Elementary Teacher Education

This is an introductory course offering integrated instruction in reading, critical thinking, and expository and argumentative writing, intended to develop the ability to read and write complex, college-level prose. Theme-based units of study will examine ideas in relation to individuals' world view and contexts from which these ideas arise. Primary texts will showcase diverse writers, including marginalized voices. Some research required.

Examines the progression of development in the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains and identifies developmental milestones for children both typical and atypical from conception through adolescence. Emphasis on interactions between biological processes and environmental factors. Students will observe children, evaluate individual differences, and analyze characteristics of development at various stages according to developmental theories.

Fundamentals of speech communication; emphasis on developing, stating, organizing, and researching ideas, and presenting to an audience; includes developing the faculties of critical listening and problem-solving.

Introduction to the historical development and current structure of American political ideals and institutions, including the Federal and California Constitutions, civil liberties and civil rights, political parties, campaigns and elections, and citizenship duties.

Development of mathematical thinking through exploration of the number system. Topics include structure of numeration systems including the real number system and its subsystems, number theory, and computational algorithms. Supports Number Sense Domain in the elementary subject matter preparation standards of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Develops skills in close reading, critical thinking, analytical and argumentative writing, research, and information literacy through the study of works from major literary genres. Works will include poetry, fiction (short stories and novel), and drama, but may also include alternative genres such as creative nonfiction, graphic novels, spoken word, flash fiction, and lyrics. Primary texts will showcase diverse writers, including marginalized voices.

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Regions of the world and the way humans live within those regions. Includes physical and cultural characteristics of world regions, how they are similar and how they are different, economic patterns, agriculture, industrial development and population dynamics. Emphasis on contemporary major issues and their geographic impact.

A survey of world history from the beginning of civilization and ancient cultures to 1500 C.E. Interconnections and divergence among cultures and civilizations in a global context will be emphasized. During the classical period, up to 500 C.E., similarities and differences as civilizations developed will be examined. The postclassical period, 500 to 1500, will look specifically at contact and interaction among peoples. Broader forces that affect civilizations such as trade patterns, migration, nomadism, syncretism, and disease patterns will be studied.

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Develops critical thinking, reading, and writing skills as they apply to the analysis of primary and secondary non-fiction books, articles, and essays from a range of academic and cultural contexts. Primary texts will showcase diverse writers, including marginalized voices. Theme based units will emphasize the techniques and principles of effective written argument in research-based writing across disciplines.

This course introduces students to the concepts and issues related to teaching diverse learners in today's contemporary schools, Pre-K, T-K, Kindergarten through the 12th grade. Topics include teaching as a profession and career, historical and philosophical foundations of the American education system, contemporary education issues, California's content standards and frameworks, and teacher performance standards. In addition to class time, the course requires a minimum of 45 hours of structured fieldwork in public school elementary classrooms that represent California's diverse student population, and includes cooperation with at least one carefully selected and campus-approved certificated classroom teacher.

Choose one course from List B below

Choose one course from List B below

A survey of United States history from its pre-colonial, indigenous origins through the end of Reconstruction. Emphasis on (1) distinctively American patterns of political, economic, social, intellectual and geographic developments, (2) the interaction amongst and the experiences of diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups in American history, and (3) the evolution of American institutions and ideals including the U.S. Constitution, representative democratic government, the framework of California state and local government, and the relationships between state/local government and the federal government.

Motion, gravitation, heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism, atoms, and nuclei. Present day scientific problems and developments such as alternative energy sources, solar energy, nuclear power, lasers, relativity and black holes. Designed for non-majors in physical science. Includes an introduction to laboratory, principles and techniques with emphasis on the basic concepts discussed in the class. May not receive credit if Physics 10 or Physics 10L has been completed.

Choose one course from List B

Choose one course from List B

Why does art matter? Art matters because human beings make—have always made and always will make—images to communicate the great breadth of human experience. And why does the history of art matter? Because without it, the meaning of our forebears’ images—their messages, teachings, gifts—will be lost to us. In this introduction to art, our class will travel through history and across the globe to learn how we humans use painting, sculpture, architecture, photography and other artforms to respond to our circumstances, to solve our problems, to demonstrate our values, and to make beauty from the materials we find around us. (Formerly ART 1; may not receive credit if ART 1 has been completed.)

In this course significant works of human imagination and intellect are studied as students encounter a wide range of music from the Medieval period to American music of the 20th and 21st century, including American jazz. This course is designed to enable students to understand music as an art form within its historical context, primarily in Western Europe and the United States. Students will approach music as a form of expression that reflects personal creativity as well as social, political, religious, and cultural change. Further study includes the relationship of music to other forms of human expression, including art, architecture, philosophy, religion, and politics. Students will experience music through recordings, online video performances, and attendance at three concerts outside of the classroom.

Focuses on the relationship of theater to various cultures throughout history, and on the contributions of significant individual artists. Introduces students to elements of the production process including playwriting, acting, directing, design, and criticism. Students will also survey different periods, styles and genres of theater through play reading, discussion, films, and viewing and critiquing live theater, including required attendance at theater productions.

Introduction to the concepts, applications, and historical/multicultural references related to two-dimensional art and composition, including the study and analysis of the basic principles and elements of line, shape, texture, value, color and spatial illusion. Development of a visual vocabulary for creative expression through lecture presentations, studio projects, problem solving and written assignments. (May not receive credit if ART 10 has been completed)

Introduction to the concepts, applications, and historical references related to three-dimensional design and spatial composition, including the study of the elements and organizing principles of design as they apply to three-dimensional space and form. Development of a visual vocabulary for creative expression through lecture presentations and use of appropriate materials for three-dimensional studio projects.

Chemistry of inorganic compounds, atomic theory, bonding, equations, gas laws, solutions, acid-base theory and oxidation-reduction. Designed to meet the requirements of certain programs in allied health and technological fields and for general education.

Analysis of contemporary questions through written and spoken discourse. Analysis, criticism, and synthesis of contemporary moral, political, economic and philosophical issues of a diverse, multicultural society, using traditional and modern models of argumentation.

Readings of the sonnets and representative comedies, histories, tragedies, and romances of William Shakespeare, with attention to the early, middle and late phases of his art and to the Age of Elizabeth.

Introduction to American black writers in fiction, poetry, drama and the essay, beginning with the African experience as it relates to storytelling, to "Slave Narratives" and continuing to the present. Emphasis on the 20th and 21st century writers' growth and development in relation to their historical and cultural context.

Introduction to literary works in fiction, poetry, drama and the essay which are concerned with the Mexican American/Latino cultural experience. Analysis of literature in the context of the historical growth of Mexican American/Latino identity in the United States in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

A critical comparison of storytelling in modern American novels and films. Examines how each genre uses its unique form and methods to convey narrative, integrating elements of contemporary culture and history. Explores the works of diverse novelists and filmmakers in light of particular periods and themes, as well as connections and adaptations between the two genres.

Introduction to literary works of fiction, poetry, drama and the essay that reflect and explore the diversity of the Asian-American experience. Analysis of literature in the context of the historical growth of Asian-American identities with a focus on the 20th century.

Exploration of literature that reflects the diverse experience of immigrating to and migrating within the United States. Focus on historical, political, social, and cultural background and issues of assimilation and identity drawn from the work of Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, European Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, Arab Americans, among other groups.

Social-historical context and tools for analyzing literature directed toward young readers. Emphasizes contemporary U.S. texts, classic works, and the origins of youth literature (including fables, folk tales and fairy tales). Explores subgenres and literary elements common to children’s and young adult literature, including fantasy, journeys, and animal characters. Emphasizes literature from diverse authors and communities, and the impact of this literature on the psychological, sociological, and cultural growth of young readers.

Introduction to novels, poems, plays, and essays by and about gay men, lesbians, and others in the GLBT community. Analysis of this literature in the context of the GLBT social and political movements of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries and evolving societal attitudes toward the GLBT community.

Chronicles the expression of U.S. women authors through readings in a variety of genres such as fiction, poetry, drama, and the essay. Explores works by authors of varied racial and ethnic backgrounds in an effort to understand the diversity of women's voices, especially in the 20th century.

Form, development, and cultural insights of the novel and short story; exploration of particular themes or periods as reflected in works of fiction.

Explores the literature of the Holocaust through readings in a variety of genres including the memoir, the diary, the essay, as well as fiction and poetry. Historically and culturally contextualizes the literature and examines the implications of writing which attempts to represent the Nazi genocide against the Jews.

Spatial analysis of human populations, their cultural traits, and activities. Emphasis on how diverse peoples, through their interactions and through their perceptions and use of the physical environment, create distinctive cultural landscapes. Social, political, and economic elements of geography which contribute to the evolution of these global and regional cultural patterns. Field trips may be included.

This course focuses on the exploration of major health issues and behaviors in the various dimensions of health. Emphasis is placed on individual responsibility for personal health and the promotion of informed, positive health behaviors. Topics include nutrition, exercise, weight control, mental health, stress management, violence, substance abuse, reproductive health, disease prevention, aging, healthcare, and environmental hazards and safety.

Introductory course in philosophy. Philosophy is an activity rather than a set of beliefs. It is thinking critically, systematically, and creatively about fundamental and important questions about knowledge, values, and reality that include the following and more: What do I know, and how do I know it? What is justice? Does God exist? Do I have free will? What is the nature of the mind and self?

This is an introductory course in ethics. To study ethics is to think critically about morality, and address questions like: What is justice? Are there universal, absolute, or objective moral rules? Is human nature inherently good or evil? What’s the relationship between moral responsibility and free will? This course examines several competing, historically important, and still prominent theoretical approaches to ethics, including Kant’s deontology, Mill’s utilitarianism, and Aristotle’s virtue ethics. These theories will be applied to contemporary moral problems, including those stemming from wealth inequality, artificial intelligence, the treatment of animals, and the limits of free speech.

An introduction to the study of political theory. Course introduces the fundamental questions of ethics and politics by analyzing works of political philosophy from antiquity to the present. Emphasizes core themes of political theory, such as justice, power, rights, liberty, and citizenship, and differing conceptions of the state. Students will learn how to interpret, analyze, and critically evaluate political theory texts in order to apply political theory to historical and current political realities.

Introduction to the psychological, physiological, socio-cultural and socio-historical factors influencing development from conception through death. Emphasis on the process of normal development and its variations. Examination of theoretical models and research for practical application.

Introduction to the study of religion by (1) surveying the world religions, stating basic principles of each as shown by fundamental scriptures, practices and works of art, highlighting underlying patterns, OR (2) exploring themes and concepts, using the world religions as examples. Themes may include: grace, sin, enlightenment, suffering, salvation.

Designed to illuminate the way students see their social world. Uses a sociological perspective: scientific study of human interaction and society, with emphasis on impact of groups on social behavior. Includes the systematic examination of culture, socialization, social organization, social class, race, gender, deviance, social change and empirical methodology. These content areas are woven throughout the fabric of the course, particularly as they affect the lives of at least three of the following groups: African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Middle Eastern Americans and/or women.