Spring 2025

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

Survey of the art, architecture, and visual culture of Latin America from the colonial period to the present, focusing on connections to culture and society.

An introduction to the art and material culture of the European Middle Ages (ca. 400-1400), exploring topics of politics, religion and global interconnection.

A survey of art and architecture in Britain from the age of Hogarth to Art Nouveau. Among the artists studied are Constable, Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites.

Questions of social engagement and political structure address this examination of major international movements in art since 1940.

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.

An introduction to cultures and people in the Americas; the social, historical, economic and cultural formations that together make up the Latino/a American imaginary.

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)

Introduction to American studies and ethnic studies. Provides an overview of major theories, concepts, and issues.

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

Examines the socio-historical and political imperatives of multi-disciplinary scholarship foundational to the study of African Americans.

History, political-economy and aesthetics of the African Diaspora with emphasis on Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa.

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

A survey of narratives accounting for the global dimensions of Black migratory experiences between Africa, Europe and the Americas, from early modern trajectories to contemporary times.

Archaeology as the means of investigating our shared human past, from the origins of humanity to the foundations of current civilization.

The effects of globalization on social life in diverse communities, approaching related issues from an ethnographic perspective. Gateway course for the Global Studies Major.

Introduces students to anthropological inquiry into human relationships with the environment and provides foundational training in qualitative research methods to investigate environmental issues.

Concepts of social anthropology, using filmic representations of societies throughout the world. Gateway course for the Anthropology major.

Pre-Columbian culture from early hunters to the Spanish conquest in major geographical areas of Mexico, Central America, Peru or the United States.

A seminar forum on Maya culture from the earliest form to thepresent; problems of origins, classic florescence, systemscollapse, conquests, persistance, and transformation today.

Indigenous peoples of North America: major cultural themes, contemporary issues, language revitalization, native sovereignty, environmental issues, decolonization.

Introduction to folklore as a discipline, including folklore research methods and theory. Core course for the minor in Folklore and Popular Culture.

The comparative analysis of genocide in different cultures and historical moments as well as different cultural responses to it, including human rights and humanitarianism.

Youth gang dynamics and their effects on institutions. Comparative analysis of Asian, African, and Mexican American gangs.

Survey of the universe: planets, satellites, comets, stars, nebulae, galaxies. Practical component includes planetary observations and dark-sky field trip. Not available for major credit.

Survey of the prospects for life in our solar system and beyond, based on the evolution of life on Earth.

An examination of the physical and biological laws that influence agriculture, pollution, population dynamics (including humans), climate, biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function. Not available for major credit.

Study of common skills in biology, including basics of evolution, systematics, ecology, genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology, physiology, and anatomy.

Introduction to the scientific method; basic instruction in molecular biology with emphasis on how biological research advancement has impacted medicine, commerce and society in general.

Exploration of molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, nutrition and the history of biology through the study of food, focusing on food's relationship to the biological world.

In-depth survey of key topics related to advances in our knowledge of the diversity of life and evolution; origin of life; eukaryotes/prokaryotes; ecology.

Changes in the physical and biological universe over time; origins of life, dinosaurs, human evolution. Implications of evolutionary mechanisms and mass extinctions for human survival.

In-depth survey of key topics related to advances in our knowledge of cellular biology and physiology; cell composition/metabolism; gene action; organism structure and function. Recommended preparation: high school chemistry; BISC 120L or BISC 121L.

Equivalent to 220L, but taught at a higher level for exceptionally well-prepared students. Admission to the course by departmental approval only.

Exploration of the unique properties of brain cells that allow complex perceptions and behaviors; examination of structure and activity of brain cells that underlie function.

Fundamental principles and laws of chemistry; laboratory work emphasizes quantitative procedures. Prerequisite to all more advanced courses in chemistry. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory and discussion, 4 hours. Quiz, 1 hour.

Scientific principles underlying forensic approaches to the investigation of crimes and its societal impact on law, culture and media. Not available for major credit.

Introduction to the culture of ancient Greece and its influence on contemporary ideas, institutions, values, and literary and artistic works of the imagination.

Political, ethical, and ideological aspects of classical WesternAttitudes towards human diversity. Relationship between classicaltradition and contemporary discussions of diversity and unity.

Tragedies and comedies of the ancient world; later influences.

History and cultures of the ancient empires of southwest Asia, from Cyrus the Great to the establishment of Islam.

Comparative study of works from a broad range of cultural traditions that originate from, and provide insight into, vital global locations outside the Western sphere.

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

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

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.

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

Behavior of firms and consumers, functions of the price system, competition and monopoly, labor markets, poverty, government regulation, international trade, and the environment.

Unemployment, inflation and output determination and links.Effects of government taxation and spending on growth, investment,saving, consumption, and trade.

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, 1800-1950.

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.

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.

Introduction to issues in visual and popular culture, focused on critical and historical interpretation of words and images in comic books and graphic novels.

Gateway to the majors and minors in environmental studies. Provides students with an overview of how government agencies and societal institutions address (or fail to address) the interrelated social and scientific aspects of environmental problems and policies.

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.

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

Study of African migration to Europe and the formation of 'black'/African communities in Europe, focusing on France and Italy. 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.

Geologic structure and evolution of planet earth. Principles ofplate tectonics, rocks and minerals, processes of mountainbuilding, continent and ocean formation, earthquakes, volcanism,development of landforms by running water and glaciers. Lecture, 3hours; laboratory, 2 hours. One all-day or two-day field triprequired.

Physical, chemical, and geological character of the oceans andocean basins. Origin of the oceans. Ocean processes and agents.Economic value of the oceans. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours. One all-day field trip required.

Impact of civilization on planet earth, and impact of earth's natural evolution on society: earthquakes, volcanism, landslides, floods, global warming, acid rain, groundwater depletion and pollution; mineral and fossil fuel depletion, formation of the ozone hole. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours. One all-day or overnight field trip.

Topically-driven exploration of evolution, environmental change, and the history of life on Earth via the fossil record with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles as a laboratory. How the changing Earth and life co-evolved through time.