HUMANITIES
College of Humanities
(See Humanities in the Academic Programs section for information on degrees)
Undergraduate Courses
130 The Humanities: Major Works (3) [GE]
Humanistic study and evaluation of major works from several places and times, including the present, with the aim of perceiving their significance in human culture and creating meaningful individual relationships with them.
205 Asian Art History (3)
For course description, see ART 205.
214 Second Year Written Composition: Humanities (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. Training in expository composition and study of major works in the Humanities. Emphasis on writing the longer essay and term paper with special attention to prose style. May be taken in lieu of ENG 214. Must be taken after student has completed 24 units and before completing 60 units. ABC/NC grading.
220 Values and Culture (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. The study of significant works of cultural expression with respect to their aesthetic dimensions, their historical contexts, and their illumination of human value patterns. At least one non-western work is studied.
225 Values in American Life (3) [GE]
The study of values that American thinkers, writers, artists, and designers have expressed within a developing culture; emphasis on the diversities as well as the unities in the American experience and on the contributions of ethnic minorities to American society and its values.
250 Creativity in the Humanities (3) [GE]
The creative process as it guides the humanities, both in knowledge-seeking and in the humanizing of art; direct experience in finding appropriate materials and tools, developing meaningful images, and knowing through making; creativity in theory and practice. (Also offered as CHS 250.)
300 Ideas and Traditions in the Humanities (3) [GE]
Analysis and understanding of major humanistic ideas, theories and intellectual traditions, concentrating on techniques of interpreting verbal texts and intellectual structures.
305 The Non-Verbal Humanities (3)
Analysis and understanding of the non-verbal modes of humanistic knowledge and expression, concentrating on conceptual and critical processes in the experience of the visual arts, architecture, and music.
310 Styles of Cultural Expression (3) [GE]
Analysis and understanding of the social, intellectual, and artistic dynamics of cultural styles in a variety of historical, regional and cross-cultural settings; projects in verbal and non-verbal expression of cultural tensions and unities.
320 Music, Ideas, and Culture (3)
Prerequisite: junior standing. Functions of music in world cultural traditions, and its relation to other arts and disciplines. Writings of philosophers, critics, and musicians are discussed in conjunction with specific musical examples.
325 The Practice of Criticism (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: junior standing. The development and broadening of the student's critical acumen in the arts per se and in the arts as tools of cultural comparisons, through the study and use of selected major critical methods.
326 Postmodern Criticism (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or consent of instructor. Study of contemporary critical movements that question fundamental assumptions of the western humanist tradition and modernist culture. Issues explored include privileged position of subject, subjectivity and knowledge, language and power, relativism and value, social construction of race and gender.
345 Humanism and Mysticism (3) [GE]
Comparative study of humanistic and mystical thoughts, exploring the various ways in which these two traditions have developed and affected the course of human civilization. There is a broad range of sources from differing cultures used.
350 Humanities of the Americas (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. A general introduction to the humanities of American cultures emphasizing Latin America and the Caribbean. Establishes a cultural/historical framework for study of ancient, colonial, and modern humanistic expressions in architecture, folk arts, poetry, painting, murals, cinema, music.
356 Human Images in the Bible (3)
A humanistic study of major personalities in the Bible, focusing on the drama of their lives in every conceivable human situation and experience. An evaluation of their roles in portraying both individualistic and universal qualities of human character from ancient times to the present.
360 Ancient and Modern Classics (3)
Intensive humanistic studies of works in literature, the fine arts, history, philosophy and the sciences of man.
365 Great Figures in the Humanities (3)
Individual to be specified in Class Schedule. The life, times, and works of an individual figure or figures whose accomplishments embrace several humanistic fields or of an individual literary person or people of dominant stature in the history of civilization. May be repeated for credit.
366 India's Gandhi (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. Examines the complexity of Gandhi's values and ideas; major Eastern and Western influences on him; the admixture in his philosophy, literature, and politics.
370 Derrida and Deconstruction (3)
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. Introduction to the works of Jacques Derrida, an influential postmodern theorist and founder of the Deconstructive movement in criticism, philosophy, and social science. Through a close study of Derrida's writings, the course also serves as an introduction to Deconstruction. (Also offered as PHIL 370.)
371 Arts and Artists of California (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: upper division standing. Exploration of the arts throughout California history. Includes the development of dance, theatre, music, film, and visual arts, and relationships between these art forms and the social, political, economic, and ethnic conditions serving as their context. (Also offered as IAC 371.)
375 Biography of a City (3) [GE]
City to be specified in Class Schedule. The dynamics of a particular city's intellectual, artistic, and social life with an emphasis on great works that symbolize the contribution of that city to human culture. May be repeated for credit.
376 San Francisco (3) [GE]
Investigation of San Francisco as a center of American intellectual, social, and cultural life. Major emphasis is placed on specific areas of interest selected by the students for individual research and exploration. Some sections offer field trips and tours.
380 Nature and Human Values (3) [GE]
Investigation of the conscious and unconscious ideas of nature held by various cultures and exemplified in the arts and sciences of both the Eastern and Western worlds.
385 Images of Work and Leisure (3) [GE]
For course description, see REC 385. (Also offered as BECA 385.)
390 Images of Eroticism (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or consent of instructor. The ways in which human sexuality, both the many socially acceptable varieties and those practices which different societies attempt to prohibit, are represented in the art and literature of a variety of cultures in different historical periods.
405 Art, Literature, and Power in the Renaissance (3)
Prerequisite: ART 202 or consent of instructor, or consent of Humanities adviser. For course description, see ART 405.
409 Martin Heidegger (3)
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. Introduction to the works of Martin Heidegger, an influential thinker of the twentieth century, whose critique of the western humanist tradition influenced the development of existentialism, hermaneutics, linguistic philosophy, and postmodern reinterpretations of art, culture. (Also offered as PHIL 409.)
410 Classical Culture: Greece (3)
For course description, see CLAS 410.
415 Classical Culture: Rome (3)
For course description, see CLAS 415.
420 The Early Middle Ages (3) [GE]
For course description, see HIST 330.
421 The High Middle Ages (3) [GE]
For course description, see HIST 331.
425 Thought and Image I (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. Exemplary works in the arts and humanities studied as central expressions of the meanings and values of their respective cultures. Works are paired from differing cultures on a global scale for cross-cultural comparison. CHS/HUM 425 and IAC 426 need not be taken in sequence. (Also offered as CHS 425.)
440 Baroque Culture (3)
Seventeenth and early eighteenth century Baroque culture in Europe: its forms of art, thought and imagination, and their relationship with the life of society.
450 Romanticism and Impressionism (3) [GE]
The styles of nineteenth century cultural expression in their Romantic and Impressionist forms: literature, art and thought; the Romantic and impressionist bases of contemporary style and culture.
455 Victorian Culture in England and America (3) [GE]
Forms and interrelationships of literature, art, thought, and social institutions of the Victorian era; the Victorian bases of contemporary culture.
460 The Modern Revolution (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. Society, literature, thought and art, and their interrelationships in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Western culture; the impact on cultural life of science, social crisis, and the end of Western cultural isolation. (Also offered as PHIL 304.)
465 Contemporary Culture (3) [GE]
An examination of the major issues and achievements in art, thought, and society during the twentieth century, with special emphasis on current literature, fine arts, philosophy, and history.
470 American Values (3) [GE]
American character and value patterns revealed in major works of philosophy, literature and history; consideration of these patterns in relation to American social, political, and artistic movements.
472 Marxism and Its Critics (3)
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. Provides an introduction to the philosophy of Karl Marx, emphasizing his humanism and his contribution to epistemology. It also surveys the philosophical controversies occasioned by his work from the late nineteenth century to the present. (Also offered as PHIL 420.)
478 California Culture (3) [GE]
For course description, see AMST 410. (Also offered as HIST 478.)
480 Thought and Culture in America (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. Thought and culture from colonial times to the present. Intellectual movements and influential texts, with emphasis on ideas in the texts, traditions they created, and social and personal contexts that produced them. (Also offered as HIST 480.)
485 The Arts and American Culture (3) [GE]
For course description, see AMST 310.
490 American Images: Colonial to Modern (3) [GE]
Major American aesthetic concepts and practices from colonial beginnings to the end of the 19th century as revealed in the domestic, popular, and formal arts and other styles of American thought, feeling, and expression.
495 Architecture and American Life (3) [GE]
The artistic and social history of American architecture, its relation to the American imagination, and its role in American art and life.
507 Art of China (3)
Prerequisite: ART 205 or equivalent. The historical development of painting, sculpture, and other arts in China from earliest times to the nineteenth century within the larger context of Chinese culture. Special emphasis on the purposes and meanings of styles and genres. (Also offered as ART 507.)
510 Comparative Form and Culture (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. Parallel forms of thought, feeling, and cultural expression in particular cultural areas interacting with each other, through consideration of architectural, musical, literary, pictorial, and critical works.
515 Styles of African Cultural Expression (3) [GE]
Investigation of the variety of sub-Saharan African cultural styles before, during, and after White rule. Traditional and modern expression in many genres are studied-both the genres created in Africa and Western genres transformed by Africans.
520 North and South American Cultural Expression (3) [GE]
Study of essential values, ideas, and creative styles of North and South American cultures through comparisons of specific literary artistic and architectural creations from each culture. (Also offered as LARA 520.)
525 Asian Cultures (3) [GE]
Culture to be specified in Class Schedule. History, concepts, and art forms of selected past and present cultures of the East, including those of India and Japan. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.
530 Chinese Civilization (3)
Formation and development of Chinese civilization; intellectual movements examined in their historical context with emphasis on ideas and ideals expressed in art, literature, and music.
540 Styles of Chinese Cultural Expression (3)
Study of art forms and recurrent symbols that have interacted with each other in several stages of Chinese culture including the present; variations characteristic of particular Chinese cultural regions.
699 Special Study (1-4)
Prerequisites: previous humanities courses providing evidence of the student's ability and consent of instructor. Independent inquiry into a specific problem formulated by the student and approved by a member of the department who will judge the student's findings.
Graduate Courses
700 Introduction to Integrative Study (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. Examination of the origins, traditions, and current practices of integrative humanities.
701 Fine Arts in the Humanities (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. Seminar in the character and province of the fine arts; the ways artistic principles and experience form significant relationships with other humanistic disciplines and experience. (Formerly HUM 710.)
702 Literature in the Humanities (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. Seminar in the character and province of literature; the ways literary principles and experiences form significant relationships with other humanistic disciplines and experience. (Formerly HUM 730.)
703 History in the Humanities (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. Seminar in the character and province of history; the ways historical principles and experience form significant relationships with other humanistic disciplines and experience.
704 Philosophy in the Humanities (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. Seminar in the character and province of philosophy; the ways philosophical principles and experience form significant relationships with other humanistic disciplines and experience.
710 Seminar in European Forms and Culture (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. The relations of art and thought to society in European culture. An examination of the nature of the relationship among the arts, thought, and society at selected historical moments in the European past and present. (Formerly HUM 810.)
711 Seminar in American Forms and Culture (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or American Studies adviser or instructor. The relations of art and thought to society in American culture. An examination of the nature of the relationship among the arts, thought, and society at selected historical moments in the American past and present. (Formerly HUM 820.)
712 Seminar in African Forms and Culture (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. The relations of arts and thought to society in Africa. An examination of the nature of the relationship among the arts, thought, and society at selected historical moments in the African past and present.
713 Seminar in Asian Forms and Culture (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. The relations of art and thought to society in Asia. An examination of the nature of the relationship among the arts, thought, and society at selected historical moments in the Asian past and present. (Formerly HUM 840.)
720 Humanistic Themes (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. Study of the relationships among recurrent ideas, forms, and images as expressed in a variety of humanistic modes which provide a basis for comparative study. (Formerly HUM 701.)
721 Culture and Style (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. Analysis and interpretation of historic cultures and the evolution of distinctive styles of expression within particular cultural settings, through examination of the relationships of historical experience and aesthetic form. (Formerly HUM 702.)
722 New Models in Humanistic Studies (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. Topic to be specified in Class Schedule. An examination of two or more of the theoretical schools of humanistic studies which have flourished since the end of World War II. May be repeated once for credit when topic varies.
723 Contemporary Humanistic Scholarship (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser or instructor. Study of a twentieth century scholar whose work has been significant in several disciplines: his/her developments; the problems of knowledge, method, and culture which s/he examined; the intellectual tensions which influenced him/her; the result of his/her work.
895 Special Project (3)
Prerequisites: advancement to candidacy for the master's degree and acceptance for culminating experience by graduate faculty member. Supervised execution of a major project relating to field study, a creative arts undertaking, or a career-related internship, accompanied by a written report. Graduate Approved Program and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.
896 Directed Study of Humanistic Works (3)
Prerequisites: advancement to candidacy for the master's degree and acceptance for culminating experience by graduate faculty member. Concentrated tutorial study of primary major humanistic works selected for the comprehensive examination. Course credit contingent upon satisfactory completion of comprehensive examination.
898 Master's Thesis (3)
Prerequisites: advancement to candidacy for the master's degree and acceptance for culminating experience by graduate faculty member. Intensive research on a topic or problem within the province of integrative humanistic inquiry, leading to the completion of an extended master's thesis and defended in an oral examination. Graduate Approved Program and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration. CR/NC grading only.
899 Special Study (1-3)
Prerequisites: consent of graduate major adviser and supervising faculty member. Individual study in the humanities for selected master's degree candidates, pursued under special arrangements with a member of the department faculty.