Spring 2022

Analysis of race and the economic, political, gender, and social dimensions of contemporary Los Angeles including topics such as residential segregation, economic inequality, and city politics.

Examination of the constructions of American ethnicity/race in film.

Survey of the impact of public institutions, private interests and cultural practices on health and the delivery of health care.

Exploration of the major social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical disagreements that exist between scholars, leaders, and citizens concerning today's most serious environmental issues and problems. Not available for credit to environmental studies majors and minors.

Comparative historical analysis of the American experience of war: war decision-making processes; evolution of strategy and tactics; the political, economic, and social effects of war.

An examination of how the shifting norms, discourses and representations of gender and sexuality have rocked American society during the last 150 years

Basic concepts of world affairs for non-majors. Development ofcompetency to understand and critically evaluate global relationsand international events, stressing empirical approaches. Not available for major credit.

Historical background and responses to the Holocaust, withspecial emphasis on ethical implications.

Discourse patterns among diverse social groups in institutional and interpersonal settings; interrelationships among language practices and gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity; social structures and cultural values as reflected in language policies and practices.

Philosophical theories of law and applications to controversies of importance to society and our legal system, such as free speech, civil disobedience, and selfdefense.

Interaction between law and politics; overview of the American legal system; value conflicts and public policy questions which arise within it.

Overview of human rights controversies across the globe. Introduction to techniques of analysis for social issues, interdisciplinary research methods, and interpretation of complex political problems.

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.

The peculiarity of the "modern" Western family system in historical and cross-cultural perspective; focus on the "postmodern" family crisis in the United States.

Science and technology change society and how we understand ourselves. In turn, social struggles influence science. We will explore the interplay between these forces.

Sociological and demographic concepts focusing on the causes of disease, health and wellness. Empirical analysis of population composition and its connection to health.

Theory and history behind the ideal of "the local, grassroots volunteer": a direct link between theory and research using Los Angeles as a case study.

The influence of sustainability science on public policy and vice versa in the context of social/ethical theories, analytical methods and solutions.