USC Schedule of Classes

The description and analysis of various forms of visual culture, including both mass media and "high" art representations, both Western and non-Western images.

A broad survey, covering some 8,000 years and focusing on the material culture of the ancient world in a historical and social context.

Examination of the ways that different nations and cultures have remembered the Vietnam War or the American War as it is called in Vietnam. (Duplicates credit in former AMST 377)

Introduction to an interdisciplinary study of American political, cultural and social life with a particular emphasis on the Western United States as a region. Recommended preparation: HIST 200, ENGL 263

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

The lives of prominent Greeks, Romans and others in their ancient historical and biographical contexts and in modern reevaluations through various written and visual media.

Democratic Institutions and practices, empire building, and cultural innovations of fifth and fourth century B.C. Athens using historical, rhetorical, dramatic, philosophical, and artistic sources.

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

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

Introduction to works of major women writers from the Middle Agesto the 20th century in their literary, social, and cultural contexts.

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

Study of the structures through which we shape our experience in religion, philosophy, literature, music, and the visual arts, and of competing theories of interpretation. Students may not take this course on a P/NP basis.

Exploration of dance as an art form in its artistic, political, and socio-cultural climate. Studies of the continuum of dance within its historical context. (Duplicates credit in former DANC 442a)

Introduction to the history of Chinese, Japanese and Korean ethical thought; perspectives on human nature, historical writing,and aesthetic implications. Conducted in English.

Introduction to the civlization, art and literature of pre-modern China through the lens of the cultural products of identity.

Examination of the transnational production and circulation of Chinese-language cinema. Analysis of the larger sociocultural significance of films by engaging their historical context.

Survey of Korean film, the film industry, and critical issues from the colonial period to the present.

A study of emotional intelligence through literature, history and the arts with a focus on anger, happiness, love and empathy.

Close study of Shakespeare's plays and poems to introduce his language, stagecraft, literary "genius," social and literary contexts, precursors and rivals, and legacy.

Historical survey of the traditions of lyric poetry from Shakespeare to the contemporary, examining the genre's multiple forms of literary, visual, and aural expression.

Study of difference as represented through French, Francophone and related narratives of disability and illness, with attention to race and gender. Conducted in English.

Interpretation and analysis of works of the imagination, exploring language, thought, and cultural traditions in relation to one another. (Satisfies GE-B, Humanistic Inquiry) Open only to Freshmen.

Critical appreciation of various forms of human expression, evaluating works of literature, philosophy, and the arts to enable informed opinions about ideas and values. Offered by a professional school.

Patterns of American development from Colonial times to the present. Duplicates credit in former HIST-200.

Early Europe, c 400-1500, with a focus on Europe's diverse communities, cultural interactions among them, dealings between conquerors and conquered, and european contacts with non-Europeans.

Political, intellectual, and cultural developments in Europe,1300-1815. Renaissance and Reformation; absolute monarchy,scientific changes, and Enlightenment; French Revolution andNapoleon.

Japan from the earliest times to the present; social, cultural,and political dimensions.

Introduction to Armenian history and its connections with the region and world.

Examination of high-profile murders and murder trials in order to explore major social, political, and cultural issues from the colonial period to the present.

Historical perspective for current debates on evolution, investigating the contexts for the emergence and development of evolutionary theory and its subsequent impact on society.

Exploration of two millenia of economic exchanges and cross cultural interaction between Asia and Europe.

Major ideas, personalities, and movements in Jewish history from antiquity to the present in light of the interaction of the Jews with the general culture.

Explores writings of ancient philosophers who first raised, and continue to influence our thinking about, fundamental questions concerning nature, knowledge, justice, happiness, and death. (Duplicates Credit in PHIL 115)

Explores arguments for and against the existence of God, as well as questions about the nature and rationality of faith.

Critical study of controversial social issues such as abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, war and terrorism, sexual morality, affirmative action, and economic justice.

Explores the nature of justice, and how apparently conflicting ideals, such as freedom and equality, are to be balanced within a just society.

What is time? What is the difference between past, present and future? Is time-travel possible? And what paradoxes might it give rise to?

How does science differ from pseudo-science? When is it rational to accept a scientific theory? And do such theories provide genuine knowledge of reality?

Exploration of the philosophical and religious implications of major scientific revolutions, such as those of Copernicus, Galileo, and Darwin. (Duplicates credit in former PHIL 220g)

Explores various conceptions of morality and what makes actions right or wrong, together with the implications of these views for concrete ethical issues.

The Hebrew Bible in the cultural setting of the ancient Near East; the formation of theological and ethical concepts which have shaped Western culture.

Historical investigation of New Testament characters, events, ethics and theology in relation to its social, intellectual, and religious contexts in the Jewish and Greco-Roman world.

Survey of the changing beliefs and practices of the Christian religion from obscure origins to globalized present, with special attention to the varieties of Christian literature.

Historical and thematic survey of Chinese religious history from earliest times to the present.

Congregational and individual expressions of religion in Los Angeles.

Examines various topics in the process of rapid modernization and globalization in Buddhism including environmentalism, gender, nationalism, social activism, and war and peace.

Survey of the major developments in Russian literature during the20th century, from modernism to the post-Soviet era. Readings inEnglish.

Russian cultural identity from its beginnings until today. The Eastern Orthodox tradition, its traumatic confrontation with Western culture, and their continuous interaction.

Tolstoy's major works in the context of his ethical views.Readings and lectures in English.

Principal writers and their works from Colonial times to the present. Non-majors may write assignments in English. Recommended preparation: advanced comprehension of oral and written Spanish.

Examination of how gender and sexuality have been constructed, experienced, and legislated.

Identification and examination of social and cultural conflicts through the lens of gender, and comparison of such conflicts across cultures, regions, and historical periods.

Theories of feminism; historical, social and cultural perspectives of the women's movement in America, Europe, and in developing countries; men's roles in the feminist movement.