Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology is the study of human society and culture, analyzing both similarities and differences amongst cultural groups. This course will introduce students to important socio-cultural concepts used by cultural anthropologists including material culture, social organization, religion, kinship, ritual and symbolic systems, race, ethnicity, and language amongst others. Students will examine how cultural anthropologists understand the notion of culture in the study of human behavior in different regions of the world. The ethnographic method as a key methodology will be stressed throughout this course.

This introductory course in rhetoric emphasizes clear, effective written communication and preparation of the research paper.

This course provides an exploration of intellectual, psychological, social and physical factors that impact lifelong learning, well-being and success. Topics include motivation and self-efficacy; critical thinking, academic integrity and active study strategies; health issues and lifestyle choices; relating to others as a global citizen; written and oral communication; time management; career exploration; and educational planning.

Required for CSU; Elective for UC

See the full list: IGETC Area 1C Course (opens in new window)

AHIS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 15, 17, 18, 71, or 72 recommended

See the full list: IGETC Area 3A Course (opens in new window)

A survey of human biology, this course focuses on human origins and evolution by investigating the major aspects of biological anthropology including Mendelian and human genetics, population genetics, primate and hominid evolutionary processes, contemporary human variability, and facets of primate ethology and human behavior that make our species unique in the animal kingdom. This course consists of three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory work weekly. The laboratory projects will parallel the lecture topics hence the lab projects will pertain to genetics, human variation, primate anatomy, human osteology, and analysis of hominid (human) and primate fossils.

or ANTHRO 1

ANTHRO 3 highly recommended

See the full list: Required Elective Course from "Area C" below

This course helps students to develop their critical thinking and writing skills beyond the level achieved in English 1. The course emphasizes the application of logical reasoning, analysis, and strategies of argumentation in critical thinking and writing, using literature (both fiction and non-fiction) and literary criticism as subject matter.

MATH 54 recommended

See the full list: IGETC Area 2 Course (opens in new window)

This is an introductory lecture class on the field and laboratory methods used by archaeologists to understand our past. Topics include the scientific method, archaeological research design, archaeological reconnaissance, excavation, relative and absolute dating techniques, analyses of archaeological remains, and Cultural Resource Management.

US History recommended

See the full list: IGETC Area 3B Course (opens in new window)

GEOL 1, GEOL 4, CHEM 10, GEOG 1, or GEOG 5 recommended

See the full list: IGETC Area 5A Course (opens in new window)

Foreign Language recommended

POL SC 1 recommended

This course introduces the student to the place of language in society and how it varies in different cultures. The course explores how language changes in different segments of society, the relationship between dialects and social hierarchy, and language variations between genders. Students will learn to analyze linguistic expressions such as oral story-telling, poetry, and narratives from a cross-cultural perspective. Also students will discuss the role of language in issues related to nationalism.

The purpose of this course is to explore in a cross-cultural context the nature of religion and the relationships of individuals and societies to supernatural forces and persons. The course will examine general patterns of religious behavior throughout the world, delineate different theories of religion and see how they apply in various cultures. By the end of the course, the student should be able to identify several definitions and theories of religion and to discuss their merits with regard to specific cases.

This course helps students to develop their critical thinking and writing skills beyond the level achieved in English 1. The course emphasizes the application of logical reasoning, analysis, and strategies of argumentation in critical thinking and writing, using literature (both fiction and non-fiction) and literary criticism as subject matter.

This advanced writing course is intended especially for English majors and other students desiring to develop rhetorical skills beyond those practiced in English 1. It stresses critical analysis and argument, and focuses on style in effectively communicating with various audiences.

This course surveys the distribution and relationships of environmental elements in our atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, including weather, climate, water resources, landforms, soils, natural vegetation, and wildlife. Focus is on the systems and cycles of our natural world, including the effects of the sun and moon on environmental processes, and the roles played by humans.

This course is a study of humanity and its planetary home of distinctive places, spaces, landscapes, and environments. The course systematically considers geographic patterns, processes, and issues, beginning with the basic questions of Where? and Why There? Specific topics examined include human population change and migration; agriculture and food systems; urban-economic development; cultural and environmental change in an age of globalization, with specific attention paid to language, religion, ethnic identity, and biodiversity; and international geopolitics.

This course presents an overview of historians’ methods of research, critical analysis, and written argumentation and introduces historiography and historical theory. Students will apply these methods through a variety of written assignments, including a properly-documented academic research paper. This course’s research component will further students’ information competency skills.

This course covers concepts and procedures of descriptive statistics, elementary probability theory and inferential statistics. Course content includes: summarizing data; computation and interpretation of descriptive statistics;; classical probability theory; probability distributions; binomial, normal, T, Chi-square and F distributions; making inferences; decisions and predictions. This course develops, analyzes, and interprets confidence intervals for population parameters, hypothesis testing for both one and two populations, correlation and regression, ANOVA, and test for independence. This course develops statistical thinking through the study of applications in variety of disciplines. The use of a statistical/graphing calculator and/or statistical analysis software is integrated into the course.

This course is an intensive study of the gross and microscopic structure of the human body including the four major types of tissue and their subgroups, and the following organ systems: integumentary, skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, reproductive, endocrine, nervous, and senses. Functions of the organ systems are included at the introductory level to prepare students for a course in Human Physiology. Laboratory assignments develop the skills of observation, investigation, identification, discovery and dissection. The use of actual specimens, including cat dissection and observation of a human cadaver, is emphasized to assure that students learn the relative structure, functions, textures and variations in tissues not incorporated in models. Supplemental materials such as models, photographs, charts, videotapes, and digitized images are also provided. This course is required for students preparing for many Allied Health professions including, but not limited to, Nursing, Respiratory Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physical Education and Kinesiology Training, and Physician’s Assistant and is a prerequisite for Human Physiology 3.

GIS are computer-based systems used to collect, store and analyze geographic information. This course will present the concepts of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) science and its applications to spatial data management. Topics include: Identification and acquisition of GIS data; Assessment of vector and raster data, scale, resolution, map projection, coordinate systems, georeferencing and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Spatial analysis and modeling with GIS will also be presented.

This course presents an introduction to geologic processes that have shaped the Earth. Lecture topics include formation of the Earth, plate tectonics, rocks, minerals, earthquakes, geologic structures, geologic time, coastal processes, and groundwater. Laboratory exercises expand this information by dealing with rock and mineral identification, topographic and geologic map interpretation, and the interpretation aerial photographs. Upon completion of this course, the student will have a good understanding of the processes that form major features on Earth.

This course is an introduction to the history of Earth and its evolution including surface environments, atmosphere, oceans, and life. Sedimentary rocks are studied for stratigraphic relationships, environmental indicators, and biologic significance to reconstruct the geological and biological evolution of Earth over time. Numerical methods, like geochronology, are also employed to assign absolute ages to past environments. The combination of both relative and numerical methods to the study of plate tectonics and geologic structures will allow the student to understand how Earth history is reconstructed. A particular emphasis is placed on the study of North American sequences.

This course is a general introduction to the philosophy of science, aimed at fostering an enhanced awareness of the philosophical aspects and implications inherent in the scientific enterprise. The central concepts and methodology of science will be analyzed, and philosophical topics like distinguishing science from pseudoscience, virtues of explanations including simplicity and falsifiability, gestalt and paradigm shifts, incommensurability, underdetermination, objectivity and subjectivity, realism and anti-realism, bias within science and more will be examined. Specific episodes taken from the history of science will be regularly employed to illustrate and elucidate these general ideas. A background in philosophy or the physical sciences is helpful but not a requirement for this course.

This course surveys various psychological research methods with an emphasis on research design, experimental procedures, descriptive methods, instrumentation, as well as collection, analysis, interpretation and reporting of research data. Research design and methodology are examined in a variety of the sub disciplines of psychology. Ethical considerations for human and animal research are explored. Students are introduced to critical thinking and the application of the scientific method to psychological questions. The course contains both lecture and practical experiences via the formulation and completion of original research conducted in small groups. Various descriptive and inferential statistical approaches are explored and utilized to evaluate data.

This course is an introduction to the archaeological record documenting the evolution of human culture from the earliest stone tool makers to the primary civilizations of the Old and New Worlds. Topics include hunter-gatherer adaptations, the invention and spread of agriculture, and the development of civilizations. Archaeological techniques and methods are introduced as the means for understanding these developments.

This course focuses on the evolutionary history or our species, Homo sapiens, through an examination of the paleontological record of primate and human origins. It examines the latest ideas on comparative primate and human paleobiology and places these developments within the conceptual framework of modern evolutionary theory.

This course presents students with an overview of forensic anthropology, an applied subfield of physical anthropology. The focus of the class is on the analysis of human skeletal remains with medicolegal significance. Students are introduced to current techniques used in the analysis of human skeletal remains, medicolegal procedures, and the role of the forensic anthropologist in the investigative process. The topics covered in this course include bone biology, skeletal analysis methods, pathology and trauma recognition, crime scene investigation and individual identification techniques.

This course presents a cross-cultural survey of the position of men and women within an anthropological framework. It assesses, in a comparative fashion, the biological basis of sexual differentiation and the cultural interpretation of these differences through "gender roles." Comparative materials from tribal, non-western, non-industrial, and western cultures will be used to illustrate the variety of gender roles and expectations. The course focuses on cultural institutions as fundamental in creating, defining, and reinforcing gender roles. Economics, politics, the arts, ethnicity, race, religion, kinship, world view, language, and other issues which influence choices, opportunities and limitations tied to gender will be examined.

Food nourishes not only our bodies, but also our souls, and plays a critical role in the identity formation of individuals and groups of people in society. This course explores how different cultural systems throughout the world shape the production, distribution and consumption of food. This course utilizes a cross-cultural focus to investigate the social, cultural, and ecological aspects of food, food products, and food resources in a global, historical, and comparative perspective.

This course is a survey of general traditional African subsistence modes, illustrated by specific examples of cultures practicing a particular mode of life. Traditional kinship, political development, economic systems, religions and the arts are studied in the context of culture areas and subsistence modes. The focus of the course is on societies before colonial penetration, but discussions of more recent issues are included when germane. The study of indigenous peoples is placed in the context of broader human socio-cultural behavior and its products, including material culture, social organization, religion, language, and other symbolic systems and discussion of the dynamics of culture, are included in this study.

This course will introduce students to the historical and cultural use of power by peoples and cultures in Latin America. We will investigate the use of power of Latin American peoples and cultures who lived prior to contact with Europeans, in colonial and post-colonial culture in Latin America, as well as in contemporary Latin American society. The investigation of the power of the US/Mexican border and of globalization within Latin America will also be covered in this course. A cross-cultural perspective will be employed drawing from examples in Mexico and Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and from the influence of countries outside of Latin America including the United States, England, France, Portugal, Spain, China, and Japan. Power relations included in the notions of race, class, gender and sexuality, immigration and migration, and indigenism (amongst others), as they are practiced in Latin America, are explored throughout the semester.

This course introduces students to the basic techniques involved in archaeological fieldwork. Students will learn various methods of excavation and how they are tied to a research design. Lectures will supplement hands-on excavation by providing pertinent historical and theoretical background to the ongoing scientific research.

An introduction to artistic practices by exploring the myriad manifestations of visual culture in our world through a cross-cultural thematic approach. This course examines themes in art like Religion, Power, Reproduction and Sexuality, and traces them across cultures and time periods. Emphasis will be placed on learning the language of visual culture both in terms of the formal elements of design as well as the content of style and subject matter and finding connections and differences. Students will explore the various media of art from drawing, sculpture, fresco, oil, photography, motion pictures, architecture to contemporary advertising and design and investigate how various cultures have used specific media and themes. This course is designed to introduce Fine Art and Art History simultaneously providing a unique opportunity to explore these fields as well as to prepare students for a course of study in Fine Art and Art History.

This course surveys artworks made by African Americans in the United States and abroad. Students will explore visual and material culture from the inception of chattel slavery in the sixteenth-century to contemporary Black Art Movements including Reconstruction and the Harlem Renaissance. Additionally, the impact of political movements on artists and their work such as the Black Liberation Movement and #BlackLivesMatter. In addition, students will consider how artists have contended with issues of race, gender, and sexuality and will examine transnational artist networks in Latin America and Europe among other places. Course content includes cross-historical phenomena such as the AIDS crisis, Afrofuturism, and the history of the Black Panther.

A survey of the chronological development of painting, sculpture, and architecture in the United States from its pre-colonial past to the end of World War II. The contributions and influences of a variety of ethnic groups to the diversity of art in the United States will be addressed. The artistic contribution of Native American, African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicano/Latino Americans and European Americans will be studied in the larger context of American society, history, and culture.

This course focuses on the oral interpretation of poetry and prose, with a special emphasis on literature by and about cultural groups in the United States, including African-Americans, Asian-Americans, European-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Latino/a-Americans, Arab-Americans, Indigenous peoples of the United States and others. Through the process of oral interpretation, students will analyze works of literature, discover a personal connection to the material, and share their emotional and intellectual creation - using voice and body - with an audience. Students will learn to appreciate the similarities and differences among cultures and how culture affects the author's voice by studying and performing multicultural literature.

This course focuses on the identification and analysis of processes and challenges of communication as affected by different cultures, especially as it affects communication among the various cultures found within the United States (e.g. African American, Asian American, Latino/a, Middle Eastern, Native American, European American and Gay/Lesbian cultures) and among the various cultures throughout the world. The course focuses on the principles of communication theory as they apply to the intercultural setting with an emphasis on the effects of differences in beliefs, values, attitudes, socio-political organization, role expectations, language and nonverbal behavior, etc.—all of which are interrelated.

This course is a comparative and integrative study of world dance styles of the United States. Included is the study of Native American, European American, African American, Chicano/Latin American, and Asian American dance styles from their historical origins to the present. The study of dance traditions from both the technical and cultural perspective is presented in relation to social, theatrical and artistic dance. Observation and descriptive skills are learned through films, live performances and lectures.

This course is an examination of the developing child in a societal context, focusing on the interrelationship of family, school and community and the influence of multiple societal contexts. It explores the role of collaboration between family, community, and schools in supporting children’s development, birth through adolescence. Studies of family systems in contemporary society as they impact children and their individual heritage, diverse culture, ability and language will be examined, highlighting at least three major American cultures (Latina/o American, African American, Asian American, Native American, and European American). The processes of socialization and identity development will be highlighted, showing the importance of respectful, reciprocal relationships that support and empower families.

This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the fields of Global Studies and International Political Economy. Students will analyze critically the role of national governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and multinational corporations, in regard to phenomena such as, international markets and production regimes, monetary and trade policy, international and global conflict, and environmental degradation. Contending theoretical and ideological perspectives regarding international systems, processes, and trends will be applied and evaluated.

This course is a survey of the literature of California from the time of the Spanish conquest to the 1980s, when voices from several new immigrant groups, especially from Asia, began to be heard with increasing clarity and power. Prominent themes and motifs in the literary works of the various immigrant groups of California will be explored. The course will analyze the influence of these literary works on and contributions to the formation of California literature and to the canon of American literature. The course will also study how the literature depicts issues relating to assimilation and identity, family, class, and gender among the various peoples of California. Students will read the literature and examine the contribution of at least four ethnic groups in California, including but not limited to indigenous peoples of California, Chicanos/Latinos, European Americans, Asian Americans, and African Americans.

This course focuses on the literature written by and about the primary four United States' racial groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, Latina/o/x Americans, and Native Americans. Students will analyze representative works from major genres and explore both the commonalities and differences among the works, with a focus on confusion and conflict around race and ethnicity specific to American history and culture. The course will also examine the influence of these writers and themes on American literature and the rethinking of the American literary canon.

This course explores the works of Afro-American writers of the essay, novel, short fiction, drama, and poetry. The course develops students’ close reading, analytical writing skills, and promotes an appreciation and a critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of this portion of the American literary tradition.

This course will study the major literary works of Asian American writers of the essay, novel, short fiction, drama, and poetry. Through close reading and analytical writing, students will gain an appreciation and a critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of the rich mosaic of Asian American communities. The course will explore the varied and complex nature of the Asian American experience and locate the literature of these communities in the broader context of contemporary American literature.

This course explores works by Latino-American writers living in the United States. Through critical engagement with works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and film, students will develop close reading and analytical writing skills that promote appreciation and critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of this portion of the American literary tradition.

Selected poems, short stories, novels, tribal tales, speeches, and memoirs of Native Americans will be examined to deepen the student's understanding of the experiences and perspectives of native peoples and cultures in what is now called North America.

This course surveys American motion pictures that have been made by filmmakers representing three United States ethnic groups, including African Americans, Latino Americans, and Asian Americans. Students will also analyze Hollywood's treatment of those ethnic cultures throughout film history.

This course introduces students to the multi-disciplinary study of urban society and space. Cities are examined both as complex social-economic groupings of people, and as material landscapes of buildings, pathways, and public and private spaces. Attention is paid to what cities are and have been (the evolving urban experience of the past and present) as well as to ever-changing ideas about what cities should be (urban planning and design for the future). While the overall perspective of the course is global, its primary focus is on the cities of North America and, in particular, the Los Angeles metropolitan area. This emphasis is evident both in the classroom and in field trips or other assignments that ask students to apply classroom ideas to our local urban setting.

This course introduces Global Studies through a survey of the world’s major geographic regions. Students will encounter core concepts related to processes of global connection and change, while also developing basic geographic literacy in the distribution of human and natural features on Earth. Students will examine and discuss significant issues–cultural, social, political-economic, and environmental–impacting humanity today as both problem and possibility. In particular, this course considers the diverse localized impacts of globalization as a continuing story of peoples and places isolated and connected by imperial, colonial, and international systems of the past and present.

This course surveys the physical and human geography of California and the processes shaping its landscapes. Topics include natural features and resources, such as geology, climate, plants and animals, and hydrology. Historical and current trends in human population, migration, and settlement patterns are considered, including a review of the state's major cultural groups. Primary and advanced economic activities are examined within modern rural and urban settings. Emphasis is on the profound connections between these topics, on California's unequaled diversity and the rapid change that is transforming our people and its landscapes.

This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the fields of Global Studies and International Political Economy. Students will analyze critically the role of national governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and multinational corporations, in regard to phenomena such as, international markets and production regimes, monetary and trade policy, international and global conflict, and environmental degradation. Contending theoretical and ideological perspectives regarding international systems, processes, and trends will be applied and evaluated.

This introductory course offers an interdisciplinary exploration of the origins, current status, trends and possible solutions of major global issues. Students will examine multiple issues of concern such as international war and conflict, global inequality, food, water, energy, climate change, population growth, migration, and social change. The course will emphasize interdisciplinary inquiry by drawing upon both the holistic body of work in global studies, as well as the approaches of related fields such as anthropology, economics, environmental studies, geography, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, and women’s studies.

This course introduces Global Studies through a survey of the world’s major geographic regions. Students will encounter core concepts related to processes of global connection and change, while also developing basic geographic literacy in the distribution of human and natural features on Earth. Students will examine and discuss significant issues–cultural, social, political-economic, and environmental–impacting humanity today as both problem and possibility. In particular, this course considers the diverse localized impacts of globalization as a continuing story of peoples and places isolated and connected by imperial, colonial, and international systems of the past and present.

This course surveys ethnic groups in America from pre-contact to the present, including Native Americans, European Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos, emphasizing the forces prompting emigration and immigration, their roles in shaping American society and culture, their reception by and adaptation to American society, as well as an examination of contending theoretical models of the immigrant experience in America.

This course surveys African-American history from its beginnings in Africa through slavery, abolition, the Civil Rights movement, and into the present. The course will pay particular attention to the development of internal and external definitions of freedom and equality and to the influences of African Americans on the social, economic, political, and cultural development of the United States.

This course surveys world history from the rise of humanity to 1500, addressing human impact on the physical environment, the domestication of plants and animals, and the establishment of complex cultures. A thematic and chronological approach is used to examine the major civilizations of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, and Europe in terms of their political, social, economic, intellectual, and cultural development and their inter-regional relations.

This course surveys world history from 1500 to the present, addressing major developments that contributed to global change. A thematic and chronological approach will be used to examine the economic, social, intellectual, cultural, and political transformations associated with development of and resistance to colonialism and imperialism, technological and industrial change in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, through the twentieth-century wars and global transitions that shape the contemporary world.

This course surveys the political, economic, social, religious, and intellectual activities of African civilizations from the emergence of humankind to the eve of colonial conquest. It addresses such topics as early human settlements, the establishment of regional and Islamic states, the emergence and development of European imperialism, and African independence movements. It also traces the influence of the African diaspora on the Caribbean area and Brazil.

This course surveys African history from the eve of 1900 to the present, addressing such topics as African resistance to conquest; experiences with colonialism; settler colonialism in southern Africa; the rise of national liberation movements and achievement of independence, and the challenges of post-colonial nation building. It examines contemporary Africa through a review of economic, urban, rural, gender, and environmental concerns; kinship, and religion.

This course surveys Native-American history from earliest settlement to the present, addressing such topics as colonial-era interactions with Europeans, the development of U.S. Indian policy, and the effort to reclaim sovereign rights. Focusing primarily on native peoples of the United States, this course pays particular attention to the development of internal and external definitions of freedom and equality and to the influence of Native Americans on the social, economic, political, and cultural development of America.

This course provides a comparative historical survey of the political, cultural, social, and economic experiences of Latinos/as in the United States, concentrating on major demographic groups. Topics include migration and immigrant settlement, economic integration, and the formation of group identities among and politicization of Chicanos, Central Americans, and Cuban, Puerto Rican, and other Caribbean Americans.

This course surveys the history of the US Southwest from Native-American settlement through the periods of foreign colonization and conquest to contemporary times. Focusing primarily on Mexican Americans in this border region and, more currently, throughout the nation, the course pays particular attention to the development of internal and external definitions of freedom and equality and to the influence of Mexican Americans on the social, economic, political, and cultural development of America.

This course surveys Asian American history from western colonialism, to early immigration and settlement, to the present. This course highlights transnational and intergroup relations, paying close attention to Asian American development and influences on the social, cultural, political, and economic meanings of freedom.

This course is a historical overview of media representations of race, ethnicity, and gender in the United States. Intersectionality of race and ethnicity with gender and other forms of difference are highlighted. Using readings from selected texts and clips from various forms of media, students critically analyze media representations and critical events in the histories and cultures of one or more of the following four historically defined racialized core groups: Native Americans, African Americans, Latina/o Americans, and/or Asian Americans. By actively engaging with anti-racist issues, students help build a diverse, just, and equitable society beyond the classroom.

This course concentrates on the origin, development, and major musical styles of jazz music in American culture, with significant emphasis placed on the sociopolitical and economic realities that resulted in shaping the musical decisions of the primary innovators. The course will further illustrate how the multicultural intersection of the African-American, European-American, and Chicano/Latino communities has been and continues to be an essential element for the existence and proliferation of this uniquely American art form. Designed for the non-major but recommended for majors.

This course is a survey of the music of Native Americans, European Americans, African Americans, Latino Americans and Asian Americans from their historical roots to the present, including blues, gospel, bluegrass, zydeco, salsa, mariachi, norteno, and taiko, and the impact of traditional music on American pop styles. The course examines musical elements, the role of music in society, and how music reflects culture. Students will develop listening and descriptive skills through a variety of media including recordings, video and live demonstration. The course is open to all regardless of previous musical background or experience.

The evolution of American food culture is examined from a historical, contemporary, economic, political and scientific survey of ethnic groups in America, including Native Americans, European Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos. Immigration, enculturation, acculturation, religion, food availability, food preference, food behavior, food preparation, food beliefs and food-related gender roles are considered. These factors are compared and contrasted across the ethnic groups and regions in America. The impact of “Americanization” on ethnic cuisines and impact of ethnic cuisines on the American economy are explored. Current research on the health- and nutrition-related implications of ethnic groups’ food choices/practices is reviewed. Engendering cultural sensitivity and competency is at the core of this course.

This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the fields of Global Studies and International Political Economy. Students will analyze critically the role of national governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and multinational corporations, in regard to phenomena such as, international markets and production regimes, monetary and trade policy, international and global conflict, and environmental degradation. Contending theoretical and ideological perspectives regarding international systems, processes, and trends will be applied and evaluated.

The social construction of race and ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation in American society and their relationship to local, state, and national government is covered. Of particular concern are problems of assimilation and integration into the political system, the politics of exclusion, discrimination, voting behavior and pressure group politics, ideology, resistance and political action, the social construction of race and racism, the poor and the culture of poverty, political problems of the aged, the young, women, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. This course satisfies the SMC requirement for American Cultures.

This course introduces the study of society and human social interaction. Both macro and micro sociological theory are discussed, as well as methods of sociological inquiry, culture, socialization, deviance, social change and social stratification--particularly in the areas of social class, race and ethnicity, and gender. Students are highly encouraged to complete Sociology 1 prior to enrolling in other sociology courses.

By relying heavily on the instructional method of service-learning, this course introduces the study of society and human social interaction. Both macro and micro sociological theory are discussed, as well as methods of sociological inquiry, culture, socialization, deviance, social change, and social stratification--particularly in the areas of social class, race and ethnicity, and gender. Students are highly encouraged to complete Sociology 1 or 1s prior to enrolling in other sociology courses. This course requires students to engage in learning outside the classroom in conjunction with various community-based organizations.

This course involves a sociological analysis of social problems on the local, national, and international level. Critical inquiry and analysis are conducted into issues such as global inequality, environmental destruction, urban deterioration, economic and political power distribution, poverty, racism, sexism, and problems of work, family, education, drugs, and crime. Theoretical perspectives of sociology and current sociological research are explored.

By relying heavily on the instructional method of service-learning, this course involves a sociological analysis of contemporary social problems on the local, national, and international level. Critical inquiry and analysis is conducted into issues such as global inequality, environmental destruction, urban deterioration, economic and political power distribution, poverty, racism, sexism, and problems of work, family, education, drugs, and crime. Theoretical perspectives of sociology and current sociological research are explored. This course requires students to engage in learning outside the classroom in conjunction with various community-based organizations.

This course involves a sociological examination of the social, cultural, political, and economic conditions experienced by African Americans in the United States. Current and past institutional practices relating to inequality, institutional discrimination, segregation, cultural pluralism, and assimilation are analyzed. Social movements within African American communities as well as intra- and intergroup relations are also considered.

This course introduces students to the characteristics and issues facing the large pan-ethnic Latina/o population in the United States. Attention will be given to the social, cultural, economic and political factors impacting the various Latino groups, as well as how those factors contribute both to differentiate and build coalition with other groups in American society. While the experiences of the diverse Latina/o groups will be examined, particular emphasis is placed on the experiences of Mexican Americans.

This course introduces students to the social conditions and issues facing Asian/Pacific Americans. Using a sociological perspective, the pan-ethnic identity of Asian/Pacific Americans will be critically examined. Attention will be given to the social, cultural, economic, and political factors impacting the various Asian/Pacific groups, as well as how those factors impact both intra- and intergroup relations.

This course involves the critical examination of patterns, practices, and relations among racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Particular attention will be given to problems of ongoing discrimination, prejudice, assimilation and cultural pluralism, and power differences between groups. Interconnections between race, ethnicity, social class, gender, and other systems of inequality will be emphasized. Social movements organized within and among racial and ethnic groups that address institutional inequalities in this society will be analyzed.

This course introduces students to the multi-disciplinary study of urban society and space. Cities are examined both as complex social-economic groupings of people, and as material landscapes of buildings, pathways, and public and private spaces. Attention is paid to what cities are and have been (the evolving urban experience of the past and present) as well as to ever-changing ideas about what cities should be (urban planning and design for the future). While the overall perspective of the course is global, its primary focus is on the cities of North America and, in particular, the Los Angeles metropolitan area. This emphasis is evident both in the classroom and in field trips or other assignments that ask students to apply classroom ideas to our local urban setting.