Philosophy

This course is an introduction to symbolic logic. Symbolic logic is the formal study of good and bad reasoning. Central to this study is the concept of and criteria for validity. Sentential and predicate logic symbolization, semantics, syntax, and proof methods will be examined. NOTE: This course is required for nearly all philosophy majors and is excellent preparation for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

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This class explores and critically analyzes fundamental questions about knowledge. Key questions include: What is knowledge? How is knowledge acquired? How do I know that I am not living in a computer simulation? Theories about knowledge, truth, and justification will be explored, including: rationalism, empiricism, pragmatism, and skepticism. This class traces the history of epistemological ideas from Plato, Aristotle, and the Buddha, to Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, and Gettier. PHIL65 is offered Fall or Spring on a rotating basis.

This social and political philosophy class explores and critically analyzes fundamental questions related to society, politics, and ethics. Essential to this course is the study of government and its citizenry. Key questions include: What makes a government legitimate? What rights and liberties should be protected? Is there an ideal size and form of government? Political ideologies like liberalism, conservatism, and socialism will be explored and applied to contemporary issues including: free speech, privacy, and welfare. This class traces the history of social and political ideas from Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, and Lao Tzu to Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, Arendt, Rawls, and more.

Religious traditions of Asia. Focus on a small subset of Asia’s great religions. Comparison/contrast of at least three dominant traditions’ religious/philosophical thought and everyday practice. Basic theory in academic study of religion.

This course covers the origin and development of civilization in the Mediterranean and its expansion into Europe - the Near East, Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages, Renaissance and the Reformation. Influences in religion, culture, technology and political structures that develop into European society of the early modern period will be studied.

History of the Modern Western World from the end of the medieval period to the present. The course develops the western world, (Europe and the Americas), as these societies develop modern ways of thinking and producing, and tracks the rise of the modern nation-state. Interaction with other civilizations, and globalization will be studied.

This course offers an analysis of the doctrine of criminal liability in the United States and the classification of crimes against persons, property, morals, and public welfare. Special emphasis is placed on the classification of crime, the general elements of particular crimes, and defenses to crime. This course utilizes case law and case studies to introduce students to criminal law and will include some limited discussion of prosecution and defense decision making, criminal culpability, and defenses to crime.

Fundamental legal principles pertaining to business transactions. Introduction to the legal process. Topics include sources of law and ethics, contracts, torts, criminal law, intellectual property, agency and employment law, and business organizations.

Development of skills in reading quality literature aloud; practice in writing scholarly criticism of the literature presented orally.

Exploration of historically influential activist performances and contemporary performance art/installation pieces. Development of an understanding of basic interdisciplinary performance theories from everyday life, ritual, and on-stage. Emphasis on creating and observing performances as tools for social critique.

English 11A is an introductory creative writing course, offering practice in the elements of creative writing, including narrative, verse, and dialogue. Students will read, write, and respond to poetry, fiction, and dram. Class assignments will use materials drawn from individual's own work and selected texts.

English 12A serves as a beginning course in the practice of writing fiction. Students will learn to develop internal and external sources for stories and novels. Class assignments will focus on characterization, plotting, point of view, and narrative techniques. The class will give considerable attention to the analysis and criticism of published writing and the individual's own work.

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.

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.

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.

Comparative study of selected works of literature, in English and in translation, from around the world, including Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Americas, and other areas, from the mid seventeenth century to the present.

A critical examination of representations of people of color in popular culture, from historically significant to contemporary examples. Using an intersectional lens of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality, students will analyze representations from mainstream films, independent cultural productions, music, visual art, and social media, and how characters and communities of color are portrayed and interpret these images as consumers of media. Topics include Hollywood stereotyping, media influencing political and social events, cultural citizenship, and the role of new media, such as video games and social media platforms like YouTube. Students will learn how to critically examine and thoughtfully compare works, while using the lenses of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class to break down decode messages.

Introduction to the French-speaking cultures of the world featuring the study and practice of the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) of French. Following an immersion instruction format, the class is entirely taught in the target world language of the selected course. May not receive credit if FRNC 1A1 and/or 1A2 have been completed.

Further study of French-speaking cultures of the world featuring the acquisition of the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) of French begun in French 1A. Following an immersion instruction format, the class is entirely taught in the target world language of the selected course. May not receive credit if FRNC 1B1 and/or 1B2 have been completed.

Review of grammar; reading of works of modern authors; practice in conversation and composition. Following an immersion instruction format, the class is entirely taught in the target world language of the selected course.

Reading of Francophone authors; advanced review of grammar; emphasis on speaking and composition. Following an immersion instruction format, the class is entirely taught in the target world language of the selected course.

A cross-cultural look at the women's spirituality movement in the U.S. and abroad. Examination of reformist aspects of this movement as they impact religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and/or Hinduism. Also focus on the reclamation of pre-Christian and indigenous spiritual systems of Europe and the Americas. Explores text, ritual, music, and film.

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.

A survey of world history from 1500, including the early modern and modern eras. Interconnections and exchange will be emphasized. Similarities and differences among cultures will be examined. Cultural, intellectual, and technological developments and exchange will be explored. Broader forces that affect civilizations such as borderlands, exploration and travel, gender and class will be studied.

This introductory course provides an overview to twentieth-century Latin American history with a focus on the social circumstances and experience of people across social classes. We will consider how larger processes of change such as urbanization, revolution, civil war and U.S. intervention have all critically shaped everyday life in this region. Yet we will also focus on how Latin Americans have adapted and responded to these forces using an assortment of strategies. This course will seek to develop a critical perspective of modern Latin America by interpreting diverse forms of representation such as feature films, documentaries, literature, memoirs, and testimonios.

A broad range of the arts, from a variety of historical periods and cultures, will be examined as expression and integration of self. Explore creativity as process, product, and attitude toward life. Study the artist as seeker of authenticity and the relationship between art and artist. Students will learn how to respond critically as well as to articulate their experience of great works of the human imagination. Explore foundational principles and theories in the various humanities disciplines.

The Arts as an expression of the community; the relationship between creativity and community; the artist as the conscience of society and the role of the audience in completing an artwork. Themes include the artist as prophet, art as transformative experience, the arts and social justice, and the shock of the new.

Humanities of the United States. Major works of literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, films, music, philosophy, science, religion and political and social institutions. Particular attention to values and meanings that reflect the American cultural experience, specifically the crisscrossing dynamics of race, ethnicity, gender, religion and class in American society.

Introduction to mythic themes recurring in global literature, Key theories and a variety of myths from around the world will be read, analyzed, and discussed.  Course will focus on broad themes and theories, which will include at least five of the following: classic approaches to mythology, including cosmogonic origins, historical events, and natural explanation; archetypes, both character and plot; ritual; religion; forms of narrative, folklore, chronology, cosmogony; sacred space; symbol and language; and cultural appropriation. (Formerly HUMN 28)

Introduction to beginning communication skills through the language of sign, with emphasis on American Sign Language (ASL). Following an immersion instruction format, the class is entirely taught in the target world language of the selected course. Introduction to an understanding of deafness and the deaf culture. Basic sign vocabulary, the manual alphabet, and a contrast with various other sign systems used throughout the United States.

Introduction to the Spanish-speaking cultures of the world featuring the study and practice of the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) of Spanish. Following an immersion instruction format, the class is entirely taught in the target world language of the selected course. May not receive credit credit if SPA 1A1 and/or 1A2 have been completed.

Further study of Spanish-speaking cultures of the world featuring the acquisition of the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) of Spanish begun in Spanish 1A. Following an immersion instruction format, the class is entirely taught in the target world language of the selected course. May not receive credit if SPA 1B1 and/or 1B2 have been completed.

Review of grammar; reading of works of modern authors; practice in conversation and composition. Following an immersion instruction format, the class is entirely taught in the target world language of the selected course.

Reading of Hispanic authors; advanced review of grammar; emphasis on speaking and composition. Following an immersion instruction format, the class is entirely taught in the target world language of the selected course.

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.

Introduction to the nature of Islam as a religion or system for life, its culture and its impact on Muslim individuals and groups. Includes a brief history of Islam and Muslims in relation to the basic sources of Islam.

Selected themes in spirituality. Contemporary and global spirituality will be read in view of how they expand on and/or reinterpret traditional themes. What does it mean to live a spiritual life in the 21st century? How would contemporary people and major issues of our day benefit from a spiritual approach? Themes and practice will be explored.