USC Schedule of Classes

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

Exploration of one or more major traditions of visual culture in Asia through cross-cultural, interdisciplinary perspectives.

Examines the relation between U.S. national culture, race, and popular culture.

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

Ancient Roman values, ideas, and institutions of relevance to later periods of civilization.

Tragedies and comedies of the ancient world; later influences.

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.

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

An issues-based introduction to critical theory in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, especially as it relates to philosophy, art, design, and visual culture.

A critical history of art, design, visual culture, and visual theory since 1960, addressing through a postcolonial/decolonial lens the concepts and practices of "global" art.

Fundamentals course on the elements of scene writing, story structure, and character development.

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.

An introduction to and overview of the contemporary cinemas of East Asia: China (Hong Kong, the People's Republic, and Taiwan), Japan, and Korea.

Comparative approach and general introduction to literature and cinema from the four major nations of maritime Southeast Asia (Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia).

Characteristics and aspects of Chinese civilization;interpretation of philosophy, literature, religion, art, music.Conducted in English.

Introduction to the pleasures and power of poetry, exploring elements drawn from high-points of English poetry, and the lives and works of major poets. (Duplicates credit in ARLT 101g)

An exploration of the culture, vibrance, heritage, mythology, variety, and pathology of a city that was born in hopes and captured the worlds imagination. Duplicates credit in ARLT 101g.

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

Intensive reading of major writers to 1800.

Intensive reading of major writers, 18001950.

Intensive reading of representative writers.

Introduction to major forms, styles and theories of narrative, with attention to characterization, plot, genres, ethics, empathy, perspective, audience and social conditions.

An introduction to the close reading of fiction and the understanding of the genre as an aesthetic and historical phenomenon.

Questions of gay and lesbian identity, expression and experience in a variety of literary and cultural forms; emphasis on sexual politics, equality and difference.

Literary travel using novels to explore regional culture and unify the study of literature, history, geography, politics and social studies.

Study of prose written in English since 1945, principally fiction of the past two decades.

Study of poetry written in English since 1945, with special emphasis on the last two decades.

Study of post-colonialism as a ferment for literary creation in the literature of French expression from Africa, the Caribbean and Canada. Conducted in French.

Study of health, the body and medicine through literature and culture in comparative fashion. Taught in English.

An exploration into how genocides and episodes of mass violence have been thought about, remembered and expressed in France and the Francophone world. Conducted in English.

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

The social, political, religious, intellectual and cultural landscapes of Europe and the Mediterranean, c. 300 to c. 1400.

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

The Enlightenment, French Revolution, industrialization, Darwinism, socialism, nationalism, technological revolutions, mass culture, imperialism, race, fascism, communism, world wars, genocide, migration, the Cold War, terrorism.

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

History of United States citizenship from its origins to the present day, with particular attention to relationship between law and culture.

A thematic approach to California history from precontact to present; focus on peoples, environment, economic, social, and cultural development, politics, and rise to global influence.

Overview of the history of the Ottomans and their imperial subjects.

An interdisciplinary introduction to the literary, artistic, and political movements which contributed to the shaping of modern Italy. Taught in English.

Interdisciplinary exploration of gender and sexuality in Italian renaissance literature and visual arts by male and female authors and artists from the fourteenth through the sixteenth century.

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.

Examines contemporary Arab state-society relations using literature to illustrate how people construct meanings and portray issues of national, social, and cultural significance.

A topical study of critical issues and cultural relationships found in music from antiquity to the present and across musical genres and styles.

Introduction to the central philosophical works that have shaped western thought. Includes ancient, early modern and contemporary writings.

Introduction to the central ideas of philosophy, science, politics and economics in western European history between 1450 and 1800.

Explores writings of ancient philosophers who first raised, and continue to influence our thinking about, fundamental questions concerning nature, knowledge, justice, happiness and death.

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)

Introduces and explores philosophical and ethical questions and theories related to technology, including biomedical technologies, internet applications and artificial intelligence.

Follows the trajectories of Jews across the Middle East as they navigated the challenges of modernity and changing relationships with their Muslim neighbors.

Examination of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in their origins and their development in relation to Western civilization.

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

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

Dostoevsky's novels as psychological and philosophical analyses of modern alienated man. Readings in Dostoevsky and selections from Gide, Kafka, Camus, and Sartre. Conducted in English.

Introduction to the cultural history of Spain, Portugal and Latin America with a focus on literature and visual works from the early-modern period to the twenty-first century.

Emergence of feminist thought from the Enlightenment to the present; historical development of female subjectivity; advancement of womens rights; feminisms from alternative ideological perspectives.