Classes Offered · USC Schedule of Classes

General Education Seminar (GESM)

Instructions on how to obtain department authorization (d-clearance) for GESM courses are available at dornsife.usc.edu/2015ge/gesm-registration/. Course descriptions are available at dornsife.usc.edu/2015ge/course-descriptions/

GESM 110g: Seminar in the Arts (4.0 units)

The multifaceted history of the creative act, its analysis, production, and context as a representation of human experience. (Satisfies GE-A, The Arts) Open only to Freshmen.

Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Freshmen
General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.

Section	Session	Type	Time	Days	Registered	Instructor	Location	Syllabus
Creating Art from Real Life
35260D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	15 of 17	Michael Bunn	GFS228	Word (23526 KB)
Scripture and Script--The Hebrew Bible in Modern Litarature and Film
35261D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	14 of 17	Leah Hochman	VKC202
The Dream in Poetry
35262D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	13 of 17	Carol Muske-Dukes	MHP102	Word (69632 KB)
Passing and Performance in American Identity
35263D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	17 of 17	Danzy Senna	VKC154
Six Feet Under: Death and Dying in Contemporary American Fiction
35264D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Susan Segal	VKC158
World Arts, Cultures, and Empires
35265D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	17 of 17	Indra Mukhopadhyay	VKC155
Art and Nuclear Technology, Destruction and Contamination
35266D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	17 of 17	Rika Hiro	VKC200
Medieval Art and Christian Ritual
35267D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	17 of 17	Carolyn Malone	VKC261
Listening and Making: Poetry and Its Forms
35268D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Molly Bendall	THH211
Classic and Contemporary Fairy Tales
35272D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Aimee Bender	VKC158
How to Tell Stories with Pictures
35275D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Hector Reyes	VKC200
Digital Literature
35276D	001	Lecture	12:00-12:50pm	MWF	13 of 17	Mark Marino	LVL3Y
Exile and Identity--Israeli & Palestinian Artists
35277D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Yaffa Weisman	WPH206
Poems, Plays and Politics
35278D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Brighde Mullins	WPH107
Looking at Language
35280D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	16 of 17	Alice Gambrell	THH213
Questions of Documentary
35281D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Tue, Thu	17 of 18	John Alexander	LVL3V
Art and Nuclear Technology, Destruction and Contamination
35282D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Mon, Wed	16 of 16	Rika Hiro	VKC200
Planet Earth Poetics
35283D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Marci Vogel	THH207	PDF (88695 KB)
How to Read a Poem: From Shakespeare to Hip-Hop
35284D	001	Lecture	5:00-6:20pm	Mon, Wed	14 of 17	Marci Vogel,Susan McCabe	VKC255
Machines in the Garden--American Art and the Environment
35285D	001	Lecture	5:00-6:20pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Ellen MacFarlane	LVL3V

GESM 111g: Seminar in the Arts (4.0 units)

The multifaceted history of the creative act, its analysis, production, and context as a representation of human experience. Offered by a USC professional school.

Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Freshmen
General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.

Section	Session	Type	Time	Days	Registered	Instructor	Location	Syllabus
Photography, Art and Landscape
35300D	001	Lecture	9:00-10:50am	Mon, Wed	6 of 15	Caroline Clerc	IFT141
Stages of Healing--The World of Theatre and Therapy
35301D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	17 of 17	Brent Blair	MCC102
Masks, Puppets, and the Manipulation of the Human Form
35302D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	16 of 18	Christina Haatainen-Jones	VKC256	Word (274345 KB)
The Theatre Scene
35303D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:50pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 18	Luis Alfaro	MCC102	PDF (188634 KB)
The Actor at Work
35304D	001	Lecture	10:00-11:50am	Mon, Wed	19 of 19	Christopher Shaw	DRC120	PDF (236246 KB)
Images of the Self in Music of the Romantic Era
35305D	001	Lecture	10:00-11:50am	Tue, Thu	13 of 16	Leah Morrison	KDC241
Performing Gender--Centuries of Dramatic Cross Dressing
35306D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Mon, Wed	8 of 17	Melinda Finberg	SOSB47	Word (35883 KB)
Surveillance Culture
35307D	001	Lecture	12:00-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	11 of 15	Julia Paull	HAR211
Making Drawings
35308D	001	Lecture	12:00-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	14 of 15	Karen Liebowitz	WAH102B
Making Paintings
35309D	001	Lecture	12:00-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	15 of 15	Margaret Lazzari	HAR202
From Bebob to Doo Wop to Hip Hop
35310D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:50pm	Mon, Wed	16 of 17	Ron Mc Curdy	MUS303
Jazz: America's Music
35311D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:50pm	Mon, Wed	17 of 17	John Thomas	KDC241
California's Modern Masters of Housing Design
35313D	001	Lecture	5:00-6:20pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Victor Regnier	THH117
Architectural History, Prehistory to the Present
35314D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 18	Kenneth Breisch	VKC255	PDF (58788 KB)

GESM 120g: Seminar in Humanistic Inquiry (4.0 units)

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.

Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Freshmen
General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.

Section	Session	Type	Time	Days	Registered	Instructor	Location	Syllabus
Conquest and Revolution in 20th-Century Mexican Literary and Visual Texts
35327D	001	Lecture	8:30-9:50am	Mon, Wed	16 of 17	Liana Stepanyan	GFS228
Culture, Conformity, Revolt
35328D	001	Lecture	8:30-9:50am	Mon, Wed	18 of 18	David Rollo	VKC254
Conceptions of God and Self
35329D	001	Lecture	8:30-9:50am	Mon, Wed	18 of 18	John Dreher	VKC255
Mindfulness in Cultural Practices
35331D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	17 of 17	Thomas Ward	GFS229
Ethics in Islamic Thought and Literature
35332D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Arjun Nair	WPH202
The Romantic Hero(ine) in Russia and the West
35333D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	12 of 17	Kelsey Rubin-Detlev	WPH201
Fictions of the Floating World
35334D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Satoko Shimazaki	VKC200
Kings and Heroes, Villians and Saints
35335D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Hani Khafipour	THH217
Are Corporations People?
35336D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Kenneth Silver	THH106	PDF (151409 KB)
From NAFTA to Narcos: Globalization in Contemporary Latin American Literature and Film
35337D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Jamie Fudacz	VKC203
Transforming Italy: Italian Literature Today
35338D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	17 of 17	James Fortney	VKC255
Science in Western Philosophy
35339D	001	Lecture	10:00-10:50am	MWF	19 of 19	Zlatan Damnjanovic	VKC254
Science in Western Philosophy
35340D	001	Lecture	11:00-11:50am	MWF	18 of 18	Zlatan Damnjanovic	VKC254
Some Questions About Time and Space
35341D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Kadri Vihvelin	VKC157
The New Vietnam: Arts, Culture, Diaspora
35343D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	17 of 17	Janet Hoskins	GFS223
From NAFTA to Narcos: Globalization in Contemporary Latin American Literature and Film
35344D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	15 of 15	Jamie Fudacz	VKC207
Poltical Philosophy Meets Reality
35345D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	14 of 14	Sharon Lloyd	VKC151
Tell Me a Story: American Novels that Made a Difference
35347D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 19	Jessica Cantiello	GFS229	PDF (172378 KB)
The Problem of Evil in Literature and Film
35348D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	17 of 17	Candice Levy	LVL3Y
The Uncanny and the Otherworldly in World Literature Across the Ages
35349D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Guilan Siassi	VPD107	PDF (257992 KB)
Time in Culture and Social Experience
35352R	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	8 of 15	Emily Zeamer	GFS228
Masterpieces of the Short Story
35355D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Alexander Zholkovsky	VKC200
Human Reason: Its Scope and Limits
35356D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 19	Janet Levin	GFS229
Gender, Sexuality and Islam
35358D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	14 of 17	Sara Haq	VPD107
Representing the Holocaust
35359D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Sharon Gillerman	VKC255
Classics in Greek Literature and Philosophy
35360D	001	Lecture	1:00-1:50pm	MWF	17 of 17	Kevin Robb	VKC261
Eastern European Crime Stories: Legal Fiction Crime to Punishment
35362D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 18	Anna Krakus	VKC257
The Power of Stories: Tribal Identity in Contemporary America
35364D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 18	Antonio Idini	VKC206	Word (42518 KB)
The Familiar Stranger: Cuban Culture in the American Imaginary
35365D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	19 of 19	Ivette Gomez	VKC106
Culture, Conformity, Revolt
35366D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	17 of 17	David Rollo	VKC259
Stranger at Home
35367D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 18	Natalie Belisle	VKC110	Word (33618 KB)
Philosophy and the Emotions
35370D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 19	Jacob Ross	GFS228
Poetry, Blackness, and Social Change
35371D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Tue, Thu	16 of 18	Zakiyyah Iman Jackson	GFS218
The Mahabharata: India's Epic in Film, Television, and Novels
35372D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Tue, Thu	17 of 19	Christopher Fleming	LVL3Y
The Uncanny in Medieval and Renaissance Europe
35373D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Thea Tomaini	VKC210
The Apocalypse in Literature, Art, and Film
35374D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Michael Du Plessis	THH217
Crime and Punishment in Los Angeles
35376D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 19	Melissa Daniels-Rauterkus	GFS229	PDF (1514117 MB)
On Beauty
35377D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Tue, Thu	15 of 17	Daniel Tiffany	GFS228
Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Magical Realism
35378D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Tue, Thu	14 of 17	Marjorie Becker	VKC209
Japanese Fiction and Film
35379D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	David Bialock	VKC255
Ultra-Close Readings of the Hebrew Scriptures
35380D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Mon, Wed	10 of 17	Bruce Zuckerman	GFS229
Transpacific Media and the Global Imagination
35381D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 19	Viola Lasmana	GFS228
Utopias--Imagining Reform
35382D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 18	Karin Amundsen	VKC202	Word (36872 KB)
Christianity in the Roman Empire
35383D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Mon, Wed	13 of 17	Sheila Briggs	VKC255	Word (125151 KB)
Humans and Animals in Classical Literature and Beyond
35385D	001	Lecture	TBA	TBA	0 of 1	Lucas Herchenroeder	OFFICE
Decline and Fall
35386D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Frederic Clark	VKC200
The Theater of Ancient Rome
35387D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Tue, Thu	15 of 17	Anthony Boyle	VKC255
On Beauty
35388D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Tue, Thu	14 of 17	Daniel Tiffany	GFS228
Self and Society in Ancient Athenian Drama
35389D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Tue, Thu	12 of 17	Vincent Farenga	THH117
Language, Law and Literature
35390D	001	Lecture	5:00-6:20pm	Mon, Wed	19 of 19	Sandra Disner	VKC254
Indian Images
35392D	001	Lecture	5:00-6:20pm	Tue, Thu	16 of 17	Ketaki Pant	THH213
Globalization's Deep History
35393D	001	Lecture	5:00-6:20pm	Tue, Thu	14 of 19	Ashley Cohen	LVL3Y
Arab-Jewish Relations in the Holy Land
35395D	001	Lecture	6:30-7:50pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 19	Mostafa Hussein	LVL3V

GESM 121g: Seminar in Humanistic Inquiry (4.0 units)

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.

Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Freshmen
General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.

Section	Session	Type	Time	Days	Registered	Instructor	Location
Ethics of Science and Technology
35400D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 19	Elisa Warford	GFS229
Science, Literature and Ethics
35401D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Amy Schroeder	GFS229

GESM 130g: Seminar in Social Analysis (4.0 units)

Individual and collective human action as it shapes and is shaped by economic organizations, political institutions, and broad social and cultural settings. (Satisfies GE-C, Social Analysis) Open only to Freshmen.

Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Freshmen
General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.

Section	Session	Type	Time	Days	Registered	Instructor	Location	Syllabus
Politics, Emotions and Language
35424D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	17 of 18	Nina Eliasoph	WPH206
Violence, Antiviolence and Social Justice
35425D	001	Lecture	8:30-9:50am	Mon, Wed	17 of 17	Michael Messner	VKC111
Archaeology in the Popular Imagination
35427D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Kenneth Seligson	VKC254	PDF (412133 KB)
Californians and Water
35428D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Sayd Randle	LVL3Y
How Water Made Modern Los Angeles
35430D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Audra Bardsley	VKC255	PDF (133987 KB)
Trojan Archaeology--The Archaeology of Us
35431D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Kenneth Seligson	VKC254	PDF (371816 KB)
Turkey--The Failure of a Democracy
35432D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	15 of 17	Mehmet Birdal	VKC254
Culture Detectives--Historical Archaeology in the Americas
35434D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Mon, Wed	19 of 19	Tracie Mayfield	VKC254
How Water Made Modern Los Angeles
35435D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Audra Bardsley	VKC254	PDF (133789 KB)
Language, Race and Identity in the United States Today
35437D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Mon, Wed	19 of 19	Sarah Benor	LVL3Y
Early Gay History in L.A.
35438D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Tue, Thu	15 of 15	Joseph Hawkins	VKC254
Music and Class in American Society
35439D	001	Lecture	3:30-4:50pm	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Daniela Levy	THH205
Food--Then and Now
35440D	001	Lecture	5:00-6:20pm	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Jessica Kanoski	VKC202

GESM 131g: Seminar in Social Analysis (4.0 units)

The causes and consequences of social phenomena; quantitative and qualitative methods of the social sciences; how people behave and influence the world through cultural forms. Offered by a professional school.

Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Freshmen
General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.

Section	Session	Type	Time	Days	Registered	Instructor	Location	Syllabus
Los Angeles as a City
35441D	001	Lecture	8:00-9:20am	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Martin Krieger	VKC111	Word (30350 KB)
The Art and Science of Decision Making
35442D	001	Lecture	8:30-9:50am	Mon, Wed	18 of 18	Cheryl Wakslak	SOSB47
The Bilingual-Bicultural Experience in America--A Focus on Latinos
35443D	001	Lecture	8:30-9:50am	Mon, Wed	19 of 19	Eugenia Mora-Flores	LVL3Y	PDF (161719 KB)
Witnessing: Media, Memory and Social Justice
35444D	001	Lecture	9:30-10:50am	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Christopher Smith	ANN209
The Educational Experience of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
35445D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	16 of 17	Ruth Chung	LVL3V
The Health of Populations--Epidemics and Their Causes
35446D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Richard Watanabe	LVL3V
The Art and Science of Decision Making
35447D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	19 of 19	Cheryl Wakslak	SOSB47
Making Better Worlds -- Collective Occupations and Social Transformations
35448D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 19	Gelya Frank	LVL3Y
Infrastructure, Energy, and Society
35449D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 19	Edward Maby, Julie Albright	VKC254	PDF (177974 KB)

GESM 140g: Seminar in the Life Sciences (4.0 units)

Scientific understanding of a full range of living systems from molecules to ecosystems, prokaryotes to humans, past and present. (Satisfies GE-D, Life Sciences) Open only to Freshmen.

Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Freshmen
General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.

Section	Session	Type	Time	Days	Registered	Instructor	Location
Language and the Age of the Internet
35462D	001	Lecture	11:00-12:20pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Elsi Kaiser	GFS228
The Physics of Life
35463D	001	Lecture	2:00-3:20pm	Mon, Wed	18 of 18	James Boedicker	WPHB36

GESM 141g: Seminar in the Life Sciences (4.0 units)

Scientific understanding of living systems from molecules to ecosystems; how data is generated and interpreted; how scientific discovery spurs technological growth and impacts society. Offered by a professional school.

Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Freshmen
General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.

Section	Session	Type	Time	Days	Registered	Instructor	Location
Personality Across the Lifespan
35465D	001	Lecture	5:00-6:20pm	Mon, Wed	19 of 19	Aaron Hagedorn	GER224
The Mind and Body Connection Through the Lifespan
35466D	001	Lecture	5:00-6:20pm	Tue, Thu	19 of 19	Aaron Hagedorn	GER224

GESM 160g: Seminar in Quantitative Reasoning (4.0 units)

Analysis and manipulation of data and information related to quantifiable objects, symbolic elements, or logic; formal reasoning, abstract representation, and empirical analysis. (Satisfies GE-F, Quantitative Reasoning). Open only to Freshmen.

Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Freshmen
General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.

Section	Session	Type	Time	Days	Registered	Instructor	Location
The Mathematics of Secret Codes from Caesar to the RSA
35480D	001	Lecture	11:00-11:50am	MWF	18 of 18	David Crombecque	VKC255
Mathematics for Earthling Ambassadors to Outer Space
35483R	001	Lecture	10:00-10:50am	MWF	9 of 15	Neelesh Tiruviluamala	VKC104

GESM 161g: Seminar in Quantitative Reasoning (4.0 units)

Logical or statistical inference, probability, or mathematical analysis used as tools to evaluate hypotheses, claims, questions, or problems within a formal mode of thought. Offered by a professional school.

Restriction: Registration open to the following class level(s): Freshmen
General Education: This course satisfies the university's general education requirement.

Section	Session	Type	Time	Days	Registered	Instructor	Location	Syllabus	Info
Mind, Belief and Behavior: Learning about Learning
35490D	001	Lecture	12:30-1:50pm	Tue, Thu	18 of 18	Gale Sinatra	LVL3Y

Information accurate as of January 29, 2019 1:53 pm.
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