HUM Note 1. Completion of the First-Year Composition requirement is a prerequisite for all English courses above the 100 level.
HUM 110 Contemporary Issues in Humanities. (3)
fall and spring only
Responses of literature, art history, history, philosophy, religion, and other disciplines to common problems affecting modern American life.
General Studies: HU
HUM 194 Special Topics in the Humanities. (1–4)
not regularly offered
Open to all students. Possible topics:
| (a) | American Fine Arts. (3) |
| (b) | Comparative Fine and Performing Arts. (3) |
| (c) | Cultures of Ethnic Minorities. (3) |
| (d) | Non-Western Cultures. (3) |
| (e) | Western Historical or Contemporary Cultures. (3) |
HUM 200 Encountering the Humanities. (3)
fall and spring only
Introduction to the languages, methods, and objectives of the study of the interdisciplinary humanities. Intersections of ideas, values, and cultural institutions. Lecture, studio, workshop. Prerequisite: Humanities major.
General Studies: HU
HUM 260 Introduction to Islam. (3)
spring only
Examination of Islamic beliefs, ceremonies, festivals, and institutions. Course assumes no prior knowledge about Islam. Lecture, discussion. Cross-listed as REL 260. Credit is allowed for only HUM 260 or REL 260.
HUM 294 Special Topics in the Humanities. (1–4)
not regularly offered
Open to all students. Possible topics:
| (a) | American Fine Arts. (3) |
| (b) | Comparative Fine and Performing Arts. (3) |
| (c) | Cultures of Ethnic Minorities. (3) |
| (d) | Film and Media Studies. (3) |
| (e) | Non-Western Cultures. (3) |
HUM 301 Humanities in the Western World. (4)
fall only
Interrelation of arts and ideas in Western Civilization, Hellenic through medieval. 3 hours lecture, 1 discussion meeting per week.
General Studies: L/HU, H
HUM 302 Humanities in the Western World. (4)
spring only
Interrelation of arts and ideas in Western Civilization, Renaissance to the present. 3 hours lecture, 1 discussion meeting per week.
General Studies: L/HU, H
HUM 310 Japanese Cities and Cultures to 1800. (3)
spring only
Relations among ideas and literary, visual, and performing arts of the ancient aristocracy, medieval samurai, and early modern townspeople. Cross-listed as REL 355. Credit is allowed for only HUM 310 or REL 355.
General Studies: L/HU, H
HUM 312 Interpreting China’s Classics. (3)
not regularly offered
Study of select Confucian and/or Taoist classics and ways they have been read in both Asian and Western scholarship. Cross-listed as HIS 312. Credit is allowed for only HIS 312 or HUM 312.
General Studies: L/HU, H
HUM 331 Sexuality, Race, and Power. (3)
fall only
Sexuality as an expression of identity politics, social transgression, and racial inequality, as portrayed in international literature, art, and film. Lecture, discussion.
HUM 340 Contemporary American Film and Popular Culture. (3)
fall only
Study of American film, television, and popular music of past three decades as cultural documents.
General Studies: HU
HUM 371 Origins, Evolution, and Creation. (3)
fall only
Examines scientific, mythic, and religious ideas relating to origins (particularly human). Place of antievolutionism and “scientific creationism” in American culture. Lecture, discussion. Cross-listed as BIO 344/HPS 311/REL 383. Credit is allowed for only BIO 344 or HPS 311 or HUM 371 or REL 383.
HUM 372 The Darwinian Revolution. (3)
spring only
Intellectual and cultural history of Darwinism and modern evolutionary theory and their impact on 19th- and 20th-century thought. Lecture, discussion. Cross-listed as BIO 346/HPS 332. Credit is allowed for only BIO 346 or HPS 332 or HUM 372.
HUM 394 Special Topics in the Humanities. (1–4)
not regularly offered
Open to all students. Possible topics:
| (a) | Art and Politics. (3) |
| (b) | Culture and Society of Contemporary China. (3) |
| (c) | Immigration and Ethnicity in American Culture. (3) |
| (d) | The Holocaust and Social Theory. (3) |
HUM 401 The Culture and Legacy of the European Enlightenment. (3)
spring only
Historical survey of 18th-century European enlightenment and its status within contemporary intellectual culture. Lecture, discussion.
General Studies: HU, H
HUM 420 Interpreting Latin America. (3)
spring only
Introduction to protocols and methodologies for cultural interpretation of Latin America, with emphasis on four principal cities as cultural space.
General Studies: HU, G, H
HUM 440 Los Angeles and Cultural Theory. (3)
spring only
Analysis of representations of Los Angeles in literary, film, and musical texts and broader implications for contemporary American society.
General Studies: L/HU, C
HUM 441 American Jewry Through Film and TV. (3)
fall only
Examines the connection between Jews and the entertainment industry with reference to the constructions of race, class, and ethnicity. Lecture, discussion.
HUM 450 Technology and Culture. (3)
spring only
Explores sociocultural, ideological, and postmodern implications of technology and the role technology plays in social constructions as well as the spaces it creates. Seminar discussion.
General Studies: L/HU
HUM 451 Virtual Reality: The Culture of Cyberspace. (3)
once a year
Socioeconomic, cultural, aesthetic, postmodern, theoretical, and human implications of virtual reality technologies. Themes: cultural ideological productions of cyberspace. Collaborative and research based.
HUM 460 Postmodern Culture and Interpretation. (3)
not regularly offered
Currents and interpretations of postmodern culture; international, comparative perspective on the culture and traditions of contemporary “Europes” and “Americas.” Seminar discussion.
General Studies: L
HUM 461 Postcolonial Studies. (3)
not regularly offered
Interdisciplinary approach to the culture of European imperialism, independence movements, and contemporary postcolonial societies, focusing on literature, film, and theory. Lecture, discussion.
HUM 462 Psychoanalysis and Culture. (3)
fall only
Introduction to intellectual history of psychoanalytic movement of the 20th century and its contribution to humanities disciplines.
General Studies: L/HU/SB
HUM 465 Narrative in the Human Sciences. (3)
fall only
Theories of narrative and narrativity in the humanities, concentrating on the problems of specific disciplines and interdisciplinary solutions.
General Studies: L/HU
HUM 494 Special Topics in the Humanities. (1–4)
not regularly offered
Open to all students. Possible topics:
| (a) | Comedy and Culture. (3) |
| (b) | Global Media Studies. (3) |
| (c) | Italian/American Culture. (3) |
| (d) | Uses and Abuses of Classical Antiquity. (3) |
HUM 498 Pro-Seminar in the Humanities. (1–7)
fall and spring only
Methodologies and comparative theories for the study of relationships between various aspects of culture, the history of ideas, and the arts. For students with a major in humanities with upper-division standing. May be repeated for a total of 6 semester hours, when topics vary. Possible topics:
| (a) | Theory and Culture. (3) |
HUM 501 Introduction to Cultural Theory. (3)
fall only
Selective history of cultural theory. Major figures and topics include Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Phenomenology, Western Marxism, Structuralism, and Post-Structuralism. Seminar.
HUM 503 Research and Writing in the Humanities. (3)
fall only
Systematic training in humanistic research and writing with particular attention to the interdisciplinary study of culture. Seminar.
HUM 511 Structures of Knowledge. (3)
fall only
Theories and examples of structures of knowledge, including such topics as metaphor, semiotics, and knowledge of the “other.”
HUM 512 Writing Cultures. (3)
spring only
Theories and methods of representing Western and non-Western cultures in literature, history, ethnography, and pictorial media.
HUM 513 Interpretation of Cultures. (3)
once a year
Methodologies and comparative theories for the study of relationships between various aspects of culture, the history of ideas, and the arts. May be repeated for a total of 6 semester hours, when topics vary.
HUM 549 Contemporary Critical Theory. (3)
once a year
Advanced survey of major schools of 20th-century literary and critical theory. Lecture, discussion. Cross-listed as ENG 502. Credit is allowed for only ENG 502 or HUM 549. See HUM Note 1.
HUM 591 Seminar. (1–12)
once a year
Possible topics:
| (a) | Cultural Productions. (3) |
| (b) | Theory and Culture. (3) |
| (c) | Tragedy: Meaning and Form. (3) |
HUM 598 Special Topics in the Humanities. (1–4)
not regularly offered
Open to all students. Possible topics:
| (a) | Comparative Fine and Performing Arts. (3) |
| (b) | Cultures of Ethnic Minorities. (3) |
| (c) | Film and Media Studies. (3) |
| (d) | Non-Western Cultures. (3) |
| (e) | Western Historical or Contemporary Cultures. (3) |
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