Course descriptions for Human Communication

Through portfolio assessment, introduces students to college-level reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critical thinking. Further develops reading skills through an examination of unique, transnational values represented in all literary genres from throughout the world. Develops the capability to understand, analyze, interpret, and appreciate literature of diverse cultures through written responses, oral presentations, and research papers. (Offered every semester.)

Studies a particular topic in Human Communication. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

Opportunities for independent field research projects involving oral history, social action writing, archival research, or investigative journalism.

Student and faculty member select topic of study and number of credits.

Through portfolio assessment, introduces students to college-level reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Further develops reading skills through a focus on divergent perspectives. Emphasizes the writing process to develop writings and a research paper. Develops empathic and critical listening skills through class discussion, peer workshops, interviews, and group presentations within a collaborative, interactive, and intercultural environment. (Offered every semester.)

Introduces students to college-level reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Explores issues of identity, diversity, social justice, and service learning through academic study and participation in local community service settings. Further develops reading skills through a focus on divergent perspectives on themes of social responsibility, literacy, and educational equity. Emphasizes the writing process and develops empathic and critical listening skills through class discussion, peer workshops, community service, and group presentations within a collaborative, interactive, and intercultural environment. Requires a minimum of 30 hours community service work in addition to class time. (Offered every year.)

Introduction to practical reasoning and argumentation. Students develop empathic and critical listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills for cooperative deliberation and problem solving practices. They anticipate and assess various perspectives, alternatives, and their consequences for all who are affected by the decision-making process. (Offered every semester.)

Introduction to the ethics of communication practices. Students identify and evaluate communication dilemmas in interpersonal, small group, intercultural, organizational or mass media contexts; they assess communicative options from different ethical frameworks and apply ethical and effective alternatives in written, oral or visual communication modes; they generate a personal and communal ethic to guide communication conduct. (Offered every year.)

Introduction to the dynamics of interpersonal communication and conflict resolution. Students identify and evaluate interpersonal conflicts, assess communicative options from different ethical frameworks and apply ethical and effective alternatives through conflict management and resolution practices in both oral and written communication contexts. (Offered every year.)

Examines unique and transnational cultural values represented in novels, short stories, poetry, plays, and film from Africa, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Develops the capability to understand, analyze, interpret, and appreciate literature and diverse cultural forms, including film, as artistic and cultural representation. Meets the Subject Matter Requirement for the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential for English/Literature. (Offered every semester.)

Introduces literary analysis through readings of selected American writers. Examines these writers' cultural heritage and traditions. Develops analytical and critical reading ability of literature through discussion of themes, characters, techniques, images, and structures. Explores the symbiotic relationship between literature and film in transmitting cultural values. (Offered every semester.)

Afro Cuba Hip Hop - Music and Dance in the Black Atlantic: A course about the social history of music and dance forms from throughout the African Diaspora. Students learn specific styles from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil and the United States including Afro-Cuban liturgical dance, rumba, salsa, samba, and hip hop. Practice enriches theory, as students actually dance the music they study. By the end of the course students will become familiar with basic concepts in African Diaspora music and dance (e.g., call and response, improvisation, etc.), be able to identify and analyze trends therein and have developed a choreography based on the movements taught in class. Fulfills ULR outcomes in Lit and Pop Culture and Creative and Artistic Expression.

A multicultural literature course that focuses on poetry as artistic and cultural representation. Students read works by poets of many cultures, watch poets read and talk about their work on video, and create their own original poetry. Students develop the tools to do literary and cultural analysis of poetry, as well as write their own poems. (Offered every semester.)

Introduces the craft of writing poetry and fiction. Students learn the basic tools to write about the environment. Cross-cultural readings and workshop format. (Offered every other year.)

An introduction to the craft of writing fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry through studies, discussions, and exercises using models of Chicana/o and Latino/o creative writing. Students produce works in English and/or Spanish and discuss problems and issues present in Chicana/o and Latina/o creative production within a mutually supportive workshop environment. (Offered every year.)

Examines the creative process and its application to social action. Uses guest writers and artists from local communities, videos, fieldtrips, and cross-cultural readings to understand and analyze creativity and social action. Students produce collaborative creative projects. (Offered every two years.)

Traces the history of cross-cultural contact in the North American continent from the colonial period to the present. The course focuses on the formation and evolution of American cultures and identities, emanating from the lived experiences of everyday people. Students explore these histories using an interdisciplinary framework of United States multicultural heritages. (Offered every other year.)

Introduces the basic concepts and perspectives in multicultural feminisms with special emphasis on the changing status of women in relationship to the U.S. and California Constitutions and political life. This learning experience provides the opportunity for students to develop analyses of the current political conditions for women and to strategize their own political participation in relation to these conditions. (Offered every other year.)

Examines and compares the political experiences, cultural practices, and literary expressions of diverse Latino populations in the U.S. Topics include immigration, citizenship, demographics, work, religion, education, language, gender, and cultural rights. Readings include ethnographies, histories, novels, and films. Students design political projects. Crosslisted with SBS 244. (Offered every other year.)

Introduces students to the historical experiences of Chicana/Chicano communities in the United States and in transnational context. Students develop their skills of interpretation and analysis as they reconsider the span of U.S. history, movements for justice and equality, and the daily experiences of communities of color in the Americas. (Offered every semester.)

(Formerly titled Intr. African Diaspora Studies) Examines how historical, cultural, and social processes have influenced the development of African diaspora communities in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Special attention will be given to the impact of race and culture on the formation of diasporic communities. Satisfies the ULR requirements in Literature & Popular Culture and Culture & Equity. (Offered every year.)

Survey United States social and cultural history of the 20th century as analyzed through some of its popular music. Students use various methods employed by ethnic studies, history, and literature frameworks to analyze the roles that popular culture plays in the modern U.S. experience. Special emphasis is placed on the experiences of communities of color. (Offered every two years.)

Meets the Subject Matter Requirement for the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential for U.S. history. Covers a time period from the Colonial Era, the War of Independence and the Early Republic, Manifest Destiny and the expansion westward, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Immigration at the turn-of-the-century and the response of Nativists, Industrialization and Urbanization, through the Progressive Era. Takes a multicultural perspective and looks at the histories of diverse peoples in the struggle to realize democracy and freedom. Develops historical thinking skills as students deepen their understanding of the cultural, economic, political and social dynamics that characterized each era. (Offered every year.)

Explores the complex histories of the diverse peoples of the United States from the U.S.-Mexican War to the present. Examines the past through the eyes of people often excluded from national narratives. Includes autobiographies, music, films and on-line field research. (Offered every other year.)

Explores the historical, philosophical, and cultural roots of the major post-WWII social movements impacting communities of color. Topics include Civil Rights Movement, Black Power Movement, American Indian Movement, Chicana/o Student Movement, Boricua Movement, Asian American Movement, and the modern-day white supremacist movements. (Offered every other year.)

Explores the impact of movements for social and political justice on the interpretation and content of the U.S. Constitution. Students will develop their ethical understandings of democratic participation through historical and contemporary texts and then apply these new understandings through the creation of collective political projects. (Offered every semester.)

Examines the changing meanings of democracy and freedom in the histories of the United States, looking carefully at political relations among the diverse social groups in the United States from multicultural perspectives. Introduces students to historical and contemporary philosophies of the U.S. and California Constitutions, as well as cultural and political meanings of citizenship. Emphasizes critical reading, writing, and hands-on experience with the tools of historical research and political action. (Offered every semester.)

Historical view of the United States through analysis of the political process from the Revolutionary War and drafting of the Constitution to the social movements of the 20th century, with emphasis on the Bill of Rights and the guarantees won by the citizens through courts, political participation, and civil disobedience. (Offered every other year.)

Prepares students to write news articles for the mass media. Covers concepts of journalistic interviewing, information gathering, critical understanding of news sources, ethical decision making, and the process of writing news, editorial, and feature articles for print and electronic media. Otter Realm students are strongly encouraged to enroll. (Offered every year.)

Introduces the use of photography as a tool in reporting and interpreting news for print media. Students learn basic camera techniques and concepts of visual storytelling. Outcomes include learning to photograph subjects for the news media and telling stories through photography. (Offered every year.)

Introduces interdisciplinary, outcomes-based education in the humanities and communication. Explores content in the major learning outcomes and investigates the areas of specialization in the degree's concentrations. Students develop Individual Learning Plans. Examines opportunities in graduate education as well as related professional and career paths. (Offered every semester.)

Required lab course for HCOM 300. Enables students to develop and implement research plans and use technology specifically related to interdisciplinary humanities to present research findings. Helps students: deal with ethical issues related to computers and use of information; use spreadsheets to calculate GPA and units; design Individual Learning Plans (ILP); and develop a digital portfolio. (Offered every semester.)

Surveys the changing relationships among knowledge, truth, and reality in different cultural and historical contexts; investigates, evaluates, and apply different ways of knowing such as analytic, rational, creative, spiritual, emotional, and intersubjective to substantive topics or themes. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 4 or the concentrations in Practical and Professional Ethics, Pre-Law, or Writing and Rhetoric. (Offered every semester.)

Students survey ethical decision-making processes through the care, justice, and relational philosophical frameworks; they investigate, evaluate, and apply relational communication guidelines to the ethical dilemmas in interpersonal, small group, intercultural, and organizational situations. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 3 or the concentrations in Pre-Law or Practical and Professional Ethics. (Offered every other year.)

Explores theoretical explanations for the construction of gender. Identifies and examines the ways individuals communicate their gender identity to themselves and to others; identifies, examines, and analyzes the construction and communication of gender in media, interpersonal, intercultural, or rhetorical contexts in order to ethically and effectively interact with others. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 3 or the concentrations in Practical and Professional Ethics, Women's Studies, or Writing and Rhetoric. (Offered every other year.)

Explores the relationship between the mass media and contemporary social problems. Issues such as media violence are explored from the perspective of consumers. Outcomes include raising awareness of the impact of media messages, developing effective media literacy tools, and preparing to critically analyze the cultural products we consume. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or the concentrations in Practical and Professional Ethics or Journalism and Media Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Explores the relationship between the mass media and contemporary social problems. Issues such as media violence will be explored from the consumer's perspective. Outcomes include raising awareness of the impact of media messages, developing effective media literacy tools, and critically analyzing the cultural products we consume. Involves students in media literacy programs in local schools and community organizations. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or the concentrations in Practical and Professional Ethics or Journalism and Media Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Students study the historical construction of white identity and racial privilege in the United States and its impact on contemporary intercultural communication dynamics; they investigate and evaluate communicative options for relating to whiteness and their implications for moral and relational conduct; and they develop ethical guidelines for intercultural communication practices. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 3 or the concentrations in Peace Studies, Comparative American Studies, Practical and Professional Ethics or Writing and Rhetoric. (Offered every other year.)

Students survey the history of free speech in the United States; they examine past and present controversies such as obscenity, hate speech, and media sensationalism; they identify, evaluate, and assess human rights and responsibilities surrounding the freedom of expression from various philosophical perspectives. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 3 or the concentrations in Pre-Law; Practical and Professional Ethics; Journalism and Media Studies or Writing and Rhetoric. (Offered every year.)

Develop and apply abilities in oral and written communication and related critical thinking skills. Develops empathic and critical listening, reading, viewing, writing, and speaking skills for deliberation, problem solving, and community building. Students apply and assess reasoning and argumentative skills in oral, written, and visual communication contexts on various topics. For Liberal Studies students only. (Offered every semester.)

Introductes cooperative argumentation. Develops empathic and critical listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills for cooperative deliberation and problem solving practices; applies and assesses reasoning and argumentative skills in oral and written communication contexts on various topics. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 1 or the concentrations in Peace Studies, Pre-Law, Practical and Professional Ethics or Writing and Rhetoric. (Offered every semester.)

Alternative portfolio-based assessment of the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR). Provides no instruction in writing, oral communication, or critical thinking. Assumes students have already attained mastery of the outcomes. It is not an independent study. GWAR is required to graduate and should be completed at the beginning of the junior year. The recommended pathway for the fulfillment of GWAR is a GWAR-certified course. Students who believe they have completed written work that demonstrates fulfillment of the GWAR outcomes may seek instructor consent to enroll.

Develops media literacy and related knowledge, skills, and abilities. Explores implications of globalization on media production, distribution, and access, as well as on the content, context, consumption, and effects of media messages. Topics include media's role in democracy, what citizens have a right to expect from media and how media reflect and reinforce their social context. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or the concentrations in Journalism and Media Studies, or Practical and Professional Ethics. (Offered every year.)

Introduces students in a service learning context to writing conventions, contemporary composition theories, and major forms of written expression such as expressive, interpretive, technical, rhetorical, argumentative, invitational, and creative. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 1 or the concentration in Writing and Rhetoric. Meets the Single Subject in English Waiver Communication Skills Requirement and the Field Experience Requirement. (Offered every year.)

Introduces students to writing conventions, contemporary composition theories, and major forms of written expression such as expressive, interpretive, technical, rhetorical, argumentative, invitational, and creative. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 1 for Liberal Studies students only. (Offered every other year.)

Introduces the basic elements and diverse linguistic attributes of the English language, and language theories, including universals and differences. Commonly practiced grammatical concepts and conventions and theories of language acquisition are studied and applied within the contexts of imperialism and post-colonial analysis. Explores the dynamics of current issues in language, including the roles of grammar in the schools, language in advertising, and variations in language usage. Offers built-in assessment for the concentration in Writing and Rhetoric. Required for the Single Subject in English Waiver Language Theories and Praxis Requirement. (Offered every other year.)

Covers a diverse selection of rhetorical traditions from antiquity through contemporary times; investigates, analyzes, and evaluates major and recuperated historical figures and movements; explores the role of rhetoric in a variety of historical and cultural contexts; considers the relationships of rhetoric to epistemology, ethics, economics, spirituality, and politics. Offers build-in assessment for the concentrations in Practical and Professional Ethics or Writing and Rhetoric. (Offered every other year.)

Develops students' critical and analytical reading ability of literature from the perspective of the Asian American experience. Grounds the discussion of Asian American experiences, literatures, and cultures in history and theory. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentrations in Comparative American Studies, or Literary and Film Studies. A literature course from Literature/Popular Culture ULR is recommended. (Offered every year.)

Examines the history of American drama. Explores the diverse cultures that have contributed to the shaping of the American drama. Introduces students to literary analysis through the study of the dialogical relationship between the "logical core" and the "non-logical texture." Offers built in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentration in Literary and Film Studies. (Offered every year.)

Examines the development of African American and African diaspora literature. Explores the quintessential role African American and African diaspora literature and culture have played in the development of American mainstream literature, culture, and identity. Looks at vernacular tradition, the call and response practice, and the lyrics of the blues-infused, African American literary expression. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentrations in Africana Studies, Literary and Film Studies, Comparative American Studies or History, Oral History and New Media. (Offered every other year.)

Explores immigration to the United States from different cultural perspectives. Integrates a historiographic approach as the primary method for reading and critically interpreting immigrant narratives; uses historical events such as The Great Depression, World War I and II, and the Civil Rights Movement as markers for analyzing the texts. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentrations in Literary and Film Studies; Comparative American Studies; or History, Oral History & New Media Studies. Satisfactory completion of the U.S. Histories ULR, the Literature/Popular Culture ULR, and the Culture and Equity ULR also recommended. (Offered every other year.)

Explores immigration to the United States from different cultural perspectives. Integrates a historiographic approach as the primary method for reading and critically interpreting immigrant narratives; uses historical events such as The Great Depression, World War I and II, and the Civil Rights Movement as markers for analyzing the texts. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentrations in Literary and Film Studies; Comparative American Studies; or History, Oral History & New Media Studies. Satisfactory completion of the U.S. Histories ULR, the Literature/Popular Culture ULR, and the Culture and Equity ULR also recommended. (Offered every other year.)

Examines American literature through different historical periods, literary genres, and cultural movements. Develops ability to compare and contrast social, historical, and cultural experiences represented in literature. Students gain cross-cultural knowledge of American literary history, an introduction to literary theory, and further development of literary analysis skills. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentration in Literary and Film Studies. Meets the Single Subject in English Waiver Literary Histories, Theories, and Praxis Requirement. A literature course from the Literature/Popular Culture ULR is highly recommended. (Offered every other year.)

Explores intersections of ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, and class through autobiographical and testimonial writings by Chicana, Mexican-origin, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, and mixed-heritage Latinas in the U.S. Students produce multimedia digital stories about their own lives and identities. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or the concentrations in History, Oral History, and New Media; Chicana/o Latina/o Studies; Comparative American Studies; Women's Studies; or Literature and Film Studies. Meets the Single Subject in English Waiver Technology requirement. A literature course from the Literature/ Popular Culture ULR is recommended. (Offered every year.)

A multimedia lab in digital history/storytelling. Instruction in digitizing, editing and creation of images, audio, and video; online media research and copyright fair use. Recommended for students enrolled in HCOM 328 who are unfamiliar with I-Movie, Photoshop, sound editing, and online media research.

A bilingual English/Spanish course on autobiography, testimonio, life histories, and telenovelas (soaps). Students read and analyze written texts and films, keep journals, and do life writing or multimedia production in either Spanish or English. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or concentrations in Chicana/o Latina/o Studies; or a Spanish Major Learning Outcome in World Languages and Cultures. Requires the ability to understand spoken Spanish. (Offered every other year.)

An introductory creative writing course that focuses on ethnicity, gender, and "witness" writing. Examination of the writing process, what roadblocks create silence, how to remove them. Cross-cultural readings in multicultural poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 8 and half of the Liberal Studies HCOM Concentration in Creative Writing. (Offered every semester.)

Provides students the opportunity to be actively involved in the community. Students research and examine a particular public issue, and gain hands-on experience, knowledge, and skills about community sites. Students learn how to enter and exit communities sensitively, and participate in a multicultural community setting. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 8 and half of the Liberal Studies HCOM Concentration in Creative Writing. (Offered every other year.)

An introductory creative writing course focusing on ethnicity, gender, and social change, in relationship to visual arts. Cross-cultural readings in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. No previous art experience necessary. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 8. (Offered every other year.)

Poems with "duende," as Federico García Lorca says, are poems that "burn the blood like powdered glass." An intermediate level course that explores forms of poetry, both traditional and contemporary. Students analyze the creative process; move toward publishing poems. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 8 (only with prior consent of instructor) or the concentration in Creative Writing and Social Action. (Offered every other year.)

An intermediate level creative writing workshop that examines women's lives, and their relationship to the writing process. Includes in-class writing exercises, cross-cultural readings, discussions of the writing process, and creative writing. For women and men honing their craft of writing poetry, fiction, life-stories. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 8 (only with prior consent of instructor) or the concentrations in Creative Writing and Social Action, or Women's Studies. (Offered every other year.)

An intermediate-level creative writing workshop that focuses on fiction writing and creative non-fiction. Students explore forms of fiction, and move toward publication. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 8 (only with prior consent of instructor) or the concentrations in Creative Writing and Social Action, Journalism and Media Studies or Writing and Rhetoric. (Offered every other year.)

Examines American ethnic literature and cultures, including selected works from African American, Asian American, Chicano/a and Latino/a, European American, and Native American literature. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentrations in Comparative American Studies, or Literary and Film Studies. (Offered every year.)

A literature course in contemporary multicultural poetry, with a focus on gender issues. "A new kind of man / a new kind of woman," (in the words of poet Muriel Rukeyser) names a central theme of 20th century American literature and life the re-imagining of women's and men's lives. Students examine poets' perspectives of gender shifts. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentrations in Literary and Film Studies, or Women's Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Examines, through literature, how women writers are rewriting the myths and scripts of their / our lives, and how writing is a way of taking action. Explores how women have moved from repression to resistance, from silence to voice, from socially constructed divisiveness toward community. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentrations in Literary and Film Studies, or Women's Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Examines multicultural adolescent literature through the study of issues related to identity, race, culture, equity, and social justice/injustice over time. In particular, the course will provide opportunities to discuss the difficulties that young people have in coming to terms with these complicated issues. Required course for the Single Subject in English Waiver concentration, meeting the Multicultural Adolescent Literature Requirement. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 5 or the concentration in Literary and Film Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Develops creative writing competency, service learning sensitivity, and an understanding of creative writing as craft. Focuses on the relationship between creative writing, language acquisition, and cross-cultural sensitivity. Requires that students develop a set of interdisciplinary creative writing exercises and then apply them to a classroom setting as service learning partners in the schools. Offers built-in assessment for HCOM MLO 8, the Concentration in Creative Writing and Social Action, HCOM Service Learning, and the CTC requirement in advanced writing in the classroom. Meets the Single Subject in English Waiver Field Experience requirement. Requires Instructor consent. (Offered every year.)

Engages topical study of social movements in the service learning environment. Introduces various models of political organizing in movements that have addressed societal inequities from class, race, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, and other positionalities, and students apply these models to contemporary problems of inequity. The service learning component connects students with community organizations in order to be participant observers in contemporary organizing strategies. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 5 or the concentrations in Peace Studies, Pre-Law, Practical and Professional Ethics, and Comparative American Studies. (Offered every year.)

Explores modes of analysis that engage the intersectionality of gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, economic class, and (dis)ability. Readings and activities will ponder the ways that different feminist theoretical paradigms work to advance social justice. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 5 or the concentrations in Women's Studies or Comparative American Studies. (Offered every year.)

Examines the legal practices and scholarship that have intersected race and gender. We will read court cases that have shaped legal doctrine and essays that analyze and interpret that doctrine in order to understand the differing experiences of and conditions for women of all colors in relationship to gender justice. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 5 or the concentrations in Peace Studies, Women's Studies, Pre-Law. (Offered every year.)

Offers an intensive introduction to the roots, forms, and impacts of Chicana and Latina feminist discourses. Explores critical analyses of historical and contemporary Chicana/Latina life experiences while presenting theoretical frameworks such as transnationalism, intersectionality, and gender studies. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 5 or the concentrations in Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies, History, Oral History and New Media, Comparative American Studies, or Women's Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Intensive introduction to Chicana/o and Latina/o cultural formations. Course has two objectives: to equip students with the analytical skills necessary to interpret the variety and particularity of the Mexican American and Latin American experiences; and, to expose students to an array of cultural experiences that have contributed to the formation of Chicana/o and Latina/o identities. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 5 or the concentrations in Comparative American Studies, or Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies. (Offered every year.)

An introduction to the historical and cultural narratives that shape African American identities and experiences. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 7 or the concentrations in Africana Studies; Comparative American Studies; or History, Oral History, and New Media. (Offered every year.)

Provides an opportunity to analyze and discuss the ways that film has portrayed issues of colonialism, race, culture, equity, power relationships, and identity over the past 100 years. We view films from various countries around the world, and we examine the historical, social, political, and artistic background of each film. Offers built-in assessment for HCOM MLO 5 or the concentrations in Comparative American Studies, History, Oral History and New Media or Literary and Film Studies. Also satisfies the Liberal Studies requirement in Multicultural Literature(s). (Offered every year.)

Students design and conduct oral history projects in surrounding communities. Projects address social issues of significance to the student and the community involved. Interviews are archived in the CSUMB Oral History and Community Memory Archive. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or, depending on the topic, Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies. Meets the Single Subject in English Waiver Technology requirement. (Offered every year.)

Working in local communities, students design and conduct a collaborative oral history project on an issue of significance to students and community alike. Interviews may become part of the CSUMB Oral History and Community Memory Archive. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or, depending on the topic, Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies. (Offered occasionally, as an alternative to 350. )

Critical and comparative survey of modern world history since the 18th century. Focuses on social, political, and cultural histories of ordinary people and how they shaped and were shaped by state formation, global trade and exchange, capitalist transformation, industrialization, political ideologies, and nationalism. Incorporates history of the U.S. - its formation and transformation into global history framework. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 7, or the concentration in Single Subject in History and Social Sciences Waiver. (Offered occasionally.)

"It comes as a great shock to see Gary Cooper killing off the Indians and, although you are rooting for Gary Cooper, that the Indians are you" (James Baldwin, African American writer, 1965). We learn a good deal about the past by watching movies. This course explores how film shapes and reflects U.S. history. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 7 or the concentrations in Comparative American Studies; History, Oral History, and New Media; Journalism and Media Studies; or Literature and Film Studies. (Offered every year.)

Brings a historical perspective to contemporary issues facing California, from immigration and racism to the future of public culture and the environment. Students explore the cross-cultural history of California and participate in hands-on research into California's past. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 7 or the concentrations in Comparative American Studies; or History, Oral History, and New Media. Meets the Single Subject Waiver in History/Social Science requirement in California History. (Offered every year.)

Explores struggles over whom and what will be remembered in national and local history by involving students in hands-on research into the past. Covers the culture wars taking place in politics, the media, museums, and state parks across the country. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 7 or the concentrations in Comparative American Studies; or History, Oral History, and New Media. Meets the Single Subject History/Social Science Waiver in Modern U.S. History. (Offered every year.)

Explores the complex experiences of African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicana/os, European Americans, and Native Americans in U.S. history. Combines the use of traditional written sources, such as autobiographies, with new media technologies, such as the Internet, and multimedia presentations. Requires basic computer experience. Offers built-in assessment in for HCOM MLO 7 or the concentrations in Comparative American Studies; Literary and Film Studies; or History, Oral History, and New Media. Meets the Single Subject in English Waiver Teaching with New Media Requirement and Technology Requirement. Meets the Single Subject History/Social Science Waiver in Modern U.S. History. (Offered every year.)

A multimedia lab in digital history/storytelling. Instruction in digitizing, editing and creation of images, audio, and video; online media research and copyright fair use. Recommended for students enrolled in HCOM 356 who are unfamiliar with I-Movie, Photoshop, sound editing, and online media research.

Introduction to constitutional law through an in-depth examination of select U.S. Supreme Court cases. Close attention to how constitutional law has shaped and been shaped by the experience of ordinary people and the impact of the court's decisions on the social, political, and economic histories of the United States from a multicultural perspective. Offers built-in assessment in the concentration Pre-Law. (Offered every other year.)

Broadly introduces law in society from interdisciplinary global perspectives. Focuses on intersections of law with everyday life and how law is shaped by and shapes its social context. Special attention to how race, ethnicity, class, gender and sexual orientation relate to law and legal systems. Offers built-in assessment in the concentrations in Pre-Law or Comparative American Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Examines the historical, legal, and social construction of sexuality from the perspective of multicultural communities in the United States. Emphasis on histories of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 7 or the concentrations in Pre-Law; History, Oral History, and New Media; or Comparative American Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Advanced introduction to the historical experiences of people of Mexican and Latin American descent in the U.S. Explores a variety of forces which have shaped and continue to shape the lives of these communities. Emphasizes the historical and sociological method used to analyze these experiences, with primary focus on the 20th century. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 7, or the concentrations in Chicana/o- Latina/o Studies; History, Oral History, and New Media; or Comparative American Studies. (Offered occasionally.)

Prepares students to write news articles for the mass media. Outcomes include learning basic concepts of journalistic interviewing; information gathering; critical understanding of new sources; ethical decision making; and writing news, editorial, and feature articles for print and electronic media. Students working on the Otter Realm are strongly encouraged to enroll. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or the concentrations in Journalism and Media Studies or Writing and Rhetoric. (Offered every year.)

Prepares students to conduct journalistic interviewing and reporting. Outcomes include learning basic and advanced journalistic interviewing techniques, information gathering, and critical understanding of news sources, as well as journalistic writing and independent research. The course focuses on the exploration of current social, economic, political and environmental issues. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or the concentration in Journalism and Media Studies. Requires instructor consent. (Offered every year.)

Prepares students to successfully design, layout, and publish journalistic products. Outcomes include learning the basic concepts of visual communication and journalistic production, including magazine and newspaper publishing, as well as desktop publishing techniques and software. Students working on the Otter Realm are strongly encouraged to enroll. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or the concentration in Journalism and Media Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Prepares students to conduct in-depth and investigative reporting. Outcomes include learning advanced journalistic interviewing techniques, information gathering, and critical understanding of news sources. Focuses on the journalistic exploration of current social, economic, political, and environmental issues. Offers built-in assessment in the concentration in Journalism and Media Studies. Requires instructor consent. (Offered every other year.)

Students produce The Otter Realm campus newspaper. Outcomes include learning journalistic writing and reporting techniques such as interviewing, information gathering, and writing news and feature stories, as well as media analysis skills. Upon prior consent of instructor, offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or the concentration in Journalism and Media Studies. (Offered every semester.)

Prepares students to report and write magazine articles about social issues. Outcomes include learning advanced journalistic and creative nonfiction interviewing, reporting techniques, and writing short feature and in-depth magazine stories. Focuses on training students to write a magazine story from conception and pitching the story to a magazine through reporting, organizing, writing, rewriting, and editing. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or the concentrations in Journalism and Media Studies or Writing and Rhetoric. Requires instructor consent. (Offered every other year.)

Studies a particular topic in Human Communication. (Offered occasionally.)

With faculty sponsorship and oversight, students design, develop, and teach a particular topic in Human Communication. (Offered occasionally.)

Opportunities for independent field research projects involving oral history, social action writing, archival research, or investigative journalism. (Offered occasionally.)

Student and faculty member select topic of study and number of credits. (Offered occasionally.)

Student and faculty member select topic of study and number of credits. (Offered occasionally.)

Student and faculty member select topic of study and number of credits. (Offered occasionally.)

Through exploration and application of diverse moral frameworks, students acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to identify and ethically resolve complex moral issues commonly associated with a variety of professions. Participants also gain insight into how to help establish and sustain environments conducive to ethical reflection and practice. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 3 or the concentrations in Pre-Law or Practical and Professional Ethics. (Offered every year.)

Participants develop and apply knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to identify and ethically address moral challenges commonly experienced in professional life. Reciprocal partnerships within the community provide opportunities for students to engage in projects designed to foster ethical and effective communication, to empower recipients of public services, and to facilitate fulfillment of organizational goals and commitments. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 3 or the concentrations in Practical and Professional Ethics or Pre-Law. (Offered every year.)

Students explore diverse models of justice as philosophies and practices. The epistemological, ethical, political, and spiritual dimensions of restorative justice are studied in cross-cultural contexts. Offers built-in assessment for HCOM MLO 4 or the concentrations in Peace Studies, Pre-Law, or Practical and Professional Ethics. (Offered every other year.)

Students explore the social construction of sexuality. Epistemological, ethical, political, and spiritual dimensions of sexuality are studied in cross-cultural contexts. Offers built-in assessment for HCOM MLO 4 or the Concentration in Practical and Professional Ethics. (Offered every other year.)

Explores the different philosophical underpinnings and ideological frameworks of films. View films and analyze representations of epistemological, ethical, political, and spiritual dimensions of reality. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 4 or the concentrations in Practical and Professional Ethics; Journalism and Media Studies; or Literary and Film Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Explores theories and methods of conflict resolution. Participants apply multicultural approaches to problem solving in personal, professional, and social contexts. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 3 or the concentrations in Peace Studies, Pre-Law, or Practical and Professional Ethics. (Offered every other year.)

Students interpret, analyze, and evaluate a selection of rhetorical theories or theoreticians in comparative, cultural, global, historical, and political frameworks. They consider their roles as practitioners, consumers, and critics of rhetoric; they apply elements derived from their study of the theories to rhetorical topics. The specific content will vary each semester. Offers build-in assessment for the concentrations in Practical and Professional Ethics or Writing and Rhetoric. (Offered every other year.)

A study of the history of the English language within imperialism and post-colonialism, emphasizing morphological changes in the language. Explores sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, and current linguistic theory and makes practical applications. Analyzes language development theories and current issues in language, including standardization, bilingualism, language variations, gender, literacy, and language in the schools, and methods of teaching reading. Offers built-in assessment in MLO 6 or meets the Single Subject in English Waiver Language and Linguistic Theories and Praxis Requirement. (Offered every other year.)

Explores in-depth a selection of one or more rhetorical traditions outside the traditional Western rhetorical canon; utilizes interdisciplinary methodologies to investigate and analyze the cultural concept and role of rhetoric in relationship to epistemology, ethics, spirituality, economics, and politics; examines developments in cultural rhetorical traditions in relationship to cross-cultural encounters, including but not limited to colonialism and postcolonialism. Offers build-in assessment in MLO 5 or the concentration in Writing and Rhetoric or or Practical and Professional Ethics. (Offered every other year.)

Examines the emergence of non-Western voices and perspectives in literature and films from the post-colonial "South," that is, regions of the world that have experienced or continue to experience colonial or neo-colonial rule. Regions include: Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania. Texts include autobiographies, testimonios, plays, novels, and films. Meets built-in assessments for HCOM MLO 6 (Comparative Literary Analysis) or the concentration in Literary and Film Studies. Meets the Single Subject Waiver in History/Social Studies Non-Western requirement. (Offered every other year.)

Travel narratives relate journeys to home audiences, portray the "other," and reveal the culture and "self" of the traveler. Examines the historical, literary, and cultural significance of narratives of discovery, conquest, colonization, exploration, and tourism in the Americas. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 5 or the concentrations in Comparative American Studies; Literary and Film Studies; or History, Oral History, and New Media. A literature course from the Literature/Popular Culture ULR is recommended. (Offered every other year.)

Examines representative works by British writers from different periods: Medieval, Renaissance, Neo-Classical, Romantic, Realist, Modern and Post-Modern. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentration in Literary and Film Studies. Meets the Single Subject in English Waiver Literary Histories, Theories, and Praxis Requirement. A literature course from the Literature/Popular Culture ULR is recommended. (Offered every other year.)

Analyzes the works of Chicana poets of the 20th and 21st centuries, among them Lorna Dee Cervantes, Pat Mora, Ana Castillo, Sandra Cisneros, Demetria Martinez, and Diana Garcia. From the rural to the urban experience, students study the historical, cultural, and political determinants that define the work as Chicana. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentrations in Literary and Film Studies; Chicana/o- Latina/o Studies; or Women's Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Examines works by British writers from Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, Renaissance, Neo-Classical, Romantic, Realist, Modern, and Post-Modern literary periods. Explores literature as both literary and linguistic text. Applies postcolonial approaches to literature and explores current linguistic theories and sociolinguistic approaches. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6. Meets requirements in the Single Subject English Waiver concentration for English Literary Histories, Theories, and Praxis, and for Language and Linguistic Theories and Praxis. A ULR literature course from Literature/Popular Culture is recommended. (Offered every other Fall semester.)

An intermediate level creative writing course in which students apply their craft to a particular public issue. Students do collaborative research and interviews in the community. They produce poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, and visual representations of their writings. End-of-semester project is used to educate the community. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 8 (only with prior consent of instructor) or the concentrations in Creative Writing and Social Action; History, Oral History and New Media or Writing and Rhetoric. (Offered every other year.)

An intermediate level creative writing course in which students apply their craft to a particular public issue. Students do collaborative research and interviews in the community. They produce poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, and visual representations of their writings. End-of-semester project is used to educate the community. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 8 (only with prior consent of instructor) or the concentration in Creative Writing and Social Action or History, Oral History and New Media Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Read, analyze, and create life stories. Explores memory and intersecting identities of ethnicity, race, class, gender, and sexuality through multicultural life narratives about family, migration, work, education, and community. Develops creative writing, literary analysis, and multimedia skills. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 and MLO 8, or the concentrations in Creative Writing and Social Action; History, Oral History and New Media Studies; or Literary and Film Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Students analyze the literary criticism that offers criteria for defining multicultural gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, and transgender literary tradition(s). They then explore canonized, non-canonical, and marginalized texts in relationship to issues of sexuality and authorship, content, genre, and form. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentration in Literary and Film Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Analyzes Shakespeare's plays from classical, modern, postmodern, and postcolonial perspectives, and meanings in the colonial and postcolonial world. Covers Shakespeare's plays from comedies and histories to tragedies and romances. Explores the symbiotic relationship between literature and film. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentration in Literary and Film Studies. Meets the Single Subject in English Waiver Literary Histories, Theories, and Praxis Requirement. (Offered every other year.)

Students analyze the works of one or two authors and study the historical, social, and political contexts of their work in-depth. Varying content each semester. Please contact professor about which authors will be studied. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentration in Literary and Film Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Explores the dynamics of American social and political structures and the relationship to culture. Examines the roots of racism, sexism, and classism with a special emphasis on leadership development and community participation. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 5 or the concentrations in Comparative American Studies; Practical and Professional Ethics; Women's Studies; or Pre-Law. (Offered occasionally.)

Explores the development of black feminism as both a conceptual framework and from a political practice. Examines black feminism from a comparative perspective and within a global context. Special attention will be given to black feminist thought and activism in Africa, the United States, England, and Brazil. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 5 or the concentrations in Africana Studies, Comparative American Studies, Literary and Film Studies, or Women's Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Examines the cultural, social, and political dimensions of slavery and race relations in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. Readings and class discussions explore the development of slavery in countries such as Cuba, Haiti, and Brazil. Examines the impact of nationalist ideologies on contemporary racial dynamics in the region. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 7 or the concentrations in Africana Studies; History, Oral History, and New Media; or Comparative American Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Through theoretical readings, films, and ethnographic case studies, students explore how racialized, colonized, and other excluded indigenous or transnational communities construct, claim, and struggle for human, social, and cultural rights and identities. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or the concentrations in Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies; Comparative American Studies; or History, Oral History, and New Media. (Offered every other year.)

Examines recent theories related to migration including nationalism and the nation, transnationalism, diaspora, borders/borderlands, and globalization. Surveys key theories and compares histories of specific transnational communities, focusing primarily on migrations between Asia/Asia Pacific and the Americas. Offers built-in assessment for HCOM MLO 7 Historical Analysis, and concentrations in Comparative American Studies; Chicana/o Latina/o Studies; and History, Oral History, and New Media. Also applicable to the Chicana/o Studies Minor. (Offered every other year.)

Students analyze literature such as the novels of Henry James, E.M. Forster, William Burroughs, Toni Morrison, Amy Tan, and Stephen King, and they also view critically the films made from such literature. Throughout the course, students explore and revise criteria for determining both the strengths and the limitations of each art form. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentration in Literary and Film Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Explores emerging intellectual paradigms in the Chicano community and traces their antecedents and relationships. Provides an intensive foundation in Chicano studies theory and emergent issues. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 5 or the concentrations in Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies; or Comparative American Studies. (Offered every other year.)

Students explore an advanced interdisciplinary issue in the humanities from at least two perspectives. The course is team-taught by two faculty members. Offers built-in assessment in two MLOs or concentration(s) determined by the instructors. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. (Offered every other year.)

Students explore an advanced specialty issue in Human Communication in a small, interactive, seminar format. The in-depth study required directly relates to the professor's current research or pedagogy in Human Communication. Counts toward the concentration(s) determined by HCOM. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. (Offered occasionally.)

The HCOM pre-Capstone research seminar designed to helps students design, commence and sustain the complex research necessary for their Senior Capstone projects. Students deepen their research skills and produce a Capstone Proposal, Prospectus, Project Timeline, and an Annotated Bibliography. Students should have their Capstone topic defined prior to taking the seminar. Required of all HCOM majors and a prerequisite to HCOM 475 Senior Capstone. To be taken the semester prior to Senior Capstone. (Offered every semester.)

Students produce a complex, interdisciplinary senior research project related to an issue or topic within the Human Communication major and their Depth Concentration. Students present their project in a public Capstone Festival. Required for all HCOM majors applying for graduation. Instructor Consent required. (Offered every semester.)

Students receive class credit for working in a real news organization, such as the public relations office of a business or community organization, in an advertising agency or any other media organization. They learn with support from both an internship adviser and a mentor at the organization where they work. Requires 300 hours of work and participation in online class. Offers built-in assessment of concentration or credit in Journalism and Media Studies. (Offered every semester.)

Explores the technical, journalistic, and social empowerment aspects of creating a mass media product. Students help a community group create a media project, such as a newsletter, public service campaign, or website. Outcomes include learning the basic concepts of visual communication and journalistic production, as well as digital media techniques when appropriate. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 2 or the concentration in Journalism and Media Studies. (Offered occasionally.)

Students learn design by doing design, mentoring each other and exchanging ideas as they put out the campus newspaper. Taken in conjunction with a related two-unit course, this two-unit credit/no credit course fulfills a concentration credit for the Journalism and Media Studies concentration in Human Communication or for the minor in Journalism and Media Studies. (Offered every semester.)

Studies a particular topic in Human Communication. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. (Offered occasionally.)

Opportunities for independent field research projects involving oral history, social action writing, archival research, or investigative journalism. (Offered occasionally.)

Student and faculty member select topic of study and number of credits. (Offered occasionally.)

A graduate course on the theory and practice of cultural citizenship. Explores how Latina/o and other marginalized or excluded communities claim rights to human, social, and cultural equality through cultural difference. Open to any CSUMB graduate student. (Offered occasionally.)

Explores emerging intellectual paradigms in the Chicano community and traces their antecedents and relationships. Provides an intensive foundation in Chicano studies theory and emergent issues. Open to any CSUMB graduate student. (Offered occasionally.)

For students interested in the oral history of the Fort Ord Conversion Project. (Offered occasionally.)

Opportunities for independent field research projects involving oral history, social action writing, archival research, or investigative journalism. (Offered occasionally.)

Student and faculty member select topic of study and number of credits. (Offered occasionally.)