Spring 2021

European art and its legacy in the Americas. Painting, sculpture, architecture and other visual media considered in relation to social and cultural history.

Introduction to an interdisciplinary study of American political, cultural and social life with a particular emphasis on the Western United States as a region. Recommended preparation: HIST 200, ENGL 263

Ancient Roman values, ideas, and institutions of relevance to later periods of civilization.

The lives of prominent Greeks, Romans and others in their ancient historical and biographical contexts and in modern reevaluations through various written and visual media.

Joint introduction to classical music and classical literature through close study of works of music inspired by the Greek and Roman literary tradition.

A loosely chronological, thematic survey of art, visual culture, design, and critical theory from the early modern period through modernism (1500 1950).

Exploration of dance as an art form in its artistic, political, and socio-cultural climate. Studies of the continuum of dance within its historical context.

Introduction to the history of Chinese, Japanese and Korean ethical thought; perspectives on human nature, historical writing,and aesthetic implications. Conducted in English.

Advanced-level introduction to China and its relations with the wider world in historic and contemporary perspective.

Achievements of the near East, Greece, and Rome with emphasis on the development of ideas, arts, and institutions which have influenced modern man.

Japan from the earliest times to the present; social, cultural,and political dimensions.

Examination of high-profile murders and murder trials in order to explore major social, political, and cultural issues from the colonial period to the present.

A thematic approach to California history from precontact to present; focus on peoples, environment, economic, social, and cultural development, politics, and rise to global influence.

The political, cultural, and social forces that have shaped scientific achievements in the modtern age.

Business history of East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong) as related to culture, politics, and society.

Major ideas, personalities, and movements in Jewish history from antiquity to the present in light of the interaction of the Jews with the general culture.

Investigates how food and food traditions create and cross religious and social conflicts between Jews, Christians and Muslims by exploring faith, practice, thought and ethics.

Investigates contemporary conflicts in the discovery of the ancient world. Students will ask essential questions about the power of discovering and showcasing specific narratives.

Introduces the U.S. legal system and its relationship to basic principles of the rule of law. Examines the criminal and the civil law systems, focusing on Supreme Court decisions involving the separation of powers, federalism and contemporary legal issues.

Traces the development of U.S. constitutional and statutory mechanisms designed to fulfill the promise of equality under the law.

An introduction to Western art music and culture from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern eras through reading, listening, analyzing and writing about music.

How does science differ from pseudo-science? When is it rational to accept a scientific theory? And do such theories provide genuine knowledge of reality?

The trials of Socrates, Joan of Arc, the Salem witches, Galileo, Scopes and the Nuremberg and Eichmann trials; their social and cultural consequences.

Survey of the changing beliefs and practices of the Christian religion from its origins through early modernity (100 CE - 1500 CE), with special attention to different varieties of Christian literature.

Examination of the historical continuities and disjunctions between "spiritual but not religious" Americans; the relationship between spirituality, politics and social change, and the role of media.

Global perspectives; discovery and use of drugs (legal/illegal); poisons. How they helped shape, modify or change history as described in classical literature through present day.

Russian cultural identity from its beginnings until today. The Eastern Orthodox tradition, its traumatic confrontation with Western culture, and their continuous interaction.

Examination of how gender and sexuality have been constructed, experienced and legislated.

Experiential course examining how beliefs about mortality are produced by history, gender, culture, and context; how the handling of death shapes urban society.