explores the history of the United States from the perspective of the rhetoric that shaped historical events. It examines how history has been made and re-made rhetorically. The course analyzes radical social movements and rhetorics of dissent; struggles to expand the public sphere and citizenship rights; the uses of cultural memory; and symbolic constructions of 'America'. Prerequisite: COMS 202 or permission from instructor.
A faculty supervised program of reading and study in communication. May be repeated for credit. Requires written permission of instructor, chair, and dean. See COMS webiste for full guidelines. Offered every semester.
A faculty supervised project (such as internship or research experience) for credit. Does not count toward the COMS major. Students can accumulate a maximum of 8 units.
Advanced topics not examined in regular course offerings. May be repeated for credit. This class counts toward the COMS major/minor.
Field experience in a setting that relates communication study to the student's professional goals. Students may count no more than four (4) credits of Internship credit toward the major. Offered Fall, Spring and Summer. Prerequisite: Junior/Senior standing.
This course provides students who are not computer science majors with an introduction to web programming. The course focuses on the design and development of web sites and applications, emphasizing problem solving, design, and deployment in the real world.
We’ll investigate how computer science, biology and math come together in Bioinformatics to impact our lives. We’ll study applications of Bioinformatics, such as CSI and gene therapy, including ethical concerns. We’ll use simple Bioinformatics tools and propose policy. No prerequisites.
An introduction to computer science for non-majors with little prior programming experience. Students develop programs using visual and high-level programming languages to control robots, create animated simulations, and build Internet and general applications. In addition, students are exposed to an overview of computing and its influence on modern society. Offered Fall and Spring.
Use of procedures, parameter passing, block structures, data types, arrays, abstract data structures, conditional control, iterative and recursive processes, and input/output in programming solutions to a variety of problems. Top-down and bottom-up design and functional decomposition to aid in the development of programs. Four hours lecture and two hours lab. Offered Fall and Spring.
Design and development of significantly sized software using top-down design and bottom-up implementation. Dynamically allocated data, object-oriented programming, architecture of memory, basics of language translation, and basics of algorithm analysis. Development of simple graphical user interfaces. Four hours lecture. Offered Fall and Spring. Prerequisite: CS 110 (grade of C or better).
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Computer Science.
Advanced programming topics including inheritance and polymorphism, multi-threaded programming, networking, database programming, and web development. Techniques for debugging, refactoring, and reviewing code. Prerequisite: CS 112 (grade of C or better).
Introduction to the C programming language. Overview of parallel architectures. Programming shared and distributed memory parallel computers. Parallel program performance evaluations. Four hours lecture. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: CS 110 (grade of B or better) and permission of instructor or CS 112 (grade of C or better).
Introduction to the C programming language and UNIX/Linux systems programming. Pointers in C, libraries, devices, processes, threads, system calls, memory management, and interprocess communication with sockets. Prerequisite: CS 110 (grade of C or better).
Algorithm analysis and asymptotic running time calculations. Algorithm design techniques and implementation details. Algorithms for sorting and searching, trees, graphs, and other selected topics. Four hours lecture. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: CS 112 (grade of C or better) and MATH 201 (grade of C or better).
Topics not covered by other CS curricular offerings. Students may register for this class in more than one semester. Consent of instructor required. Offered intermittently.
Performance analysis techniques, instruction set design, computer arithmetic, digital design, processor implementation, and memory systems. Performance enhancement using pipelining and cache memory. Four hours lecture and two hours lab. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: CS 220 or CS 221 (grade of C or better).
The design and implementation of operating systems. Study of processes, threads, scheduling, synchronization, interprocess communication, device drivers, memory management, and file systems. Four hours lecture and two hour lab. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: CS 220 or CS 221 (grade of C or better) and CS 245 (grade of C or better).
Data modeling, record storage, and file organization; database theory; relational, hierarchical, and network models; database management systems and query languages, programming language interfaces to databases; web-based client-server development. Four hours lecture. Prerequisites: CS 112 (grade of C or better) and CS 245 (grade of C or better).
Current methods and practices in the use of computer networks to enable communication. Physical and architectural elements, and layered models of networks. Communication protocols and associated algorithms; local and wide area networks; network security. Four hours lecture. Prerequisites: CS 112 (grade of C or better); CS 245 recommended.
Syntax, semantics, concepts, capabilities, and implementation details of several different programming languages, including imperative, functional, object oriented, and logical languages. Comparative advantages and disadvantages of different languages and paradigms. Four hours lecture. Prerequisites: CS 112 (grade of C or better); CS 245 (grade of C or better).
Weekly colloquium and discussion session on current developments in various aspects of computer science. Students may register for this course in more than one semester. Majors must take this course at least twice. One hour lecture. Offered Fall and Spring. Prerequisite: CS 112 with a grade of C or better.
Topics not covered by other CS curricular offerings. Students may register for this class in more than one semester. Consent of instructor required. Offered intermittently.
Written permission of the instructor, chairperson, and dean is required.
Finite state automata with bounded and unbounded memory. Regular languages and expressions. Context-free languages and grammars. Push-down automata and Turing machines. Undecidable languages. P versus NP problems and NP-completeness. Four hours lecture. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: MATH 201 (grade of C or better) and MATH 202 (grade of C or better).
Lexical analysis, parsing, semantic analysis, and code generation. Optimization techniques. Compiler design tools and compiler compilers. Four hours lecture. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: CS 245 (grade of C or better); CS 345 recommended and CS 411 recommended.
Theory and production of interactive computer graphics. Topics chosen from graphics programming and algorithms, modeling, rendering, ray-tracing, and animation. Four hours lecture. Prerequisites: CS 112 (grade of C or better) and MATH 202 (grade of C or better), or permission of instructor.
Study of the design and implementation of 3D Computer Games. Topics include 3D Modeling and Texturing, 3D Math (including rotational and translational matricies and quaternions), collision detection, physics engines, and 3D Graphics engines. Prerequisites: CS 245 with a minimum grade of C and CS 212 with a minimum grade of C
Floating point representation of numbers, error analysis, root finding, interpolation, numerical integration and differentiation, numerical solution of linear systems, numerical solution of differential equations. Four hours lecture. Prerequisites: CS 112 (grade of C or better) and MATH 202 (grade of C or better).
Propositional and predicate calculus, syntax and semantics, formal theories, logic programming, lambda calculus. Applications of logic to computer science and mathematics. Four hours lecture. Prerequisite: MATH 201 (grade of C or better), or permission of instructor.
Computer and network security measures; encryption protocols. Ethical theory and applications in computing. Seminar discussion on value systems, social impact, and human factors, and about use and misuse of computers. Four hours lecture. Prerequisite: CS 112 (grade of C or better), or permission of instructor.
Topics not covered by other CS curricular offerings. Students may register for this class in more than one semester. Consent of instructor required. Offered intermittently.
Students working in teams investigate, specify, design, implement, test, document, and present to their classmates a significant software project. Sound software engineering practicies are presented in lectures and used to evaluate each stage of the project. Written and verbal communication is emphasized through frequent documentation submissions, informal group discussions, code walk-throughs, and student presentations. With the instructor's permission, the course may be repeated for credit. Four hours lecture. Offered Fall and Spring. Prerequisite: CS 212 (grade of C or better) and senior standing.
Written permission of the instructor, chairperson, and dean is required.
Introductory classes in various dance styles and techniques including ballet, jazz dance, modern dance, tap, social and ballroom, swing, flamenco, ethnic/folk dance and creative movement. (Course may be repeated for credit.)
This course will introduce students to ways of understanding and utilizing music and sound as part of the process of dance-making. In addition to learning fundamental musical concepts, students will also learn basic sound editing skills in the creation of their own music/sound scores. The combined practice of studying and making music will develop student's abilities to communicate musical problems and ideas clearly and knowledgeably to dancers, choreographers, musicians and composers
The course provides an overview of theater, dance, and musical theater focusing on the current state of the arts, but also examining their roots and possible futures. Areas covered include scenography, costuming, movement, acting and directing, forms of dance, choreography, theater and dance criticism.
This class will develop basic partnering skills for contemporary dancers. To cultivate effective means for moving in contact with another body, we will research breath, finding one's center, sharing weight, harnessing momentum and stillness.
This course provides an introduction to Laban Movement Analysis and Bartenieff Fundamentals and their applications to movement description, observation, and execution. Students in all artistic disciplines will develop physical approaches to their training that address core support, postural concerns, injury prevention and rehabilitation. Through the cultivation of a vital, conscious relationship with one's body, dancers, actors and musicians will become aware of personal movement patterns that help and/or hinder expressive potential.
A semester-long entry into and questioning of dance's culture-making function. While we will consider concert dance, this is only one aspect of our greater research into how dance participates in national and international culture, and how various dance practices create subcultures whose values often complicate dominant modes of thought. Through readings, guest lectures, videos, discussions, participation in classes, event attendance, and a final fieldwork-driven project, we will address the notions of culture and subculture, and the imbedded themes of identity, entertainment, aesthetics, criticism, value, and lifestyle. Areas may include: ballroom, tango, capoeira, circus arts, ballet, street dance, music videos, club and drag performance, contact improvisation, Broadway musicals, film and television, and YouTube. No prior dance experience is required. Crosslisted with SOC 280.
Dance, like all of the arts, is a product of the culture in which it is created. Social and political climates, cultural values, and issues of personal identity create the framework within which all dance artists create their work. Throughout history, dancers and choreographers have responded to their cultural contexts in more or less conscious ways. Many have used the craft of choreography to give a voice and/or visibility to ideas, issues or populations that directly challenge the attitudes of their communities. This has manifested itself in many ways as dance has evolved as a presence in our culture. This course will use the history of Western concert dance as a means for exploring these connections in greater depth. Particular focus will be paid to the history of ballet, jazz and modern dance and the principle figures of these fields whose work has impacted the ways we think about dance as an agent for activism, artistic innovation and change.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Dance.
This course is designed to advance and refine the students' jazz theater dance technique, in order for them to experience the great traditions of musical theater. A continuation of the ideas introduced in Beginning Jazz Theater Dance, this class will explore more advanced ways of developing strength, flexibility and stylistic versatility.
Examines the elements of creative movement, with attention to motivation and the use of dance for the expression of ideas and feelings. (Required for Performing Arts Majors.) Prerequisites: PASJ 130 or DANC 130.
The final Dance Studio, explores choreography, the techniques and tools of composition, space and design, rhythm and pulse, duration and time, energy and dynamics. (Required for Performing Arts Majors.) Prerequisite: DANCE 230 or PASJ 230.
Study includes analysis of fundamental skills and dance technique, teaching progression, evaluative techniques, instructional strategies and organizational procedure.
Continuing development of ballet technique with emphasis on more advanced ballet combinations, port de bras, musicality, and artistry. Course may be repeated for credit.
Continuing development of modern technique with emphasis on more advanced movement combinations, musicality, and artistry. Appreciation of the history of modern dance. Course may be repeated for credit.
Continuing development of jazz/theatre dance technique with emphasis on more advanced rhythms and combinations, various styles, individual expression, and artistry. Appreciation of the origin and evolution of dance. Course may be repeated for credit.
This course is designed for students who are interested in merging social activism, dance/theater and teaching. Students will learn how to use movement and theater as tools for social change in settings such as senior centers, schools and prisons. In studio sessions, students will identify, approach and construct classes for community sites. Selected films and readings will provide a context for discussion and assist in the development of individual student's research and teaching methods. The class will include lab sessions at designated off-camps sites where students will lead and participate in teaching workshops.
Through study of the dances of Bali we examine the arts in contemporary Balinese life, along with the various historical and socio-political forces that have influenced its evolution. Lecture/discussion format, videos, and classes in Balinese music and dance.
This course is designed for students who are interested in arts education, specifically teaching dance to children in school settings. This class meets on-campus twice a week to develop an understanding of the history and theory of children's dance education and the ability to plan and implement dance curriculum. Students will teach off-campus once a week, applying the information from the class session to a practicum experience.
The study of music theory including meter, rhythm, phrasing, melody, harmony and its relationship to dance.
Work experience in the field of dance which may include teaching, performance, and management placement.
Independent dance-based project overseen by faculty adviser. By permission of instructor.
A faculty-supervised performing arts project which engages the student in practical production. Prerequisite: Written permission of department chair and dean.
This course if fulfilled through participation in the USF Dance Ensemble Fall or Spring concert and/or the USF intergenerational performance company, the Dance Generators. Dancers must audition and attend all rehearsals and performances to receive credit for this course. Students may also receive credit for this course by being involved in the production aspects of these performances.
Designed to promote interest in professional advancement for dance, physical education, and classroom teachers. The workshop provides classes in many dance forms and movement techniques and encourages a sharing of talent, experience, and programs among educators throughout the state of California. Offered intermittently.
A faculty-supervised dance project incorporating research and development. Consent of instructor is required.
Introduction to price theory, stressing market structures, distribution, and the organization of economic systems.Offered expecially for students in the McLaren School of Business. Offered Fall and Spring.
Introduction to aggregate economics, stressing the forces that shape overall economic activity and determine economic growth, employment, interest rates, and inflation. Offered especially for students in the McLaren School of Business. Offered Fall and Spring.
Introduction to price theory, stressing market structures, distribution, and the organization of economic systems. Offered Fall and Spring.
Introduction to aggregate economics, stressing the forces that shape overall economic activity and determine economic growth, employment, interest rates, and inflation. Offered Fall and Spring.
An introduction to the statistical tools and mathematical techniques that economists use to analyze the world. The course leads students through the tools needed for study of economics at an intermediate and advanced level. Offered every Fall.
Significant changes to the world environment have been brought on by increasing levels of economic industrialization. This course studies both broad trends at the macro level in the quality of air, water, and land resources as well as the underlying causes of these changes at the micro level. Students will learn to apply basic economic theory to better understand phenomena such as the "tragedy of the commons", environmental pollution and resource degradation, and how we can become better stewards of creation.
This course offers an introduction to the world economy, international trade, and economic development, designed especially for non-economics majors. Foundations of international markets and trade, comparative advantage, foreign investment, international inequality, and the study of international institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization will form key components of the class.
This course surveys the economic development/economic growth process, political system, and the current economic issues of the East Asian and Southeast Asian countries including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, North Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines,Thailand, Vietnam, and India. Students will emerge from the course with a solid understanding of Asian culture, society, and economics.
This course examines the making of economic societies and specifically the evolution of the African (Third World) economies from pre-capitalist traditional societies through the colonial period to the present status of economic dependency. The class will strive to make students conscious of the interaction between Africa and the developed world, and the implications of these interactions, in historical perspective. Offered Fall or Spring as demand warrants.
Economic theory and historical accounts are combined in an attempt to understand the various forces that have shaped economic development in Latin America. The first half of the course looks at historic and macroeconomic issues. We will discuss development policies ranging from the import-substituting industrialization policies of the 1950s-1970s, to the market-oriented reforms of the 1980s through the present. The second half of the course will look at microeconomic issues such as poverty, inequality, agriculture, education, and corruption. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111 AND ECON 102 or ECON 112, or permission of the instructor.
The growth and development of the American economy from colonial times to the present. The course emphasizes America's role as the first frontier economy to industrialize and its role as the only pre-WWI industrial economy with a frontier, as well as the growth of the giant industrial enterprise and wealth-accumulation over the last hundred years. Prerequisites: ECON 102 or ECON 112.
European economic, political, and social developments from the Industrial Revolution to modern times. Topics include Europe's key place in the development of the modern world economy, European industrial stagnation between the World Wars, Europe's economic miracle after W.W.II, and the recent movement towards European unification. Offered as demand dictates. Prerequisites: ECON 102 ECON 112.
A course in the history of economic thought, exploring the intellectual foundations of the analysis of economic problems and policies. Offered as demand dictates. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111 or ECON 102 or ECON 112.
Course examines the choices and decisions of consumers and firms in the context of full information, uncertainty, and imperfect information. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111.
Analysis of national income determination; function of money and commercial banking; methods and objectives of fiscal policy. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: ECON 102 or ECON 112.
An introduction to the basic concepts of game theory with emphasis on strategic interaction in the real world. Strategic interaction affects every facet of life; from businesses jockeying for dominance in a marketplace, to politicians vying for re-election, to nations in international conflict. The class studies solution concepts for an array of games from different fields of study. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111.
This course prepares the student in the use of econometric techniques, such as linear regression, hypothesis testing, and model-building. The focus is on the application of econometrics to applied problems in finance, macroeconomics, development, and international. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: ECON 120.
This course investigates the changing role of financial institutions, financial markets, and monetary policy in a modern economy. The focus is on how monetary policy influences macroeconomic variables and financial institutions and markets. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111 and ECON 102 or ECON 112.
Introduction to the theory and policy of international trade and international economic relations. Course also covers areas of migration, international corporations, and investment. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111 and ECON 102 or ECON 112.
Processes of economic change and industrialization in developing nations and comparative analysis of underlying social factors; interactions between traditional and modern sectors, and international relationships. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111 and ECON 102 or ECON 112.
Courses not presently in the catalog which the department offers on an experimental basis.
The written permission of the instructor and the Chair of Economics is required.
Applications of linear algebra and calculus to equilibrium, dynamic, and optimizing models of economic theory. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: ECON 120 or ECON 311.
Topics may include: Applications of differential equations, phase diagrams analysis, stability analysis, optimal control theory, calculus of variations, applications in probability and statistics to financial economics and the economics of uncertainty, differential games, and dynamic programming in economics. Offered as demand merits. Prerequisite: ECON 415.
Understanding how to find and manipulate economic data is an important tool for undergraduate Economics students who are about to enter the job market. Students in this course will learn how to obtain economic and financial data on the Internet for the analysis of a wide variety of economic issues. This course will teach students how to find and utilize data measuring GDP, inflation, and unemployment statistics. Prerequisites: ECON 311 or ECON 312.
This course introduces students to the econometric theory and techniques most useful in examining and testing models common in finance and macro-economics. This includes such topics as forecasting prices and returns of financial instruments, testing hypotheses regarding market efficiency and arbitrage, and modeling the time-series nature of financial market data.
This course concentrates on the role played by money in influencing macroeconomic variables such as output, interest rates, and inflation. It also investigates the ways in which government can control economic activity through its regulation of the banking system and the supply of money. Prerequisites: ECON 120 or ECON 311.
This course is designed in conjunction with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and San Francisco State University. Students will study closely on the functions and structure of the Federal Reserve System and its policy making.
Options, futures and other derivative contracts are widely used to manage risk by businesses and financial institutions. This course provides students with a solid understanding of: i) the economic functions of futures, forwards and options; ii) the operation of futures and options markets; iii) the pricing of futures, options and other derivatives; and iv) basic strategies in trading options. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: ECON 120 and ECON 350.
Survey of market structure, conduct, and performance of industry and the economics of regulation and anti-trust laws. Offered as demand merits. Prerequisite: ECON 311.
This course introduces modern laboratory experimental methods to students with well-developed interests in economics and with an intermediate-level knowledge of microeconomics and statistics. The course will examine experimental techniques in detail and will survey recent applications in fields such as markets, development, choice under certainty and games. Students will use the lessons to conduct original research and set up their own experiment. Prerequisite: ECON 311 Intermediate Microeconomics OR permission of the instructor.
Law and Economics offers undergraduates an understanding of how economic theory provides a framework to analyze legal systems. It will also teach students the fundamental importance of the law in fostering economic growth and development. The economic foundations of both domestic and international institutions will be studied extensively. Prerequisite: ECON 311.
The world monetary system, international monetary policy, foreign exchange markets and their uses in the fields of international investments and finance. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: ECON 312.
Study of microeconomic behavior in developing countries, especially focusing on development traps, causes and consequences of poverty, economics of corruption, credit and labor issues, and women in development. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: ECON 311.
How can countries achieve sustained growth and significantly reduce poverty? This course examines the central question of long-term growth and growth management policies. It uses an integrated approach combining theoretical material with hands-on real world data-based econometric case studies. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: ECON 312.
This course is intended for advanced undergraduates who have completed intermediate levels of micro and macroeconomics. The class will analyze the economics of foreign investment in emerging economies such as the newly industrializing economies of Asia and Latin America. Emphasis will be placed on understanding transnational capital flows, foreign direct investment, privatization of industry, the role of exchange rate and currency risk, and models of foreign portfolio investment. Prerequisites: ECON 311 and ECON 312.
Natural resources and the environment and their role in economic development are hotly debated issues. For some countries the abundance of natural resources has been a curse, for others it has been a boon. This course will examine the issues surrounding changes in the environment in developing nations during the process of industrialization, trade-offs between economic growth and resource depletion, and sustainable development. Prerequisite: ECON 311.
Study of the economic, political and technological forces that have shaped the post-war international economic system. Topics include the role of multilateral financial institutions, economic regionalism, the North-South gap, relationships between states and markets, economic globalization and its implications, and challenges to sustainable development. Prerequisite: ECON 312.
The uses of economic analysis to understand the problems of population growth and population policy, household formation, immigration, labor market discrimination, and income inequality and poverty.
This course focuses on current international economic policy issues, including the on-going global financial crisis, the challenges and opportunities of globalization for developing as well as developed countries, the stress in the current international monetary and trade systems resulting from the rapid development of India and China and the external adjustment problems of the United States, and the evolving role of the IMF.
An introduction to literary study, focusing on poetry, drama and fiction. Students will learn basic literary terms and practice textual analysis through writing and discussion. Emphasis will be on the formal features of literary works, as well as on the cultural and historical contexts that inform them. English majors only. Offered every semester.
First Year SEminars in the English Department serve as focused introductions not only to important literary texts but also the many tools of literary study, such as interpretation, vocabulary, research, and analysis..
Laboratory course in magazine editing and production that uses the Ignatian literary magazine as its' vehicle. Offered every year.
This class explores, celebrates, and interrogates "great works" of varying traditions. The topics, texts, and themes change according to the instructor. Recent topics include Literature and the Law, Science Fiction, the Harlem Renaissance, Literature and War, The Journey, and Children's Literatures.
The purpose of this course is to explore the major developments, themes, and works of African American literature from its eighteenth century beginnings to the dawning of the twentieth century. Beginning with an exploration of early eighteenth century African American song, sermon, speech and poetry, the course moves forward through the nineteenth century abolitionist and women's movement to the period of Reconstruction, featuring both major and minor writers.
This course is the second half of the introductory survey of the literature of African Americans. Starting in 1915 at the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance, the course moves forward through the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s to the Women's Movement of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, featuring both major and minor writers.
An introduction to American Indian experiences and cultures from the perspective of oral, written, and visual texts produced by Native North American Indians. The course will focus on various texts representative of emerging Native American literary and cinematic traditions beginning with early oral and ethnographic texts, culminating with a concentration on contemporary American Indian prose, poetry, and film.
Stories of transformation and metamorphosis have captivated cultures and writers for centuries. In this course, students read, think about and interpret both kinds of transformations: the changes that happen in stories, and the literary changes that happen to stories. Through reading and discussion, students practice written literary analysis and acquire familiarity with such literary matters as plot and character development, connotative and figural language, and the basic elements of poetry.
Introductory survey of some landmark fiction written in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. Likely authors include Hawthorne, Twain, Chopin, Wharton, Faulkner and Fitzgerald. The course will explore and analyze the development and the continuities and discontinuities of the American novel.
This course studies the traditions of literature by women to the early nineteenth century. Through readings of poems, short fiction, novels, and non-fiction prose, the courses explores how women from diverse ethnic, racial, religious, and class background articulated the female experience. Special attention is paid to women's understanding and representation of creative authority as well as to the historical, cultural, and literary contexts in which writing by women is produced.
This course examines a diverse body of works from the 19th and 20th centuries. We will read novels, poetry, plays, short stories, and essays with a particular focus on how women writers break and restructure traditional genre forms.
This class studies seven of Shakespeare's plays, the Early Modern period, and Shakespeare's relationship to this period. The course examines the literary, historical, social and cultural influences on Shakespeare's plays along with the moral judgments Shakespeare leads his readers to formulate on disparate topics.
This course introduces students to Asian American experiences through writings and films by Asians in America (including Chinese, Filipino/a, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islanders--both immigrants and U.S.-born), from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Students analyze the evolution of Asian American consciousness expressed through their writings, raising historical and political issues such as acculturation processes, intergroup relations, media representation, race, culture, gender, sexuality, identity and Third World politics.
This course introduces Chicano/a and Latino/a literary and cultural production in its various genres, including poetry, novels, short stories, plays, essay writing, performance and film.
An introduction to American poetry written after 1945, this class looks at major figures and movements that have shaped not just American literature but American culture. This class looks at poetry as an extension of historical and cultural contexts while also paying attention to the history and the craft of poetry. Authors include Charles Wright, Billy Collins, Allen Ginsburg, Jorie Graham, Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, Terrance Hayes, W. S. Merwin, Susan Howe and many others.
In Creative Writing, students will be required to read and respond to (in writing and discussion) various short stories and poems, by both published and student writers, and to produce a portfolio of new and original fiction and poetry, including some revision.
Through an exploration of ways that authors have written about gender and sexualities and have gendered and sexualized their writing, students will learn that gender and sexuality operate as analytic categories which inform not only the representation of characters and behaviors, but also textuality itself: the construction of plots, the mobility of syntax, tropes, and schemas, and the designs of language on the reader.
A survey of poetry, fiction and nonfiction across centuries and cultures. We will examine the philosophies that underpin ideas of nature, culture and 'the wild'; and examine the nature and place of creative literature in addressing environmental issues.
SIT Seminars in the English Department serve as focused introductions not only to important literary texts but also the many tools of literary study, such as interpretation, vocabulary, research, and analysis.
In-depth reading and discussion of major literary works from the Medieval period through the Renaissance, including those in the popular tradition. Topic changes regularly. Offered every semester with a new topic. Recent topics include Arthurian Legends, Medieval Literature, and The Supernatural Other.
This course will explore the social, spiritual, and aesthetic elements in Medieval writings that speak to the intellectual, moral, and spiritual responses of individual faith and society at large. Our readings will allow us to discuss how Medieval writers, especially women writers, express spirituality, hope, compassion, self-sacrifice, and justice. We will examine the elements of spirituality in the following general themes: mysticism, history, gender, and literary conventions. The course will end with explorations into the ways writers and filmmakers represent and appropriate Medieval faith in our contemporary world.
In-depth reading and discussion of major literary works from the 18th and 19th Centuries. Offered every semester with a new topic. Recent topics include 19th Century American Short Fiction, The Gothic, Law and Culture, and Romantic Gardens.
This class provides both linguistic and literary approaches to the history and development of the English language. By examining fragments and excerpts from literature of each phase in the development of English, students will become aware of language change and the interrelationship between English and other languages. In addition, students will develop an understanding of the relationship of language to literature, including the influence of culture and history on both. This is a Writing Intensive course and fulfills the Core A2 requirement for qualified transfer students.
In-depth reading and discussion of major literary works from the 20th and 21st Centuries. Offered every semester with a new topic. Recent topics include the Harlem Renaissance, The U.S. Novel from 1950-2000, and Nature, Gender, Modernism.
An introduction to a variety of feminist theories and approaches with emphasis on the arts, philosophy, politics, and media. Offered every Spring.
Examination of principal plays in the light of recent and contemporary criticism. Offered every semester.
An examination of the craft of writing as an artistic activity that links writers and readers with social issues and civic goals. Focusing on the confluence of rhetoric and semiotics, this class examines traditional notions of rhetoric and persuasion within a contemporary context. An advanced writing course, students research and write on issues of social and personal import in which they offer arguments into topics such as gender, law, race, environmental issues, popular culture, and other aspects of contemporary culture. Offered every Fall.
The genre of "nonfiction" is named for what it isn't--it's not fiction. Which tells us only that it isn't made up. Which doesn't tell us very much at all. In this seminar then, we will draw from the rich tradition of nonfiction in order to appreciate the power and versatility of the genre. By studying contemporary examples of essays alongside historical ones, our primary course goal will be to understand and define "nonfiction" more specifically and generously, and the reading list will include "classic" essayists as well as examples of the lyric essay, literary journalism, and other work more difficult to categorize. Student writing--exercises and creative essays--will be an equally important part of the endeavor.
What makes literary fiction "fiction"? What makes it "literary"? Why do we read and write it? What are our expectations of it? In this course, we will focus on an exploration of the various technical, stylistic, aesthetic, ethical, and formal aspects of literary short fiction, novellas, and novels. Students wil read a diverse range of short and long fiction, which may include writings by Woolf, Duras, Doctorow, Wideman, Chekhov, Wharton, and Carver, and will respond to the writings both critically and creatively.
An introduction to Poetry as a Genre. Students will be required to read classic examples of narrative, dramatic and lyric poetry, as well as poems from the Romantic period to present day. This course examines the development of poetry and explores issues of rhetorical structures, closed and open forms, prosody, diction and audience. requirements will include writing assignments of both the creative and analytical varieties, as well as exams.
A history of the development of Drama as a Genre, from antiquity to present day. Students will be required to read examples from a range of dramatic periods and styles, which might include Greek Tragedy, Elizabethan Comedy, French Farce, Restoration Comedy, Realistic Dramas, Social Dramas, Absurdist Theatre and Experimental Theatre. Requirements will include writing assignments of both the creative and analytical varieties, as well as exams.
This course focuses on the political and social questions surrounding writing and publishing. Students study issues of censorship, racism, sexism, and social responsibility both within the publishing world and recent literatures. The course looks at how novels, poems, essays, and columns have altered and influenced contemporary culture, exploring the responsibility of the writer to his or her audience.
Offered every semester.
This course builds on the analytical and critical skills developed in English 190 and 191 through examination of the major methodologies of Twentieth Century literary theories. Offered every Fall.
Advanced seminar in writing that requires students to produce writing suitable for publication. A close attention will be paid to issues of style, rhetorical strategies and audience. Recent topics include Writing and Popular Culture, Gender and Sexuality and Writing and Social Change. Course may be taken more than once with a different topic.
As the culmination of the certificate program in Asian American studies, this course requires students to integrate the content and models of core and elective courses into a coherent grid of analysis and agenda for social action. A primary component of this course will be service-learning activities in collaboration with local and regional Asian Pacific American community agencies. Students will be required to submit a capstone portfolio, including a thesis paper, at the end of the semester that integrates their service-learning experiences with their academic foundation. Offered Spring 2003.
A varying series of topics examined by means of critical theory and research methods. Offered every year.
A workshop designed to give students a stronger understanding of fiction writing and revision processes. Exit requirement is a portfolio of new, original, and revised work. Non-majors welcome with the permission of the instructor.
A workshop designed to give students a stronger understanding of poetry writing and revision processes. Exit requirement is a portfolio of new, original, and revised work.
A workshop designed to give students a stronger understanding of nonfiction writing and revision processes. Exit requirement is a portfolio of new, original, and revised work. Offered every Spring.
Internships introduce and acclimate students to professional opportunities in the fields of literature, writing, and literary publication. May be directed toward professional work or service. Offered every Spring.
A course which integrates the knowledge and skills derived from previous work in a significant research project. Work is submitted to both the instructor and an outside reader. Offered every Spring.
A course which integrates the knowledge and skills derived from previous work in a significant creative writing portfolio or research project. Work is submitted to both the instructor of record and an outside reader. Offered every Spring.
This course introduces students to environmental studies by focusing on social science approaches to understanding the human causes of environmental change. Sociological, psychological, anthropological, historical, economic, political, and moral perspectives are examined. The concept of the "tragedy of the commons" is used to highlight the social factors underlying environmental problems. Offered every spring.
This course serves as an introduction to and covers broad aspects of environmental science and environmental studies. For all cases, the resulting environmental impacts are studied in detail. Specifically, this course examines the risks associated with growth in a developing world; environmental impact of population growth on natural resources; mineral and resource extraction; water resource uses; and renewable and non-renewable sources for power generation. Emphasis is placed on a holistic approach to environmental science using laboratory exercises, environmental surveys, and class discussions to reinforce scientific principles. Cross-listed With: ENVS 110.
This is an introductory course to the art, science and practical implementation of community gardening techniques. Students study local community-supported agriculture programs, analyze different models for urban garden projects, and develop and hold community garden design meetings. Based on research, field trips, first-hand study of the university garden site and hosting of university-wide meetings, students will produce a draft proposal for the university garden by the end of the semester.
This is the second semester of a year-long introductory course on the art, science and practical implementation of community garden design and techniques. In the first term students studied local community supported agriculture programs, analyzed different models for urban garden projects, and organized and held community garden design meetings. Based on research, field trips, first hand study of the university garden site and the hosting of university-wide meetings, students produced a draft proposal for the university garden at the end of the semester. In the spring semester students will implement the Community Garden design while simultaneously engaging in Service-Learning with non-profit organizations working on food security issues.
Students explore food security issues through semester-long Service Learning internships with organizations involved in the production, use, distribution and/or promotion of locally grown organic produce. Students engage in on-going reflection on their Service Learning internship experience.
This course introduces students to biological and ecological aspects of environmental science. It will include lectures, laboratory exercises and field exercises. The goal of the course is to give the student an overview of basic ecology, ecological management issues, and ecosystem policy with special emphasis on local issues in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cross-listed with ENVS 210.
This course covers broad physical and chemical aspects of the atmosphere and water resources. Specifically, this course considers atmospheric composition, weather processes, and air pollution; water resources, regulations, and defining water quality based on intended use. For all cases, the resulting environmental impacts are studied in detail. Emphasis is placed on a holistic approach to environmental science using field trips and sampling exercises, laboratory exercises, environmental surveys, and class discussion to reinforce scientific principles. Cross-listed with ENVS 212.
An introduction to the historical development and social structure of cities; their changing historical importance in the growth of social, economic, and political life; and their crucial role in the political economy of a global society. Offered in Fall. Cross Listed With: SOC 230.
Globalization has become a buzzword in our society. But what is globalization? In this class we will examine what it is, how it shapes our lives and where it happens by looking at both the theory and reality of globalization.
Significant changes to the world environment have been brought on by increasing levels of economic industrialization. This course studies both broad trends at the macro level in the quality of air, water, and land resources as well as the underlying causes of these changes at the micro level. Students will learn to apply basic economic theory to better understand phenomena such as the "tragedy of the commons", environmental pollution and resource degradation, and how we can become better stewards of creation.
A survey of poetry, fiction and nonfiction across centuries and cultures. We will examine the philosophies that underpin ideas of nature, culture and 'the wild'; and examine the nature and place of creative literature in addressing environmental issues.
This course critically analyzes ethical arguments and various positions on contemporary ethical issues. The course will be composed of three focus areas: Ethical Theory, Social Issues, and Ethics of Everyday life. Approximately one-third of the course will be devoted to each area. This section focuses on the more specific ethical issue, Environmental Issues.
This course provides students with two types of mathematical tools for environmental problem solving; estimating tools and statistical tools. Students will learn how to characterize environmental problems with mathematical relationships, find necessary data and make assumptions, and estimate quantitative answers. We will use statistical tools to gather meaning from environmental data, by examining data patterns (distributions), determining relationships among data (correlations), and checking data quality. The course will address such problems as water contamination, toxic waste, noise pollution, air emissions, and climate change. Cross-listed With: ENVS 250.
This 17-day, 4-credit Arrupe Justice immersion course in
anthropology and environmental studies examines the relationship between
culture and the environment in the unique island setting of Sitka,
Alaska. Students will learn about the region’s terrestrial and marine
environments, its occupation and use by the indigenous Tlingit
population and by non-Native peoples, and contemporary controversies
surrounding the appropriate use of its natural resources – its fish,
timber, and natural beauty. The focus will be on experiential learning,
beginning with a 3-day trip up the Inland Passage abroad an Alaska
Marine Highway ship. All students are welcome to apply; especially suited for Anthropology and Environmental Studies students.
This course stresses the comprehension and assessment of research methods in sociology. Students critically consider the logic and variety of methods that sociologists use to observe the social world by examining the most common qualitative and quantitative techniques. The focus is on assessing how well research strategies address the underlying sociological question(s), how the evidence provides tenable knowledge of social phenomena, and how the evidence can be used in developing new theories or testing the adequacy of existing theories. Offered every semester.
This course explores illness due to environmental pollution. An overview of sociological perspectives on health and illness is followed by examination of the role of scientific knowledge and other social factors in identifying, treating, and preventing environmental illness. Cross-listed with SOC 319.
This course explores how characteristics of human societies influence human uses of, and our relationship to, the environment. Topics include: the roles of science and technology, government, the economy, and culture in shaping human impacts on the environment; the environmental movement; and environmental justice. Cross-listed with SOC 320.
This course examines social, economic, political and cultural dimensions of globalization from a sociological perspective. Theoretical approaches to the globalization thesis, neo-liberalism, and the decline of the nation-state are analyzed along with case studies of transnational movements of resistance that include workers, students, women, indigenous peoples, and environmentalists. Offered intermittently.
Introduction to the environmental history of Africa from 1800 to the present. Topics examined include Africa's physical environment, role of natural resources in the development of African societies, demography, agriculture, desertification, deforestation, conservation, famine, and economic development. Offered every other Spring. Cross-listed with HIST 342.
In this course, students will examine energy production and consumption as an underlying cause of multiple environmental problems. Beginning with an overview of energy-environment connections, the course will cover major fuel types and energy sources--from coal and natural gas to solar, and advanced energy carriers and storage systems (e.g., hydrogen and fuel cells). Prerequisites: ENVA 212 and ENVA 250.
Study of the politics of ethnicity and nationalism in the contemporary world and ramifications for state sovereignty, international cooperation and security. Case studies from a wide variety of settings (i.e., South-Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Canada, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, Yugoslavis) will be used to illustrate conceptual and empirical issues. Offered every other year. Cross-listed with POLS 360.
Explores the religious underpinnings of contemporary attitudes and practices concerning the environment. Both historical and contemporary understandings of nature as expressed in various religious traditions. Offered intermittently.
Environmental Law examines the basic legal setting for the protection and management of the environment. It discusses how environmental law is created and applied. This course reviews how the common law traditionally addressed environmental issues before entering the new era of federal environmental regulation. Major statutes covered include the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Superfund (CERCLA), and the Endangered Species Act. During the course we will discuss how many of the areas studied may play a role in the current efforts to address climate change. We will finally address formal legal efforts to address climate change on the international level as well as local California initiatives. The course also includes material on economic analysis, scientific and legal causation, and expert testimony.
This course examines some of the major factors that contribute to urban development in post-industrial and newly industrializing countries. It will cover issues of de-industrialization, labor and capital mobility, immigration, the logic of spatial location, metropolitanization, and the growth and political economy of global cities. Offered in Spring.
This course provides socio-historical approaches to contemporary Brazilian culture and society from a race, class, and gender/sexuality perspective. Case-studies of popular/political cultures, social movements, inequalities and identities illustrate major developments in Brazilian culture and society within the context of democratization and globalization. Offered intermittently.
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the processes, participants, and institutions that surround the making and implementing of environmental policy. It combines lectures, case studies, and some "hands on" field exercises to illustrate how these elements interact. Cross Listed With: ENVA - 366.
This course examines how environmental 'goods "like clean air and water' and environmental 'bads "like hazardous waste and industrial pollution' come to be unequally distributed in societies, often along lines of race, class, and gender.
Internship in an organization related to Environmental Studies.
Provides an overview of ethical responsibilities for the natural world. The course explores the diverse ethical responses to environmental problems including contemporary philosophical and religious beliefs regarding nature. Cross-listed with THRS 404.
Capstone field and laboratory methodologies class that draws upon materials presented in the foundation courses. Prerequisites: ENVA 210, ENVA 212 and ENVA 250.
An upper division seminar that serves as a capstone to the program. Students explore diverse environmental issues from the perspectives of the humanities as well as the natural and social sciences. The student's environmental portfolio is reviewed during this seminar.
Original research supervised by a member of the staff, with credit to be fixed in each case. Designed to give students an acquaintance with, and an appreciation of, the principles and methods of original scientific investigation. A research report must be filed.
This course is an introduction to environmental science and environmental studies for non-science majors. It examines the environmental impact of population growth on natural resources; mineral and resource extraction; water resource use and water pollution; air pollution and climate change; and conventional and sustainable energy supplies. Emphasis is placed on a holistic approach to environmental science using class discussions, laboratory exercises, and environmental surveys to reinforce scientific principles. Offered every semester.
This course serves as an introduction to and covers broad aspects of environmental science and environmental studies. For all cases, the resulting environmental impacts are studied in detail. Specifically, this course examines the risks associated with growth in a developing world; environmental impact of population growth on natural resources; mineral and resource extraction; water resource uses; and renewable and non-renewable sources for power generation. Emphasis is placed on a holistic approach to environmental science using laboratory exercises, environmental surveys, and class discussions to reinforce scientific principles.
This course introduces students to biological and ecological aspects of environmental science. The course will include lectures, laboratory, and field exercises that emphasize basic ecology principles. The goal of the course is to give the student an overview of basic ecology, ecological management issues, and ecosystem policy with special emphasis on local issues in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cross-listed With: ENVA 210. Prerequisite: ENVS 100 or 110 with C- or better.
This course covers broad physical and chemical aspects of the atmosphere and water resources. Specifically, this course considers atmospheric composition, weather processes, and air pollution; water resources, regulations, and defining water quality based on intended use. For all cases, the resulting environmental impacts are studied in detail. Emphasis is placed on a holistic approach to environmental science using field trips and sampling exercises, laboratory exercises, environmental surveys, and class discussion to reinforce scientific principles. Cross-listed With: ENVA 212. Prerequisite: ENVS 100 or 110 with C- or better and MATH 108 or the equivalent.
Is there a conflict between the profit motive and the health of the environment? Focusing on real-world problems through case studies, students explore the link between environmental issues and economic decisions. Prerequisites: ECON 111 or ENVS 110 or ENVA 110.
Provides students with foundations in quantitative analysis methods used to analyze environmental data. These methods are applied to real-world cases, and students will conduct a full analysis and prepare a professional report as part of a group process. Cross-listed With: ENVA 250. Prerequisites: ENVS 100 or 110 with C- or better and MATH 108 or the equivalent.
This course provides in-depth coverage of major topics in the chemistry of the environment, including tropospheric air pollution, stratospheric ozone depletion, aquatic chemistry, water pollution and water treatment, soil chemistry, and toxic organic compounds. Offered intermittently. Cross-listed with: CHEM 311. Prerequisites: CHEM 113 with a grade of C- (1.7) or higher, and one of the following: ENVS 212, CHEM 230, or CHEM 236.
This course explores two primary aspects of water resource availability: surface water hydrology and water quality. Process analyses of environmental problems are used throughout this course to aid in the development of scientific knowledge and environmental impacts on water. Prerequisite: ENVS 212
An overview of concepts and practices in restoration ecology. Emphasis will be on the application of ecological principles to restoration design, implementation, and monitoring. Two lectures and one laboratory session each week. Prerequisite: ENVS 210.
This upper-division lecture and laboratory course reviews basic concepts of ecology as they apply to wetland ecosystems. Major course topics include: wetland hydrology and soils, wetland biota and their adaptations, wetland types, and policies for wetland management. Prerequisite: ENVS 210 or permission of instructor.
In this course, students will examine energy production and consumption as an underlying cause of multiple environmental problems. Beginning with an overview of energy-environment connections, the course will cover major fuel types and energy sources--from coal and natural gas to solar, and advanced energy carriers and storage systems (e.g., hydrogen and fuel cells). Prerequisites: ENVS 212 and ENVS 250.
In this course, students will develop a deeper understanding of the greenhouse effect and human influences on the Earth's climate. Building on this scientific base, the course will emphasize climate change mitigation--options for changing human activities and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases to avert negative climate change impacts. Prerequisites: ENVS 210 ENVS 212 and ENVS 250.
This course serves as an introduction to environmental remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It is designed to provide students with basic concepts, principles and applications of remote sensing and GIS and their use in natural resource management. This course has a corequisite laboratory. Prerequisites: ENVS 100 or 110 with C- or better, ENVS 210 with C- or better.
Courses offered occasionally on a special topic in Environmental Science.
Capstone field and laboratory methodologies class that draws upon materials presented in the foundation courses. Prerequisites: ENVS 210, ENVS 212 and ENVS 250.
Topics in Environmental Science. Open to Juniors and Seniors only.
Original research supervised by a member of the staff, with credit to be fixed in each case. Designed to give students an acquaintance with, and an appreciation of, the principles and methods of original scientific investigation. A research report must be filed. Cross-listed With: ENVA 498
Focus is on active listening and speaking skills that are necessary to function successfully in a university class. Development of listening strategies, note taking techniques, presentation skills and discussion skills are emphasized. Cross-listed with: ESL - 111.
Focus on active listening skills in academic and non-academic situations. Development of note taking techniques and discussion and writing skills needed when responding to academic lectures. Cross-listed with: ESL - 121.
Focus is on improving students' abilities in reading comprehension and vocabulary skills and on the organization and writing of paragraphs and short essays. Cross-listed with: ESL - 002. Prerequisite: paper and pencil TOEFL 460-497/ibtTOEFL 48-60.
Focus is on active listening and speaking skills that are necessary to function successfully in daily life and in a university class. Cross-listed with: ESL - 001. Prerequisite: paper and pencil TOEFL 460-497/ibt TOEFL 48-60.
Focus is on intermediate English grammar structures and functions. Cross-listed with: ESL - 003. Prerequisite: paper and pencil TOEFL 460-497/ibtTOEFL 48-60.
Focus on using computers in improving English skills and on learning basic computer skills such as word processing, spread sheets, graphics programs, e-mail, and the world wide web.
Focus on specific aspects of English such as idioms or vocabulary and overall improvement in English language skills. Cross-listed with ESL - 015. Prerequisite: paper and pencil TOEFL 460-547/ibtTOEFL 48-80.
Focus on test taking and skill areas covered on the TOEFL test: listening, speaking, writing, and reading/vocabulary. Some focus on written structure also. Emphasis is on building test taking and language skills needed to do well on the TOEFL. Cross-listed with ESL - 016. Prerequisite: paper and pencil TOEFL 460-547/ibtTOEFL 48-78.
Focus is on reading university-level material more rapidly and more efficiently, and on demonstrating comprehension through an articulate oral or written response and on the skills needed for writing academic reports and essays. Cross-listed with: ESL - 120.
Focus on reading university-level material rapidly and efficiently, and on demonstrating comprehension through an articulate oral or written response and on the skills needed for writing academic reports and essays. Cross-listed with IEP 012.
Focus on active listening and speaking skills that are needed to function successfully in a university class. Development of listening strategies, note taking techniques, oral production skills and formal presentation skills. Cross-listed with ESL - 011. Prerequisite: paper and pencil TOEFL 500-574/ibtTOEFL 62-78.
Focus on high-level performance of longer speeches in academic and professional settings with emphasis on listening, complex construction, pronunciation, behavioral skills, visual aids, and greater comfort with a variety of audiences. Cross-listed with IEP-020.
Focus is on advanced English grammar structures and functions. Cross-listed with IEP - 013. Prerequisite: paper and pencil TOEFL 500-547/ibtTOEFL 62-78.
Focus on reading complex university-level material of various genres more efficiently and rapidly, on responding to readings and academic topics using multiple and appropriate writing and speaking genres, and on advanced academic writing, research and documentation skills. Cross-listed With: IEP 018.
Focus is on advanced English grammar structures and functions. Cross-listed with IEP-021. Prerequisite: paper and pencil TOEFL 500-547/ibtTOEFL 62-78.
This course focuses on improving students’ abilities in all four basic language skills (reading, listening, writing, speaking) by surveying key areas of business and by providing students opportunities to understand and express key concepts in business. Cross-listed with IEP-021. Prerequisite: pbtTOEFL score of 500 or higher, ibtTOEFL score of 61 or higher, or an IELTS of 5.5 or higher.
Focus is on advanced English grammar structures and functions. Cross-listed with: ESL - 123.
Designed for non-native speakers who wish to have more American pronunciation and speech patterns and who wish to gain confidence in using English in academic, professional and social situations. Cross-listed with ESL - 017.
Focus is on preparing non-native speakers of English for college level writing by developing accuracy and fluency in written communication. Prerequisite: paper and pencil TOEFL 550-587/ibtTOEFL 79-95.
Focus on specific aspects of English such as idioms or vocabulary and overall improvement in English language skills. Cross-listed with: ESL - 115.
Focus on test taking and skill areas covered on the TOEFL test: listening, speaking, writing, and reading/vocabulary. Some focus on written structure also. Emphasis is on building test taking and language skills needed to do well on the TOEFL. Cross-listed with ESL - 116. Prerequisite: paper and pencil TOEFL 460 and above /ibtTOEFL 48 and above.
Designed for non-native speakers who wish to have more American pronunciation and speech patterns and who wish to gain confidence in using English in academic, professional and social situations. Cross-listed with: ESL - 132.
Focus is on improving students' abilities in reading comprehension and vocabulary skills and on the organization and writing of paragraphs and short essays. Cross-listed with: ESL - 110.
Focus is on intermediate English grammar structures and functions. Cross-listed with: ESL - 113.
Focus on academic writing and speaking skills needed by graduate students. (ESL 601 open to IME students ONLY.) Cross-listed with: ESL - 007 and ESL - 601.
Focus on the integration of English language skills in learning and discussing cultural and academic issues.
Low intermediate level. Focus is on improving students' basic English skills of grammar, reading, vocabulary, and writing.
Low intermediate level. Focus is on conversational skills, pronunciation, and vocabulary in daily situations.
Intermediate level. Focus is improving students' basic English skills of grammar, reading, vocabulary, and writing with some discussion.
Intermediate level. Focus is on listening and speaking skills in daily situations. Academic oral skills are also introduced.
Low advanced level. Focus is on integration of the basic English skills of grammar, reading, vocabulary, and writing.
Low advanced level. Focus is on listening and speaking skills in daily situations and academic settings.
Focus on academic writing and speaking skills needed by graduate students. (ESL 601 open to IME students ONLY.) Cross-listed with: ESL - 601 and ESL - 030.
High advanced level. Focus is on integration of the basic English skills of grammar, reading, vocabulary, and writing for academic purposes.
High advanced level. Focus is on listening and speaking skills in daily situations and academic settings.
Focus is on integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing using business content.
Focus is on preparing non-native speakers of English for college level writing by developing accuracy and fluency in written communication.
ESS majors must take at least 4 sections, each chosen from 4 different areas. Sections meet two hours a week. Offered every semester.
An introductory course aimed at the entry level student. Focuses on the integration of biological, behavioral, and cultural perspectives in Exercise and Sport Science. Particular attention is paid to students' academic, personal, and professional expectations. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: ESS majors only.
On completion of this course students will have an understanding of basic research methods and techniques and how these might be used in solving research problems, and basic statistical calculations and the relevance of their uses. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: ESS majors only.
Study of physical growth, body type, and motor development through childhood, adolescence, and the adult stages; age and sex differences in motor performance. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: ESS majors and Child Studies minors only.
This course is intended to introduce students to a wide range of topics and disciplinary interests in gerontology and to explore their influence on the ability for older adults to successfully age in today's world. The changing demographics of the aging population will be emphasized as well as the biological, psychological and sociological effects of human aging. Offered intermittently.
The purpose of this course is to analyze human movement using applied anatomy and biomechanics, with the goal of skill enhancement and injury prevention. Offered every semester. Prerequisites: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, and ESS 220 (or consent of instructor).
This course will study how exercise affects the structure and function of the human body. Attention will be given to each bodily system as well as the biochemistry of exercise. A weekly laboratory familiarizes students with the assessment of human performance. Offered every semester. Prerequisites: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, and ESS 220 (or consent of instructor).
Study of the reciprocal relationship of body movement and inner states. Topics include motivation, stress, group and leadership dynamics, psychological skills, body image, burnout, and injury. Offered every semester. Prerequisites: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, and ESS 220 (or consent of instructor).
Study of interaction of cognitive, perceptual, task, and physical variables that influence skilled movement. Information-processing, dynamical, and neuroanatomical models are discussed. Applications include activities of daily living, elite motor skills, physical rehabilitation, and ergonomics/human factors. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, and ESS 220 (or consent of instructor).
This course examines the mechanisms of chronic disease, including the etiology, epidemiology, and role of exercise in the management and prevention of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, and ESS 220 (or consent of instructor).
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the tools to develop effective exercise and health promotion interventions for a variety of populations. The underlying theories of exercise and health behavior and their application to program development will be studied. Exercise and health promotion program development including planning, implementation, and evaluation will be studied extensively. Offered every Fall. Prerequisites: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, and ESS 220 (or consent of instructor).
The general purpose of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the field of neuroscience. Emphasis is placed on the biological structures and functions of the brain and nervous system in health and disease. Offered every Spring. Prerequisites: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, and ESS 220 (or consent of instructor).
The knowledge and methods of mechanics as applied to the structure and function of the living human system. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, ESS 220 and ESS 300 (or consent of instructor).
This course will train students to develop exercise programs for health people and those with controlled diseases. Benefits and risks of physical activity will be discussed in addition to various methods of human performance and assessment and movement analysis. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, ESS 220, ESS 300 and ESS 310 (or consent of instructor).
The theory and practice of adaptive physical education as applied to the exceptional person. Topics studied include sensory impairments; behavioral and learning disorders; fitness and structural problems; cardiovascular, pulmonary, and metabolic problems; interventions and activities for the special person. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, and ESS 220 (or consent of instructor).
Clinical exercise physiology deals with the effects of chronic disease such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes on exercise capacity and the benefits of exercise training in managing chronic conditions. Lecture and laboratory experiences will introduce students to clinical exercise testing, electrocardiography, and exercise prescription for clinical populations. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, ESS 220 and ESS 310 (or consent of instructor).
Exercise and Healthy Kids will discuss major issues unique to health for children and youth. This course emphasizes the influencing factors of childhood obesity as well as examining sport participation, physically activity and nutrition from a global perspective. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, ESS 220 and ESS 310 (or consent of instructor OR declared Child Studies Minor)
Course focuses on local and global forces in the production and promotion of sport and fitness practices, representations, and discourses. Cross-listed With: SOC 324. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: Junior standing.
The elementary school physical education program. Games, sports, fundamental rhythm and dance, and other activities commonly taught at the elementary level. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: Junior standing.
Knowledge of selected curriculum issues, for example, physical education as a profession, patterns for organizing curricula, legal liability, health education, recreation, evaluation, supervision, and teaching problems and practices. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: Junior standing.
This course will study the influence of nutrition on both health and human performance. Students will study how diet affects the prevention of various disease processes as well as nutritional strategies that can be employed to enhance athletic performance. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: BIOL 113 and 114; BIOL 115 and 116; ESS 120, ESS 200, and ESS 220 (or consent of instructor).
Issues related to personal and community health. Areas of concern will be mental health, drug abuse, prejudice, personal safety, fitness, disease, environmental health, nutrition, and selected topics in human sexuality. Offered every semester.
An emphasis on the social and psychological aspects of substance abuse and its prevention and treatment. Offered every semester.
An analysis and methods of teaching class for students interested in teaching movement and sport skills in physical education, sport, and fitness settings. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: ESS majors only; Junior standing.
Experimental course focusing on exploration and discussion of material which complements that found in the regularly offered curriculum. Topics are variable. Offered intermittently.
Observation of and assistance with physical education programs at middle and high school levels. Offered every semester. Prerequisites: ESS majors only; senior standing and permission of instructor.
Supervised work in a community setting relevant to exercise and sport science. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, specialist clinics, health and fitness clubs, hospitals, recreation centers, public and private organizations. Offered every semester. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.
Offered every semester. Prerequisite: ESS majors only. Written permission of the instructor and the dean is required.
Research methods and scientific research principles. In-depth explorations and discussion of latest findings, theories and applications. Topics variable. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Advanced instruction and coaching for intercollegiate competition in the following sports is open to students in acceptable physical condition who can qualify for a place on the team: baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, tennis, and volleyball. Only the grade Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory is given. (If Satisfactory is granted, credit for the course will be counted toward the total credits required for graduation, but will not be counted in computed grade point averages.) ESS majors may not use this credit towards the major. Must enroll during season, one semester per year. May be repeated for 4 credits total credit. Offered every semester.
French 100 combines first and second semesters of Elementary French while offering a smaller class size (16 students), cutting edge language learning technologies, and a small stipend to support outings in the City.
An elementary French course. Accent on listening, speaking, reading and writing skills at the beginners level. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time.
Continuation of First Semester French.The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Prerequisite: FREN 101 or equivalent competence as determined by the placement test.
French conversation at the intermediate level. Introduction to French and Francophone culture and society. (May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits). Offered every semester.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of French or Francophone literature and culture.
Review of grammar. Accent on developing listening, speaking, reading, and stress on conversation. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Prerequisite: FREN - 102 or equivalent competence as determined by the placement test.
An intermediate-level course focusing on developing the elementary reading, writing, listening and speaking skills as well as grammar acquired in the first year. In addition, there is an increased focus on cultural knowledge and the inclusion of a full-length work of literature. Prerequisite: FREN - 102 or equivalent competence as determined by the placement test.
Required for all Spanish and French conversation tutors. While simultaneously teaching conversation sessions, students will specifically learn how to: identify issues underlying communicative language and task-based teaching,create well designed language learning activities that engage learners in communicative language learning tasks, sequence those tasks, apply appropriate language teaching terminology during class discussions, reflect about themselves as learners and teachers, and participate in intellectual discussions about second language acquisition and foreign language teaching issues. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or SPAN 202 or SPAN 222.
The diversity of the African continent as seen through the eyes of its filmmakers. Weekly viewings and discussions will be informed by critical literature on African film and its place in the West and the developing world.
This course is designed to serve students intending to do internships or gain employment in French-speaking environments or countries. Although fully developing the language skills to function in international institutions takes years, learning the conventions associated with different kinds of communication and expanding your vocabulary in the areas of your specialization (whether it is politics, commerce, human rights, cultural diplomacy) can facilitate your assimilation once you find yourself immersed in that kind of environment.
A substantial introduction to the literature and flim of the African continent. Works from five different regions and more than a dozen countries ranging from traditional folk talkes to experimental novels will expose students to the diversity of the continent through its rich literary heritage.
What can we learn from rebellious figures, those men and women who refuse to live by the rules? Meet some of France’s celebrated “unruly children,” explore their creative contributions to contemporary French culture, and brush up on your colloquial French. Prerequisite: FREN 202
Cultures de France focuses on the study of French society from 1851 to the present. In this course, students will study cultural phenomena in the context of major historical, political, and social events. Prerequisite: FREN - 202 or equivalent.
This course is designed to help students develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the subtleties of the French language. They will develop their vocabulary, grammatical sophistication, and reading proficiency.
This course offers a study of cultural currents that have made Paris a global metropolis. It invites students to explore diverse facets of Parisian life and encourages them to look at French culture through their own experience and artistic sensitivity.
An introduction to reading and analyzing literary works, with special emphasis on the acquisition of critical vocabulary through readings in major genres (poems, plays, novels) and multiple writing assignments.
An introduction to the major literary currents of the 17th and 18th centuries, to the historical events that helped shape them, and to other cultural manifestations associated with them.
An introduction to the major literary currents of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries to the historical events that helped shape them, and to other cultural manifestations associated with them.
An intensive and comprehensive introduction to the literature and culture of the almost thirty French speaking countries of Africa through representative texts produced in three very culturally diverse regions: North, West and Central Africa.
An intensive and comprehensive introduction to the Francophone world excluding Africa (which is covered in French 330). Texts, DVDs, and artifacts will be used as the basis for an exploration of the literary, cinematic and popular production, and the cultural and linguistic specificity of French-speaking groups in North America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and Oceania.
A comprehensive history of French Cinema and literature from the turn of the 20th Century to the present. Students will read, analyze, compare and contrast literary and cinematic works of each significant period starting with the invention of the first camera and the Lumiere's Brothers' first films to the different movements that influenced today's film and literary productions. Taught in English.
The course explores the many cultural exchanges between France and Germany from the late 1800s to the early decades of the 20th century. In this period, Paris and Berlin were centers of artistic productions. The new perspectives in literature, art, architecture, and film of this period and their integration with social and political developments are focal points. The foundation is Nietzsche's manifesto of personal self-overcoming.
Individual project on various topics of French and Francophone studies to be determined with the instructor. Written permission of the department chair and the dean is required. Offered every semester at the upper-division level only to help students complete their requirements for the major or the minor.
Internship in French companies (businesses or financial institutions), or French government agencies (Consulate, Chamber of Commerce). Written permission of the instructor, the department chair and the dean is required.
Examples of courses: Images du féminin; Conditions de l'amour; Culture des affaires.
Examples of courses: Carte d'identité; Migrations; L'Algérie française, la France algérienne.
Intensive grammar, composition, and conversation. Stress on the spoken language. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time.
Intensive grammar, composition and conversation. Continuation of GERM 101. Prerequisite: GERM - 101 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time.
Review of grammar, composition, extensive reading and conversation. Prerequisite: GERM - 102 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department.
Review of grammar, composition, extensive reading and conversation. Prerequisite: GERM - 201 or equivalent competence as determined by the department..
Review and expansion of grammatical concepts covered in First through Fourth Semester German. Emphasis on reading, discussing, and writing about authentic materials in a culturally relevant context. The program "Stationen" offers a culture-based approach to continued language acquisition with many authentic texts as well as reviews of grammatical concepts. Prerequisite: GERM 201 or equivalent competence as determined by the department.
Taught in German. This course stresses advanced grammar, especially problems of syntax; secondly, its focus is on creative writing and discussion; finally, the course introduces the critical reading of advanced literary texts.
Taught in German. Addresses the rise of post-war Germany as a democracy and the process of Reunification. Examines the parliamentary system, Germany as an economic power and her place in the European Union, as well as customs and traditions. Prerequisite: GERM - 310 or consent of instructor.
This course focuses on literary expressions of Jewish culture and living conditions in 20th century Europe. Issues of assimilation and exclusion and the rise of anti-Semitism escalating in the Holocaust shall be discussed, as well as testimonies of survivors and the renewal of Jewish communities, particularly in reunified Berlin. Cross-listed with Judaic Studies.
This course focuses on German literature and film from the end of WWII to the present. Special themes are post-war trauma, Germany's division, the fall of the Wall, and cultural diversity in the “new” Republic. Discussions of texts in different genres, including prose, poetry, theory, and film, provide an understanding of the contexts in which personal and (trans-)national issues are expressed and new ideas and forms are developed. Taught in English. Listed as elective for European Studies.
The course explores the many cultural exchanges between France and Germany from the late 1800s to the early decades of the 20th century. In this period, Paris and Berlin were centers of artistic productions. The new perspectives in literature, art, architecture, and film of this period and their integration with social and political developments are focal points. The foundation is Nietzsche's manifesto of personal self-overcoming. Listed as elective for Jewish Studies and Social Justice.
The written permission of the instructor, the department chair and the dean is required. Offered every semester.
An intensive introduction to the phonology, morphology, and syntax of Attic Greek, supplemented with readings from various Greek authors. Offered every Fall.
Continuation of First Semester Greek. Offered every Spring.
The written permission of the instructor, the department chair, and the dean is required. Offered every semester.
Intensive study of grammar, composition, and conversation. Stress on the spoken language. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Fall.
Continuation of First Semester Hebrew. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Spring
The written permission of the instructor, the department chair and the dean is required.
This course provides working familiarity with the major ideas and developments of European civilization from antiquity to the present. Offered every semester.
This course will prepare prospective elementary-school teachers in the fields of European and United States history, as required by the public school standards of the State of California. It will cover European history from the ancient civilizations of the Near East up through the Enlightenment and United States history from the colonial era up through the industrial revolution. Open only to students in the Dual Degree program.
The course will acquaint students with the political, social, economic, ethnic and international dimensions of the history of the United States. It aims to stimulate both analytical and moral understanding of critical issues from the nation's past. Offered every semester.
This course introduces students to the diverse experiences of African Americans throughout U.S. history and their impact on American politics, economy and culture. Topics will include slave life and resistance, quests for citizenship, military involvement, and the rise of the Black Nationalist and Civil Rights Movements.
Introductory survey of the three East Asian civilizations of China, Japan, and Korea. The course offers a selective treatment of key issues and important achievements of these societies. Its methodology is historical, analyzing the political, economic, social, and cultural institutions as they have developed from antiquity to the present. The emphasis will be on the modern period, primarily after the middle of the nineteenth century. Offered every semester.
A broad survey of South Asian history from antiquity to modern times. Beginning with the rise of the Indus valley civilization, the course considers topics like European colonialism and imperialism, nationalism, and the post-independence period. Offered intermittently.
A social and cultural survey from pre-Columbian roots to the present, focusing on how Latin Americans have shaped their lives within colonial, authoritarian, and paternalistic societies. Offered every semester.
This course introduces students to the diverse history of Africa from 1450 to the present. Topics examined include the development of African societies and political systems, internal and external slave trades, African societies and politics, African resistance to foreign rule, European colonization, nationalist struggles for independence, and legacies of colonial rule.
This course offers a broad survey of world history, focusing especially on the period from 1400 to the present. Limited to History majors.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of History.
A study of the history of historical writing based on primary sources, and devoting attention to the theories, philosophies, methodologies, and issues of interpretation that arise from the texts. Completion of a research paper on an approved topic. Required of all History majors and suggested for History minors. Offered every semester.
Systematic approach to the spatial distribution of resources, populations, cultural features, processes, and relationships. Required of students who would like to obtain a teaching credential in the Social Sciences. Offered every other year.
Explores the history of the civil rights movement in the U.S. through scholarship and film. Considers historical scholarship and historical films as complementary ways of understanding the history of the movement.
Introduction to oral history, its evolution, methodology, and application. Students will learn about the many facets of the oral history process, interview techniques, the nature of oral historical evidence, transcribing and editing, legal and ethical concerns, and the various uses of oral history. Offered intermittently.
An interpretive political history of the world since 1945, focusing on major actors, events, and international affairs, both Western and non-Western. Offered intermittently.
The rise and development of the societies, cultures, religions and governments of the eastern Mediterranean (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Palestine, Asia Minor, Minoan Crete and Mycenean Greece), from the fourth millennium to about 1000 B.C. Offered every other year.
A study of the new forms of society, culture, economy, and government that arose in the central and eastern Mediterranean after the collapse of ancient civilization around 1200 B.C.; the origins of the Greek city-states; the creations of the new empires by Athens, Alexander the Great, and the Romans; the creation of classical literature, philosophy, and art. Offered every other year.
The origins and evolution of Roman imperial society, government, and culture, from the first century B.C. to the third century A.D. The class also examines the interrelationship between archaeology and history as a means of discovering the past. Offered every other year.
The evolution and reorganization of the late Roman Empire, and a study of its social, cultural, religious, and political transformations. Offered every other year.
The social, economic, political, cultural and administrative revolutions of the twelfth through the early fifteenth century in Western Europe. Offered every other year.
During the Renaissance, artists such as Leonardo da Vinci
began to experiment
with new visual techniques, theorists such as Machiavelli
forwarded bold and
new political ideas, and Italian merchants began to perfect an
economy based on
currency and trade. These developments helped end the Middle
Ages and, in
the long run, paved the way for the rise of secularism,
individualism, mass
communication, and capitalism – in short, the rise of modern
society. Yet, as this course will reveal, there is more to
the
Renaissance than beautiful art and the beginnings of progress. Themes include the
persistence of the “medieval”;
princely and papal courts; gender and religion in everyday
life; early printed
books; politics and conspicuous consumption; European
encounters with Islam; art
and society; and the value of the idea of the Renaissance
today. Offered
intermittently.
How did an arcane theological dispute explode into what some call the first successful mass media campaign in history? We trace the massive cultural, political, and social changes that the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reform wrought in sixteenth-century Europe, not only in the realm of religion, but also in politics, popular culture, gender roles, and printed communications. Taught intermittently.
We examine the first major wave of European exploration, conquest, and colonization in the Americas from 1492 to 1700, a complex series of encounters that profoundly changed European, American, and African peoples and cultures on both sides of the Atlantic. Themes include religious and cultural interactions; violence and coexistence in everyday life; constructions of race, gender, and ethnicity; slavery and other forms of labor; trans-Atlantic migration, both voluntary and forced; and European and indigenous anthropologies of the ‘other.’ Focus is on Spanish, French, and Portuguese territories in Latin America.
Tumultuous transformations marked the end of the Middle Ages in Europe. We examine the period that began with the Black Death, and led to the Renaissance, the Protestant and Catholic Reformations, the New World discoveries, scientific thought, and, finally, the French Revolution. Themes include witchcraft; sexuality, gender, and everyday life; women and religion; heresy and the Inquisition; and European encounters with the New World and Islam. Additional topics: the emergence of print; attitudes toward the poor and poverty; politics and the papacy; peasant revolt and religious change; and new consumer products such as coffee and sugar.
Examines interactions between members of the three religions in Islamic and Christian Spain through Muslim, Jewish, and Christian historical sources, literature, art, and architecture. Also analyzes mythologizations of medieval Spain in modern films, literature, and scholarship. Offered every other year.
The origins of European anti-Semitism and the history of Germany with focus on the persecution of Jews which culminated in genocide during World War II. The course examines the machinery of death as well as the bystanders, perpetrators and victims. The course also addresses the latest scholarly literature on the topic. Offered intermittently.
A study of the breakthrough to modernity. The course covers major philosophical, cultural, and literary currents from Romanticism to the present day. Offered every other year. Prerequisite: HIST - 110 or equivalent.
This class examines the archaeology and history of Britain from about
10,000 BC to the Norman Conquest in 1066. Topics examined include the
rise of the Neolithic period and its associated monuments, such as
Stonehenge and Orkney; the social, economic, and political
transformations of the Iron Age; and the Roman conquest. The second
half of the class will consider the the collapse of the Roman empire and
its impact on Britain, and the appearance and rise of the Anglo-Saxons.
An examination of the various and changing western attitudes towards human sexuality. While we might think that most men and women in western history have shared our own sexual beliefs, or at least those of our parents, we will discover that both the biological and the social understanding of this important human drive has been very contested over time and space. To this end,we will look at various sorts of sources: scientific and medical, philosophical, practical, theological, and literary. We will at the same time encounter some of the major trends in the historiography of sexuality, especially feminism and post-modernism, and see how these challenge our traditional understanding of the past. Offered intermittently.
The development of France from the Revolution of 1789 to the present. Offered intermittently.
A survey of the most important developments in Germany from the Bismarck Reich to the unification of 1990. Particular emphasis on the social, economic and cultural conflicts of the second Empire; the Weimar Republic; competing interpretations of the rise of Nazism; the Holocaust; and the post-World War II period. Offered intermittently.
The course of Russian history from the time of Peter the Great to the fall of the Soviet Union. Offered intermittently.
Introduction to South African history from the 16th century to the present. Topics examined include the interaction between African societies and European settlers, economic development, apartheid, the struggle for majority rule, and the problems plaguing the New South Africa. Offered every other year.
A comparative study of how food has shaped human societies and the environment. Topics include: food production, role of technology, food cultures, famine, and politics of food distribution. Case studies from Africa and the United States. Offered every other year.
Introduction to the environmental history of Africa from 1800 to the present. Topics examined include Africa's physical environment, role of natural resources in the development of African societies, demography, agriculture, desertification, deforestation, conservation, famine, and economic development. Offered every other year.
This course introduces students to the diverse history of pre-colonial Africa. Topics examined include the development of African states, spread of Islam, economic development, slave trades, and European interests in Africa. Offered every other year.
An examination of the epic conflict between Northand South in 19th-century America. This course will analyze the causes of the war and explore the war's meaning to its varied participants: whites and African Americans, women and men, soldiers and civilians. It will trace the war's aftermath and its legacy for race relations in the United States. Offered every other year.
A study of the era named for its conspicuous display of wealth: an era of ascendant capitalism, the rise of big cities, racial segregation, and the acquisition of Hawaii and the Philippines.
A survey and analysis of critical events in American foreign policy, focusing on Mexican-American relations, the Spanish-American War and Cuba, the policies of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt, World War II and the Cold War. Offered every other year.
This course presents women's history both as an integral part of U.S. history and as a distinct subject of historical study. Using a variety of sources, it explores the private lives and public roles of women of different class, race, ethnic and religious backgrounds from the colonial period to the present. Offered every other year.
An overview of women's involvement in social and political movements in the U.S. from the 1880s to the 1990s. Topics include: the women's suffrage movement, social reform, anti-lynching campaigns, peace movements, labor politcs, feminism and anti-feminism, the civil rights and black power movements, and women in right-wing politics. Offered every other year.
A survey of the development and effect of popular culture in America, focusing on the rise of the Western, pulp fiction, popular music, the urban comic tradition, inspirational literature, movies, radio, and television. Offered every other year.
An examination of the central themes and issues in the history of American religion, emphasizing the links between religious experience and American society and culture. Offered every other year.
An exploration of the major racial and ethnic groups that have contributed to the making of American history, focusing on their distinctive cultures and patterns of interaction with one another. Offered every other year.
A study of California's development from the American conquest and statehood to the present time of its social, economic, and political pre-eminence. Offered once per year.
The blending of indigenous, European, and African cultures during the colonial period to form and create Latin America. This survey explores the tensions and richness embedded in this diverse and dynamic history and tracks how colonial attitudes and ideologies shape the region today. Offered every other year.
A survey of Latin America from the late colonial period to the present. Major themes include: political instability, authoritarianism, and the struggle for democracy; economic dependency, underdevelopment, and the search for national sovereignty; social inequality, culture wars, and recent religious transformations. Offered every other year.
A comprehensive analysis of the social, political, economic and cultural history of colonial Mexico. Questions of power, identity, gender, race, ethnicity, and popular culture among Mexico's indigenous and colonial societies are central to the class. Course themes focus on pre-colonial societies, patterns of colonization in Northern, Central, and southern Mexico, development of a Spanish-Mexican society and culture, and the process leading to independence from Spain. Offered every other year.
A comprehensive analysis of the social, political, economic and cultural processes that shaped the growth and development of modern Mexico. Questions of power, identity, gender, race, ethnicity, and popular culture are central to the class. Course themes will focus on: nation building; the search for order, stability, industrialization, progress, modern development, popular upheaval, social reform, and national identity. Offered every other year.
A comprehensive analysis of the historical processes that have shaped the lives, values, beliefs, and practices of the people of Central America and the Caribbean. It focuses on the region's response to global trends: colonization, integration into the world economy, imperialism, modernization, development, the cold war, and revolutionary movements. Offered every other year.
Interdisciplinary survey of the geography, culture, and history of Brazil and Amazonia since 1500. Course themes include indigenous cultures, the impact of European expansion on the native people and the land, African and indigenous slavery, colonialism and its legacies, development, extractive economies, and nationalism. Offered every other year.
A survey and thematic comparison from the histories of Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Most of the material will date from the last two centuries with some attention given to the colonial period. Course themes include the impact and legacy of colonialism, the process of nation building, militarism and civilian politics, and the significance of women and modernization. Offered intermittently.
A survey and thematic comparison of the histories of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, focusing mostly on the national period. Salient themes include Andean civilizations and cultures, the impact of European colonialism, the process of nation building in multiethnic societies, violence and social change, and the tensions between dictatorship and democracy. Offered every other year.
A study of the historical experiences of Mexican Americans/Chicanos, Central Americans, Puerto-Ricans, Cubans and Dominicans, as well as other Latin Americans living in the United States. Topics: identity, prejudice, immigration, social and political experiences, and participation in film, art, music, and other artistic expressions. Offered every other year.
A broad survey of China's history prior to 1840, covering social, political, economic, and cultural developments. Offered intermittently.
A broad survey of China since 1840, emphasizing China's response to the West and the impact of the Revolutions of 1911 and 1949. Offered every other year.
A survey of Japan's history after 1868, emphasizing its rapid modernization and its rise to great power status. Offered every other year.
A comprehensive survey of the enormous changes, yet also important continuities, in China's domestic and foreign policy since 1978. Important themes include the transition to a market economy or "market Leninism"; environmental impacts and the sustainability of growth; population policy; military modernization and the "China threat" scenario; village democracy and human rights issues; changing attitudes to sex and sexuality; and the search for values both new and traditional. Offered every other year.
A study of the United States-China relations from the 1780s to the present day, with special emphasis on the period since 1945. Offered every other year.
Consideration of a broad variety of political, social, economic, and cultural issues concerning America's relationship with Japan, beginning with Commodore Perry's visit in 1853 and including contemporary economic and security concerns. Offered every other year.
This is an upper-division course that addresses empire in the Islamic world. This course focuses on three Islamic Empires, the Ottoman Empire (1300-1922), the Safavid Empire (1501-1722), and the Mughal Empire (1526-1707) and is arranged both chronologically and thematically. While the focus of this course is pre-modern empire, this course will examine how a study of the pre-modern Islamic world challenges current narratives of empire, imperialism, and Islamic identity.
This upper-division course provides students with a historical framework for understanding current political events in the Middle East and examines the intellectual trends that influence representations of the region. This course begins by framing the modern Middle East within the context of European imperialism in the 18th and 19th centuries, discusses decolonization and nationalism during the two World Wars, and concludes with the impact of American foreign policy on the Middle East today.
Experimental course focusing on exploration and discussion of material which complements that found in the regularly offered history curriculum. Topics are variable; the course involves the study of rarely-taught subject matter and/or innovative approaches to traditional historical themes. Offered intermittently.
Provides an overview of the many ways that history is practiced in the field of public history. Includes supervised work at a public history placement, such as museums, archives, and historical sites. Offered once per year. Prerequisite: HIST - 210 or permission of instructor.
The written permission of the instructor and the dean is required. Offered undeer special circumstances. Prerequisite: one or more upper-division courses in the area of the proposed topic for directed study.
Topics will be announced before the seminars are offered, and range from Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Early Modern period, to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Cross-listed with ENVA 441. Offered once per year.
Topics vary. Offered once per year.
Readings and discussions of major recent works exploring the place of Native American peoples in the history of the United States. The course will survey the field both chronologically and geographically, but will focus intensively on the impact of the dominant American culture on a selection of particular tribes. Offered intermittently.
Exploration of the history and meaning of the American Revolution through readings and discussion of major recent works. Covers the causes of the Revolution, the war years, and the political events up through ratification of the Constitution. Offered intermittently.
A reading and research seminar focused on specific geographical areas - the Southern Cone, Brazil, the Andean Region, Central America and the Caribbean, Mexico, the Borderlands - or on particular comparative themes relevant to Latin America - Revolution, Religion, Labor and Politics, Women, Race and Class. Offered once per year.
Topics will be announced. Offered intermittently.
Topics will be announced. Offered intermittently.
Offered every Fall.
The classical experience and imagination as the formative beginning and paradigm of Western civilization is traced through the study of select major literary works of Greek and Roman literature. The historical context, literary style, and intellectual influence of these works are explored and analyzed. Offered every Spring.
The intersection of the history, politics, religion, and culture of the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean World from 500 BCE to 500 CE is examined on the basis of primary literary and extra-literary sources. Particular attention is given to the origin and development of Judaism and Christianity within the course of empire building. Offered every Fall.
Ranging from the conversion of the Roman Empire to the death of Charlemagne, this course examines the role of the humanities during the last days of the classical world and the beginning of the Middle Ages. Along with an examination of some of the most important works written during this 500-year period, the fine and minor arts and architecture are considered. Offered every Spring.
This seminar discusses the phenomena of knight and court as fundamental social and civilizing processes in European culture (10th-14th Centuries) and the modern indebtedness to these phenomena. The seminar examines the concepts of kingship and its classical inheritance, and the aristocratic family as a culture of power. Special consideration is given to the characteristically medieval interrelationships between literature, art and music. Offered every Fall.
The relation of works of literature and art to the culture from which they arise is explored through the readings of Renaissance literary works and a stylistic analysis of Renaissance paintings. Students investigate the intricate ways in which the characteristic style of an age is manifested in its literature, politics, art, and other cultural phenomena. Offered every Spring.
This seminar explores the English Renaissance from social, historical, artistic, and literary perspectives and provides both an overview of Renaissance art and an examination of new conceptions of "the universe," "art" and "man". Topics include: humanism; religious skepticism; political theory; the situation of women. Offered every Spring.
Works of principal eighteenth century French and English studies on the nature of human society are read and discussed, and their influence on America considered. Styles of eighteenth-century art, literature and music, especially the opera, are examined as well. Offered every Fall.
This seminar examines whether the Enlightenment-based progressive ideal of technological and scientific modernism has led to human happiness, justice, and progress, or alienation and destruction. Readings in science, social science, and philosophy (e.g., Kant, Condorcet, Weber, Foucault); studies in modern art. Offered every Spring.
Through a reading (and viewing) of classic American works, including the autobiographies of Malcolm X and Richard Rodriguez, the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the poetry of Emily Dickinson, the novels of Mark Twain, Willa Cather, Edith Wharton and Saul Bellow, the films and plays of Frank Capra and Sam Shepard and the painting of Edward Hopper, this seminar explores fundamental themes, tensions and values in U.S. culture. Offered every Spring.
This seminar explores selected nineteenth century European classics that mirror the social mores and artistic revolution-texts prophetic and pre-modern. Major figures include Marx, Darwin, Freud, Ibsen and Dostoevsky. Offered every Fall.
This seminar examines the key writings of the Socialist tradition in Europe, the U.S., and around the world. Readings will include classic works of socialist non-fiction, socialist biography and autobiography, and socialist perspectives on areas such as art, music, literature, film, photography, community, work, gender, race, class and political consciousness. Socialism's historical development and impact, and its present condition, will also be examined. Offered every Fall.
This seminar attempts to clarify the characteristically "modern" ways of defining and shaping reality through an examination of significant intellectual and imaginative works of our century, especially the "classical modern" period (1890-1950). What dominant insights do we inherit from living in (or just after?) an era which has self-consciously called itself "modern"? Works of fiction are synthesized with readings selected from the physical and social sciences as well as the humanities. Offered every Spring.
The course takes as its focus the question of how to live an ethical and meaningful life in a world no longer moored to universally accepted transcendental truths. The ancient Greeks called the search for practical wisdom phrónêsis, and modern philosophy has witnessed a renewed interest in practical questions about the art of living. The main reading will be taken from texts by the so-called "proto-existentialists," Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, as well as famous twentieth century existentialists such as Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and other French feminists. Besides European philosophy, the course will also include readings, viewings and presentations from modern and postmodern art, photography, music, film and drama.
After the completion of five seminars, students have the option of engaging in an approved research project under the direction of the Honors Program faculty. Written permission of instructor and dean required. Offered every semester.
Focus is on active listening and speaking skills that are necessary to function successfully in a university class. Development of listening strategies, note taking techniques, presentation skills and discussion skills are emphasized. Cross-listed with: ESL - 111.
Focus on active listening skills in academic and non-academic situations. Development of note taking techniques and discussion and writing skills needed when responding to academic lectures. Cross-listed with: ESL - 121.
Focus is on reading university-level material more rapidly and more efficiently, and on demonstrating comprehension through an articulate oral or written response and on the skills needed for writing academic reports and essays. Cross-listed with: ESL - 120.
Focus is on reviewing basic grammatical structures and acquiring more complex structures. Practice is communicative, both oral and written. Cross Listed With: ESL- 123
Focus on specific aspects of English such as idioms or vocabulary and overall improvement in English language skills. Cross-listed with: ESL - 115.
Focus on test taking and skill areas covered on the TOEFL test: listening, speaking, writing, and reading/vocabulary. Some focus on written structure also. Emphasis is on building test taking and language skills needed to do well on the TOEFL. Cross-listed with ESL - 116. Prerequisite: paper and pencil TOEFL 460 and above /ibtTOEFL 48 and above.
Designed for non-native speakers who wish to have more American pronunciation and speech patterns and who wish to gain confidence in using English in academic, professional and social situations. Cross-listed with: ESL - 132.
Focus on reading complex university-level material of various genres more efficiently and rapidly, on responding to readings and academic topics using multiple and appropriate writing and speaking genres, and on advanced academic writing, research and documentation skills. Cross-listed With: ESL 124.
This course focuses on improving students’ abilities in all four basic language skills (reading, listening, writing, speaking) by surveying key areas of business and by providing students opportunities to understand and express key concepts in business. Cross-listed with ESL - 128.
Focus is on improving students' abilities in reading comprehension and vocabulary skills and on the organization and writing of paragraphs and short essays. Cross-listed with: ESL - 110.
Focus on high-level performance of longer speeches in academic and professional settings with emphasis on listening, complex construction, pronunciation, behavioral skills, visual aids, and greater comfort with a variety of audiences. Cross-listed with ESL-122.
Focus is on accuracy, fluency and meaningful use of complex structures in context and in various types of discourse, both oral and written. Cross Listed with: ESL-126.
Focus is on intermediate English grammar structures and functions. Cross-listed with: ESL - 113.
Focus on the integration of English language skills in learning and discussing cultural and academic issues.
Low intermediate level. Focus is on improving students' basic English skills of grammar, reading, vocabulary, and writing.
Low intermediate level. Focus is on conversational skills, pronunciation, and vocabulary in daily situations.
Intermediate level. Focus is improving students' basic English skills of grammar, reading, vocabulary, and writing with some discussion.
Intermediate level. Focus is on listening and speaking skills in daily situations. Academic oral skills are also introduced.
Low advanced level. Focus is on integration of the basic English skills of grammar, reading, vocabulary, and writing.
Low advanced level. Focus is on listening and speaking skills in daily situations and academic settings.
Focus on academic writing and speaking skills needed by graduate students. (ESL 601 open to IME students ONLY.) Cross-listed with: ESL - 601 and ESL - 030.
High advanced level. Focus is on integration of the basic English skills of grammar, reading, vocabulary, and writing for academic purposes.
High advanced level. Focus is on listening and speaking skills in daily situations and academic settings.
Focus is on integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing using business content.
This course offers students the opportunity to learn about the complexities of race relations in South Africa, the struggle agains Apartheid, and the problems plaguing the New South Africa. The four-week tour includes visits to townships, rural communities, and urban development centers. Students meet and learn from South African activists working on social justice issues such as the problems of streeet children, gender inequity, HIV/AIDS, and environmental conservation. Offered every summer.
Zambia, which derives its name from the Zambezi River is home of the Victoria Falls, Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders), and lies in a region with the highest AIDS prevalence in the world. The service learning course in Zambia will explore the strength of a community pulling together (ubuntu) to get beyond the AIDS impasse. This 4 credit USF Study Abroad Summer Program, will achieve the best outcome through a synthesis of pre-travel service learning and a post travel reflection paper.
For two weeks, you will live in the heart of the Basque Region of northern Spain, an area rich with Roman, Jewish, Arab and Basque cultures, a diverse geography, and a complex social, political and economic environment. Bilbao is a historic and a modern city where you can discover history, art and gain insight into the current social, political and economic issues facing Spain. Some of the important landmarks include the Guggenheim Museum-Bilbao and the Peace Museum in Gernika close by Bilbao. You will also travel to Madrid, the heart and capital of Spain, and to historic cities of Toledo and Segovia. You will be immersed in the language and culture of Spain with a unique opportunity to experience some of the most complex cultures in all of Europe. Offered in collaboration with Universidad de Deusto and USF's Latin American Studies Program.
The course will explore the imaginative responses to Islam by sub-Saharan African writers. The full gamut of literary responses to Islam will be examined, ranging from those by outright Islamic promoters, such as Cheikh Hamidou Kane and Tahir Ibrahim, to those of Ayi Kwei Armah, who portrays Islam as violent and colonial in nature. Offered intermittently.
Course is taught in China.
This course helps students to integrate their fieldwork with the pedagogical approaches/methods which can address the needs of culturally diverse students in California classrooms.
Permission of Instructor, Program Director, and Dean required.
This seminar is the culmination of a course of study in public service and community engagement. Its purpose is to guide students in analysis of concepts of service, social justice, and community engagement through the lens of academic scholarship and personal experience.
Intensive grammar, composition, and conversation. Stress on the spoken language. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Fall.
Intensive grammar, composition and conversation, stress on spoken language. Continuation of ITAL 101. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: ITAL - 101 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department.
Review of grammar, reading, stress on composition. Continuation of ITAL 102. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: ITAL - 102 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department.
Review of grammar, stress on reading, conversation and composition. Offered intermittently in the Spring. Prerequisite: ITAL - 201 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department.
Directed Reading and Research (1-4) The written permission of the instructor, the department chair and the dean is required. Offered every semester.
This course will introduce basic Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and writing systems (katakana and hiragana), together with some relevant aspects of Japanese culture. Emphasis on developing communicative conversational skills. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Fall.
Continuation of JAPAN 101. Some basic kanji will be introduced. The course will focus on developing conversational skills and reading/writing skills. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: JAPAN - 101 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department.
This course will introduce basic Japanese business communication and the Japanese writing systems (katagana and hiragana). The course is designed for beginners, so no prerequisite is required. It will focus on developing conversational skills in business contexts and on understanding Japanese business customs, manners, and structures. Offered every Spring.
Continuation of JAPAN 190. Kanji typically used for Japanese business will be introduced. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: JAPAN - 191 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department.
This course will focus on developing business communication skills with relation to Japanese business customs, manners and structures. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: JAPAN - 192 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department. Continuation of JAPAN 192.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Japanese.
Continuation of JAPAN 102. This course will develop communicative conversational skills and reading and writing skills and will familiarize the student with Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and kanji. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: JAPAN - 102 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department.
Continuation of JAPAN 201. This course will provide extensive practice for conversation, reading, and writing for advancement to the intermediate level of Japanese. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: JAPAN - 201 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department.
Continuation of JAPAN 202. This course will provide extensive practice for conversation, reading, and writing to consolidate the student's language skills. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: JAPAN - 202 or equivalent competence as determined by the Department.
Continuation of JAPAN 311. This course will include reading authentic materials (newspapers, periodicals, novels, etc.), discussing the materials in Japanese, and writing compositions. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: JAPAN - 301.
This course aims to develop classical Japanese calligraphy skills and to engender a deeper appreciation of the calligraphic arts and of the role of Zen philosophy in Japanese culture. Application of the form and beauty of the characters also makes them easier to remember. The course will provide a hands-on tutorial of basic brush strokes and painting techniques. Offered every Fall.
A study of the emergence of modern East Asia; political changes in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan after 1945; survey of international developments.
This course will introduce essential aspects of Japanese culture. It is taught in English and may be repeated for credit when different topics are treated. Offered every other Fall.
This course will explore various aspects of contemporary Japanese culture. It is taught in English. Offered every other Fall.
This course will introduce the classics of Japanese literature as well as works by the Nobel laureates. The course is taught in English. Offered every Spring.
A history of the Naturalist Movement in Japan, with special emphasis on Western literary influences, as well as native resistance to and adaptation of them, during this formative period in Japanese literature.
The course aims to develop Japanese calligraphy and sumi-e (ink painting) skills, to introduce the history of Japanese painting, and to engender a deeper appreciation of the calligraphic and sumi-e arts. Prerequisite: JAPAN - 310.
This course surveys nearly 2000 years of the religious traditions, heritage, and culture of the Japanese people. We will explore key texts, charismatic leaders, and periods of conflict and stability in our goal to understand both historical and contemporary religious and spiritual examples within Japan and abroad.
This course examines the origins, teachings, and practices of Zen Buddhism, from ancient China to contemporary East Asia and North America. It emphasizes both academic and participatory understanding of this tradition. Offered intermittently.
A survey of Japan's history after 1868, emphasizing its rapid modernization and its rise to great power status. Offered every other year.
Consideration of a broad variety of political, social, economic, and cultural issues concerning America's relationship with Japan, beginning with Commodore Perry's visit in 1853 and including contemporary economic and security concerns. Offered every other year.
Courses offered on an experimental basis. Topics vary. Offered intermittently.
Permission of Instructor, Department Chair and Dean required.
The course is conducted in Japanese. It introduces many characteristically Japanese traditions and concepts originating during the Edo period when the Shogunate government closed Japan to foreign commerce. Prerequisite: JAPN 302.
This course aims to develop linguistic knowledge about the Japanese language. The course will focus on understanding the Japanese language in terms of history, lexicon, phonology, morphology, syntax, pragmatics, and sociolinguistics. Such linguistic training provides essential background for teaching Japanese. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: JAPAN - 202 (or equivalent competence).
A one-semester intensive review of the basic structures of Spanish. Class conducted in Spanish, with activities designed to practice and consolidate all language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Cultural readings to expand vocabulary, stimulate discussion, and broaden students' understanding of the Hispanic world. Offered every semester.
Topics include: music and its evolution, music and society, music and culture. Focus is on Latin American music, including music of the colonial period, and North American music from the Pilgrims to the twentieth century. Included are genres such as tango, samba, Chilean protest songs, Cuban and Mexican music, Andean music; the blues, jazz, swing; music of the Native Americans.
This course examines women's experiences in developing countries in the light of local and global inequalities and connections. Major theoretical approaches are used to understand how gender relationships shape and are shaped by development policies within national and global contexts. These approaches are illustrated by case studies in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Offered intermittently.
Economic theory and historical accounts are combined in an attempt to understand the various forces that have shaped economic development in Latin America. The first half of the course looks at historic and macroeconomic issues. We will discuss development policies ranging from the import-substituting industrialization policies of the 1950s-1970s, to the market-oriented reforms of the 1980s through the present. The second half of the course will look at microeconomic issues such as poverty, inequality, agriculture, education, and corruption. Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 111 AND ECON 102 or ECON 112, or permission of the instructor.
This course covers a representative sample of the literature written in Latin America from the inception of Colonial power to Independence (from the 15th to the 19th century). Course is conducted in Spanish. Cross Listed With: LAS - 303.
Art of the Americas is an upper division art history course focusing on the art made by the numerous and different peoples of North and South America, from antiquity to the present.
Helping Sarlo Scholars make the most of experiences in Uganda and Nicaragua, students write a 12-15 page social science research paper in a multi-step writing process all while critically evaluating their experiences in host countries.
This course provides socio-historical and theoretical frameworks for understanding those U.S. populations known a Chicanos/as and Latinos/as. The course is intended for students who would like to rigorously pursue an independent research project that further expands their knowledge of these populations.
A survey of the soap opera and melodrama genre focusing on its Latino version: telenovelas. The course looks at the production, distribution, and content of soaps, and their audiences around the world. It explores questions of class, gender, race and ethnicity, and the use of soaps for education and social change.
This
course is an introduction to films made by Latin American filmmakers
about Latin America. It explores how the national cinemas of the
Americas narrate their history and portray their societies’ experiences, conflicts, and challenges. Students analyze
films in historical and cinematic terms, exploring the various
relations between cinema and the state, questions of ideology, national
identity, class, race and ethnicity, gender, concerns about historical
representations and political memory, and the use of film as a tool for
social change.
This course engages with the transcendent biblical concept of justice as an irreversible commitment of God in history as articulated in the prophets, the Gospel of Jesus and emergent in liberation theologies in Latin America, Africa, Asia, in North America responses, in feminist responses, and in ecological knowledge, processes and paradigms. Offered yearly.
An introduction to the major economic, cultural, and institutional factors that shape contemporary Latin American politics, including the role of the United States, the changing international economy and its impact on public policy and political behavior. Offered every other year.
This course surveys the lives of saints, both Catholic and "popular," to examine how spirituality and political charisma cross-fertilize in social-justice movements. Includes studies of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Che Guevara, Diana of Wales, Archbishop Romero, Rev. Jim Jones.
This course introduces students to the study of human rights issues through film screening, readings, and writing assignments, and by collaborating in the organization of the Human Rights Film Festival at USF. The course is designed around a selcection of both U.S. and foreign documentary and narrative films addressing civil, political, economic, cultural, social, women's and LGBT rights. This course is restricted to those with Junior or Senior standing.
This course provides socio-historical approaches to contemporary Brazilian culture and society from a race, class, and gender/sexuality perspective. Case-studies of popular/political cultures, social movements, inequalities and identities illustrate major developments in Brazilian culture and society within the context of democratization and globalization. Offered intermittently.
This team-taught course involves professors from the Departments of History and Modern Languages and focuses on how the facts and fictions, the history and the literary, the text and film have shaped our ideas, images, and understanding of Latin America. Here we will unpack disciplines, narratives, and media as we ponder and reinterpret Latin America.
This course is an introduction to philosophy in Latin America, Vasconcelos, Mariategui, Zea, Dussel, etc.) and significant philosophical movements
Every spring semester this interdisciplinary seminar offers a selected group of students of high academic standing (the CELASA scholars,) the opportunity to study, discuss, experience, and better understand a contemporary Latin American topic. The CELASA Seminar involves either travel to a Latin American country, guest lectures by distinguished Latin American figures in the field of study, or both. Registration by application process only.
The blending of indigenous, European, and African cultures during the colonial period to form and create Latin America. This survey explores the tensions and richness embedded in this diverse and dynamic history and tracks how colonial attitudes and ideologies shape the region today. Offered every other year.
A comprehensive analysis of the social, political, economic and cultural history of colonial Mexico. Questions of power, identity, gender, race, ethnicity, and popular culture among Mexico's indigenous and colonial societies are central to the class. Course themes focus on pre-colonial societies, patterns of colonization in Northern, Central, and southern Mexico, development of a Spanish-Mexican society and culture, and the process leading to independence from Spain. Offered every other year.
A comprehensive analysis of the social, political, economic and cultural processes that shaped the growth and development of modern Mexico. Questions of power, identity, gender, race, ethnicity, and popular culture are central to the class. Course themes will focus on: nation building; the search for order, stability, industrialization, progress, modern development, popular upheaval, social reform, and national identity. Offered every other year.
Interdisciplinary survey of the geography, culture, and history of Brazil and Amazonia since 1500. Course themes include indigenous cultures, the impact of European expansion on the native people and the land, African and indigenous slavery, colonialism and its legacies, development, extractive economies, and nationalism. Offered every other year.
A social and cultural survey from pre-Columbian roots to the present, focusing on how Latin Americans have shaped their lives within colonial, authoritarian, and paternalistic societies. Offered every semester.
This course examines the multiple experiences of Latin@ communities in the United States, focusing on media representations within historical, cultural, political, and economic contexts. Students study film, television, the news, advertising, and the music industry. Topics analyzed include stereotypical representations of this group and the development of Latin@ media.
A reading and research seminar focused on specific geographical areas - the Southern Cone, Brazil, the Andean Region, Central America and the Caribbean, Mexico, the Borderlands - or on particular comparative themes relevant to Latin America - Revolution, Religion, Labor and Politics, Women, Race and Class. Offered once per year.
A reading and research seminar focused on specific geographical areas - the Southern Cone, Brazil, the Andean Region, Central America and the Caribbean, Mexico, the Borderlands - or on particular comparative themes relevant to Latin America - Revolution, Religion, Labor and Politics, Women, Race and Class. Offered once per year.
An intensive introduction to phonology, morphology, and syntax supplemented with readings from various Latin authors and simple composition. Offered every Fall.
Continuation of LATIN 101, with emphasis on reading prose authors, on prose composition, and simple Latin poetry. Offered every Spring.
Selections from various prose authors and Virgil's Aeneid, I-IV. Offered every Fall.
Selections from Cicero and Ovid. Exercises in composition. Offered intermittently in the Spring.
Offered every semester.
Math 100 is an overview of some of the seminal achievements in mathematics from ancient to modern times. Topics include Problem Solving, Number Theory, Geometry, Fractals, Topology, Probability and Statistics, and applications to other fields.
This course will introduce students to the processes by which valid statistical inferences may be drawn from quantitative data. Topics include design of experiments; sample surveys; measurement; summary and presentation of data; regression and correlation; elementary probability; the law of averages; the central limit theorem; the normal, t and chi-square distributions; confidence intervals; and hypothesis testing. A computer laboratory component will introduce the student to spreadsheets and statistical applications. Offered every semester.
This course, required of biology majors, is a survey of statistical concepts and methods, with an emphasis on concepts critical to the life sciences. Topics include design of experiments; measurement; summary and presentation of data; regression and correlation; elementary probability; the normal, binomial, t-, and chi-square distributions; confidence intervals and standard error; and hypothesis testing. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: MATH 104 or sufficiently high score on the Mathematics
placement exam (consult with the Mathematics Department for the exact
score needed).
This course covers mathematical theory and techniques fundamental to university level scholarship. Topics include: the real number system with number theory concepts (algorithms for computation); percentage; simple and compound interest; linear and exponential functions; systems of linear equations; descriptive statistics. Two hours lecture. Offered every semester.
This course provides the requisite mathematics preparation for Multiple Subject Teaching Credential Candidates. The curriculum satisfies the California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET) content domain categories: number sense; algebra and functions, measurement and geometry; statistics; data analysis and probability. Prerequisite: MATH 104 or sufficiently high score on the Mathematics
placement exam (consult with the Mathematics Department for the exact
score needed).
Applied mathematics and statistics taught through the medium of spreadsheets (Excel). Topics include Introduction to Excel; basic algebra for spreadsheet modeling; descriptive statistics; elementary probability theory. Prerequisites: Sufficiently high score on the Mathematics placement exam
(consult with the Mathematics Department for the exact level needed),
or MATH - 104.
This course provides a one semester introduction to the theory of differential and integral calculus with an emphasis on technical fundamentals. The curriculum is designed for non-science majors for whom advanced coursework in mathematics is not required. Prerequisite: MATH 104 or sufficiently high score on the Mathematics
placement exam (consult with the Mathematics Department for the exact
score needed).
Topics include polynomial functions; factor and remainder theorems; complex roots; exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions; and coordinate geometry. May not be taken for credit after completion of 0206-109. Offered every semester. Prerequisites: Two years of high school algebra and sufficiently high
score on the Mathematics placement exam (contact the Mathematics
Department for the exact level needed), or MATH - 104.
Differentiation of algebraic, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric, and inverse trigonometric functions; implicit differentiation; curve sketching; indeterminate forms; velocity and acceleration; optimization; other applications of differentiation; Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, with applications to area and volume. Four hours lecture. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: Math 108 or sufficiently high score on the Mathematics placement
exam.
Topics include: Techniques of integration, including trigonometric substitutions, partial fractions, and integration by parts; selected applications of integration, including arc length, surface area, and volume; introduction to differential equations; parametric equations and polar coordinates; infinite sequences and series, including Taylor series. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: MATH - 109.
Topics include systems of linear equations, matrices and determinants; the geometry of vectors in Euclidean space; general properties of vector spaces, bases and dimension; linear transformations in two and three dimensions, eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: MATH - 109.
Contemporary society is filled with political, economic and cultural issues that arise from mathematical ideas. This service-learning Core mathematics course will engage students in using mathematics as a tool for understanding their world with a focus on the connection between quantitative literacy and social justice.Topics covered will include financial mathematics, voting theory, data representation and statistics.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Mathematics.
Topics include algebraic structures, graph theory, combinatorics, and symbolic logic. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: CS - 110 and MATH 108 or equivalent score on the Math Placement Exam.
Matrix arithmetric and matrix algebra (determinants, adding and multiplying matrices, matrix inverse, using matrices to solve systems of equations), geometric applications of linear algebra (matrices as transformations, vectors in 2- and 3-dimensions, equations of planes, etc.); discrete probability, random variables, discrete and continuous probability distributions (including binomial and normal), expected value and variance. Prerequisite: MATH 201.
Topics include analytic geometry in three dimensions; vector functions; arc length and curvature; motion in space; partial differentiation and chain rule; directional derivative and gradient; optimization and Lagrange multipliers; multiple integrals, line integrals, and surface integrals; divergence and curl; theorems of Green, Gauss, and Stokes. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: MATH - 110.
Topics include logic and mathematical proof; set theory, equivalence relations, and mappings; mathematical induction; modular arithmetic; isomorphism; groups; structures of real numbers; convergence and continuity. Emphasis on concepts of proof and mathematical formalism. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: MATH - 110.
An informal, discussion-oriented class to develop skills for investigating and solving mathematical problems. Topics include elementary mathematics, combinatorics, geometry, number theory and calculus, as well as problems from contests such as the International Mathematical Olympiad and the Putnam Examination. Strongly recommended for students interested in teaching mathematics. Prerequisite: MATH - 110 or permission of instructor.
A history of the development of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and calculus. Selected topics from recent mathematical history. Prerequisite: MATH - 110 or permission of instructor.
An introduction to the Eastern European Mathematical Circles culture. Students will learn mathematical folklore and problem-solving methods drawn from geometry and discrete mathematics, and will both observe and teach students in several mathematical circles in the Bay Area. In addition to the mathematics and pedagogy, students will explore issues of equity in educational opportunity. This is a service earning course designed for math, physics, or computer science majors who are interested in teaching.
Topics include a review of first-and second-order equations, series solutions, systems of linear and non-linear differential equations, numerical methods, qualitative methods, introduction to partial differential equations. Prerequisites: MATH - 130 or PHYS - 110 , and MATH - 211 , or permission of instructor.
The methodology of mathematical modeling will be explored in several case studies from fields as diverse as political science, biology, and operations research. Problems of data collection, model fitting, and model analysis will be explored. Case studies incorporate topics from: analysis of conflict (business, military, social), population dynamics, and production management. Prerequisites: MATH - 110 and MATH - 130.
Topics include integration and differentiation of functions of a complex variable, Laurent series, conformal mapping, residues, and Cauchy's theorems. Prerequisites: MATH - 130 and MATH - 211 , or permission of instructor.
Topics include prime numbers, congruences, quadratic reciprocity, number-theoretic functions, and diophantine equations. Prerequisite: MATH - 235 or permission of instructor.
Topics include descriptive statistics and data analysis; probability, random variables, and probability distributions; mathematical expectation; confidence intervals and hypothesis tests. Prerequisite: MATH - 211 or permission of instructor.
Topics chosen from axiomatics, Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries, vector spaces and inner products, and symmetry groups. Prerequisite: MATH - 110 or permission of instructor.
This course offers selected upper division students an opportunity to work on a sponsored research project under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit. Offered as often as suitable projects can be found. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
This course treats topics not covered in other Mathematics courses, but of interest to faculty and students. May be repeated for credit. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
May be repeated for credit. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: Written consent of instructor and dean.
An in-depth study of combinations and permutations, inclusion-exclusion, the binomial theorem, recurrence relations, and graph theory, with additional topics depending on student and instructor interest (for example, generating functions, combinatorial number theory, finite-state machines). Offered every other Fall. Prerequisite: MATH - 235 or permission of instructor.
Topics include an introduction to the theory of groups, rings, fields, vector spaces, and other algebraic structures. Prerequisite: MATH - 235 or permission of instructor.
Topics include sequences and series, topology of the real line, limits and continuity, the real number system, the derivative and Riemann integral. Prerequisites: MATH 211 and MATH 235 or permission of instructor.
Topics include classical differential geometry of curves and surfaces, curvature, the bending of surfaces, shortest paths in a surface, and tensors in geometry and physics. Prerequisite: MATH - 211 or permission of instructor.
Topics selected from point-set topology, algebraic topology, geometric topology, and differential topology. Prerequisite: MATH 235 or permission of instructor.
Critical introduction to contemporary issues and debates in media and society. Offered every semester. Pre- or co-requisite Core A2.
This class is designed to introduce students to the world of films from a semiotic, historical and critical perspective. The main objective of the course is to provide students with the formal and rhetorical devices to understand film language in its own terms. Offered every semester.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Media Studies.
Exploration of political, economic and cultural context of current media institutions including the press, film, TV, and digital media industries in San Francisco, the US and around the world. Focuses on issues of commercialism, the public interest and creativity. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: MS-100.
Qualitative and quantitative approaches to media content and audiences, with special emphasis on violence and stereotyping.
Theory and practice of media and communication research methodologies including content/text analysis, ethnographic methods, interview, and survey methods. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: MS-100.
Theories and techniques including program structures, elements and formats; planning, budgeting and scheduling; sound and acoustics; studios and control rooms; specific equipment, their design and operation, including consoles/mixers/control surfaces, and microphones; analog and digital audio. Includes significant lab work utilizing Pro Tools digital audio workstations. Offered every semester. Limited enrollment.
An introduction to the techniques, aesthetics and practices of video production. Offered every semester. Limited enrollment. Prerequisites: MS-100 or MS-102.
An introduction to basic news reporting. Skills emphasized include lead writing, story structure, note-taking and interviewing. Students will be assigned a variety of story types, including the coverage of speeches, press conferences and meetings as well as writing profiles and police and accident stories. Students will be introduced to AP style. Offered every semester. Limited enrollment. Pre- or co-requisite Core A2.
Advanced news reporting. Research, interviewing, analysis, writing and editing advanced journalism stories. Offered every semester. Limited enrollment. Prerequisite: MS 223 or permission of instructor.
The diversity of the African continent as seen through the eyes of its filmmakers. Weekly viewings and discussions will be informed by critical literature on African film and its place in the West and the developing world. Cross Listed with: FREN-250.
Green Media is a media studies production class devoted to making media about making food. Throughout the semester, students will learn about the history of television cooking shows; research, cook, and share a selection of seasonal, regional recipes; and use social media like twitter, flickr, facebook, blogs, and video to make and share media about making food.
History and analysis of documentary film and video. Prerequisite: MS 102 or MS 200.
Social and legal dilemmas over communication resources, rights and responsibilities. Analysis of law and policy as responses to social conflicts surrounding communication practices. Some topics covered include the First Amendment, media ownership, intellectual property, advertising, obscenity and hate speech. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: MS-200.
An introduction to the study of popular culture that is interdisciplinary in its approach. Popular culture is understood here to mean those areas of cultural production and consumption made and consumed by mass publics. The overview of issues offered in this class is not intended to be comprehensive; rather its goal is to establish a new framework for thinking about culture and the arts generally, and in relation to popular culture in particular. Particular emphasis is placed on an overview of aesthetic theory in relation to the history and philosophy of art, which is then applied systematically to case studies in contemporary media culture.
Social and cultural theory of media and communications applied to analysis of media events and texts. Application of research methods and strategies to analyse media content. Prerequisite: MS-205.
A survey of the soap opera and melodrama genre focusing on its Latino version: telenovelas. The course looks at the production, distribution, and content of soaps, and their audiences around the world. It explores questions of class, gender, race and ethnicity, and the use of soaps for education and social change.
This course introduces students to films made by Latin American filmmakers about Latin America. It offers the chance to explore how the national cinemas of the Americas portray their societies' experiences. Topics covered include: relations between cinema and the state, questions of ideology, national identity, class, race and ethnicity, gender, concerns about historical representations and political memory, and the use of film as a tool for social change and human rights education. Cross Listed with: LAS-317. Prerequisite: MS 102 or MS 200.
Examines the institutions, texts, and audiences of the National ('Bollywood') and regional cinemas of India in the postcolonial context. Prerequisite: MS 102 or MS 200.
This course explores and analyzes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender cinema from the 1920s to the present. We will consider how LGBT cinematic traditions have been shaped by key historical factors, such as the Motion Picture Code in 1930, the rise of fascism in Europe, the HUAC hearings of the 1950s, the women's movement, the gay liberation movement, and the AIDS crisis. Prerequisite: MS 102 or MS 200.
Digital Media Production is a course designed around creating, sharing, and collaborating with digital media. S tudents will make digital media using platforms like facebook, twitter, flickr, yelp, blogs, google maps, transmedia, and kiva. By the end of the semester, students will learn how to use digital media creatively and effectively, how to use digital media collectively and collaboratively, and how to learn new tools quickly and independently. Prerequisite: MS 200.
Prerequisites: MS 222 or permission of Film Studies director.
Basic editing and design techniques for print and web publications. Emphasis on editing for grammar, spelling, usage and Associated press style, plus an introduction to the principles of page layout. Limited enrollment. Prerequisite: MS 224 or permission of instructor.
Students produce typical feature/magazine stories, such as the process story, the trend story, the travel story and both the short and long profile, with a concentration on the techniques of narrative and characterization used in so-called literary journalism. Limited enrollment. Prerequisite: MS 224 or permission of instructor.
This course trains students to write a full-feature script. By viewing films and reading scripts of already produced films, students will become familiar with the narrative and dramatic structures of diverse film scripts. The course involves a considerable amount of film viewing, as well as workshops in writing, collective critiques of classmates' works and weekly writing assignments. Prerequisites: MS 102 and MS 222 or permission of instructor.
Introduction to the philosophies, techniques and methods of photojournalism for newspaper, magazine and Internet. From basic photography to hands-on digital imaging. Includes social context and ethics of photojournalism. Prerequisite: MS 224 or permission of instructor.
This course is divided into two sections, reporting and reviewing. Because solid reporting is the foundation for credible reviewing, we will spend the first half of the semester on reporting. We will focus on five genres: music, movies, theater, food and one to be determined. In addition to covering and reviewing events, we will meet with a series of arts writers and discuss various aspects of arts reporting and criticism for popular audiences. Class provides a chance for students to strengthen their reporting skills and fine tune their writing voices. Limited enrollment. Prerequisite: MS 223 or permission of instructor.
This course delves into strategies and techniques involved in making documentary films and videos. Students will produce several short documentaries that demonstrate their understanding of the non-fiction genre. Prerequisites: MS 100 or MS 102 and MS 222.
Aiming at the production of narrative shorts as final projects, in this course students will become familiar with the different stages involved in completing a film project: from the writing of the film, through the actual shooting and production components, to the visual and sound editing of the project. Students will work in 16mm and 8mm film formats, but have also the option to shoot their projects in video formats. Offered every Fall. Limited enrollment. Prerequisites: MS 100 or MS-102 and MS 222.
An introduction to a variety of feminist theories and approaches with emphasis on the arts, philosophy, politics, and media. Offered every Spring. Cross Listed with: ENGL-335 and PHIL-335. Prerequisite: Junior or Senior standing.
Students will learn an abundance of experimental filmmaking strategies by exploring the rich history of low budget, do-it-yourself, avant-garde filmmaking. Each student will create several films that incorporate the learned techniques. Prerequisites: MS 100 or MS 102 and MS 222.
This course introduces students to the study of human rights issues through film screening, readings, and writing assignments, and by collaborating in the organization of the Human Rights Film Festival at USF. The course is designed around a selcection of both U.S. and foreign documentary and narrative films addressing civil, political, economic, cultural, social, women's and LGBT rights. Prerequisite: Junior or Senior standing.
This course examines the multiple experiences of Latin@ communities in the United States, focusing on media representations within historical, cultural, political, and economic contexts. Students study film, television, the news, advertising, and the music industry. Topics analyzed include stereotypical representations of this group and the development of Latin@ media. Prerequisite: Junior or Senior standing.
Topics and prerequisites vary by semester.
Faculty-supervised on-campus media production workshop including opportunities with KUSF, The Foghorn, USFtv, and other USF media outlets. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: MS-200.
Faculty-supervised off-campus internship. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: MS 200.
Faculty supervised production project. Requires written permission of instructor, chair, and dean. Prerequisite: Completion of 200-level requirements.
Faculty supervised research project. Requires written permission of instructor, chair, and dean. Prerequisite: Completion of 200-level requirements.
An in-depth investigation of the relationship between politics and the news media in the U.S., emphasizing the role of news in democracy and in public policy formation. Cross-listed with Politics department. Prerequisites: MS 311 or MS 313 or permission of instructor.
A survey of the relationship between diverse racial/ethnic groups and the media within the context of the United States. It explores representation and diversity in popular media, racial equity in media industries, and ethnic minorities as audiences and as independent producers. Prerequisites: MS 311 or MS 313 or permission of instructor.
Examination of feminist theories and analytical practices for understanding images of gender in media and of cultural formation of gender and sexuality through representation. Prerequisites: MS 311 or MS 313 or permission of instructor.
Investigation into the content, practices and politics of alternative and community-based media and social change communications practices in US and internationally. Students will conduct fieldwork in San Francisco. Prerequisites: MS 311 or MS 313 or permission of instructor.
Analysis of structures and content of international media and role of culture in globalization. Cross Listed with: AS-409. Prerequisites: MS 311 or MS 313 or permission of instructor.
Aesthetics, economics and history of Anglo-American popular music and relationship of pop music to mass media, including radio, film and television. Students will produce a 30-page paper over the course of the semester that comprehensively investigates the history, economics, aesthetics and conditions of consumption of one album/CD/mixtape of their own choosing. Prerequisites: MS 311 or MS 313 or permission of instructor.
Seminars vary by semester. Prerequisites: MS 311 or MS 313 or permission of instructor.
This seminar explores how communities write their history and memories and the role that the media play in this process. Students look at the social construction of memories, their trans-generational transmission, and their representation in a variety of media that include television, magazines, film, music, monuments and memorials. Prerequisites: MS 311 or MS 313 or permission of instructor.
This course is the capstone in the Journalism minor, and students should review its prerequisites before signing up for it. In it students will explore the historical development of the First Amendment in the United States and then consider the dilemmas that arise in contemporary journalism when reporters attempt to reconcile the idea that freedom of the press should be absolute with the limitations, both legal and ethical, that many would place on news gathering and newswriting. The course will not propose easy answers to these difficult questions. The emphasis will be on promoting ethical awareness and developing a process for tackling such questions. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: MS-224.
This is a capstone course for selected senior Media Studies students in which they will research a significant Media Studies problem and produce an Undergraduate Honors Thesis in Media Studies. Prerequisites: MS 311 or MS 313 or permission of instructor.
An intensive course on musicianship and theory. Its goal is to develop a foundation in the theory and practice of music. It covers notation, ear-training, scales and modes, intervals, triads, seventh chords, chord progressions, melody, rhythm and form. It also includes basic principles of counterpoint and analysis. Written exercises are required weekly.
A general introduction to the history and genres of music as these developed in Europe and America from the Middle Ages through the 20th Century.
Credit earned by singing in one of the choral ensembles on campus and performing in end-of-semester concerts. For details on the various groups see www.usfca.edu/artsci/music. Sections available include: USF Classical Choral Ensembles, Gospel Choir, ASUSF Voices, and St. Ignatius Choir.
Credit earned by performing in one of the instrumental ensembles on campus. Sections available: Jazz Ensemble, Latin American Music Ensemble, USF Dons Marching Band, Chamber Music Ensemble, and Computer Music: Laptop Ensemble. For details on the various groups see www.usfca.edu/artsci/music.
Credit earned by taking voice lessons, preparing repertoire appropriate to the student's level, taking part in the midterm evaluations ("juries") and participating in some form (performer or crew) in the Music Student Showcase.
Credit earned by taking guitar lessons, preparing repertoire appropriate to the student's level, taking part in the midterm evaluations ("juries") and participating in some form (performer or crew) in the Music Student Showcase.
Credit earned by taking piano lessons, preparing repertoire appropriate to the student's level, taking part in the midterm evaluations ("juries") and participating in some form (performer or crew) in the Music Student Showcase.
Credit earned by taking violin or viola lessons, preparing repertoire appropriate to the student's level, taking part in the midterm evaluations ("juries") and participating in some form (performer or crew) in the Music Student Showcase.
Credit earned by taking flute, oboe or piccolo lessons, preparing repertoire appropriate to the student's level, taking part in the midterm evaluations ("juries") and participating in some form (performer or crew) in the Music Student Showcase.
Careers in music are often accompanied by physical problems such as back pain, tendinitis and repetitive stress injuries. The Alexander Technique is an educational process that helps musicians use their "primary instrument"- mind and body- without strain and excessive tension. All the basic principles of the Technique will be covered and all students will participate in applying the Technique to performance and counteracting stage fright and nervousness. No pre-requisite, required of PASJ majors with Music Concentration.
This course looks at the relationship between music and social justice. Using case studies from different historical times and different parts of the world we will examine how musicians create and perform music both in reaction to the social environment and to change it. Required for PASJ majors with music concentration, and Music Minors, or by permission of instructor.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Music.
This survey course offers a general introduction to the most influential popular music styles in the United States from 1850 to the present. The approach is interdisciplinary, but the focus is on analyzing music sounds alongside historical studies. Popular music styles will be culturally situated, analyzed for their role in broader social and political movements, technological advances and engagement with mass media and commercial industries.
This course presents an overview of the history of jazz music, both in terms of the imporant stylistic innovations in its musical forms and of the cultural impact that musicians have had on contemporary United States. We consider jazz music and its performance as a cultural practice, assessing its importance for its political efficacy and as a tool to promote social change and expose social injustices, while simultaneously celebrating individual achievements and empowering participants.
Music can be a vehicle for social change and singing songs can comment on as well as affect changes within society. Using multicultural case studies from the US and Latin America, we consider how musicians and activists use musical sounds and performance practices as tools to empower people. The class contains a historical survey/lecture component and a performance lab component (no prior musical experience required).
This introductory survey course explores the sounds, history, modes of engagement, circulation, and political and social aspects of influential transnational music styles found throughout "the Americas", including music from North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Students examine the cross-cultural interactions that led to the creation of the music we study, and enhance their listening skills with the help of readings and class discussions.
This introductory survey course explores different musical forms and genres from various Asian cultures, as well as contemporary music made by Asian Americans. Students will attend concerts, develop listening skills, and investigate these musics' aesthetics, meanings, and sociological contexts.
This introductory survey course provides students with an overview of phenomenal richness of Africa's musical and rhythmic landscape. We examine the impact of a rapidly changing technological world and its influence on the traditional musics of Africa, as well as the sociocultural implications of such changes.
An exploration of the romantic literature for the piano through dozens of short pieces by Chopin, Liszt, Brahms and Clara Schumann, Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn and others. We will also discuss the romantic movement in general and issues such as the role of the artist in society and of women composers and performers.
Opera is a singular genre, one involving multiple art forms (literature/acting/dance/set design/costumes, etc.). This survey course introduces students to the history and development of the operatic genre. Class meetings include discussions of staging and directing, reception and social implications. Students attend at least three live concerts as part of the course work. No prerequisite except intellectual curiosity and propensity to enjoy learning something new.
This course explores how gender roles have influenced composers, performers, and listeners of Western music from the Middle Ages to the present. We will look at case studies including operas that featured castrati and women dressed as men. We will discuss women composers who worked in both traditional and avant-garde styles. We will also examine popular genres such as blues and disco and artists like David Bowie and Lady Gaga.
In-depth study of selected operas composed by W. A. Mozart (Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi fan tutte and The Magic Flute). Each opera is examined within the context of its creation and reception in 18th century Vienna, is scrutinized for how issues of gender and class are presented on stage. Students learn about opera as a genre, its social role and implications, and the methods to analyze plots and musical forms of individual works, to consider how music changes our understanding of the text or how singing differs from speech.
An intensive course in diatonic harmony, including ear training, four-part writing, and analysis of phrase, melody, and simple forms. Excerpts for analysis are taken from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic literature. A placement test will be administered on the first day of class. Prerequisite: placement test, MUS 100, or AP Music.
An in-depth study of European Art Music within its historic, social, political, and economic environment, with emphasis placed on analysis of representative pieces of all eras and genres. Secular and sacred, vocal and instrumental music from the origins of notation in the 9th century to the present time. Prerequisite: MUS 300 (or MUS 100 and permission of instructor).
Examination of the development of art and music within the Western tradition from the Middle Ages to the present through the study of representative figures. Focuses on the direction of changes as seen in the work of a few major artists and musicians. Offered Fall.
This course introduces students to ethnomusicology, the study of music using anthropological methods, using case studies of music from selected traditions from around the world. We will explore various modes of engagement with music by analyzing academic texts, doing in-class listening and performance labs, and participating in fieldwork research in the SF Bay Area.
An intensive course in chromatic harmony, covering analysis, ear training, four-part writing (figured bass and harmonization), modulation and larger forms (rondo, sonata, and fugue). Music for analysis is chosen primarily from the Classical, Romantic, and Modern literature. Prerequisite: MUS 300 (or MUS 100 and permission of instructor).
A course primarily for PASJ majors/Music concentrators and Music Minors, or by permission of instructor. Students will study the art form of song writing in different styles and historical periods, specifically the intertwining of harmony, melody, rhythm and text to create an art form. Prerequisite: MUS 300 (or MUS 100 and permission of instructor).
In this course students learn about sound and the computer, investigating established principles of computer audio such as synthesis techniques, sound sampling, digital signal processing, file formats and audio processing. Applications of digital audio for video will also be included.
A course for PASJ majors with a Music Concentration. This seminar will cover one particular topics of Non-Western Music every time it is offered. Examples may include music of one particular cultural and geographic area (the Andes, Sub-Saharan Africa) or a particular tradition.
A course for PASJ majors with a Music Concentration. This seminar will cover one particular topic every time it is offered. Examples may include Romanticism in Music, The Symphony from 1780-1880, Reformation and Counter-Reformation Music, Baroque Oratorio and Cantara, etc. Prerequisite is MUS 301 or instructor's permission.
Required for all PASJ majors, this is the final course in the major where students will develop an individual or collective project in their area of concentration.
Intensive study in the rudiments of the dancer's vocabulary and craft, with intensive instruction in movement in order to develop range of motion, strength, coordination, balance, centering, while learning to care for the body.
Careers in music are often accompanied by physical problems such as back pain, tendinitis and repetitive stress injuries. The Alexander Technique is an educational process that helps musicians use their "primary instrument"- mind and body- without strain and excessive tension. All the basic principles of the Technique will be covered and all students will participate in applying the Technique to performance and counteracting stage fright and nervousness. No pre-requisite, required of PASJ majors with Music Concentration.
This course provides an introduction to Laban Movement Analysis and Bartenieff Fundamentals and their applications to movement description, observation, and execution. Students in all artistic disciplines will develop physical approaches to their training that address core support, postural concerns, injury prevention and rehabilitation. Through the cultivation of a vital, conscious relationship with one's body, dancers, actors and musicians will become aware of personal movement patterns that help and/or hinder expressive potential.
Production and Design I focuses on the design, technical, and managerial elements that are essential to the presentation of any performance. These include lighting, sound and multi-media components, as well as management and organizational structure. In this course, students will learn about the history of stage technologies, as well as their contemporary applications, with an emphasis on innovation and the self-producing artist.
This course looks at the relationship between music and social justice. Using case studies from different historical times and different parts of the world we will examine how musicians create and perform music both in reaction to the social environment and to change it. Required for PASJ majors with music concentration, and for Music Minors.
Dance, like all of the arts, is a product of the culture in which it is created. Social and political climates, cultural values, and issues of personal identity create the framework within which all dance artists create their work. Throughout history, dancers and choreographers have responded to their cultural contexts in more or less conscious ways. Many have used the craft of choreography to give a voice and/or visibility to ideas, issues or populations that directly challenge the attitudes of their communities. This has manifested itself in many ways as dance has evolved as a presence in our culture. This course will use the history of Western concert dance as a means for exploring these connections in greater depth. Particular focus will be paid to the history of ballet, jazz and modern dance and the principle figures of these fields whose work has impacted the ways we think about dance as an agent for activism, artistic innovation and change.
This course studies the role that theater and theater artists have played in creating a "safe space" for engaging relevant social issues affecting communities throughout time. With a focus on western traditions it looks at performance as part of processes of social consciousness and transformation. Required for PASJ majors with theater concentration, and for Theater minors.
This course is designed for students who are interested in merging social activism, dance/theater and teaching. Students will learn how to use movement and theater as tools for social change in settings such as senior centers, schools and prisons. In studio sessions, students will identify, approach and construct classes for community sites. Selected films and readings will provide a context for discussion and assist in the development of individual student's research and teaching methods. The class will include lab sessions at designated off-camps sites where students will lead and participate in teaching workshops.
Required for all PASJ majors, this is the final course in the major where students will develop an individual or collective project in their area of concentration. Depending on your concentration (Dance, Music, Theater) you may enroll in a different section. See you advisor for guidance on specific projects before enrolling in this class.
An Introduction to classic texts of philosophy, focused on major philosophical issues including the problem of knowledge, the existence of God, the mystery of evil, free choice vs. determinism, and the essence of human nature. Offered every semester.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Philosophy.
What counts as a "religion"? Must it affirm the existence of God? What do most people and cultures seem to mean by "God"? Can the existence of God be demonstrated? Is it reasonable to believe God exists? Can God's existence be reconciled with human freedom and with the existence of evil? The course takes up these and related questions, ponders the answers given by classical and contemporary thinkers, and discusses them. Offered intermittently.
This course will examine significant philosophical contributions to an understanding of politics and society. Among the questions it will address are: What is the nature and basis of the state? Which form of government is best? How do we determine whether political institutions are just? What conceptions of human nature underlie various political philosophies? The course will draw from classical, modern, and contemporary sources in political philosophy. Offered every year.
A critical examination of conflicting interpretations of scientific practice. Major issues include the nature of scientific explanation, the development of instrumentation and experimental techniques, how scientific knowledge is validated, whether theories are to be interpreted as literally true or as instrumentally adequate, scientific revolutions, and the rationality of science. Offered every year.
This course engages in a philosophical reflection of evolutionary theory and the theory of the gene. Among questions we will address are: Why is intelligent design not as good of a theory of species origin as evolution? Is it possible to hold a rational belief in Christianity and in evolutionary theory? Do genes determine human behavior? Does biology just reduce to chemistry and physics? Offered every year.
Using primary sources, the course will address the questions of the nature of philosophy and reason in a post-colonial, post-modern, and multi-cultural world. The course focuses on philosophies of liberation from eurocentrism, racism, and colonialism from a variety of historical and geopolitical spaces. Offered intermittently.
Traditional and contemporary theories of art and aesthetic experience; a study of selected problems in philosophy of art. Offered every semester to students in the Art and Architecture and Performing Arts and Social Justice majors.
This course studies texts in ancient philosophy, from the Presocratics to Hellenistic philosophy, and has a special focus on the writings of Plato and Aristotle. Offered intermittently.
This course examines the historical development and contemporary debates of some of the main philosophical traditions of Asia. The topics include metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical questions raised in Hindu, Buddhist, and Confucianist philosophies. References will also be made to the larger cultural and political issues that are relevant in these traditions today. Offered every year.
In this course, students will examine philosophical justifications for punishment, the morality of incarceration, and the genealogy of what recently has been called the "prison-industrial complex." As a Service Learning course, students will volunteer with organizations dedicated to improving the health and welfare of inmates in California prisons. Offered intermittently.
This course is oriented around the questions “What am I?” and “How should I live?” and explores the answers that both historical and contemporary philosophers have given. Topics include the immortality and nature of the soul, death, the distinction between body and mind, the relational and social aspects of the self, free will, the nature of emotion, and the goals of human life. Offered every semester.
This course surveys classic and contemporary African American philosophy, and includes such figures as Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Angela Davis, Martin Luther King, jr. and Frantz Fanon. It considers the relation of this work to major topics of Western philosophy, from the social contract theory to existentialism to cosmopolitanism. Starting from the lived experiences of blacks in the New and Old World, this course takes up key issues and problems in the history of the modern world: theories of nationalism, identity, solidarity, and responses to injustice and domination.
This course critically analyzes ethical arguments and various positions on contemporary ethical issues. The course will be composed of three focus areas: Ethical Theory, Social Issues, and Ethics of Everyday life. Approximately one-third of the course will be devoted to each area. Some sections focus on more specific ethical issues, such as Business Issues, Environmental Issues, Bio-medical Issues, and Legal Issues, and are so designated in the Course Schedule. Offered every semester.
This course critically analyzes ethical arguments and various positions on contemporary ethical issues. The Service Learning component provides concrete experience as students work with organizations dedicated to ameliorating the causes and effects of poverty, racism, gender inequality, and other social ills. Offered every semester.
This course introduces students to the major figures and movements in the five hundred year history of philosophical production in Latin America. Along the way, we will examine many of the major themes in Latin American philosophy: human nature, race and personal identity, knowledge, freedom, liberation, colonialism, and perhaps most significantly, what it means to do philosophy. Offered intermittently.
An examination of three central questions in philosophy: What is the nature of the mind? Do we have free will? How can we know anything at all? Texts by current and historical philosophers. Offered every semester.
Alfred North Whitehead famously said that all Western Philosophy was "a footnote to Plato." He introduces most of its important questions, and many of his answers to them are still being debated. What is courage, friendship, virtue? Can the latter be taught? What is justice and the most just state? Can it realistically be achieved, and, if so, how? Is the truth of all values and statements relative to the ones who holds them or is there an objective standard by which these should be judged? If so, what is it? We will examine these and other questions through an investigation and discussion of Plato's dialogues. Offered every year.
An introduction to the philosophy of democratic government. The importance of articulating such a philosophy will be cast in terms of current challenges to democratic society, such as multiculturalism, postmodernism, and the problem of determining the meaning of the Constitution posed by abortion and physician-assisted suicide and same-sex marriage. Offered every year.
An introduction to philosophy that emphasizes classic and contemporary ideas that ground the theoretical foundation of educational theory, focusing on broad philosophical questions rather than education policy issues. Offered intermittently.
This course is an inquiry into the meaning of human existence with particular emphasis on the self. The course encourages inquiry into the meaning of our experience with absurdity, alienation, anxiety, freedom, God, and being. Direction for thinking about these issues is provided by philosophers such as Nietzsche, Sartre, Kierkegaard, Camus, Dostoevsky, and Heidegger. Through reading, discussion, and reflection students come to understand where they believe the meaning of human existence is located. Offered every semester.
By comparing and contrasting animal and human existence, this course seeks to question the boundaries between animal and human existence as well as to discuss the responsibility we might have towards non-human animals. Historically the course covers the philosophers from Ancient Greece (Aristotle), Medieval Philosophy (Aquinas), Modern Philosophy (Descartes and Kant) to contemporary philosophy (Merleau-Ponty, Singer and Nagel). The course includes major philosophical issues such as questions of selfhood, being, rationality, language, as well as moral questions. Offered intermittently.
This course examines the nature of self and society within the context of Asian American experience broadly conceived. Western and Asian philosophies will be used to consider such topics as the nature of the examined life, happiness, justice, and social transformation. In addition, various 20th century Asian American issues will be considered, such as race, gender, class, modernity, U.S. imperialism, Asian anti-colonialism, immigration, and citizenship. Offered every year. Offered every year.
A variable topic introduction to philosophy or ethics, designed for incoming Transfer students (Students-In-Transition).
A writing intensive (WI) introduction to the classic texts of philosophy, focused on great philosophical issues such as the freedom of the will, the immortality of the soul, and the existence of God. Upon completion of three WI courses, students receive a certificate in writing and rhetoric. Offered intermittently.
Using a multimedia and historical approach, this class offers an introduction to the different theories of art that have shaped the Western Tradition. Class meetings will be organized around readings dealing with theories of the beautiful, slide presentations that will give students a sense of the works being produced, and, when appropriate, music.
This course follows the development of Greek philosophical thought from the Pre-Socratics through the Hellenistic thinkers and then tracks these lines of thought to medieval times. Because of the central importance of their ideas, the writings of Plato and Aristotle will be given special attention. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
Revolutionary changes in science and politics from the 16th century onwards reconstituted central issues in what is now called Modern Philosophy. This course focuses on knowledge and political community in the works of Descartes, Hobbes, Hume and Kant, among others. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
This is an ethics course for majors and minors in philosophy. It provides a foundation and orientation for their other electives in this area and a common set of reference terms. It addresses central ethical issues through consideration of historical and contemporary philosophers. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
A seminar study of classical and contemporary theories of knowledge. Topics include the nature of knowledge, skepticism, perception, theories of justification, a priori knowledge, theories of truth, with close attention given to moderate realism and its relation to contemporary epistemology. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
This course examines the nature, value, and complexity of emotion. Topics may include: the relation between emotion and reason, the justifiability of negative emotions, the relation between emotion and social practices, and the roles of philosophy and science in the study of emotion. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
This course emphasizes contemporary symbolic logic. We will study deductive logical systems and learn how to evaluate arguments with both truth-tables and proofs in propositional and predicate logic. We will also learn how to translate ordinary language arguments into a formal symbolic language and back again. Offered every year.
A study of metaphysical systems and theories from ancient Greece to the twentieth century. Topics include metaphysical inquiry and method, the nature of metaphysical discourse, representative schools and metaphysical issues, such as being, essence and existence, personhood, knowledge, freedom, and God. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
A study of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, with readings from his major works in metaphysics and epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, and politics. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
This course studies one of the most diverse periods in the history of philosophy. It included post-Kantian thinkers (such as Hegel) who have an absolute faith in reason and who attempt to build complete all-encompassing philosophical systems. Out of these systems Marx’s theory arises. On the other side of the spectrum we find the collapse of reason in nihilists such as Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
An introduction to a variety of feminist theories and approaches with emphasis on the arts, philosophy, politics, and media. Offered every Spring. Cross Listed With: MS - 335.
This course focuses on the psychological states and social conditions involved in moral judgment, practices, and attitudes. Topics may include moral motivation, praise and blame, the nature of moral reasons, the nature of the virtues (and whether we have them), and forms of agency (such as childhood, psychopathy, and autism) that cast light on the cognitive and affective structure of moral judgments, reactions, and practices. Readings may be historical or contemporary
An introductory course to both the history and major themes within modern Jewish thought from the early Enlightenment to our contemporary era, the intention of this course is to present an overview of the major thinkers who have shaped Jewish thought as well the major themes within modern Jewish history. The course will specifically focus on the themes of universalism, hope, and redemption within the context of Judaism's encounter with modernity as reflected on by Jewish intellectuals within the Western philosophical tradition.
This course surveys a selection of key figures and texts in classic and contemporary African American and African Caribbean philosophy. It includes a selection of the central debates in African American philosophy, such as slavery, race, racism, civil disobedience, revolution, self-respect, affirmative action, and reparations. Prerequisite: Majors and minors, or minors in African American Studies (AAS) or Ethnic Studies.
A study of selected classical philosophical readings on women, and an examination of several philosophical issues of contemporary feminism such as sex equality, sexual harassment, and feminine versus feminist ethics. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
This course is a survey of philosophical accounts of the nature of the mind, including both historical and contemporary analyses. Special topics will be explored as well, and they may include: artificial intelligence, consciousness, intentionality, emotion, and the role of philosophy in the science of the mind. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
This seminar course examines universal, critical, and hermeneutic approaches to history in an attempt to discern if human existence has meaning, and if so, what that meaning is. Discussion will focus on the works of such philosophers as Nietzsche, Augustine, Hegel, Oakeshott, Collingwood, and Dilthey. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
Investigates the nature of human agency in the world, as distinct from those parts of the world incapable of action and robust agency. Possible topics include: what it is to act for a reason, how agency fits with a causal picture of the world, the nature of free will and whether we have it, weakness of will, addiction, autonomy, and the nature of the psychological elements of human acts (such as motivation, deliberation, belief, and intention). The course may also focus on the significance of these distinctions for practical moral and legal decision-making. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
A study of classic and contemporary texts dealing with different theories of the nature of law and the meaning of related concepts such as justice, authority, and legal obligation. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
An in-depth study of a selection of contemporary normative and meta-ethical issues. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
This variable topics course is a study of the philosophical significance of one or more writers of fiction. It may focus on a genre, period, or specific figure. Readings will be juxtaposed with relevant texts from the tradition of philosophy.
A variable topics course based on the research or teaching interests of individual faculty.
Open only to senior philosophy majors with a 3.3 cumulative GPA and a 3.75 GPA in Philosophy together with departmental approval of a prospectus, which must be submitted to the Department at the end of the semester prior to its being written. Prerequisite: Contact the Philosophy Department Program Assistant for more information.
Written permission of the instructor, department chair, and dean is required. Offered as needed.
This course focuses on the challenge to Enlightenment rationality mounted by contemporary phenomenologists such as Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty. Through close readings and discussions of primary texts, students will learn to both understand phenomenological texts as well as conduct phenomenological analyses. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
A study of the classic American Pragmatist philosophies of Charles Sanders Pierce, William James, and John Dewey. Pragmatic strains in earlier and later American philosophy will also be examined. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
This course studies the Thomistic revival of the 20th century, which began with Aeterni Patris and culminated in the work of Maritain, Gilson, Pieper, and Lonergan. It may cover the whole movement or focus on a figure within it. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
An historical introduction to the analytic tradition in philosophy, with emphasis on its neo-Kantian roots, the critique of traditional philosophy, the influence of science on philosophy and on the relation of philosophy to avant-garde art, and other cultural movements in the 20th century. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
This course is a variable introduction to the debate concerning the purported end of modernity. We will analyze the postmodern critiques of the myths of the ego, language as representation, history as teleology, and technology as benign. We will also study the postmodern critiques of Marxism, Freudianism, Feminism, and political liberalism. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
An intensive study of selected problems in philosophy. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
This course examines philosophical concepts central to race relations and policy, such as identity, ideology, social construction, racism and justice. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
An intensive study of selected historical philosophers. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
An intensive study of selected problems in social and political philosophy. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: PHIL - 212 or PHIL - 303 or permission of instructor.
An intensive study of selected problems in ethics. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Prerequisite: Majors and minors only.
First course of the two-semester introductory sequence of algebra-based physics. Main topics include mechanics of particles and systems of particles, properties of matter, fluids, heat, waves, and sound. Primarily for students majoring in the life sciences. Concurrent lab enrollment required.
Second course of the two-semester introductory sequence of algebra-based physics. Main topics include electricity and magnetism, light, and an overview of modern atomic and subatomic physics. Primarily for students majoring in the life sciences. Concurrent lab enrollment required. Prerequisite: PHYS 100
First course of the two-semester introductory sequence of calculus-based physics. Main topics include Newtonian mechanics of particles and systems of particles, rigid bodies, gravitation, oscillations, and waves. Primarily for students majoring in the physical sciences and mathematics. Concurrent lab enrollment required. • Corequisite: MATH 109
An introduction to the universe, from the Earth to the most distant galaxies. Main topics include stars, galaxies, and cosmology, in addition to foundational topics such as gravitation, light, and matter. Primarily for non-science majors. Concurrent lab enrollment and observation nights required. No math or physics prerequisites.
An introduction to the Solar System and extrasolar planetary systems. Main topics include the Sun; the planets and their moons; comets and asteroids; extrasolar planetary systems; and foundational topics such as gravitation, light, and matter. Primarily for non-science majors. Concurrent lab enrollment and observation nights required. No math or physics prerequisites.
An introduction to the geometry of the cosmos, centered on black holes and the Big Bang, as described by Einstein's Universe: general relativity. Problems related to gravitation, space, time, and contemporary astronomy and cosmology are considered. Primarily for non-science majors. No math or physics prerequisites.
A mostly conceptual introduction to the principles and applications of physics. Main topics include the laws of motion, conservation principles, gravitation, and the properties of matter, light, and sound. Primarily for students majoring in Architecture and Community Design. Concurrent lab enrollment required. Prerequisites: Math 107, 109, or high school calculus.
Within a background of artistic masterpieces, this course explores sound, light, color, and how the brain perceives them. Special topics include musical instruments, photographic cameras, and paintings; and the mathematical structures within pieces of artistic expression. Concurrent lab enrollment required. No math or physics prerequisites.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Physics.
A step-by-step introduction to physics and the physical sciences. Starting from their own observations, students develop basic physical concepts, use and interpret different forms of scientific representations, and construct explanatory models with predictive capability. No math or physics prerequisites.
Second course of the two-semester introductory sequence of calculus-based physics. Main topics include electromagnetism (electric fields, electric currents, circuits, magnetic fields, Maxwell's equations, and electromagnetic waves) and thermodynamics (heat and the laws of thermodynamics). Primarily for students majoring in the physical sciences and mathematics. Concurrent lab enrollment required. Prerequisites: PHYS 110 and MATH 109; corequisite: MATH 110
An introduction to relativistic and quantum physics. Topics include special and general relativity, and the experimental and theoretical basis of quantum physics (with emphasis on Schrodinger quantum mechanics). Applications are drawn from atomic, molecular, solid-state, nuclear, and particle physics. Primarily for students majoring in the physical sciences and mathematics. Prerequisites: PHYS 210 and MATH 110; corequisite: MATH 211 Prerequisites: PHYS 210 with a minimum grade of C and MATH 110 with a minimum grade of C and concurrent MATH 211 with a minimum grade of C
Topics not covered by other Physics curriculum offerings. Offered intermittently.
With the written consent of the instructor and the Department chair, a special study (of various forms and credit values) in experimental, theoretical or mathematical physics.
With the written consent of the instructor and the Department chair, a special study (of various forms and credit values) in experimental, theoretical or mathematical physics.
An introduction to the use of computer simulations in physics, with emphasis on computer models and numerical techniques. In addition, special topics (such as chaos, fractals, neural networks, and statistical physics) may be introduced. No previous familiarity with programming languages is assumed. Prerequisites: PHYS 240 and MATH 211
General theory of three formulations of classical mechanics: Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian; and introduction to the calculus of variations. Applications include linear and nonlinear oscillations, gravitation and central-force motion, noninertial frames, systems of particles, and rigid-body motion. Emphasis is placed on those concepts that provide a transition to quantum mechanics. Prerequisites: PHYS 210 and MATH 110; corequisite: MATH 211.
Survey of classical thermodynamics and introduction to the theory of equilibrium statistical mechanics in three different ensembles: microcanonical, canonical, and grand canonical. Applications include ideal and real gases, Maxwell-Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, and Fermi-Dirac statistics, blackbody radiation, specific heats, magnetic systems, and phase transitions. Prerequisites: PHYS 240 and MATH 211; corequisite: PHYS 371
General theory of electromagnetism, centered on Maxwell's equations. Topics include electrostatics, Laplace's and Poisson's equations and boundary value problems, multipole expansions, magnetostatics, dielectric and magnetic media, and Maxwell’s equations (including potential formulations of electrodynamics and electromagnetic waves). Prerequisites: PHYS 210 and MATH 211; Corequisite: PHYS 371 Prerequisites: PHYS 210 with a minimum grade of C and MATH 211 with a minimum grade of C and concurrent PHYS 371 with a minimum grade of C
General theory of quantum mechanics, including its abstract formulation using the Dirac notation. Topics include the quantum postulates, the position and momentum representations, the generalized uncertainty principle, quantum dynamics and the Hamiltonian, the harmonic oscillator, angular momentum, spin, central potentials, and select approximation methods. Prerequisites: PHYS 240 and MATH 211; corequisite: PHYS 371
An introduction to the physics of the solid state and condensed matter. Topics include crystal lattices, thermal properties, the free-electron gas, the dielectric constant, band theory, diamagnetism and paramagnetism, and transport theory. Applications are centered on metals, semiconductors, and superconductors, with emphasis on the underlying quantum principles. Prerequisites: PHYS 240 and MATH 211. Corequisite: PHYS 371
An in-depth study of geometric and physical optics. Applications include matrix formulation of geometrical optics in a form suitable for computer calculations, multiple-layer dielectric films, polarization, interference, diffraction, and holography. Offered in the Fall of even-numbered years.
A group of advanced physics experiments at the upper-division level. Laboratories emphasize optics, in addition to atomic physics, fundamental constants, nuclear physics, and chaos. Prerequisites: PHYS 240 and MATH 211.
A group of advanced physics experiments at the upper-division level. Laboratories emphasize solid state physics, in addition to atomic physics, fundamental constants, nuclear physics, and chaos. Prerequisites: PHYS 240 and MATH 211.
An overview of astrophysics themes that includes techniques of Earth-bound observation and a selection from topics on the Solar System, stars, galaxies, and cosmology. The evolution and internal workings of astrophysical systems is discussed, along with spectroscopy, abundances of the elements, nucleosynthesis, and final stages of stellar evolution. Emphasis is on the way that physics is applied to astronomy. Prerequisites: PHYS 240 and MATH 211
Weekly physics colloquium given by invited speakers on miscellaneous topics of current interest. Topics are selected from the frontiers of current physics research, as well as from exceptional historical or philosophical perspectives of the discipline. The course also includes the presentation of seminars by the students. Students may register for this course in more than one semester.
This course provides an introduction to methods of electronics measurements, particularly the application of oscilloscopes and computer-based data acquisition. Topics covered include diodes, transistors, operational amplifiers, filters, transducers, and integrated circuits. Emphasis is placed on practical knowledge, including prototyping, troubleshooting, and laboratory notebook style. Prerequisites: PHYS 210 and MATH 110. Corequisite: MATH 211
A study of selected mathematical techniques of universal applicability across the different branches of physics. A typical selection includes advanced linear algebra, Fourier series, integral transforms, ordinary and partial differential equations, Green's functions and Sturm-Liouville theory, and complex analysis. Prerequisites: PHYS 240 and MATH 211
An introduction to the physical, mathematical, and computational concepts and techniques used to formulate biophysical models of neurons and synaptic transmissions to study the brain and neural systems. Topics include ion movement through cell membranes, single-neuron models, generation of action potentials, synapses and neurotransmitters, neuronal networks, and learning and memory. No physics, biology, or programming prerequisites.
Topics not covered by other Physics curriculum offerings. Offered intermittently.
With the written consent of the instructor and the Department chair, a special study (of various forms and credit values) in experimental, theoretical or mathematical physics.
With the written consent of the instructor and the Department chair, a special study (of various forms and credit values) in experimental, theoretical or mathematical physics.
Advanced applications of classical nonrelativistic mechanics. Topics include a comprehensive study of the dynamics of systems of particles and rigid bodies, properties of three-dimensional rotations and tensors, coupled oscillations, and an introduction to the mechanics of continuous media (with fluid dynamics and elasticity). Prerequisites: PHYS 310 and PHYS 371
Advanced applications of Maxwell's equations and the dynamics of the electromagnetic field. Topics include conservation laws, electromagnetic waves (in a vacuum, in infinite linear media, and in bounded regions), optical dispersion in material media, electromagnetic radiation, and the relativistic formulation of electrodynamics. Prerequisites: PHYS 320 and PHYS 371
An introduction to Einstein's general theory of relativity as the classical field theory of gravitation. Topics include special relativity, four-dimensional spacetime, the principle of equivalence, the geometry of curved spacetime (with Riemannian geometry and tensor analysis), and the Einstein field equation. Applications are centered on astrophysical systems, black holes, and cosmology. Prerequisites: PHYS 240 and MATH 211
Advanced applications of the abstract formulation of quantum mechanics. Topics include identical particles, time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory, the variational principle, the WKB method, the adiabatic approximation, scattering theory, and second quantization. The course ends with an introduction to the EPR paradox, Bell's theorem, and the interpretation of quantum mechanics. Prerequisites: PHYS 330 and PHYS 371 Prerequisites: PHYS 330 with a minimum grade of C and PHYS 371 with a minimum grade of C
Surveys modern advanced materials; emphasis on fundamental underlying principles; semiconductors; superconductors; photonic materials; liquid crystals; polymers. Prerequisites: PHYS 240 with a minimum grade of C and MATH 211 with a minimum grade of C and concurrent PHYS 371 with a minimum grade of C
Topics not covered by other Physics curriculum offerings. Offered intermittently.
An introduction to the Constitutional institutions and structures of U.S. government, how they have evolved, and the actors who participate in the process. Topics include electoral politics, social issues, economic policy, federalism, interest groups, the Presidency, Congress, the courts, and related subjects. Offered every semester.
A course which situates and compares the political institutions, cultures, and processes of states in a variety of world regions. Special attention is paid to the comparison of non-Western regions, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Offered every semester.
A course which situates and compares the political institutions, cultures, and processes of states in a variety of world regions. Special attention is paid to the comparison of non-Western regions, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Offered every semester.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Politics.
Provides a critical survey of Western political theory. The course focuses on authority and resistance, including how political authority is justified, and arguments for civil disobedience, passive resistance, and revolution. Readings include works by Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and contemporary feminists. Offered every year.
The Community Engagement course emphasizes a focus on the multidimensionality of service in order to be most effective in one's community. Leadership development, theory-practice integration, reflection, critical thinking, negotiation and conflict management skills provide relevant learning opportunities for students throughout the semester.
A case study approach is used to examine major themes such as the role of the administrator, intergovernmental relations, personnel motivation, the concept of administrative ecology, and ethics in public service. Class discussion is emphasized as students are introduced to the complex world of public administration. Offered every year.
This course exposes students to the fundamentals of applied political research and critical social analysis, from developing a research problem to making recommendations for policy reform and social justice changes at the local, national, and international levels of governance.
An interpretive political history of the world since 1945, focusing on major actors, events, and international affairs, Western and non-Western. Cross-listed with HIST 300. Offered every other year.
A critical examination of the origin, nature, and development of American political thought from the founding(s) to 1865. Central themes include the relationship between the individual and the political community, the tensions between equality and liberty, and the meaning of democracy. Offered every other fall.
A critical examination of the nature and development of American political thought from the Civil War to the present. Central themes include the the tensions between democracy and capitalism, the role of race, ethnicity and gender in political life, and the development of the American empire. Offered every other spring.
Explores this new field, an interdisciplinary area of study that began in legal studies and has emerged as a force in political theory, cultural studies, and post-colonial studies. Examines the role of race as a social construct that organizes political interactions. Explores fresh approaches to race relations in the new millennium, particularly through the intersection of theories of political identity and structural explanations of racial and ethnic inequality. Active class participation and a research paper required. Offered intermittently.
Cross-listed with Humanities Honors 336. Must be in Honors Humanities Program or have permission of the instructor. Seminar examines the key writings of the Socialist tradition in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere around the world. Readings will include classic works of Socialist non-fiction and fiction, Socialist biography and autobiography, and Socialist perspectives on areas such as art, music, literature, film, photography, community, work, gender, race, class, and political consciousness. Socialism's historic development and impact and its present condition will also be examined. Offered every other Spring.
Examines the relationship between politics and literature. Readings include works of literature by writers chiefly known for their political writings (Machivelli and Montesquieu) and literary works that speak to central political issues (works by Shakespeare, Melville, Morrison, Kundera, DeLillo). Central questions include: What can literature teach us about political life and power? How can writing serve as a means of resisting or eroding power? Offered every other year.
Study of theory and practice of modern democracies, with an emphasis on recent democratization. Topics include causes of democratization, threats to newly formed democracies, and consolidation of democratic regimes through building state institutions and constitutional structures, designing electoral systems and political parties, establishing civilian control over the military, and creating democratic culture. Other topics include the relation between economic development and democratic consolidation, and between globalization and democratization. Course assesses the state of democracy throughout the world, and explores what democracy should mean today. Offered every other year.
Examines a variety of social science methods and their application to the study of the politics of race and ethnicity in American society. Four general cases are examined: African-Americans, American Indians, Asian-Americans, and Hispanic/Latino-Americans. Offered intermittently.
An examination of the relationship between sports and politics, and of the evolution of the American political economy through the lens of baseball. Using the fictional and non-fictional literature of the national pastime, the course will examine the origins, history and contemporary state of the American dream. The U.S. national pastime will be used to reflect on issues of class, gender, race and ethnicity, law and society, foreign policy, labor-management conflicts, and the evolving political economy. Legal cases and debates will be used, in particular, to examine these themes.
The study of the linkages between religion and politics. Religion as a political construct and as an instrument of power in society. Is religion simply a matter of faith? Is it only personal or is it the opiate of the masses? Given the political capital of religion in modern society, is it even possible to maintain the great wall of separation between church and state? Course will focus on the writings of Montesquieu, Marx, Jefferson, David Walker, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Reinhold Niebuhr, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Hannah Arendt. Individual and group projects will be employed. Offered every year.
Cross-listed with Honors Humanities 326. Must be in Honors Humanities program or have Permission of Instructor. Works of principal eighteenth century French, English and American studies on the nature of human society are read and discussed. Eighteenth century art, literature and music, especially the opera, are examined as well. Offered every other year.
Examines urban politics in 20th century America. Topics and issues include: machine and reform politics, federal intervention, the dependent city, and urban economic development; the impact of race, ethnicity, and class; pro-growth politics; housing policy and homelessness, city finances and service delivery, crime, transportation policy, urban violence, community control movements, and black political ascendancy. Offered every other year.
An analysis of presidential politics, constitutional functions and personalities. Assessments of the elective process, policy-making, leadership, power relations, and past and future directions. Offered every other Fall.
Evaluation of justice and injustice in the U.S. system, stressing political, economic and social issues, the legal process, crime and victimization, and the relationship between political economy and human rights. Offered every Fall.
How a bill becomes a law is examined from the perspective of the institutions and individuals that participate in that process. Focusing on the U.S. Congress, the course covers such topics as elections, institutional change, issues of representation, and the implications for policy. Offered every other Fall.
This course surveys African-American political activity and the politics of race in the United States, primarily in the 20th century. Topics to be covered include: black city politics; blacks and American political institutions: law and the courts, Congress, the Presidency; political mobilization in the post-World War II era; popular movements for civil rights, black power, and community control; as well as electoral politics, its promises and consequences. Offered every other year.
Examination of contemporary Latino political communities in the U.S. Field-based research project required. Offered intermittently.
A critical overview and evaluation of U.S. media, emphasizing their political, social and economic foundations and influences; their impact on American politics, life, culture and consciousness; and media alternatives. Offered every other year.
A people's political history of modern America as seen through 20th century political movements and through the lives and times of reformers and revolutionary leaders such as Eugene Debs, Big Bill Haywood, John Reed, Emma Goldman, Jack London, Dorothy Day, Cesar Chavez, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, and Tom Hayden. Readings include a political overview, but emphasize a series of political biographies. Offered every other Spring.
Examines both the political thinking and the political activity which strongly challenged the stability of the American system during the 1960s. Includes detailed analyzes of the various civil rights struggles of the '60s as well as the anti-Vietnam War and counter-culture movements. Offered intermittently.
Historical and contemporary focus on the way women have influenced and participated in American politics. Includes women as voters and as office holders, as well as women's influence on public policy areas such as social welfare, war and peace, suffrage, ERA, and affirmative action. Offered intermittently.
Examines the procedural and substantive meanings of the concept of due process of law found in the 5th and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution and the other Bill of Rights provisions that protect people accused of crime. Course will analyze a series of landmark Supreme Court cases on this subject, the response to those decisions, and their impact on criminal justice and law enforcement. Offered every other year.
An introduction to the major economic, cultural, and institutional factors that shape contemporary Latin American politics, including the role of the United States, the changing international economy and its impact on public policy and political behavior. Offered every other year.
This seminar in political theory considers writings by leaders and theorists of the ongoing struggle for decolonization. It examines different tactics for independence and/or liberation such as violent versus nonviolent approaches, nationalism and culture as tools of empowerment, difficulties with achieving economic independence, and religion as a tool of resistance. It also considers the legacies of colonialism today including migration, economic inequalities and regime instability. Specific topics covered include African socialism, Latin American Marxism, Islamic Fundamentalism, negritude, and Indian Independence. Texts by Gandhi, Fanon, Guevara, and Khomeini will be studied. It is highly recommended that students have taken courses in Political Theory or Political Philosophy. Offered every other year.
A critical examination of the origin, nature, and development of American political thought from the founding to the present. Central themes include the relationship between the individual and the political community, the tensions between equality and liberty, and the meaning of dmocracy. Offered every other year.
Introduction to the topics and recent developments in feminist thought. Topics include gender inequality, issues of class and race, the family, and gender and political power. Explores the varieties of feminist thought, how they complicate and enhance political thought, and their effects on moral, social, and political issues. Offered every other year.
The politics of constitutional history and development, including the constitutional framing, Supreme Court policy-making, and the clash of constitutional rights versus political and economic power. Course will examine 19th and 20th century legal conflicts over federalism and the separation of powers, and over property, privacy, criminal justice, and the war powers. Course will also feature case studies of American political trials and the treatment of constitutional liberties during both hot and cold wars. Offered every other year.
Explores the historical relationship of race and ethnicity to the law, the courts, and the judicial system of the U.S. Course will examine the competing definitions of equality, and how certain concepts have predominated from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and in Supreme Court decisions, including landmark cases such as Brown v. Board of Education, the impact of the law on African-American, Asian-American, Latino-American and Native-American communities, from the grassroots and lower courts to national legal policy making. The legal writings of W.E.B. DuBois, Mary Francis Berry, Derrick Bell, Angela Davis, Thurgood Marshall and others will be emphasized. Offered every other year.
This course surveys the relationship of women to American law. Topics examined include legal issues related to employment and education; constitutional issues such as the equal protection clause, sex as a semi-suspect classification, the politics of ERA, and Roe v. Wade and the issue of abortion; family law: marriage, divorce, and other arrangements; sexual harassment; criminal law and juvenile delinquency; the crime of rape and its treatment in American law and courts; women as lawyers and judges; and the impact of race, sex, identity, ideology, and the women's movement on issues of women and the law. Offered every other year.
This course explores how political phenomena, from the state to public policy, are informed by gender inequality. It also surveys how people have fought discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual preference. Throughout, case studies from the developed and developing world are integrated with service learning experiences.
This course examines the politics of constitutional law, focusing on the scope, meaning, and practice of individual rights and liberties in the American political system. The course primarily concerns the First Amendment's protection of free speech, free press, assembly, and religious freedom. The course examines issues such as flag burning, pornography, hate speech, censorship, school prayer and regulating the internet. Offered every other year.
Investigates the reasons behind the collapse of the Soviet Union. Describes and analyzes the challenges facing post-communist Russia and nearby states, including Ukraine, Belarus, and the states of Central Asia and the Caucasus. Evaluates progress towards creating economic prosperity and political democracy, focusing on both domestic and foreign policies. Offered every other year.
An examination of the theory and practice of nonviolence and nonviolent action and related movements for social change, including the secular and religious foundations of pacifism as well as the ethical and utilitarian bases of nonviolent political movements. Offered every other year. Prerequisite: At least two courses in Politics or Sociology or permission of instructor.
A comparative analysis of the political cultures, institutions, and societies of contemporary European states. Emphasis on post-Cold War developments leading to the erosion of regional differences in Europe, but also on forces that reflect residual nationalisms. Course will include case studies of selected individual European states. Offered every other year.
Studies the political traditions of the region, including the post-war communist experience. Explains the upheavals of 1989, including the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Discusses post-1989 efforts to reform economies and political systems, and create Western style democracies. Focuses on the re-emergence of nationalisms in the region, particularly in the Balkan states. Offered every other year.
This course examines revolutionary movements for change in Latin America and the forces which try to stop them. Topics include the conditions which lead to revolt, liberation theology, Marxist-Leninism, the U.S. role, and nonviolent and armed methods of resistance. Offered every other year.
This course offers a critical inquiry into the politics, economics and ethical questions regarding inequality, poverty, population growth, the environment, globalization, energy consumption and related issues, with special attention given to relations between countries of the North (industrialized countries) and the South (the Third World). Offered every other year.
A comparative political study of India, Pakistan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and other South/Southeast Asian states, focusing on state-society relations, the military, religion, race, ethnicity, culture, nationalism, and the challenges for economic development and nation-building. Offered every other year.
A study of the emergence of modern East Asia; political changes in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan after 1945; survey of international developments. Offered every other year.
This course surveys the organization and diversity of African states, especially in the post-colonial period. Topics include: the impact of European colonialism and neocolonialism, nationalism and revolution, problems of nationhood and governance, ethnic conflict, obstacles to sustainable economic development, political change in South Africa, emerging democracy movements throughout the continent, and U.S. policy towards the region. Offered every other year.
An overview of the politics and the governmental systems of Middle Eastern nations, including the historic, religious, ideological, economic and cultural forces that shape government policies, social movements and ongoing conflicts. Topics include the role of Arab nationalism, Zionism, human rights, the Islamic resurgence, terrorism, imperialism and globalization. Offered every other year.
A study of the influence of law on the relations of nation-states; a survey and assessment of the activities of international and transnational organizations. Offered every other year.
An overview of differing approaches to international conflict resolution and various institutional actors in the process. Includes an examination of some of the major current and recent conflicts in the world and efforts to resolve them. Offered every year.
Domestic and global human rights, and their role in a changing world order. Impact of governments, multinationals, churches, universities, and human rights advocates on political and economic development, and the level of repression in the world. Strategies for global justice and change, with a focus on human rights activists and movements. Offered every year.
An examination of the causes of war in relations among and within nation-states; a study and evaluation of efforts to create lasting peace through diplomacy and political action. Offered every other year.
An examination of the foreign relations of Middle Eastern governments, including the impact of pan-Arab and pan-Islamic movements, international terrorism, the United Nations, Western intervention, and the politics of oil. Case studies include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the role of Iran. Offered every year.
Studies the American foreign policy tradition as well as the evolution of the leading institutions of foreign policy-making, including the office of the President, and executive agencies such as the State Department, the Pentagon, and the CIA. Examines the roles of Congress, interest groups, and public opinion on foreign policy. Discusses select issues of contemporary significance in U.S. foreign policy. Offered every other year.
Describes and analyzes the role of the Vatican as a sovereign state in international relations. Discusses the Vatican's relations with other nation-states, as well as international organizations including the United Nations. Explores the Vatican's position on major issues of peace and war as well as human rights, economic and social development.
Analysis of efforts reducing national barriers and creating common institutions and supra-national authorities in Europe since the 1950s. Attention paid to the impact of the fall of communist states, the reunification of Germany, and contemporary crises in the European community. Offered every other year.
A study of the post-war foreign relations of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other selected countries of post-war South/Southeast Asia. An analysis of nonalignment, Cold War impacts, Indo-Pakistani conflicts, Sino-Indian disputes, SEATO, ASEAN, SAARC, APEC and intra-regional issues. Offered every other year.
A study of the foreign relations of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam from the 19th century encounters with Western powers and each other through the late 20th century. An analysis of post-war U.S.-China, Sino-Soviet, U.S.-Japan, divided Korea, revolutionary Vietnam, and other selected international relationships. Offered every other year.
Study of the North-South divide and the challenges it poses for global environmental cooperation. Focus on the politics and processes that underlie environmental negotiation and lawmaking at the U.N., international organizations and selected nation-states, including the problems of implementation and enforcement, sustainable development and the Rio conference. Offered every other year. Cross Listed with: ENVA - 360
The course seeks to answer the question, "Why do bureaucrats behave the way they do?" It begins with a general theory in an effort to explain the seemingly mundane to the more dramatic examples of bureaucratic behavior. Students will discover that often there really is a "method" behind the "madness" that is the bureaucracy. Offered every other year.
Unravel the world of public policy--how it is formulated, implemented, changed, evaluated. Emphasis on understanding the role played by the political institutions and on learning about subtle interplay between institutions and the public. Homelessness, punishment, welfare, and illegal drugs are among the issue areas used as case studies. Offered every other year.
Course focuses on problem of homelessness and evaluates homeless public policy, examining how the homeless are defined and counted, exploring the various paths to homelessness and appreciating the impact of race, gender and the globalization of the economy.
An examination of the role of state governments in the setting and implementing of public policy. The course will discuss the structural context of state politics, state institutions, and focus on specific policy areas such as education financing, health care, and welfare. Offered every other year.
Applied Policy Analysis is an opportunity for students to work as part of a research team using the tools of policy analysis to analyze real life problems. Students will participate in all stages of a research project from defining its objectives to reporting on the findings. Offered every other year. Prerequisite: POLS - 118.
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the processes, participants, and institutions that surround the making and implementing of environmental policy. It combines lectures, case studies, and some "hands on" field exercises to illustrate how these elements interact. Cross Listed With: ENVA - 366.
This course focuses on how the government has responded to the problem of illicit drugs to illustrate how policy is made in the U.S. It will also examine methods used to evaluate public programs. Topics include how drug policy intersects with issues of crime, sport, race and class, foreign policy and civil liberties. Offered every other year.
This course emphasizes the process of social science research while focusing on issues of demographic incarceration patterns, constitutional "rights of the accused," and the history of punishment in the U.S. from the 17th century to the present. Particular attention given to the "prison-industrial complex" which has emerged with the "crack epidemic" and the "war on drugs" initiated at the national policy level. Offered every other year.
Asia Advocacy and Activism is a unique USF service learning and cultural diversity fieldwork course that immerses the student in advocacy, action, and activism among San Francisco's Asia and Asian American social justice organizations. The first part of the course discusses critical issues concerning international and transnational relations of Asia and Asian Americans. The second part exposes students to the influence and consequences of the Asian diasporas through Asiatown ethnotours and fieldwork activities. The third part of the course requires the student to perform faculty supervised political action, community advocacy, or public service that relates directly to the social justice worlds of Asians in North America and elsewhere.
Examines the recent history and current manifestations of U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East, including the 'war on terrorism,' the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the war in Iraq, the confrontation with Iran, oil interests, non-proliferation issues, Islamic movements and related topics. Offered every other year.
In examining this conflict through the lenses of social justice and activism, this course de-exceptionalizes this ostensibly exceptional struggle, empowering students to understand ways to end conflicts that plague those living in Israel, Palestine, and beyond. We will explore ideas such as communal narratives, human rights, power, and sovereignty.
This course introduces students to the subfield of feminist international relations. Its goal is to question prevailing conceptions of world politics, to examine feminist challenges to the discipline of International Relations and to develop gender-sensitive ways of thinking about issues of identity, security, the political economy and global violence.
This course is a critical exploration of the premise and implementation of international development activities. It will examine the theoretical concept of development and then delve into topics including; sustainability, environmental impacts, governance and corruption, bilateral and unilateral foreign aid, and international aid bureaucracies.
This courses focuses on special subjects and issues of politics. It may be repeated for credit when a different subject is the focus. Offered intermittently.
Boxing and Social Justice is a unique combined recreational sports, cultural diversity, and service learning course. After the fundamentals of Filipino studies are reviewed and reinforced, students will be trained to teach boxing as a recreational and self-defense activity to at-risk new migrant populations in the San Francisco Bay Area. They will act as mentors, tutors, and service providers. Immersed at their service learning sites, students will reflect on the health, recreational, social, economic, and political issues new migrants to the United States face. Prerequisite: YPSP 222: Philippine Boxing and Culture or instructor’s permission.
Students do interesting work six to ten hours per week in a federal, state, or municipal agency, giving them a chance to strengthen their skills, and network. They will prepare journal themes, read relevant assigned material, and meet every two weeks in a seminar. Permission of the instructor required. Offered every semester.
Field placement with Bay Area public interest groups, including peace, human rights, legal, media, and community organizations. Students work 6 to 8 hours per week, complete common readings, and write final reports. Offered every semester.
The written permission of the instructor and dean is required. Offered every semester.
The written permission of the instructor and dean is required. Offered every semester.
Study of the politics of ethnicity and nationalism in the contemporary world and ramifications for state sovereignty, international cooperation and security. Case studies from a wide variety of settings (i.e., South-Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle-East, Canada, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, Yugoslavia) will be used to illustrate conceptual and empirical issues. Offered every other year.
A study of theory and methodology of competing political-economy approaches to development. Topics include: role of the state and market in development, roots of the poverty problem, multinationals, foreign aid, debt-crisis, gender, the role of the World Bank, the IMF, and sustainable development. Offered every other year.
This seminar examines the role of public service in our society. It explores themes such as what motivates individuals to serve, do individuals have an obligation to serve, and what is the role of the government in encouraging/coercing service. Students will have the opportunity to complete an original piece of research in the form of a senior thesis. Enrollment is limited to students enrolled in the McCarthy Center Honors Minor program or with instructor permission. Offered every other fall.
This skills enrichment course is designed to help students prepare for the LSAT, the standardized examination required by most U.S. law schools as part of the application process. Students will learn the core content as well as the tricks standard to the LSAT. NOTE: This course does NOT count toward major credit in the Politics Department.
The first of a two-semester sequence for students with no previous Portuguese instruction in which students complete three semesters in two, this course emphasizes the development of communication skills and acquisition of basic vocabulary. Classroom activities, daily homework, compositions, and weekly quizzes reinforce grammatical structures. The conversation component promotes student comprehension of native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese and develops student fluency. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time.
The second semester of a two-semester sequence in Intensive Portuguese, this course places increased emphasis on reading skills and writing competence. Using news sources, Brazilian music and film, short stories, and cultural readings, the course presents increasingly specialized vocabulary in context. Exams, compositions, and daily homework enhance student engagement with the readings. The conversation and audio components promote student comprehension of native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese and help students build fluency and confidence. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time.
This course surveys works of Brazilian literature from the sixteenth through twentieth centuries. The texts, representing different genres, are viewed in their historical, cultural, social, and aesthetic contexts. Themes include colonialism and empire, race, negritude, and slavery.
This course introduces the methods, facts, and theories of modern psychology. Survey of learning, motivation, development, personality, abnormal and social behavior. Offered every semester.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Psychology.
The rationale and methods of statistical inference through two-way analysis of variance and correlation. Offered every semester.
Lecture/laboratory course emphasizing various methods of psychological research. Includes research report writing, application of statistics, and computer usage. Requires concurrent registration in affiliated lecture and lab section. Offered every semester. Prerequisites: PSYC 101. PSYC 260 and RHET 203.
An introduction to the biological correlates of behavior. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course will address the issues of diversity as explored in the discipline of psychology. The focus will depend on the expertise and interests of the faculty member. Details are available from the Department of Psychology whenever the course is offered. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course examines the psychology of prejudice with a particular focus on the effects of interpersonal discrimination. We examine the fundamentals of how and why we are prejudiced against each other, as well as search for ways to decrease prejudice. Stereotypes and prejudice regarding groups defined in terms of their sex, ethnic background, religious or cultural beliefs, sexual orientation, race, national origin, social class, age and groups defined by multiple combinations of these factors are considered. We focus on understanding prejudice with the goal of social justice for all people regardless of their group membership. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
Study of major mental health and related social issues facing individuals from different cultural groups. Attention will be focused on four major ethnic groups in North America: African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asian Americans, and American Indians. Offered every year. Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or permission of instructor.
This course increases understanding of the similarities and differences among cultures through experimental evidence, group experience, and class discussion. Offered every year. Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or permission of instructor.
The study of individual motives, cognitions, attitudes; the role of the individual in groups and society; behavior as influenced by social forces. Offered every semester. Cross-listed with SOC 321. Prerequisites: PSYC 101 or SOC 150.
Psychological development from birth to adolescence, emphasizing current theory and research. Topics may include perception, cognition, social understanding, language acquisition, attachment, gender role development. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
An intensive study of abnormal behavior, emphasizing definitions, etiologies, symptoms, dynamics, and treatment. Offered every semester. Prerequisites: PSYC 101 and PSYC 270. The combination of BIOL 115 , BIOL 365 and BIOL 366 can be substituted for PSYC 270 for ESS majors.
Comprehensive survey of current psychological issues facing the Asian American community. Topics include family issues, acculturation, ethnic identity, psychopathology, and culturally-responsive treatment strategies. Offered every year. Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
A review of approaches currently supported in contemporary psychology so as to understand normal human personality in terms of theory, assessment, application, and relevant research. Offered every year. Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
An overview of theories of learning, memory, and cognition with an emphasis on human information processing. Offered every year. Prerequisite: PSYC 101 and either PSYC 270 or BIOL 105.
Introduction to the profession of clinical psychology. Career paths, psychodiagnosis, psychotherapy, and community mental health. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: PSYC 101, PSYC 270 and PSY 313.
This course addresses the ways in which an individual's psychology may influence his or her adjustment to illness; and the prevention of illness through health-promoting practices. Offered every year. Prerequisites: PSYC 101 and PSYC 270 or equivalent recommended.
An introduction to the psychology of group behavior including work behavior, emphasizing personnel decisions, training and career development, job satisfaction, supervision and leadership, the work environment, and research methods in psychology. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or permission of instructor.
The dynamics of maladjustment and psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Origins, treatment, and preventive measures. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: PSYC 101 and PSYC 312.
A general survey of the sociological, psychological and physiological factors related to sexual behavior. The course examines theoretical issues and empirical findings from scientific sources. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course is designed to promote interaction, dialogue, and understanding among students through study of specific contemporary topics in psychology. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or permission of instructor.
This course reviews the social-psychological research literature, including the impact of biological and environmental factors on sex differences. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course surveys the development of modern psychological thought from an historical perspective. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: PSYC 101 and Junior standing.
This course examines psychological change in adulthood and old age. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or permission of instructor.
This course covers a variety of areas, the focus depending on the expertise of the instructor. Historical perspective and empirical research are stressed. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: PSYC 101.
This course introduces the student to the neural bases of mental functioning. It emphasizes both lower-order functions such as motor control and attention, and higher-order functions such as memory and emotion. Offered intermittently. Prerequisites: PSYC 101 and PSYC 270.
Advanced study of research methods in psychology, including a review of the scientific approach, research design and measurement, and research ethics. The research focus will depend on the expertise of the instructor and will be highlighted on the class schedule each semester. Regular topics include: Sibling Relationships, Social Psychology of Aging, Sensation and Perception, Social Influence, Foster Children, Dreams and Mediation, Community Health, Acculturation, Applied Social Psychology, Changing Misconceptions, and Measurement: Peace and Conflict. Prerequisites: PSYC 101, PSYC 260, RHET 203, and PSYC 265, plus additional prerequisites per Class Schedule.
A seminar designed to explore in-depth issues in an area of psychology. Emphasis will be on the latest trends and theories in psychology and reflect the interests of the instructor. Junior or Senior standing required. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: Junior standing and permission of instructor.
Service Learning in a variety of community settings relevant to psychology (e.g., hospitals, mental health and youth guidance centers, old age homes, pre-school and day care centers, and other public service organizations). All Practicum credits must be done in one semester, unless by permission of the instructor. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: PSYC 101 and Junior standing.
Psychology majors initiate and complete a significant reading and research project under the direct supervision of faculty. Permission to take this course must be obtained in writing from the instructor, department chair, and dean. Offered every semester with instructor approval. Prerequisites: PSYC 101, PSYC 260, RHET 203, PSYC 265 and Junior standing.
Limited to students pursuing an Honors in Psychology; admission is by application letter or approval of instructor. In this seminar students prepare a research proposal, including an IRB application, a literature review, and a detailed description of how the independent and dependent variables will be measured. Students will also critique the proposals of class members. Offered Spring semester. Prerequisites: PSYC 101, PSYC 260, RHET 203, PSYC 265 and PSYC 388.
Limited to students pursuing an Honors in Psychology. In this seminar students execute the research proposal developed in PSYC 498, including data gathering and analysis, as well as preparation of a written thesis and poster suitable for oral presentation. This course is completed in addition to the 48 units required for the psychology major. Offered Fall semester. Prerequisites: PSYC 101, PSYC 260, RHET 203, PSYC 265, PSYC 388 and PSYC 498.
Open to all students. This one-credit course emphasizes recognizing and correcting errors in grammar, usage and syntax, and strengthens revision practices by having students revise and proofread their papers for other courses.
This course is designed to provide a variety of strategies to assist fully-admitted multilingual students in composing and editing their written work for other classes.
Open to all students. This self-paced one-credit C/NC course allows students to work regularly with a Writing Center preceptor to revise papers done for other courses. In order to gain credit, the student must successfully complete a contract agreed upon by the student and instructor.
This course introduces students to rhetorical concepts that are fundamental to the study and practice of ethical and effective oral communication. Emphasis is on making effective presentations in classroom and public settings.
This class will examine argumentation and debate and its relationship to public speaking. Instruction will focus on the evolution of argumentation from classical to present, the theoretical bases of debate and the construction and critique of debate rhetoric. Students will use research and evidence to build arguments, analyze propositions and perform several mock-debates. This is a public speaking course that fulfills the Core A1 requirement.
This course focuses on preparing students for academic writing at the
college level. The course emphasizes the connection between reading and writing.
Students learn and practice the writing process, from idea to final essay
(e.g., pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing), finding and evaluating
sources, summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting, citing, and documenting
conventions. Individualized attention is given to grammar, vocabulary
development, and rhetorical style. The minimum passing grade for this course is
C-.
This course is designed to provide a variety of strategies to assist fully-admitted multilingual students in developing comprehension and fluency in reading materials for college classes.
Introduction to Composition prepares students for college-level composition by helping them gain competence in civic and academic discourse and write persuasively to a variety of audiences. The course emphasizes how writers can achieve focus and coherence; support their claims with evidence, including evidence drawn from outside sources; adapt appeals to emotion to particular audiences and purposes; and use syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling to establish their credibility as writers. To achieve these goals, students write a minimum of 6,000 words of revised prose in essays of increasing length and complexity. They develop these essays by writing drafts, revisions, or shorter pre-assignments every week; by assessing their own and other students' writing in small-group and whole class workshops; and by drafting with an emphasis on revision, editing, and proofreading. The minimum passing grade for this course is C-.
Rhetoric 109 introduces rhetorical readings across the disciplines and assists students in the development of strategies to approach the reading and comprehension of given assignments with emphasis on claims of value, fact, and policy and accompanying support and warrants. Pre- and post-diagnostic testing will be employed as a way of measuring entry-level skills, student progress, and exit-level proficiencies. All work will be initiated in-class to lead students to a level of proficiency that will ensure engagement in upper-level courses.
In order to prepare students for the kinds of writing typically required
in college-level courses and in civic discourse, RHET 110 teaches the
composition of thesis-driven argumentative essays that respond to important
social and academic issues. Using elements of rhetorical theory, students gain
practice in composing brief to medium-length arguments that are focused,
clearly organized, well supported and based on accurate critical reading of materials
assigned by the instructor. Students develop skills in summary, paraphrase, and
quotation; incorporating multiple
sources in the service of a unified argument; and in addressing multiple points
of view. Students are introduced to library research as a tool of academic
inquiry and gain practice revising for whole-text coherence, as well as for
clarity and correct usage. The minimum passing grade for this course is C-.
Generally it is to be taken in sequence after RHET 110. With a firm basis in the elements of rhetoric, critical reading, written argumentation, and library research established in RHET 110, students in RHET 120 learn to compose more ambitious arguments responding to and incorporating sources of greater number, length, complexity, and variety. In order to meet the demands of advanced academic discourse, students also (a) develop skills in critical analysis of challenging non-fiction prose texts from a range of disciplinary perspectives and subjects, with a particular focus on the linguistic and rhetorical strategies employed in these texts, and (b) conduct extensive library research in the process of planning and composing sophisticated academic papers. Students will also gain practice editing for stylistic fluency in accordance with conventions of advanced academic prose. Finally, students develop greater independence in formulating strategies for revision and expansion of written arguments. The minimum passing grade for this course is C-. This course fulfills Core A2, the University writing requirement. Prerequisite: RHET 110 with a minimum grade of C-.
This year-long course examines social justice from the perspectives of rhetoric, language, and literature. It meets the learning outcomes of 0102-130/131, Written and Oral Communication and Core C1, Literature, with service learning and cultural diversity designations. Students must also register for 8 credits of INTD 100. This course is a McCarthy Center Certified course. See website for more information and application form; applications are due May 1. Prerequisite: Enrollment in the Martín Baró Living-Learning Community.
See RHET 125 for course description of RHET 125/126.
Written and Oral Communication (130/131) is an accelerated two-semester course (4 credit hours per semester) that, when completed with a grade of C- or better, meets the university requirement for writing and public speaking (Core A1 and A2). In the first semester, students learn the basic practices of oral and written argument by writing a minimum of 7000 words of revised prose in essays of increasing length and complexity, including one research paper, and by giving two prepared speeches. Students learn to use textual support for argument, to read critically, to use transitions and documentation, and to organize appeals in support of a claim. They learn methods of development, practice and delivery for a variety of speeches, including topic selection, speech outlines, audience analysis, and visual aids. In the second semester, students expand their skills of argumentation and style, writing a minimum of 9000 words of revised prose and giving a minimum of two speeches: written and oral arguments of fact, value and policy, including research. Students who take this course should NOT register for RHET 103, Public Speaking.
See RHET 130 for course description of RHET 130/131.
The seminar in writing, appropriate for exceptionally talented freshmen, fulfills the Core A2 requirement when completed with a grade of C- or better. Seminar topics will vary each semester. In order to meet the demands of advanced academic discourse, students develop skills in critical analysis of challenging non-fiction prose texts from a range of disciplinary perspectives and subjects, with a particular focus on the linguistic and rhetorical strategies employed in these texts. Students will conduct extensive library research in the process of planning and composing sophisticated academic papers. Students will also gain practice in editing for stylistic fluency in accordance with conventions of advanced academic prose. Finally, students develop greater independence in formulating strategies for revision and expansion of written arguments.
This course emphasizes critical thinking and writing skills specifically as they relate to the discipline and theory of performing arts. In particular, this course will focus on the relationship between rhetoric and performance as two separate, but related fields of study and practice. The course introduces students to the concept of rhetoric as a practice and theory of communication, explores the concept of performance in theatre, anthropology, and politics, and considers how performances can be understood and analyzed as rhetorical acts. Recommended for majors in Performing Arts and Social Justice. Prerequisites: RHET - 110 or transfer credit in college-level composition with a grade of C- or higher.
This course features argumentation and critical writing, reading, and thinking skills as applied to analysis or articles central to the field of Psychology. Fulfills Core A2 for qualified transfer students. Prerequisites: RHET 110, 131, or 195 with a grade of C- or better, or transfer student with a minimum of one prior college-level composition course with a grade of C- or better. Required for and open only to Psychology majors.
This course emphasizes critical thinking and writing skills specifically as they relate to the discipline and theory of Media Studies. In particular, will help students understand the role of rhetoric in the media by giving them an overview of key readings – both literary and academic - from the Media Studies canon. The course will also help students approach texts in all forms of media – broadcast, film, print, music and online media – more critically. By introducing the study of rhetoric as a practice and theory of communication, students will be able to understand media texts as rhetorical acts. Prerequisites: RHET - 110 or transfer credit in college-level composition with a grade of C- or higher.
This course is designed to familiarize students with the discourse modes of the physical and life sciences and to develop writing skills for these disciplines, including writing reviews of scholarly articles, writing for the general public and writing a research paper. Through class discussion, group activities, writing, review and revision, students will improve critical thinking and writing skills and be able to communicate with a variety of audiences in a variety of genres. Open only to science and nursing majors.
This course is designed to provide transfer students with prior college composition credits an introduction to the standards and research methods expected at the University of San Francisco. It is an intensive course that will fulfill the Core writing requirement and stress academic writing and research skills. A grade of C- or better is required to pass this course.
These seminars, designed for new transfer students, help students-in-transition become involved in the university and the community. Seminar topics will vary each semester. In order to meet the demands of advanced academic discourse, students develop skills in critical analysis of challenging non-fiction prose texts from a range of disciplinary perspectives and subjects, with a particular focus on the linguistic and rhetorical strategies employed in these texts. Students will conduct extensive library research in the process of planning and composing sophisticated academic papers. Students will also gain practice in editing for stylistic fluency in accordance with conventions of advanced academic prose. Finally, students develop greater independence in formulating strategies for revision and expansion of written arguments.
This course features argumentation and critical writing, reading, and thinking skills as applied to analysis of texts central to the field of Sociology. Required for and restricted to Sociology majors. Fulfills Core A2 for qualified transfer students. Prerequisites: A grade of C- or better in RHET - 120 , RHET - 130/131,
RHET-195, or transfer credit in college-level composition with a grade
of C- or higher.
One popular textbook tells us that, “argument is everywhere.” In fact, many disciplines depend on argumentation as feature of their work: communication, philosophy, law, and linguistics. This course focuses on the growing and (often troubling) study of argument in the past half century by recognizing argumentation as a dynamic concept as well as an art of inquiry and advocacy. We will read challenging theoretical articles about argumentation and use those theories to explore argument practices in the fields of politics, law, and aesthetics. Along the way students will become more critical consumers of arguments as well as the individuals and institutions that produce them.
Students will learn the practices of writing in business and technical fields and contexts. Students will produce several major documents (at least one of them collaboratively) typically used in business and technical environments (such as a proposal, a report, an instruction manual, a trade journal article or a web site; a portfolio of correspondence), and will complete a variety of minor assignments (e.g., a Power Point presentation, an oral presentation, or an instruction sheet). Students will also develop skills in editing for correctness, clarity, and appropriateness of style and tone. Fulfills Core A2 for qualified transfer students. Prerequisites: A grade of C- or better in RHET - 120 , RHET - 130/131,
RHET-195, or transfer credit in college-level composition with a grade
of C- or higher.
This course provides students a foundation in linguistics, the study of human language, by focusing on the English language and its impact on society and societal institutions and issues, especially educational ones. In addition to examining the components and communicative function of languages (i.e., phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics), topics of language variation, language change and history, and the connection between academic linguistics and the everyday use of the English language will be covered. Fulfills Core A2 for qualified transfer students. Prerequisite: C- or better in 0102-120, 131, 195, or transfer credit in college-level composition with a grade of C- or higher.
This class provides both linguistic and literary approaches to the history and development of the English language. By examining fragments and excerpts from literature of each phase in the development of English, students will become aware of language change and the interrelationship between English and other languages. In addition, students will develop an understanding of the relationship of language to literature, including the influence of culture and history on both. Fulfills Core A2 for qualified transfer students. Crosslisted with ENGL 321. Prerequisite: C- or better in 0102-120, 131, 195, or transfer credit in college-level composition with a grade of C- or higher.
This course examines the creation and emergence of classical rhetorical theories and practices from early to late antiquity. Students will read, analyze and research the varying rhetorical traditions that helped shape educational practices and civic debate within different social contexts. This class also counts as an elective toward the Interdisciplinary Minor in Classical Studies. Fulfills Core A2 for qualified transfer students. Prerequisite: C- or better in Core A2: Rhetoric and Composition 120,
126, 131, 195 or transfer credit in college-level composition with a
grade of C- or higher.
Grammar, composition, conversation, reading. Offered every Fall.
Continuation of RUSSN 111. Offered every Spring.
Continuation of RUSSN 102. Offered every Fall.
Offered every semester.
Seminar which gives students the opportunity to engage the literary and cultural discourse of Greece and Rome so as to see many of the foundations of our intellectual and religious categories, values and beliefs. Offered Fall.
This course is designed to give students the basic tools for understanding the study of Sacred Scripture. Topics to be covered include: the senses of Scripture, the development of the canon, form criticism, historical criticism, and magisterial teaching since Pope Leo XIII on the study of God's word. Offered Spring/Fall.
Course in the liberal arts of grammar and rhetoric which enables students to write persuasive essays. Paper topics are correlated to seminars in Greek and Roman Culture and Literature in the Ancient World. Offered Fall.
Course continues the writing practicum curriculum of the first semester with emphasis on research. Fulfills the Arts and Sciences writing requirement. Offered Spring.
Introduction to the foundational theology of Catholic Christianity that draws on classic texts of Western theology. Issues examined include the problem of God, sacraments, spirituality, and prayer. Offered Spring.
Seminar which discusses the historical forces that shaped the evolution of Mediterranean society and religion from about 100 to about 500. Focus is on Christianity, but other religious traditions which pre-existed Christianity will also be considered. Offered intermittently.
Seminar studying representative literary texts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, with reference to historical, religious, and philosophical developments. Offered Fall.
Seminar studying texts in ancient philosophy, principally Plato's early dialogues, and Aristotle's ethics and philosophy of human nature. Offered Spring.
Seminar which seeks to attain an intellectual synthesis, philosophical, theological, and spiritual, of the main currents of Christian thought in the Middle Ages. Offered Spring.
This is a course on ethics and the nature of morality, with an emphasis on the careful study of some of the seminal texts of broadly Western tradition of systematic ethical inquiry, with some attention to recent developments and applications of those theories. Our inquiry will be guided by questions about the nature of moral goodness, the relative moral significance of consequences, character, and motive in moral action, the nature of moral claims, the foundations of moral norms, and the connection of moral theory to issues in moral psychology and how these theories apply to concrete moral problems. Examples of theories typically covered in this course include consequentialism, deontology, divine volitionalism, virtue theory, and contractualism. Prerequisite: SII 210 or equivalent, or, permission of the SII Director.
This is an ethics course for students in the St. Ignatius Institute, focused on historical and contemporary ethical theory, including its practical applications. Prerequisite: St. Ignatius Institute student or permission of instructor.
Historical examination of major political, economic, and cultural movements in the western world in the modern period.
This seminar focuses on sociological and psychological theory and research on humans and their place in the world. Topics may include: the construction of identity; the extent to which our perceptions are created by objective and rational thinking as opposed to emotional and subjective motives and biases; and the nature of humans as a social animal. Prerequisite: St. Ignatius Institute student or permission of instructor.
Examination of the development of art and music within the Western tradition from the Middle Ages to the present through the study of representative figures. Focuses on the direction of changes as seen in the work of a few major artists and musicians. Offered Fall.
Seminar studying key texts of European literature in the modern period with reference to historical, social and philosophical developments. Offered Spring.
Study of philosophical issues from the 16-17th century to the 20th century. The course can include: Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, Hume, Kant, Hegel, and Nietzche. Philosophical topics addressed: the existence and nature of the physical world, human nature and morality, including human freedom. Offered Spring.
The course links the study of gender and sexuality to the values and practices of power in ancient Greece and Rome. The readings trace the articulation of gender historically through epic, lyric, Greek tragedy, Plato's moral position, and Roman pronouncements and orientations. The readings are substantiated by illustrations from Greek and Roman art.
The St. Ignatius Institute Symposium is a two-credit course intended for SII students in which they have the opportunity to study a great book or books, an author, idea, or movement in the Western tradition in the context of a small, informal, seminar. Symposia will be offered every semester. Their structure, meeting time, and curriculum will be determined by the professor. However, Symposia will emphasize student leadership and participation, direction and input, as well as encourage professors to utilize educational opportunities off campus including theatre, opera, museum visits, and lectures. SII students are expected to complete one Symposium each academic year which they are on campus.
Seminar studying the great religious and literary classics (including modern) of three ancient cultural domains' India, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Offered Fall.
Utilizing a critical historical-comparative approach, this course will examine the development of Asian societies and cultures from antiquity (about 3000 B.C.) to modern times, covering the period beginning with the rise of the great civilizations through to the long classical and medieval periods, European colonialism, the period of anti-colonial nationalism and finally to the post-independence period. Offered Fall.
Introduction to the Roman Catholic tradition of fundamental moral theology. In addition to an exploration of major themes in moral theology, selected issues in special ethics, especially sexual and medical ethics, will be used to show how the Church applies the fundamental themes of moral theology to practical life situations. Offered Spring.
A study of the methodologies, movements, and writings of major figures within the field of psychology. Emphasis on the influence of psychology in 20th century thought. Offered Spring.
An intensive study of selected topics in the Humanities. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Prerequisite: St. Ignatius Institute junior or senior, or permission of instructor.
A close study of Dante's great work, this course encourages an aesthetic appreciation of the poem. It follows Dante's prescription for reading the Commedia: consider its historical context and engage the poem's erudition and multiple allusions from Classical Antiquity. It will also look at the poem's influence on contemporary literature, as well as reflect on the ethical, political and spiritual relevance of the Commedia in our days. Elective. Cross-listed With: SPAN 413.
Intensive study of selected interdisciplinary topics. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Prerequisite: St. Ignatius Institute junior or senior, or permission of instructor.
This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of environmental studies with a particular focus on how social scientists attempt to understand the human causes of environmental change. Sociological, psychological, anthropological, historical, economic, political, and moral perspectives are examined. Offered every year.
This course introduces students to the basic concepts, theories, and methods in sociology. It surveys such issues as: culture, socialization, family, social inequality, race and ethnicity, sexism, deviance, and social change. Offered every semester.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Sociology. Offered intermittently.
An analysis of the ways in which problems come to be socially defined, understood, debated, and resolved. The course will focus on the varied processes through which problems reflect underlying social conflicts. Offered intermittently.
This course asks the question, why are humans violent? It examines different types of violence, the various theories that explain violence, and the various methods which social scientists utilize to study violence. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: Statistical Reasoning.
This course examines the long and diverse experiences of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States. Looking at historical and contemporary issues, we can understand how the presence of Asian Pacific Americans has affected U.S. society and what it means to be American. Offered every Fall.
Focusing on the "family values" debate and the diversity of U.S. families along lines of race, class, gender, and sexuality, the course analyzes how families have changed over time in response to the economy, government, media, feminism, and the New Right. Offered every Fall.
An introduction to the historical development and social structure of cities; their changing historical importance in the growth of social, economic, and political life; and their crucial role in the political economy of a global society. Offered intermittently.
Globalization has become a buzzword in our society. But what is globalization? In this class we will examine what it is, how it shapes our lives and where it happens by looking at both the theory and reality of globalization. Offered every year.
This course examines women's experiences in developing countries in the light of local and global inequalities and connections. Major theoretical approaches are used to understand how gender relationships shape and are shaped by development policies within national and global contexts. These approaches are illustrated by case studies in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Offered intermittently.
This course examines the history and experiences of African Americans. Looking at historical and contemporary issues, we examine key social institutions such as the media, schools and "The State" which have shaped and continue to shape the lives of Blacks in America. Offered intermittently.
This course examines the experiences of mixed race populations (mulattos, mestizos, mixed blood Native Americans, and Eurasians) in comparative perspective. Using these experiences, as well as sociological theories (assimilation, third culture, marginality, and multiculturalism), the course examines how race is a social and political construct, with tangible and material repercussions. Offered intermittently.
This course examines the social significance of gender in contemporary U.S. society. It analyzes the social construction of gender ideology and how women and men's experiences are affected by social institutions such as work, education, the family, and the criminal justice system. Men and women's differential experiences are analyzed within the context of race, class, and sexual orientation. The course demonstrates how the experiences of men and women are created through social institutions and can, therefore, be transformed through social and institutional change. Offered intermittently.
This course features argumentation and critical writing, reading, and thinking skills as applied to analysis of texts central to the field of Sociology. Required for and restricted to Sociology majors. Fulfills Core A2 for qualified transfer students. Prerequisites: A grade of C- or better in RHET 120, RHET 130/131, RHET 195, or transfer credit in college-level composition with a grade of C- or higher. Offered every semester.
This course explores the structures, cultures, and development of contemporary societies from a sociological, comparative, and global perspective. It examines the institutional arrangements and cultural patterns which underlie class, race and gender-based global inequalities within and between different societies, emphasizing case-studies from developing countries. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: SOC - 150 and upper-division standing; or permission of instructor.
This course will explore the institutional arrangements and cultural patterns which underlie inequalities based on race, class, gender and sexuality in American society. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: SOC - 150 and upper-division standing; or permission of instructor .
A study of the foundations and development of sociological theory, focusing on arguments and debates that have taken place around questions of agency and structure, order and change, rationality and science, culture and ideology, and the meaning of equality, justice and liberty. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: SOC - 150 or permission of instructor.
This course stresses the comprehension and assessment of research methods in sociology. Students critically consider the logic and variety of methods that sociologists use to observe the social world by examining the most common qualitative and quantitative techniques. The focus is on assessing how well research strategies address the underlying sociological question(s), how the evidence provides tenable knowledge of social phenomena, and how the evidence can be used in developing new theories or testing the adequacy of existing theories. Offered every semester. Prerequisites: SOC - 150; MATH - 101, 102, 105, 106, or PSYC 260; or permission of instructor.
This course provides socio-historical and theoretical frameworks for understanding those U.S. populations known a Chicanos/as and Latinos/as. The course is intended for students who would like to rigorously pursue a research project that further expands their knowledge of these populations. Offered every Spring.
This course explores illness due to environmental pollution. An overview of sociological perspectives on health and illness is followed by an examination of the role of scientific knowledge and other social factors in identifying, treating, and preventing environmental illness. Offered intermittently.
This course examines the way in which human societies adapt to and change their physical environment. It studies environmental issues in their political, economic, technological, social, and cultural contexts, looking at the ways in which sociological theories and concepts can help us understand the impact of social factors on the environment. Offered intermittently.
The study of individual motives, cognitions, attitudes; the role of the individual in groups and society; behavior as influenced by social forces. Offered every semester.
This course examines diverse forms of resistance to corporate globalization from a sociological perspective. Theoretical perspectives on resistance to corporate and neo-liberal globalization will be addressed in the light of case-studies on transnational movements, world social forums, revolutions, protests and other types of action carried out both in the South and global North. This will include collective struggles for alternative forms of globalization as well as individual acts of resistance to corporate globalization and its impact on inequalities and injustices based on social class, caste, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, and/or political views. Offered intermittently.
The social and cultural importance and the structure, variety, and extent of sport in modern societies. Social factors-institutions, processes, and systems-are examined in relation to sport and sport groups as subcultures. Offered intermittently.
This course is a comparative inquiry into the bases and mechanisms of racial and ethnic thinking which have been used as the criteria to create social inequality. This course looks at the epistemological ways that people have come to understand the concepts of race and ethnicity and have used those understandings to perpetuate social inequality. Offered intermittently.
Introduction to major theoretical perspectives, empirical work, and methodological issues in the sociology of popular culture: the social production of meanings and symbols (including art, music, literature), and the impact of those meanings and symbols on society. Particular focus on the role of culture in power struggles, investigating when and how dominant groups use culture to maintain their power, and when and how subordinate groups use culture as a means of political resistance.
East Asia is often mistakenly characterized as a culturally homogeneous region in popular discourse. However, this region has a long history of migration, which has been an important driving force in enriching their cultural diversity. This course examines the history and politics of internal and transnational migration in China, Korea and Japan from the 19th century to the 21st century. This course offers a comparative exploration of how migration impacts various aspects of each society, such as social inequality, ethno-racial identities, nationality and citizenship, gender and family, and political economy. This course investigates how the colonial past and globalization connect these regional powers and influence public attitudes and policies toward migration and diversity today. Offered intermittently.
This course examines how societies come to construct children and childhood through an examination of the history of childhood, kids' culture, families, schools, work, the 'traffic' in children, toys, myths and stories, and understandings of gender, race and class. Offered every Spring.
This course examines the structural and interpersonal bases of inequality, especially as they relate to differential opportunities, mobility, and power. Offered intermittently.
This course examines religion as a social phenomenon emanating from culture and influencing society; its cohesive force and potential for social change. Offered intermittently.
This course introduces students to the subject of nationalism and citizenship, one of the most fiercely contested topics in modern society. Through an examination of various theories and case studies, the historical, political, and cultural development of nationalism and citizenship will be explored in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. By looking at nationalism and citizenship from a more comparative perspective, an appreciation of how the subject affects political, social, and personal identity will be gained. Offered intermittently.
This course provides an overview of sociological theories and research about education in modern societies, with a particular focus on the role of schooling in reproducing and/or redressing social inequalities. Topics include: major theories of education and society; the effects of school characteristics and funding on student achievement and educational attainment; the effects of social class on student achievement; the dynamics and impact of subcultures within schools; race, class, gender, and sexuality differences in curricula, instruction, school organization, and student experience; cross-national differences in educational systems; the commercialization of schooling; education-related controversies; and educational reform movements. The course considers education at a variety of levels, from preschool to university. Offered intermittently.
This course examines the basic concepts, models, and theories used to understand large-scale social change. It uses historical and comparative analyses to look at the structural and psychological ramifications of major social changes in modern societies. Offered intermittently.
This course will examine the body as a site of contentious political struggle. Using feminist perspectives the course explores the social control function of sexual surgery, forced sterilization, reproduction and reproductive technology, and the social construction of beauty. Offered every Fall.
This course examines sexuality as a social, cultural and political issue, placing particular emphasis on the social construction of lesbian and gay identities and communities in the United States. The course will explore the relationship between heterosexual culture and minority sexual cultures and how that relationship affects various social institutions (e.g. family, education, church, politics, etc.) as well as society's response to contemporary social problems. Offered every Fall.
This course surveys the major principles and perspectives used by sociologists to explain social movements and revolution. It will examine the origins, strategies, recruitment, consequences, decline, and renewal of various social movements and revolutions, drawing on case studies from the industrialized states and the newly industrializing nations of the developing world. Offered intermittently.
Revolutions are dramatic and contested attempts to produce social change. Using various theoretical perspectives and historical case studies, this course takes a sociological view of revolutionary change in Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Offered intermittently.
This course examines some basic themes and concepts used in analyzing the relationship between society and politics. It considers various theoretical orientations to power, politics, and the state through a number of contemporary and distinctly American issues, paying particular attention to the social origins of politics, the structure of the political process, and the effects of social, economic, and cultural institutions on political life. Offered intermittently.
An examination of the causes of war, militarism, and weapons production; a study and evaluation of efforts to create lasting peace through social and political action. Offered intermittently.
This course is an introduction to major sociological approaches to law and society. Theoretical perspectives are used to examine how the social structure shapes and is shaped by the creation and operation of law, including case studies of antidiscrimination law in the United States and other topics (such as immigration and international human rights) that illustrate the challenges facing law in the context of global capitalism. Offered every Spring.
This course will examine the major theoretical perspectives on deviance, social control, and the consequences of violating normative behavior. The course emphasizes the role of power in the construction and contestation of deviance. Offered intermittently.
The course examines the historical events that gave rise to a separate system for juveniles and to the development of the concept of delinquency. It focuses on the causes of delinquency and explores some of the empirical problems related to treatment and control of juveniles in the United States. Offered intermittently.
This course is designed to introduce students to the field of criminology, including major theories of crime causation, the making of criminal law and punishment, as well as different types of crime and how they are dealt with in the United States. Students will also learn about recent trends in U.S. crime rates and the functioning of the criminal justice system, with a particular focus on the impact of race, class, and gender. Students will critically analyze criminal justice policies that have been implemented to deal with crime, such as the death penalty, the three strikes law, and mass incarceration. Offered every semester.
Cities around the world are becoming increasingly important as locations for capital accumulation, population movement, employment and cultural formations. They are also places of spatial contestation while producing challenges to sustainability and the built environment. By 2030 all developing regions, including Asia and Africa, will have more people living in urban than rural areas. This course examines many of the critical issues that are making cities important centers of human settlement. Likewise, it will focus on theoretical approaches to globalizing cities and their future. Offered intermittently.
This course provides socio-historical approaches to contemporary Brazilian culture and society from a race, class, and gender/sexuality perspective. Case-studies of popular/political cultures, social movements, inequalities and identities illustrate major developments in Brazilian culture and society within the context of democratization and globalization. Offered intermittently.
This course is a study of the role of credit, credit cards, and debt in society and how they influence patterns of social, personal and financial relations. It also explores the world of fringe financial services. Most importantly, it examines the intersections of credit and debt in the life of students and the meaning of credit worthiness. Offered intermittently.
This course examines how environmental goods like clean air and water and environmental bads like hazardous waste and industrial pollution come to be unequally distributed in societies, often along lines of race, class, and gender. Offered intermittently.
This course focuses on special topics and issues in sociology. Offered intermittently.
Drawing upon student internships in social change organizations and readings that address community organizing, this course provides an opportunity to learn how to become an effective agent of social change. The course culminates with student-led social change projects. Offered intermittently.
This course combines 90-100 hours of volunteer or internship work in the San Francisco Bay Area; reading-based discussion of fieldwork research techniques, ethics, and writing; and classroom workshop discussions of students' projects. Requirements include weekly class meetings; extensive written field notes; class presentations; commentaries on other students' projects; literature review; and a final paper. It is highly recommended that students take SOC 308, Research Methods, before enrolling in this course.
Written permission of instructor, department chair, and dean is required. Offered intermittently.
Written permission of instructor, department chair, and dean is required. Offered intermittently.
The Senior Honors Thesis is an original written work whose topic, elected by the student, is considered the capstone of his/her academic education. The thesis provides an occasion of a creative overview and synthesis of the student's work across the major and allows the student an opportunity to fully exercise her or his independent research and writing skills in an area of sociology. The Honors Thesis Workshop provides a supportive context for researching and writing a thesis. The seminar is open to seniors who have at least a 3.5 grade point average and who meet other requirements for admission as established by instructor. Course may be used as an electuve for the Sociology major. Offered every semester. Prerequisites; SOC 306, SOC 308, upper-division standing, and permission of instructor.
This course provides students with an opportunity to engage in focused study on a thematic topic using theoretical readings, primary and secondary social research, and by working with a social-justice oriented organization. Required for senior Sociology majors. Prerequisites: SOC 306, SOC 308, and upper-division standing; or by permission of instructor.
An intensive introduction to the Spanish language that allows students to take two semesters in one. Ideal for anyone who has had some Spanish in high school and/or placed into First Semester Spanish on the placement exam with a high score. Note: All incoming students enrolling is a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and'or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement test. (Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages' website for more information). Offered every semester.
The first of a two-semester sequence designed specifically for students with no previous Spanish. Activities and tests designed to accommodate the early stages of language acquisition; grammatical structures and lexical items presented accordingly. Emphasizes the development of communication skills: the ability to comprehend native speakers of Spanish, to speak Spanish with them, to understand Spanish-language texts, and to communicate ideas in Spanish. Students who successfully complete this course will proceed to SPAN 102. This course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Note: All incoming students enrolling in a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and/or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement text. (Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages website for more information). Offered every semester.
The second of a two-semester sequence designed specifically for students with no previous Spanish. Activities and tests designed to accommodate the early stages of language acquisition; grammatical structures and lexical items presented accordingly. Emphasizes the development of communication skills: the ability to comprehend native speakers of Spanish, to speak Spanish with them, to understand Spanish-language texts, and to communicate ideas in Spanish. Students who successfully complete this course will proceed to SPAN-201. This course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Note: All incoming students enrolling in a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and/or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement test.) Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages website for more information). Offered every semester. Prerequisite: SPAN-101.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Spanish.
A one-semester intensive review of the basic structures of Spanish. Class conducted in Spanish, with activities designed to practice and consolidate all language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Cultural readings to expand vocabulary, stimulate discussion, and broaden students' understanding of the Hispanic world. Note: All incoming students enrolling in a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and'or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement test. (Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages website for more information). Qualifying students who were raised speaking Spanish at home are not eligible to take this course and are required to take "Spanish for Bilinguals 1". (Please see the description for Spanish 221). Offered every semester. Cross-listed with LAS - 201. Prerequisite: SPAN - 101-102.
Students continue to develop reading, speaking, and writing skills, and expand their active vocabulary. The readings (which explore economic development, education, environment, politics, and social institutions in Latin America) are the core of the course, serving as the basis for class discussion and essays and for the selective review of grammar. Students learn to read/write discipline specific content in preparation for upper level classes at USF or abroad. Note: All incoming students enrolling in a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and/or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement text. (Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages website for more information). Qualifying students who were raised speaking Spanish at home are not eligible to take this course and are required to take "Spanish for Bilinguals II" ). (please see the description for Spanish 222). Offered every semester. Cross-listed with: LAS - 202. Prerequisite: SPAN - 101-102-201.
This class seeks to strengthen students active skills in Spanish, particularly reading and writing. Students will engage various texts combining different disciplines such as aesthetic: film, fine arts, photography and literature; social sciences: history, sociology, economy, journalism and media studies; and humanities: philosophy and theology. The selected texts will examine the complexity of the Spanish-speaking world in all its geographical amplitude. A feature in this class will be the participation of guest speakers. Prerequisite: SPAN 202 or SPAN 222.
A four-week program designed for students who wish to acquire fluency in Spanish while being immersed in Mexican culture. The Program includes lectures, conversation hours and field trips that support language proficiency and are inspired by the University's mission of social justice. Offered in collaboration with Universidad Iberoamericana - Puebla and USF's Spanish and Latin American Studies Program. Students who successfully complete this course will proceed to SPAN 202. Completion of this course is the equivalent of SPAN 201 (Third Semester Spanish) and will satisfy any USF program requiring three semesters of a foreign language.
A four-week program designed for students who wish to acquire fluency in Spanish while being immersed in Spanish culture. The program includes lectures, conversation hours and field trips that support language proficiency and the opportunity to learn about the culture and history of Spain. Offered in collaboration with Universidad Pontificia Comillas and USF's Spanish and Latin American Studies programs. Students who successfully complete this course will proceed to SPAN 202. Completion of this course is the equivalent of SPAN 201 (Third Semester Spanish) and will satisfy any USF program requiring three semesters of a foreign language.
Required for all Spanish and French conversation tutors. While simultaneously teaching conversation sessions, students will specifically learn how to: identify issues underlying communicative language and task-based teaching,create well designed language learning activities that engage learners in communicative language learning tasks, sequence those tasks, apply appropriate language teaching terminology during class discussions, reflect about themselves as learners and teachers, and participate in intellectual discussions about second language acquisition and foreign language teaching issues. Prerequisite: SPAN 202 or 222.
Students expand vocabulary and develop proficiency by means of extensive conversation. May be repeated once for credit after an interval of one semester. Designed for native speakers of English. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: SPAN - 101-102-201.
Conversation class for students in a particular discipline. Students will read Spanish-language articles and selections from books on topics specific to their field. In-class discussions and activities, individual presentations, quizzes (written and oral) on content and vocabulary. Discipline alternates. Offered intermittently.
Students will improve linguistic skills and increase exposure to academic Spanish. This may take the form of improving spelling, expanding vocabulary at formal registers, broadening the range of topics controlled in written and oral expression, and so forth. The readings (which explore health, education, politics, bilingualism, biculturalism and social institutions in Latin America) are the core of the course, serving as the basis for class discussion and essays and for the selective review of grammar. Completion of this course is the equivalent of Spanish 201 (Third Semester Spanish) and will satisfy any USF program requiring three semesters of a foreign language. Note: All incoming students enrolling in a Spanish class at USF for the first time who have taken Spanish before and/or were raised speaking Spanish are required to take the placement test. (Please see the Department of Modern and Classical Languages website for more information). Qualifying students who were raised speaking Spanish at home are required to take this course and are not eligible to take Spanish 201. Offered Fall Semester only. Prerequisite: Native speaking abilities, no junior high or high school study in a Spanish-speaking country, and placement into Spanis 201 (Third Semester Spanish) or permission from Spanish Language Coordinator.
Who speaks Spanish in the US? What kind of Spanish do they speak? What does it mean to be a Spanish-speaker in the US/California/San Francisco - to a Spanish speaker and to an English speaker? We will examine historical realities, language varieties, and the relationships between language and identity, language and culture. Using sociolinguistic methods, we will explore a variety of contemporary social and political issues associated with the presence of Spanish and Spanish-speakers in the U.S., in California, and in San Francisco, among them language legislation and bilingual education. Sources include published book and articles, web resources, and community contacts. Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
Reading and translation exercises highlight the multidimensional nature of text and the dynamic nature of reading while honing analytic skills. They encourage experimentation and contribute to the improvement of linguistic and intercultural skills. Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
Offered in English. This course considers writers who bring a deeper understanding to the Hispanic-Latino-American experience in California and in the West. Both Hispanic-Latino and non-Hispanic-Latino writers are studied. Works are read and discussed in English in a seminar style. Cultural on-site experiences are integral to course objectives. Offered every Spring.
This Service Learning course is designed for Spanish majors and minors as well as for those interested in the Spanish speaking community living in the US, in the study of gender and immigration issues, in grassroots activism, and in the languages and cultures of Latin/o America. The class will work directly with different community organizations that focus on the Spanish-speaking community of San Francisco. Different service tasks include: tutoring, translation and labor advocacy. Class topics include: immigration in the US, problems of discrimination based on citizenship, sexuality, gender and ethnicity, collective and individual responses to such forms of oppression, and the role of education and the arts in challenging injustice. Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
Students will focus on oral and written expression through an introduction to specific text genres. In addition to a brief review of idiosyncratic structures and the construction of complex sentences, students will read brief texts representative of (primarily) non-literary genres: definition, summary, description, narration, exposition, meditative essay, and critical essay. These texts will serve as models for both written (short essays) and oral practice (the discussion of texts and the ideas presented in them). Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
Overview of basic fields of linguistic analysis (syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics) and consideration of sub-fields (dialectology, bilingualism and biculturalism, language change). Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
This course examines the languages and cultures of Meso- and South-America that were overlaid by Spanish. In addition to an overview of the languages and cultures themselves, students will explore such issues as (1) the relationship between language and culture, language and nation, (2) colonial policies concerning indigenous languages, (3) contemporary language policies, and (4) the endangerment of indigenous languages. Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
This survey will trace an emerging category of writing called literature from the Enlightenment to the present. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: SPAN - 310.
Students will focus on oral and written expression through an introduction to the analysis of literary texts. In addition to learning the Spanish-language terminology of literary analysis, students will read short works (poetry, short stories, dramatic texts), practice the concepts and techniques of analysis in class discussion, and write short essays on those texts. Offered every semester.
Studies various attempts to define cultural identity and artistic expression in the work of the boom novelists, black poets, etc. Course given in Spanish. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
A study of novels, short stories, and poems by Latin American, Latino-Latina, and indigenous writers in the light of current theories of feminist criticism. Exploration of issues such as writing of desire and the body, revisionist readings and race, class and religion as they affect gender issues. Works are read and discussed in Spanish. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
Ideas about honor and the values that reflect them are not static, changing over time. In this course we consider how such changes emerge in Iberian societies, converting a behavior or practice once thought honorable into one considered dishonorable, and elevating other behaviors to occupy the higher moral position. Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
This course begins in the 19th Century during the last throws of a dying Spanish Empire. We will track Spanish literature and history through such extreme experience as foreign invasion, nationalism, dictatorships, civil wars, censorship and the (often exiled) avant guarde, finally ending with a remarkable return to the freedoms of democracy in the late 20th Century. Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
A social and cultural survey from Medieval Spain to the present, focusing on history, literature, music and the visual arts, including film. Works to be discussed will consider how cultural forces and significant figures have influenced contemporary Spain. Class sessions will be conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPAN - 310 or instructor.
This course combines historical, social, and artistic perspectives. Topic varies. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: SPAN 206.
The life and works of Cervantes, with emphasis on the Quixote. Class to be given in Spanish. Offered intermittently. Prerequisite: SPAN - 310.
The written permission of the instructor, the department chair and the dean is required. Offered every semester.
Recognition, description, and transcription of the sounds of Spanish; discussion of intonation, rhythm, pitch, and stress.
Topic varies: Spanish dialectology, bilingualism and biculturalism, language change, or contrastive linguistics. Prerequisite: SPAN 317 or equivalent introduction to linguistics.
After a careful reading of Dante's Inferno students will engage the vast and foundational influence of this text in Latin American and Spanish literatures, including Juan de Mena's Laberinto de la fortuna, Valle Inclán's Luces de Bohemia, Juan Rulfo's Pedro Páramo, Borges's El Aleph, José Donoso's Lugar sin límites. To theoretically approach these textual conversations, students will study the concept of dialogism and intertextuality featured in Mikhail Bakhtin's Dialogic Imagination. Cross Listed With: SII - 413.
This course examines a full range of medieval Iberian women's lives, as the women and their lives were written, and as women wrote ABOUT themselves and their own lives. Prerequisite: Senior standing or permission of instructor.
Course offered by faculty from other departments. Topic varies.
Academic year or semester programs are available at the Jesuit Universidad Iberoamericana in Leon. Students can choose from courses on Spanish language as well as Latin American studies. Students with a high level of Spanish may also enroll in regular university courses in Humanities and Professional studies.
Semester or academic year study abroad programs available at the Jesuit university in Tijuana. Spanish Language and Mexican and Latin American Culture programs are offered with an emphasis on the challenges of a border culture. Students enroll in classes with other Mexican students.
The Jesuit university campus of Universidad Iberoamericana - Puebla is located in one of the most attractive Mexican cities. The university offers 21 areas of professional study including humanities, the arts, business, education and physical sciences. Puebla is located less than two hours from Mexico City and is one of the world's heritage cities. The campus includes a modern group of buildings with excellent sport facilities. USF students enroll in classes with Mexican students and can easily and economically travel to a large number of other Mexican cities.
Academic year or semester programs are available at the Jesuit Universidad Iberoamericana in Torreon. Students can choose from courses on Spanish language as well as Latin American studies. Students with a high level of Spanish may also enroll in regular university courses in Humanities and Professional studies.
Semester or academic year study abroad programs are available at the Jesuit ITESO - Guadalajara. Spanish Language and Mexican and Latin American Culture programs are offered. The program is located in Guadalajara, a city known for its parks, fountains and temperate climate. ITESO is internationally known for its academic programs and the civic engagement of its students. USF students attend classes with other Mexican students.
Study at Sophia University, the prestigious Jesuit university in Japan that was founded in 1913. Sophia University offers high quality education with a global perspective. USF students can choose from a full menu of courses taught in one of Sophia's campuses in the center of Tokyo. Students must enroll in a Japanese language course.
Located in Helsinki, a safe, clean and high tech city of one million inhabitants, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences offers courses in business and management, information technology, journalism, sport and tourism. The university's location serve as a bridge between east and west and the student population include students from all over the world.
A unique opportunity to experience and study in a country of unique cultural richness and natural beauty that is developing a democratic tradition. This program is housed at the Jesuit university in Nicaragua: Universidad Centroamericana which is located in the heart of Managua, the country's capital. Students have the opportunity to become part of service learning opportunities while taking courses in a wide variety of topics.
A program hosted by Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in the heart of Northern Italy. Milano is known for its economic and industrial strength as well as for its attention to the arts, design and cultural life. The Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore is Italy's largest Catholic university and is located in the middle of the historical city of Milano. Course offerings include international relations, Italian cinema, communications, media, art, finance, politics, and management. USF students can attend courses taught in Italian if they have the appropriate linguistic ability or spend a semester attending courses taught entirely in English.
Academic year or semester programs are available at the Jesuit Universidad Iberoamericana - Santa Fe campus in Mexico City. Students can choose from courses on Spanish language as well as Latin American studies. Students with a high level of Spanish may also enroll in regular university courses in Humanities and Professional studies.
Hosted by the Jesuit university, Universidad de Deusto, in Basque northeastern Spain, this semester or academic year program is dedicated to the study or improvement of the Spanish language, including Spain's literature and culture. Bilbao is a trend setting city located close to San Sebastian and the Atlantic coast of France. The city is known for its cultural traditions, gourmet history and friendliness. Students have easy access to the rest of Spain as well as to a number of European cities.
The Ateneo de Manila University, a Jesuit university, offers students the opportunity to study for a semester or an academic year in a variety of subjects in the heart of the Philippines.
This semester-long program at the Casa de la Solidaridad via Santa Clara University offers students an opportunity for service learning in developing communities undergoing a process of democratization.
Courses in the Arts and Sciences, Business, Celtic Studies, and Life Sciences are offered at one of Ireland's oldest universities, University College Dublin. Located in one of Europe's most interesting cities, University College continues the tradition of excellence and scholarship that characterized its founding in 1854. A modern and expanding campus located five miles from downtown Dublin includes excellent libraries, classrooms and research facilities. Dublin is a lively and cosmopolitan city of one million residents that offers numerous theaters, museums, galleries, cinemas, cafes, shops, pubs and restaurants.
A special program for Environmental Science or Environmental Studies majors that allows students to explore the environmental issues faced by industrializing nations. For further information, contact the Environmental Science Department.
A special program of courses taught in English at one of the best known Catholic universities in Europe: Catholic University of Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven). Students can take courses in a wide variety of topics including anthropology, business, communications, economics, law, literature, politics, philosophy, psychology and theology. The program is located at a historical university town and students enroll in courses with students from Belgium and other countries around the world. Leuven is located a short distance from Brussels and a large number of other European cities.
Hosted by Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), the Jesuit university in Rio, this program allows USF students to spend a semester taking regular PUC classes in what is probably one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the world. Students must have taken a minimum of two semesters of Portuguese.
Loyola University Chicago's John Felice Rome Center campus, located on Monte Mario, Rome's highest hill, offers courses in the arts, humanities and social sciences. The campus is a short bus ride from the heart of Rome-ancient, vibrant, and amazing capital of Italy. Classes are offered in the self-contained campus for students from through the United States.
Program is hosted by prestigious Newcastle University, located in northeastern England, between the cities of Leeds and Edinburgh. Newcastle-upon-Tyne is an exciting cosmopolitan city full of cultural, sport and social venues and a short distance by air from London or Amsterdam (3 hours by train from London). Semester or academic year options are available. Courses include the arts and humanities, sciences, business and finance, and pre-medicine. Students take classes with other English and European students.
Located in the western coast of Australia, Fremantle is home to the best known Catholic university of the country: University of Notre Dame Australia. The campus is located in the heart of the city and students benefit from its vibrancy and style and its proximity to Perth. Classes are offered in Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Health Sciences, and Nursing. USF students enroll in class with Australians and can obtain special certificates in International Studies, Asia Pacific Studies, Asia Pacific Business or Australasian Ecology after completion of one semester's focused classes.
The Singapore Management University offers semester or academic year opportunities for both business and humanities students in exciting Singapore. The university is well known throughout the world and offers courses in a brand new downtown campus. Students enroll in classes with other students from Singapore and from throughout Asia.
A semester or academic year program at the Beijing Institute of Language and Culture is offered through Loyola University Chicago. The program is located in the heart of Beijing with easy access to libraries and museums. Courses in the humanities and in business are available. Students enroll in classes with other foreign students.
This program allows you to study in one of the best universities in England: the University of Reading. The campus is located just a short ride from London in a community that welcomes university students. The program offers courses in the same undergraduate majors available at USF and students enroll in regular university classes with other English and European students.
This program allows USF students to spend a semester taking regular university classes at the Jesuit university in Santiago, Chile. The program is hosted by Universidad Jesuita Alberto Hurtado. The university offers a wide menu of courses and its campus is located in the heart of Chile's capital city. Santiago is located within easy reach of the Andes (for skiing or trekking) and not far from world famous lakes and beaches. The Patagonia region or the northern dessert can be reached through low-cost flights and the same is true of cities in Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.
Université Catholique de Lille is located at the crossroads of Europe, with Paris or Brussels one hour away and London two hours away by train. The home to one million residents, Lille is known for its culinary traditions, its architecture and its appreciation for culture and year-round festivities. USF students may take courses with French students in the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences as well as business courses.
The Jesuit Universidad Pontificia Comillas (UPC) allows students to study in Madrid-- one of the most exciting cities in Europe. The campus is located in the heart of the city and students can take courses in the social and behavioral sciences, the humanities, nursing and the sciences. Applicants enroll in classes with Spanish students and must have completed four semesters of college Spanish.
Córdoba, the second largest city in Argentina, is known for its historical districts, university life, the friendliness of its residents and its proximity to all regions of Argentina. The program is offered at Universidad Católica de Córdoba, a Jesuit university, the oldest private university in the country. Classes are offered in architecture, business and administration, international relations, social sciences, and physical sciences. Students are enrolled with Argentine students and must have Spanish language skills. A number of volunteer and service learning opportunities are also offered.
Ritsumeikan University in beautiful Kyoto, the city of shrines, offers semester or academic year study, taught in English. The program allows students to experience Japan's tradition and its contemporary development and learn Japanese amidst a beautiful campus. Kyoto is a very manageable city, and a couple of hours via bullet train from Tokyo.
The Jesuit Sogang University offers semester or academic year study in 24 majors in its six schools: Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering, Economics and Business Administration. Located on the western side of Seoul in the Sinchon area, the site of three universities and active research, it is easily reached from other parts of Seoul by public transportation.
Business students may take courses at IQS one of the institutions that are part of the Universitat Ramon Llull for a semester. A unique opportunity to study in the heart of Barcelona, one of the most exciting cities in the world.
With small campuses at a choice of locations, ACU National is a public institution which offers programs in the social and environmental sciences, business and information technology, philosophy, theology and the liberal arts. USF students enroll in classes with Australian students.
Students may study in this vast, bustling, culturally and historically rich city by enrolling at a special program in Berlin's Freie Universitat where courses are taught in English.
Accounting, Finance, Management, and International Business, Management Information Systems, Decision Science, and Marketing majors can take semester or academic year courses at Korea University Business School (KUBS). More than 30% of the business courses are taught in English. Students are also permitted to take any non-business courses.
A program in art, design, fashion, communication and performing arts at one of Europe's most prestigious universities: University of the Arts London. Learning is mostly through projects and the university has been rated as one of the UK's best universities. USF students work with other English and European students in a lively, friendly and supportive environment. Instruction takes place at one of six colleges located throughout London.
Unique program that allows students to learn or improve their knowledge of French as well as to study a variety of courses centered on France and French or European culture. The program is located in the heart of Paris at the Institut Catholique de Paris, a department of the Catholic University of Paris. Over 100 different classes are offered every semester in French language and culture. The program is taught by highly experienced professors and makes use of the latest technology in second language learning.
Founded in 1413, the University of St. Andrews is the third oldest university in the United Kingdom and one of the most prestigious institutions in Europe. The university is located in a university town, 45 miles north of Edinburgh in an area known for its history and deeply ingrained traditions. St. Andrews offers classes in all areas of the Humanities, Arts, Sciences and Social Sciences and USF students study with other Scottish students as well as with students from throughout the UK and Europe.
A program hosted at the University of Cape Town, a world class university in one of the most beautiful cities in Africa. The University of Cape Town has a multicultural student body and is located just a short distance from the downtown area of Cape Town. The university offers a wide range of classes in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. USF students enroll in classes with other international students and with South Africans.
Located in the Capital of New Zealand, Victoria University of Wellington is one of the best known and most prestigious universities in the world. Wellington, a city remarkably similar to San Francisco, is the heart of New Zealand's cultural, artistic, economic and culinary life. Charming Wellington is just a short distance from some of the most beautiful natural environments in the Southern Hemisphere with pristine beaches, active volcanoes, lakes, forests and the bush. Victoria University offers a full menu of courses in all areas of the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences as well as architecture, law and education. USF students register for classes together with students from New Zealand and from around the world.
The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time.
Continuation of First Semester Swahili. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Prerequisites: SWAH 101 or equivalent.
Swahili 201 is a 4-credit course designed for students who have already taken Swahili 102. Prerequisites: SWAH 102 or equivalent
The written permission of the instructor, the department chair and the dean is required. Offered every semester.
First Semester Filipino introduces students to the basic structure of the Philippine national language, its development, grammatical characteristics, and to learn basic "survival" Filipino vocabulary. It also exposes students to important Filipino non-verbal discourse and communication patterns. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time.
This course introduces non-native speakers to an intermediate understanding and comprehension of the Filipino language, its development, and grammatical characteristics. It exposes students to intermediate-level Filipino discourse, exchange, and vocabulary using a functional-situational approach. It also immerses intermediate level students to important Filipino non-verbal communication patterns. The course includes a mandatory one-hour weekly group conversation class with a tutor for nine weeks of the semester outside of the class meeting time. Prerequisite: TAGL 101 or permission of instructor.
This course introduces non-native speakers to an advanced understanding and comprehension of the Filipino language, its development, and grammatical characteristics. It exposes students to advanced-level Filipino discourse, exchange, and vocabulary using a functional-situational and culture-media immersion approaches. It also immerses advanced level students to simple and complex Filipino verbal and non-verbal communication patterns. Prerequisite: TAGL 102 or permission of instructor.
Emphasis on speaking and listening skills given specific social-cultural situations, and reading and writing skills that center on cultural material. More grammatical structures. Exposure to and understanding of written material such as essays, poems, songs, and recipes. Prerequisite: TAGL 201.
The Christian Village explores the central concepts of Christian Theology. Using the lens of teaching, whether as a future parent, a teacher or as a member of the "village" that it takes to raise a "child," we shall consider the following topics: human existence, God, Jesus Christ, and the Church's nature and mission. Offered every semester.
Using a framework from the Jesuits Karl Rahner and Bernard Lonergan, this course will explore Judeao-Christian narratives as interpreted through the Catholic Christian tradition.
This course is designed to give students the basic tools for understanding the study of Sacred Scripture. Topics to be covered include: the senses of Scripture, the development of the canon, form criticism, historical criticism, and magisterial teaching since Pope Leo XIII on the study of God's word. Offered Spring/Fall.
A study of the main issues, themes and persons that shaped the history of Christianity from its origins to the present. Special emphasis will be placed on the correlation of social, political and cultural developments, ecclesiastical structure, and theological doctrine. The course examines how the Christian church has both been shaped by and has shaped the various historical and geographical contexts in which it emerged.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Theology and Religious Studies.
The goal of the course is to develop an understanding of how feminist scholarship provides one fruitful means towards reappropriation of central Christian insights about God. The course will create a dialogue between theolgical discourse, that is, critical reflection upon the experience of God, and insights from feminist thought.
Introduction to the foundational theology of Catholic Christianity that draws on classic texts of Western theology. Issues examined include the problem of God, sacraments, spirituality, and prayer. Offered Spring.
An introduction to the historical-critical method of interpreting the Bible as preparation to read and understand the Word of God in the New Testament, and allow twenty-first century persons to appreciate its meaning and message. Offered every semester.
This introductory course provides a basic knowledge of the Qur’an, covering its revelation, historical context, form, content, and interpretation and application in the daily lives of Muslims. The course focuses on Muslims’ dynamic experiences and interactions with the text as an ever-unfolding ethical guide.
This course provides an in-depth look at Catholic Social Thought as well as movements within the Catholic Church inspired by Catholic Social Thought which engage social issues and moral problems. Ways in which Christian thinkers and activists view Catholic Social Thought as a public calling are addressed. Offered intermittently.
Economic Justice in Catholic Social Thought explores current domestic and international economic implications of the values and principles of Catholic thought. Those values include the priority of labor over capital, international solidarity and the holistic nature of true human development. Policy choices that flow from these priorities will be the focus of student projects.
Intensive study of grammar, composition, and conversation. Stress on the spoken language. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew. Offered intermittently. Cross-listed With: HBREW 101
Hebrew II continues Hebrew I and provides instruction in the reading, writing, and speaking of modern Hebrew, with additional attention to Biblical Hebrew. Basic grammar and vocabulary and simple texts and audio materials will be presented. Offered intermittently. Cross-listed With: HBREW 102
The question of gender, sexuality, and same-sex relationships are of ongoing religious debate as developments in the human sciences and anthropology continue to challenge long-standing interpretations of the Bible on these issues. This course will explore these issues from an historical-critical interpretation of the Bible in order to shed new light on the age-old questions of human sexuality and spirituality.
The question of gender, homosexuality, and same-sex relationships are of ongoing religious debate as developments in the human sciences and anthropology continue to challenge long standing interpretations of the Bible on these issues. This course will explore these issues from a historical-critical interpretation of the Bible in order to shed new light on the age old questions of human sexuality and spirituality. However, the success or failure of this course rests on its ability to demonstrate to students that when discussing issues of same-gender relations within the context of Christian faith and theology, we are ultimately dealing not with issues, but with persons; and more specifically, persons-in-relation. This course, therefore, lends itself to critical assessment of the intersection between theology, the church as both local community and global instruction, and homosexual persons and their primary relationships. The integration of our course work with opportunities to dialogue with gay and lesbian Christians will attempt to provide a balance between historical-critical exegesis, Christian theology, and a focus on persons within the San Francisco community who strive to live lives of faith and integrity within the (Catholic) Christian milieu.
This course explores the emergence of contemporary African Theology from the intersection of African indigenous religions and cultures, and Christianity in colonial and post-colonial Africa.
The course establishes the exegetical ground-work for modern historical-critical interpretation of the Bible and examines the interpretation of the Exodus Event (Ex. 1-24) by various communities in the margins.
This course explores diverse religious practices of migrant and diaspora communities, analyzing the complex interplay between religion and economic, political, and cultural dimensions of migrant life.
This is an examination of the emergence of diverse Christian Feminist Theologies from Africa, Asia and Latin America and their response to economic, political and religious-cultural challenges of the Third World.
This course examines the role of religion in HIV/AIDS contexts and explores theological positions guiding the Church's compassionate response to a world facing this global pandemic.
Jesus in the various Christologies of the New Testament, in the Christological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries, and in the writings of key contemporary theologians. Who is Jesus for me today? Jesus in liturgy and prayer. Offered intermittently.
Courses offered from time to time, topics to be determined.
Christ as the sacrament of the encounter with God; the church as a sacrament of Jesus; the seven formal sacraments as actions of the church. The history of their development, contemporary sacramental issues, ethical and ecumenical dimensions, and future possibilities. Offered yearly.
Marriage as human reality and saving mystery; covenant and sacrament. Relational, psychological, sexual, inter-cultural, religious and financial aspects of marriage: goals, responsibilities, problems. Offered yearly.
An examination of the major religious themes and practices of ancient Greeks and Romans. While we will survey historical developments, our focus will be on the Classical Period for the Greeks and the Imperial Period for the Romans. Special consideration will be given to the relationship between beliefs, rituals and concerns of the state, as well as various reactions to "state religion" by philosophers, practitioners in mystery cults, Jews, and Christians.
This course explores the relationship between politics and religion through an examination of the phenomenon ofreligious nonviolence as it manifests among Jews and Muslins living in Israel and Palestine.
Seminar which discusses the historical forces that shaped the evolution of Mediterranean society and religion from about 100 to about 500. Focus is on Christianity, but other religious traditions which pre-existed Christianity will also be considered. Offered intermittently.
This course engages with the transcendent biblical concept of justice as an irreversible commitment of God in history as articulated in the prophets, the Gospel of Jesus and emergent in liberation theologies in Latin America, Africa, Asia, in North America responses, in feminist responses, and in ecological knowledge, processes and paradigms. Offered yearly.
An overview of Jewish philosophy and theology since the seventeenth century, including the Jewish Enlightenment and the tradition of German Jewish idealism, the rise of Jewish existentialism, Jewish-Christian theological dialogue, post-Holocaust theology and Jewish feminist thought. Offered intermittently.
This course engages students in a critical consideration of the moral, religious, and social implications of the Holocaust and of Genocide in the 20th and 21st centuries, and explores various memorial practices and responses to the moral challenge of genocide.
This course examines social justice activism from Jewish and non-Jewish perspectives, in theory and in practice, through an exploration of some of the most important societal issues confronting Americans today: economic justice, racial and ethnic equality, gender equality, sexual orientation equality, and environmental justice. Students will meet with 15-20 Bay Area Jewish activists over the course of the semester.
From the Bible to the English mystery plays and contemporary versions of the Passion, this course will examine both critically and in performance the theological implications of the great stories of the Bible and other spiritual works. Students will be asked to do small performances in class as well as write reflectively and analytically about their reading and viewing assignments. Offered intermittently.Cross-listed With: THETR 315
The study of the linkages between religion and politics. Religion as a political construct and as an instrument of power in society. Is religion simply a matter of faith? Is it only personal or is it the opiate of the masses? Given the political capital of religion in modern society, is it even possible to maintain the great wall of separation between church and state? Course will focus on the writings of Montesquieu, Marx, Jefferson, David Walker, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Reinhold Niebuhr, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Hannah Arendt. Individual and group projects will be employed. Offered every year.
This course servesas a primer for understanding the principal expressions, commitments, and claims of the Catholic faith. This course examines the beliefs and practices that Catholics hold in common with other Christians, as well as those that distinguish Catholics from other Christians, other religions, and the secular world.
This course surveys the lives of saints, both Catholic and "popular," to examine how spirituality and political charisma cross-fertilize in social-justice movements. Includes studies of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Che Guevara, Diana of Wales, Archbishop Romero, Rev. Jim Jones.
The course will study Ignatian and other methods of Christian contemplative prayer and teach students to put them into practice. Portions of each class, and a day-long hiking retreat integrated into the course, will be dedicated to the practice of Christian meditation.
Continuing the practice of Christian meditation from the previous class, this course will introduce the theology behind these practices and demonstrate the ‘mystical’ roots of Christianity through the study of Christian mystics, theologians and their writings.
This course will continue the practice of in-class meditation and examine how similar and distinctive meditative practices among the world’s religions help to foster inter-religious dialogue and deepen our awareness of unity among all people, and all creation.
This final course in the series will return to the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius and the Centering Prayer practices of Keating in order to demonstrate the Jesuit spiritual ideal of “finding God in all things,” beginning with oneself, and extending to all.
This course surveys the religious life of U.S. Latin@ Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical/Pentecostal faith communities. It reviews contemporary theological, literary, and sociological writings to understand the ways Latinos construct their faith life, with special attenion to Chican@ faith and activism, and Latina feminism.
The Philippines has witnessed two major revolutions. The first was an armed conflict for national independence and the second a nonviolent movement ("People Power") to restore democracy. We will examine how they were influenced by Catholic thought and practice.
This course will explore several ancient sacred sites, their accompanying religious geographies, and some of the religious practices associated with them (such as pilgrimage) that continue to transmit a sense of mystery and value for contemporary men and women. Offered intermittently.
Explores the religious underpinnings of contemporary attitudes and practices concerning the environment. Both historical and contemporary understandings of nature as expressed in various religious traditions. Offered intermittently. Cross-listed With: ENVA 361
This course will situate religious pluralism in Latin America and the Caribbean within distinct sociocultural, political and economic contexts. A consideration of the roles that faith and belief play in peoples' lives and culture in Latin America. Offered intermittently. Cross-listed With: LAS 301
This course emphasizes both the historical foundations of the world's major religious traditions as well as how they have confronted and been shaped by the globalizing forces of modernity. Student research projects will require fieldwork in the Bay Area.
This course explores both historical and contemporary expressions of key religious traditions--Hinduism, Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Shinto, and Christianity--that have helped shape the socio-political development and cultural identities of Asian peoples. Offered every semester.
This class explores the histories, doctrines, and practices of Buddhism(s). Emphasis will be on its historical and philosophical as well as how contemporary men and women live as practicing Buddhists. Through diachronic and synchronic examination, we will get a broad, complex picture of Buddhism(s), a significant Asian tradition that has now taken in root in the West.
This course surveys nearly 2000 years of the religious traditions, heritage, and culture of the Japanese people. We will explore key texts, charismatic leaders, and periods of conflict and stability in our goal to understand both historical and contemporary religious and spiritual examples within Japan and abroad.
This course examines the origins, teachings, and practices of Zen Buddhism, from ancient China to contemporary East Asia and North America. It emphasizes both academic and participatory understanding of this tradition. Offered intermittently.
Ancient, classical, medieval, modern and contemporary Hinduism. Offered intermittently.
A theological survey of Jewish-Christian relations. Focuses on how Jews and Christians have conceptually related to each other symbolically and imaginatively, as well as institutionally and historically. Addresses the Jewish-Christian relationship from Late Antiquity through contemporary times. Topics include such issues as spirituality, human dignity, freedom, morality, responsibility and ritual practices. Offered regularly.
Introduction to the depth and richness of religious concepts, worship, spiritual practice, and social institutions found in Islam. Offered yearly.
This course explores contemporary Jewish communities and the myriad ways to identify as a 'Jew' through an analysis of the historical development of the foundational beliefs, rituals, and cultural expressions of Judaism from the time of the Hebrew Bible through today, paying particular attention to the dominant Jewish Ashkenazi narrative within the greater corpus of Jewish history among non-Ashkenazi Jews. Offered regularly.
Through the reading of biblical, classical and contemporary mystical and kabbalistic texts in translation, we will examine the great themes of the Jewish mystical imagination. Instead of studying the material historically, we shall approach it as a comprehensive, coherent, and evolving theological worldview.
This course will tour the centuries as we try to understand the traditions, people, teachings, rituals, cultures, and allure of diverse "Buddhisms" in the world today. Of particular concern will be local Buddhist institutions and their global links to Buddhist communities and traditions, near and far. Offered every other year.
In examining this conflict through the lenses of social justice and activism, this course de-exceptionalizes this ostensibly exceptional struggle, empowering students to understand ways to end conflicts that plague those living in Israel, Palestine, and beyond. We will explore ideas such as communal narratives, human rights, power, and sovereignty.
This course for Majors and Minors centers on Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Dorothy Day. Through spiritual autobiographies, critical theories, and fiction the course explores the theme of nonviolence as a political and religious force in the U.S., India, and elsewhere. Offered yearly.
A cross-disciplinary exploration into such themes as psychological types and disorders, the caricatures of power and love, the search for identity, authentic religious faith and its counterfeits. The method will be literary criticism, psychological analysis, and theological reflection. Literature will include fiction, essay, autobiography, poetry, and film. Offered intermittently.
Identify, analyze critically, and consider possible solutions to fundamental ethical problems and how they relate to contemporary issues, with a special focus on such topics as ecology, economic justice, international conflict, gender and sexuality, race, human rights, and religion. Offered regularly.
Courses not offered in any regular rotation, but highlighting key issues and concerns.
This internship course assists you in setting up an internship in a nonprofit organization in the San Francisco Bay Area in the fields of theology-religious studies and environmental studies, and is designed to help you and this particular group of students explore issues of spirituality and work. Offered yearly.
Written permission of the instructor and dean is required.
Provides an overview of ethical responsibilities for the natural world. The course explores the diverse ethical responses to environmental problems including contemporary philosophical and religious beliefs regarding nature. Offered intermittently. Cross-listed With: ENVA 404
Introduction to the Roman Catholic tradition of fundamental moral theology. In addition to an exploration of major themes in moral theology, selected issues in special ethics, especially sexual and medical ethics, will be used to show how the Church applies the fundamental themes of moral theology to practical life situations.
Using principally Catholic and Protestant approaches, this course reflects philosophically and theologically on a representative spectrum of current moral issues from the areas of sexual ethics, ethics (including gender and reproductive issues), biomedical ethics (including genetics and end-of-life issues), abortion, war and peace, and globalization. Offered Fall.
This course is designed to introduce students to the art of the theater through the experience of attending a variety of professional theater performances in the Bay Area. Students will learn techniques for analyzing and critiquing live performances, and gain familiarity with the multiple strategies local artists use to create theater that entertains, educates, and promotes social change.
This experiential course introduces students to the history, theory and practices of the craft of acting. Students will learn techniques for analyzing and preparing dramatic texts, and put them into practice through class exercises and scene assignments. Throughout the course, students will engage in a variety of practical exercises geared toward expanding the expressive potential of their voices, bodies and imaginations. Strong spoken and written English language ability is a prerequisite for this course.
This multi-disciplinary course will introduce students to the aesthetic principles, practices and sensibilities of the Hip-Hop movement. Through an investigation of literature, music and historical sources, students will analyze the artistic, cultural and political impact of Hip-Hop and their personal relationship to the genre. Students will also write and perform spoken word poems and monologues informed by Hip-Hop aesthetics and story-telling techniques.
This course, required for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and Theater Minors, provides an experiential introduction to a variety of techniques actors use to embody and articulate dramatic text. Students will examine the theatrical potential of texts from multiple genres, develop specific strategies for energizing and refining their vocal choices, and cultivate a vital and conscious relationship to their voices as expressive instruments for performance.
This experiential course, required for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and an elective for Theater Minors, focuses on the design, technical, and managerial elements that are essential to the presentation of any performance. Topics include: lighting, sound and multi-media for the stage, as well as stage-management and producing organizational structures. Students will learn about the history of stage technologies, as well as their contemporary applications, with an emphasis on innovation and the self-producing artist. Cross-listed With: PASJ 172.
This course is required for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and Theater Minors. This theater history course focuses on the relationship between theater and social change. Using case studies from different key moments in Western theatrical history, we will examine the artistic, social and political forces that have inspired theater artists to develop innovative artistic techniques and new theatrical forms, and consider how those forms have reflected and shaped cultural consciousness and promoted social action. Cross-listed With: PASJ 182.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Theater.
In this experiential course, primarily for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and Dance, Music and Theater Minors, students will learn about the physiology of the vocal mechanism and develop techniques for vocal relaxation, breath awareness and control, and vocal expressiveness.
This intermediate-level acting course is required for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and for Theater Minors. Through class exercises and practical assignments, students will analyze and interpret play texts, develop tools and techniques for creating dynamic and complex characters, hone their listening and partnering skills, and learn how to approach the actor’s work in rehearsal with intellectual, physical and emotional rigor. Prerequisite: THTR 110 or THTR 120.
This experiential course, required for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Dance or Theater Concentration, examines some of the diverse movement sources from which dance and theater is made. Students will develop approaches for improvisation and composition and develop awareness and tools for guiding their own creative processes. Prerequisite: PASJ 161 or by permission of instructor. Cross-listed with DANC 230.
Pre-requisite: Permission of Instructor. This hands-on course allows students to build technical theater skills through production support of projects in Presentation Theater. Note: this course does not count toward the Theater Technique Elective for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration or for Theater Minors.
This course will introduce students to the basic elements of classical dramatic literature and the various forms of drama that have evolved from Ancient Greek theater to the seventeenth century. Although this is primarily a literature course designed to introduce students to a broad range of classic texts, there will also be a strong emphasis on understanding the chosen texts in the context of performance, and in their historical and cultural settings.
This course explores the history, theory and practice of Latin@/Chican@ and Latin American Performance with a particular focus on contemporary works. Performance, in the context of this class, will not be limited to traditional theater productions and plays. Students will be asked to study the subject with a broader lens that includes western-style theatre, but also focuses on culturally specific forms such as pageants and parades, rituals and other spectacles associated with the life of the community, as well as the discipline of performance art, a vibrant form of expression for U.S. Latino artists.
This course will examine the wide range of contributions women have made intellectually, aesthetically and practically to the performing arts. With a focus on plays, films, and theoretical texts, the course will consider how art made by women both reflects and transforms culture. Definitions of gender and feminism will also be examined through theoretical texts as well as historical and cultural markers.
This course will examine the relationship between sexuality and performance, with a particular focus on how queer/lesbian/feminist identities have been expressed, re-imagined and subverted in the performing arts. With a focus on plays, films, and theoretical texts, the course will consider how art made by queer/lesbian/feminist artists both reflects and transforms culture. Definitions of sexual and cultural identity will be examined through theoretical texts as well as historical and cultural markers.
This course will examine the wide range of contributions Asian American artists have made intellectually, aesthetically and practically to the performing arts. With a focus on plays, films, and theoretical texts, the course will consider how art both reflects and transforms culture. Definitions of race and cultural identity will also be examined through theoretical texts as well as historical and cultural markers.
This course will examine the wide range of contributions African American artists have made intellectually, aesthetically and practically to the performing arts. With a focus on plays, films, and theoretical texts, the course will consider how art both reflects and transforms culture. Definitions of race and cultural identity will also be examined through theoretical texts as well as historical and cultural markers.
This advanced-level acting course, required for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and an elective option for Dance Concentration Majors and Theater Minors, will allow students to explore and put into practice the method of Actor/Director training known as Viewpoints. Viewpoints is a highly-physical performance form widely used by contemporary performance ensembles that combines exercises that hone actors’ physical and spatial awareness, with compositional tools that allow artists to collaborate to create dynamic and inventive performance material. Prerequisite: PASJ 161 or by permission of Instructor.
This intermediate acting course will investigate different genres of solo performance. Through practical exercises and performance assignments, students will develop the physical, vocal and character-transformation skills necessary to sustain a dynamic solo performance onstage. Pre-requisite: THTR 110 or THTR 120 or by permission of Instructor.
This introductory directing course is an Elective Theater Technique option for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and for Theater Minors. Through practical exercises and directing assignments, students will learn the conceptual and practical skills directors use to analyze play texts, communicate effectively with actors, create compelling stage pictures, and run a rehearsal process.
This introductory playwriting course is an Elective Theater Technique option for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and for Theater Minors. Through creative exercises and writing assignments, students will explore the process of writing a stage play. Students will build skills and understanding of dramatic form, content, structure, style, and how to craft compelling characters and strong dialogue. The class will also involve exploring evolving scripts on their feet to discover how writing translates from the page to the stage.
Pre-requisite: THTR 172 or by permission of Instructor. This intermediate production course is an Elective Theater Technique option for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and for Theater Minors. The course focuses on the organizational and practical tools needed to produce a live performance. Topics include: project design, casting and technical staffing, production management, and publicity.
This course studies the rich performance and ritual traditions of Peru, with a particular emphasis in its religious and socially engaged theater practices. Three weeks of immersion in Lima, Cuzco and Machu-Picchu. Knowledge of Spanish not required. Can serve as a Theater Technique Elective for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and for Theater Minors.
This course requires participation in a Performing Arts Department Theater production. Actors must audition, be cast, and attend all rehearsals and performances to receive credit for this course. Technicians must be “hired” by Production Manager into a particular technical role. Course may be repeated for credit. Can serve as a Theater Technique Elective for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and for Theater Minors. Pre-requisite: By Audition or Permission of Instructor.
Topic-specific courses in Theater taught by professional guest artists. Can serve as a Theater Technique Elective for Performing Arts and Social Justice Majors with a Theater Concentration and for Theater Minors.
An elective course for Performing Arts and Social Justice majors with a Theater Concentration, involving a faculty-supervised internship with a professional Bay Area Theater or Production Company. Typically undertaken during the junior or senior year. Prerequisite: Written permission of the instructor and College of Arts and Sciences Dean.
An elective course for Performing Arts and Social Justice majors with a Theater Concentration, involving a faculty-supervised internship with a professional Bay Area Theater or Production Company. Typically undertaken during the junior or senior year. Prerequisite: Written permission of the instructor and College of Arts and Sciences Dean.
First Semester Filipino introduces students to the basic structure of the Philippine national language, its development, grammatical characteristics, and to learn basic "survival" Filipino vocabulary. It also exposes students to important Filipino non-verbal discourse and communication patterns.
This course introduces non-native speakers to an intermediate understanding and comprehension of the Filipino language, its development, and grammatical characteristics. It exposes students to intermediate-level Filipino discourse, exchange, and vocabulary using a functional-situational approach. It also immerses intermediate level students to important Filipino non-verbal communication patterns. Prerequisite: YPSP 101 or permission of instructor.
An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of Yuchengco Philippine Studies.
This course introduces non-native speakers to an advanced understanding and comprehension of the Filipino language, its development, and grammatical characteristics. It exposes students to advanced-level Filipino discourse, exchange, and vocabulary using a functional-situational and culture-media immersion approaches. It also immerses advanced level students to simple and complex Filipino verbal and non-verbal communication patterns. Prerequisite: YPSP 102 or permission of instructor.
Emphasis on speaking and listening skills given specific social-cultural situations, and reading and writing skills that center on cultural material. More grammatical structures. Exposure to and understanding of written material such as essays, poems, songs, and recipes. Prerequisite: TAGL 201.
This course is an introductory immersion to the social, arts, cultural, political, linguistic, and historical experiences of the Filipino/a as Asians and as Americans through the 'Barrio Fiesta' a Philippine Cultural Night (PCN). Performance, promotion, and/or production participation is mandatory.
This unique Philippine studies course focuses on Filipino and Asian American performing arts and social justice. It is an advanced immersion to the social, arts, political, cultural, linguistic, and historical experiences of Filipinos. Participation in the annual Spring Barrio Fiesta promotion, performance, and production is mandatory. YPSP 206 builds on and integrates the conceptual and cultural learning from YPSP 205 Barrio Fiesta: Introduction as well as other YPSP courses.
This is a non-contact Philippine boxing course that introduces students to the history, art, and science of the Filipino/a boxer's workout, exercise, technique, and routines. It focuses primarily on the physical conditioning, protocols, rituals, and self-defense aspects of boxing as influenced by Philippine culture and Filipino traits, behavior, psyche, and antics. A physicians' certificate is required. All students are required to consult his/her physician before beginning this or any other USF fitness, sports, and exercise oriented course.
This unique USF Philippine studies course focuses on Filipinos in diaspora vis-à-vis other ethnic groups in the media It examines the intersecting and, at times, competing definitions of ethnic media through class discussions and film analyses surrounding selected classic and contemporary Philippine social and political issues
Philippine Spirituality and Music investigates the numerous ways in which music is embedded in the world—particularly its influence on spirituality and society as a whole. The course delves into the intersections of music with the fields of philosophy, religious studies, and sociology. It also explores various musical traditions in the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora, while the class collaborates in rigorous discussion, analysis, and performance of these musical traditions and how they correlate with the course’s theories.
Filipino American and Philippine Literature is a unique Philippine literature survey course where students will read and discuss short works of fiction, essay, and poetry written by Filipina/o writers in English. They will also critically analyze literature as art and document, and the writers as cultural historians humanizing the supposedly objective details of academic texts. The course starts at the very beginning of the Filipino relationship with English. Moving through history into the present day, the course expands into writings by the Philippines and Filipinos in diaspora.
The course provides a general introduction to the social, economic, and political history of the Philippines from the early times (i.e. pre-Spanish period) to the Spanish colonial period(1565-1898). The lectures and readings highlight the various aspects of local-indigenous culture before the advent of Spanish colonization, and how the meshing of Spanish-Catholic culture with the local one help explain what is known today as "Philippine culture." The course also includes a discussion on some of the more recent themes in Philippine historical studies, such as gender, identity, and the role of nationalist discourse in shaping historical writing. In addition, a number of original documents, essays, and visual-arts materials, including the reading of Noli Me Tangere (a satirical novel written by Philippine national hero José Rizal) are included to provide the students with a more direct feel for earlier eras.
The course examines the legal history of Asian Americans in the United States, focusing on critical topics like immigration, citizenship and naturalization, and the movements against economic and social discrimination. The course also explores the role of dominant groups that utilize the U.S. judicial and legal system as a tool of oppression and the reactions and actions of subordinate groups which use the same system as an instrument towards achieving equality, social justice, and civil rights. Finally, the course looks at the relevance of popular attitudes in the shaping of law in the United States.
Philippine History from 1900 to Present focuses on the political and socio-economic history of the Philippines from the end of the colonial Spanish period (1898), right through the US colonial period and the "Americanization" of the Philippines, the Japanese occupation, the establishment of the Philippine Republic, the martial law years, and the EDSA revolutions. The course also includes in-depth discussions and analyses of important themes, such as colonialism, nationalism, poverty, Muslim-Christian conflicts, globalization, and the pursuit of democracy. Tours to museums/exhibits on Filipinos and the Philippines, as well as films complement the learning experiences in the classroom
Knowledge Activism Iis an introductory course in activism focusing on Filipino and Asian American communities. The course explores issues that are paramount to the Filipino American community, as well as the Asian American community in general.
A survey of the Filipino political and economic experiences and issues in and out of the Philippines. It examines classic and contemporary issues being discussed and engaged by Filipinos in the Philippines and in their diasporic communities found in Asia and all over the world. Discussion topics include: patronage, empowerment, ethnicity, land ownership, poverty and crime, church power, cronyism, corruption, and the historical, economic, political, and social dimensions of the Filipino diaspora.
This course is an introductory survey of the Filipino social and cultural experiences. It encompasses concepts and issues encountered by Filipinos in the Philippines and in their diasporic communities. Discussion topics include: class and kinship formation, values, behavior and psychology, languages, literature, religion, food, music, art, dance, ethnic minorities, education, gender and the Filipinazation of the United States.
Boxing and Social Justice is a unique combined recreational sports, cultural diversity, and service learning course. After the fundamentals of Filipino studies are reviewed and reinforced, students will be trained to teach boxing as a recreational and self-defense activity to at-risk new migrant populations in the San Francisco Bay Area. They will act as mentors, tutors, and service providers. Immersed at their service learning sites, students will reflect on the health, recreational, social, economic, and political issues new migrants to the United States face. Prerequisite: YPSP 222: Philippine Boxing and Culture or instructor’s permission.
This course delves into laws, lawmaking, and the politico-legal systems of selected Asian countries. It examines a sampling of Asian states in the context of their historical and traditional heritage vis-a-vis the sweeping changes that are driven by globalization and democratization. The organization and administration of the courts and judicial system in each country will be discussed. Comparative analysis will be made with the United States and Asian American legal issues.
The Philippines has witnessed two major revolutions. The first was an armed conflict for national independence and the second a nonviolent movement ("People Power") to restore democracy. We will examine how they were influenced by Catholic thought and practice.
An intensive study of a selected topic in Philippine Studies.
Students do interesting work six to ten hours per week in a federal, state, or municipal agency, giving them a chance to strengthen their skills, and network. They will prepare journal themes, read relevant assigned material, and meet every two weeks in a seminar. Permission of the instructor required. Offered every semester.
A faculty supervised course of study. Written permission of the instructor and dean is required.