Spring 2024

Exploration of one or more major traditions of visual culture in Asia through cross-cultural, interdisciplinary perspectives.

Examination of the ways that different nations and cultures have remembered the Vietnam War or the American War as it is called in Vietnam. (Duplicates credit in former AMST 377)

Examines the relation between U.S. national culture, race, and popular culture.

Examines political and cultural change in the United States during the decade of the 1960s.

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.

Introduction to central works of mythology in classical Greek, Roman and Near Eastern traditions; emphasis on the relationship of myth, culture and the human imagination.

Perspectives on nature and the natural world in cultures of the ancient Mediterranean from survey of sources in literature, art, philosophy and the history of science.

A broad introduction to the great works of Western culture from antiquity to 1800.

A comparative study of the Asian aesthetic heritage of poetry, painting, music, and drama; of literary themes, trends, and myths.

Introduction to African cultural history by way of a comparative study of major literary works and intellectual thought from representative regions and countries in Africa.

Studies of the presence and influence of Zen Buddhism and Daoism in Asian literature, with a focus on China and Japan.

An issues-based introduction to critical theory in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, especially as it relates to philosophy, art, design, and visual culture.

A critical history of art, design, visual culture, and visual theory since 1960, addressing through a postcolonial/decolonial lens the concepts and practices of "global" art.

Representations of marginalized groups in digital media, and how they have shaped conversations, altered public discourse and policy, and impacted the lives of underrepresented people.

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.

An introduction to and overview of the contemporary cinemas of East Asia: China (Hong Kong, the People's Republic, and Taiwan), Japan, and Korea.

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

Introduction to the civlization, art and literature of pre-modern China through the lens of the cultural products of identity.

Survey of Korean film, the film industry, and critical issues from the colonial period to the present.

Japanese literature from the earliest times to the present; development of prose, poetry and the novel; evolution of theatre; Japanese literature under Western influence. Conducted in English.

The history of Korean literature and culture from the ancient to the modern era. Recommended preparation: HIST 105g.

An introduction to Sinophone literatures and cultures (in English translation) from the Asia-Pacific region, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Southeast Asia, and North America.

A study of emotional intelligence through literature, history and the arts with a focus on anger, happiness, love and empathy.

Close study of Shakespeare's plays and poems to introduce his language, stagecraft, literary "genius," social and literary contexts, precursors and rivals, and legacy.

Intensive reading of major writers to 1800.

Intensive reading of major writers, 18001950.

Intensive reading of representative writers.

Introduction to major forms, styles and theories of narrative, with attention to characterization, plot, genres, ethics, empathy, perspective, audience and social conditions.

Study of literary modes of narrative and their uses in medical understanding, character formation, social identity, and relations between mind and body.

Study of forms of nonfiction writing, focusing on craft and process: how it works and how to read, write and write about it.

Historical survey of the traditions of lyric poetry from Shakespeare to the contemporary, examining the genre's multiple forms of literary, visual, and aural expression.

A study of literature and literary theory through the themes and theories of wonder, magic and the uncanny in English literature before 1800.

Women as writers and as subjects, with special emphasis on feminist and liberationist traditions and on changing female images after 1800.

Questions of gay and lesbian identity, expression and experience in a variety of literary and cultural forms; emphasis on sexual politics, equality and difference.

Literary travel using novels to explore regional culture and unify the study of literature, history, geography, politics and social studies.

Study of poetry written in English since 1945, with special emphasis on the last two decades.

Selected British, Irish, and American drama from the post World War II period (1945 to the present).

Literary studies in the relationship between fiction and drama and their adaptation as films.

Study of Francophone womens narratives combined with practice of editing personal narratives. Conducted in English.

An exploration of cultural haunting in post-Revolutionary France, grounded in critical approaches to literature, with a focus on collective memory, loss and historical violence.

18th- and 20th-century debates around the idea of equality and the notion of difference. Relevance of the Enlightenment to contemporary discussions of identity, citizenship, and human rights. Conducted in English.

Study of health, the body and medicine through literature and culture in comparative fashion. Taught in English.

Interpretation and analysis of works of the imagination, exploring language, thought, and cultural traditions in relation to one another. (Satisfies GE-B, Humanistic Inquiry) Open only to Freshmen.

Critical appreciation of various forms of human expression, evaluating works of literature, philosophy, and the arts to enable informed opinions about ideas and values. Offered by a professional school.

Patterns of American development from Colonial times to the present. Duplicates credit in former HIST-200.

Political, intellectual, and cultural developments in Europe,1300-1815. Renaissance and Reformation; absolute monarchy,scientific changes, and Enlightenment; French Revolution andNapoleon.

Study of the lives of selected individuals who have helped to shape Chinese politics and culture.

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

Introduction to Latin American history and cultures, providing tools to grasp the importance of the region within the larger Americas and the world.

Overview of the history of the Ottomans and their imperial subjects.

An interdisciplinary introduction to the literary, artistic, and political movements which contributed to the shaping of modern Italy. Taught in English.

Analysis of the Divina Commedia and other works. Conducted in English. (Duplicates credit in former ITAL 450)

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

Explores contemporary Iranian society through the study of social tensions created by poverty-wealth, tradition-modernity, masculinity-femininity, and notions of religio-political authority as reflected in the literature and films of the country.

Explores questions about human beings and their place in nature, including questions about knowledge, mind and body, freedom and determinism, and the existence of God.

The philosophical foundations of modern political and economic thought, including economic rationality, neoclassical economics, free-market vs. socialist economies and behavioral economics.

Introduction to the central philosophical works that have shaped western thought. Includes ancient, early modern and contemporary writings.

The study of the nature and role of professionals in life and society, forces that shape and direct them, foundations and applications of professional ethics.

What is time? What is the difference between past, present and future? Is time-travel possible? And what paradoxes might it give rise to?

Explores philosophical questions about the human mind and consciousness, and how they relate to the brain and to the physical world more generally.

Exploration of the philosophical and religious implications of major scientific revolutions, such as those of Copernicus, Galileo, and Darwin. (Duplicates credit in former PHIL 220g)

Introduces and explores philosophical and ethical questions and theories related to technology, including biomedical technologies, internet applications and artificial intelligence.

Explore the nature of interpersonal conflict: war, polarization, abuse, silencing, public reason, democracy, cancel culture and resistance.

Congregational and individual expressions of religion in Los Angeles.

Role the Bible has played in debates about sex, gender, and sexuality in Western history.

Varieties of religious experience as reflected in the literature, art, and cultic practices of the Hellenistic world.

Key moments in the development of Russian culture since its westernization in the early eighteenth century to the present day. Focus on works of literature, art and other products of the culture that have significantly influenced Russian self-understanding as well as the ways in which Russians perceive the rest of the world.

Tolstoy's major works in the context of his ethical views.Readings and lectures in English.

Principal writers and their works from Colonial times to the present. Non-majors may write assignments in English. Recommended preparation: advanced comprehension of oral and written Spanish.

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

Emergence of feminist thought from the Enlightenment to the present; historical development of female subjectivity; advancement of womens rights; feminisms from alternative ideological perspectives.

Genealogies of queer theory, from psychoanalytic theories to feminism and post-structuralism; evolving concepts of gender; relation to social justice, resistance and power.

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