Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS)

Provides students with an overview of environmental philosophy, policy, and literature examining a range of interrelated social and scientific aspects of ecological, socioeconomic, political, aesthetic, and technological factors that influence the quality of life on earth.

Offered Fall, Spring, Summer

Offered Infrequent

A broad study of an issue or a concept in Interdisciplinary Studies that is of special interest to faculty and students. Topics vary (e.g., Special Topics: Labor and the Environment, Environmental Ethics, Global Sustainability; Environmental Literature; Water in the American West). Repeatable course. Three hours of lecture per week.

Offered Fall

Provides an introduction to the theories and practices of interdisciplinary studies in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Course includes research methods, writing for the various disciplines, and development of analytical and synthesizing skills necessary for success in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Offered Fall

Explores issues confronting our global community by employing multi-disciplinary, transnational, and post colonial approaches; examines how global studies is defined and its impact historically and currently; acquaints students with regional concerns as distinct from and contributing to global issues.

Offered Fall, Spring

Examines the history of climate science and how acceptance and denial of science impacts the geopolitical landscape, including personal, regional, national, and global responsibility to implement a transition to a just and sustainable future on a finite planet.

Offered Fall, Spring

Each topic for this course examines an important issue in the Humanities, using a methodology incorporating multiple disciplines and placing the content in a historical and cultural context.

Offered Fall, Spring

An examination of crime in Los Angeles across fiction, non-fiction, and film, especially the LA noir tradition. Particular attention is paid to gender, race, and class and their accompanying disclosures and how crime stories mediate these discourses.

From a interdisciplinary perspective, this class will examine the intersections of race and popular culture. By doing so, this course will explore how popular culture is central to negotiating racial meaning in American society.

Each topic for this course examines an important social issue in the Social Sciences, using a methodology incorporating multidisciplinary approaches, cultural diversity, and social interaction. Repeatable for credit with different topics.

Offered Fall, Spring

Provides an in-depth study of a topic in human behavior and attitudes. The topic will be examined using interdisciplinary perspectives. Examples of topics include class and careers, immigration and cultural impact and poverty. Repeatable course. Three hours of seminar per week.

Offered Fall, Spring, All terms

How does a locality - Los Angeles - become identifiable as a global city? One aspect of LA's global status is its diverse population, but other influences include international trade, economic interests, popular culture, environmental entanglements, among many interrelated globalizing factors.

Offered Fall, Spring

Using literature, film, and other visual an narrative forms, course explores the differences and commonalities of representation in the works of the human imagination in a global and historical context.

Offered Fall, Spring

This course examines the key issues that are tied to American consumerism including advertising, class identity, globalization, the impact on the environment. Additionally, this course will pay close attention to how race, gender, and class intersect with consumerism.

Examines the emergence and development of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights movements around the world. Course themes include the intersectionalities of race/ethnicity and class with gender and sexuality; the dynamic nature of identity; and cultural, political, religious, and historical contexts.

Offered Fall, Spring

Special Topics course using nonstandard times and/or days to explore issues in the human behavior and attitudes. Repeatable course.

Offered Fall, Spring, All terms

Provides an in-depth analysis of a major topic in the history of ideas and institutions through the study of the topic in relation to the disciplines relevant to the topic. Sample topics include archetypal patterns in literature and history of modern thought. Repeatable course.

Offered Fall, Spring, Summer, All terms

Using social science methods and providing an historical context, course explores ways in which globalization may generate social, political, economic, or environmental pressures and conflicts as well as elicit and even enable cooperation among individuals, localities, regions, and nations.

Offered Fall, Spring

Provides an in-depth analysis of an issue, region, perspective, or historical era of the United States from a comparative, multidisciplinary humanities perspective. Courses incorporate some of the following disciplines: literature, history, film, philosophy, art, and drama. Repeatable with different topics.

Offered Fall, Spring, All terms

Offered Infrequent

Introduces writing concepts critical to transitioning into a professional writing an practice. Students will learn to recognize and apply patterns of writing in professional settings. Students will assess and synthesize organizational information and compose digitial compositions for public facing content.

Offered Fall, Spring

Provides an in-depth examination of major concepts in environmental science, including ecology, evolution, diseases, loss of biodiversity, global warming, and the public policies needed to address complex contemporary problems. Courses involve methods of scientific inquiry. Repeatable with different topics.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisites: Upper division status and permission of instructor. This course will investigate one or more special topics in Western and/or Non Western civilizations. Instruction will usually include off-campus activity such as, but not limited to, foreign travel. Repeatable course

Offered Infrequent

Intensive study of a particular aspect of interdisciplinarity. Topic may provide the opportunity to pursue a creative endeavor in a seminar setting. Repeatable for credit. Exact topic will be listed in the class schedule.

Offered As needed

Prerequisites: ENG 108/109 or ENG 110 required. IDS 397 and IDS 398 are two linked courses that provide the opportunity for students to develop a writing practice that allows them to ¿situate themselves as writers, readers, and students within broader disciplinary conversations.¿ Students will become fluent readers and writers across a variety of disciplines as they establish a writing practice. Students will learn and apply theories and scholarship from a variety of disciplines in order to write original essays and/or research projects. At the end of the IDS 397, students will create a writing portfolio to document the transformation of their writing. Students are welcome to take IDS 397 as a stand-alone course for writing support. To fulfill the GWAR requirement, students must take IDS 397 and IDS 398.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisite: IDS 397. IDS 397 and IDS 398 are two linked courses that provide the opportunity for students to develop a writing practice that allows them to situate themselves as writers, readers, and students within broader disciplinary conversations.Students will become fluent readers and writers across a variety of disciplines as they establish a writing practice. Students will learn and apply theories and scholarship from a variety of disciplines in order to write original essays and/or research projects. At the end of the IDS 398 students will create a writing portfolio to document the transformation of their writing. When both IDS 397 and IDS 398 are taken, the two courses fulfill GWAR.

Offered Fall, Spring

Students draw from their interdisciplinary perspectives and methodologies to address contemporary issues and review and apply theories and information from previous classes. A grade of C or better in this course fulfills the GWAR requirement for all Interdisciplinary Studies majors.

Offered Infrequent

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Supervised development of a proposal which describes the Thematic Project. Proposal will define a problem, outline means to solve problem and describe the final product resulting from the project. Completed proposal contain advisor's justification and will be approved by committee. CR/NC grading.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Supervised activity in fieldwork and/or research necessary to carry through a thematic project. Repeatable course.

Offered Infrequent

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Supervised activity in preparation of the final product necessary to carry through a thematic project. Repeatable course.

Offered Infrequent

Independent pursuit of a topic or project which is proposed by the student. Study must be interdisciplinary and must be approved, in advance, by faculty member supervising study. Repeatable course.

Offered Infrequent

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. The student develops and completes an individual study under faculty supervision. Repeatable course.

Offered Infrequent