Revised Courses for spring 2018
BIOL173 PO. Genomics and Bioinformatics with Laboratory. A. Cavalcanti. This course provides an introduction to the analysis of genomic datasets using computer programs and primary literature. Topics include: Models of sequence evolution, sequence alignment, similarity searching, biological databases, phylogenetic reconstruction, analysis of microarray data and next-gen sequencing data. During the first part of the course, the students will learn basic techniques of bioinformatics and data analysis, followed by student lead discussions of current literature on topics like: microbiomes, genetic regulation, genomic epidemiology, etc. Laboratory incorporates the analysis of datasets using widely available software tools. No programming experience is required. Prerequisites: BIOL040 PO. Co-requisites: BIOL041C PO or BIOL041E PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Each spring.
BIOL174 PO. Data Analysis and Programming for the Life Sciences. A. Cavalcanti. This course explores the analysis of big data in the Life Sciences through hands-on classes and exercises. Although examples will mostly be biological, the techniques learned are useful for anyone interested in data analysis. Through the use of GitHub repositories and Python and R notebooks, the students will gain proficiency in the current trend of Reproducible Research techniques. Topics will include: where and how to acquire data, cleaning the data, analyzing the data and presenting results. Students will learn to use databases to organize data, and to create web applications to present results. Example datasets will include a mix of molecular and ecological data, while different statistical techniques, from basic descriptive statistics to multivariate analysis and ordination techniques, will be utilized. No previous statistics experience is required, but students should have basic programming experience. Prerequisites: BIOL040 PO and one of the following: CSCI005 HM, or CSCI030 PO, or CSCI051 PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Each spring.
CHEM147 PO. Inorganic Chemistry with Laboratory. N. Ball. The structure, bonding, and reactivity of inorganic molecules and solids are discussed using a symmetry and molecular orbital based approach. Additional topics including ligand field, hard/soft acid-base theories, as well as physical organometallic chemistry will be discussed with applications in spectroscopy, organometallic catalysis, and bioinorganic chemistry. Prerequisites: CHEM110A PO. Co-requisite: CHEM110B PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Each spring.
CSCI051G PO. Introduction to Computer Science in Grace with Laboratory. K. Bruce. Introduction to the field of computer science using the new object-oriented language Grace. Topics include iteration and recursion, basic data structures, sorting and searching, elementary analysis of algorithms and a thorough introduction to object-oriented programming. Special emphasis on graphics, animation and event-driven programming to make more interesting programs. No previous programming experience required. This section of CSCI051 PO uses a new object-oriented programming language designed to make it easier for novices to learn to program. It provides better support for more modern programming language features and provides a strong background to learn other languages. Students must take the lab associated with this section only. Course is equivalent to CSCI030 PO, CSCI051J PO, CSCI051P PO, and CSCI005 HM.
Credit: 1
When offered: Spring 2018.
CSCI051J PO. Introduction to Computer Science in Java with Laboratory. M. Wu. Introduction to the field of computer science using the object-oriented language Java. Topics include iteration and recursion, basic data structures, sorting and searching, elementary analysis of algorithms and a thorough introduction to object-oriented programming. Special emphasis on graphics, animation, event-driven programming and the use of concurrency to make more interesting programs. No previous programming experience required. The topics will be introduced using Java as the vehicle. Students must take the lab associated with this section only. Previously offered as CSCI051 PO. Course is equivalent to CSCI051G PO, CSCI051P PO, CSCI030 PO, CSCI051 PO, and CSCI005 HM.
Credit: 1
When offered: Spring 2018.
CSCI181N PO. Software Foundations: Verifying Software for Correctness. M. Greenberg. Building reliable software through formal verification. We verify that programs meet their specifications, e.g.: that sorting algorithms produce sorted permutations of their input, or that a programming language’s type system avoids errors. The course marries theory (proofs) and practice (functional programming) using a proof assistant, as used in verified compilers (CompCert) and formalized mathematics (the four-color theorem, the Feit-Thompson Odd-Order Group Theorem). Prerequisites: CSCI081 PO or CSCI131 PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Spring 2018.
EA 030 PO. Environmental Science. M. Los Huertos. This Environmental Analysis Program core course introduces the basic principles of environmental science with applications in chemistry, ecology and geology. It is part of the core course requirements for the Environmental Analysis major. The course provides a natural science foundation for Environmental Science. Topics covered include a discussion of ecosystems, climate change, energy and food production, land resources, pollution and sustainable development. A full laboratory accompanies the course and includes field and laboratory work and introduces Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping and statistics. Letter grade only. May be repeated once for credit.
Credit: 1
When offered: Each fall.
ENGL055A PO. Topics in Contemporary Literature: Impossible Novels. J. Lethem. The novel is an impossible pursuit, but some are more impossible than others. If, as in the poet Randall Jarrell’s definition, “a novel is a prose narrative of a certain length with something wrong with it,” then the novels studied in this course might be called, for their formal strategies or imaginative or verbal excesses, “prose narratives with more than a few things wrong with them.” Making uncommon demands, they raise the risk/reward quotient for their readers (and, obviously, their authors as well), and exchange the usual consolations of fiction for the possibility of plunging the reader into an unforgettable experience, even as they beg to go unread or at least unfinished. Letter grade only. May be repeated once for credit. (H5)
Credit: 1
When offered: Spring 2018.
GEOL121 PO. Tectonic Landscapes. L. Reinen. Integrating field and GIS mapping, quantitative geomorphic analyses, and numerical modeling, students will gain insight into crustal deformation at local and regional scales and geomorphic expressions of tectonically derived features. Lectures, projects, field trip. Prerequisites: GEOL015 PO, or one of the courses from the GEOL020 series. Previously offered as GEOL175 PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Each spring.
GERM154 PO. Great Contemporary Fiction. H. Rindisbacher. Germany is the world’s most popular country (BBC), the German government is holding up the West singlehandedly (various sources) – and German literary authors are doing just fine, thank you (Frankfurter Buchmesse). The only sad thing: they rarely get translated into English – you have to read them in German. This course introduces students to some of the best contemporary German prose fiction and contextualizes it. Close reading and interpretation; some secondary literature and criticism; discussion; written and oral student contributions. Prerequisites: GERM044 PO or equivalent.
Credit: 1
When offered: Spring 2018.
HIST100N CH. Mexico- United States Border: Diaspora, Exiles, and Refugees (CP). A. Mayes; M. Tinker Salas. This class is a community engagement course that focuses on the U.S.-Mexico Border, paying specific attention to Haitian and other immigrant groups residing on both of sides of the border. Students will examine the historical formation of the U.S.-Mexico Border and its contemporary political economy. Students will be prepared to conduct research among and will be involved in a community engagement project focusing on immigration policy regarding Haitians and other immigrants currently residing in San Diego/Tijuana. Prerequisites: SPAN044 PO or FREN044 PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Offered alternate years; next offered spring 2018.
HIST110K PO. The Politics of Honor in Ancient Greece. B. Keim. This research seminar critically engages with debates about the nature and negotiation of honor in ancient Greece. Over the centuries from Achilles to Alexander diverse forms of honor served as the foundation of every identity and the currency of every relationship. Honor shaped the institutional skeleton and enlivened the ideological lifeblood that sustained the Greek body politic. As we converse with Homeric heroes and tragic heroines, famous philosophers and everyday Athenians, we will ponder together, “What is honor, and (why) does it matter?” All readings (e.g. from Homer’s Iliad, Aeschylus’ Oresteia, Sophocles’ Antigone, Herodotus’ Histories) will be in English translations. Assignments will include two in-class presentations and three writing assignments: a book review, a shorter essay on a common reading, and a significant final research paper on a topic developed by each student. Letter grade only. (Ancient and Medieval Mediterranean). Letter grade only.
Credit: 1
When offered: Spring 2018.
HIST129 PO. Hollywood, War, & Empire: The Historical Film. V. Silverman. Film evolved at the same time as modern global empires and devastating wars. This course introduces students to the evolution of motion pictures which make claims to truth about these cataclysmic events, with an emphasis on US films and filmmakers. Beginning with silent films showing historic tableaus through the propaganda films of World War II to anti-war films of the 50s and 60s and the controversial political documentaries of today, students will consider both the history of film and the history presented by film. As a final project, students research and propose their own historical film dealing with the US role in the world. Previously offered as HIST122 PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Offered alternate years; next offered spring 2018.
HIST146 AF. Interconnections Between Africa and the Americas During the Era of the Slave Trade. O. Traore. The course explores how Africans and their descendants created radically new social, political, spiritual, demographic, and physical environments throughout the Americas and, in so doing, fundamentally affected the development of the Atlantic World. It also examines the scholarly literature on the role of Africa and Africans in the making of the Atlantic World. Letter grade only.
Credit: 1
When offered: Each spring.
HIST160 PO. Introduction to Digital Humanities: Women and Politics in Latin America. A. Mayes. This class uses digital methodologies to examine women’s movements and women’s political participation in Latin America and the Caribbean from the nineteenth century until the present. In this class, we will receive training in and we will use digital humanities tools such as Omeka, Voyant Tools, TimelineJS, MyHistro, among others, to curate digital exhibitions about themes, people, and events covered in the course. At the end of the class, students will produce a digital exhibition and a research paper based on their digital work.
Credit: 1
When offered: Offered alternate years; next offered spring 2018.
PE 091 PO. Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries. K. Jones. Theory and practice in the care and prevention of injuries commonly encountered in athletics and physical education. Lecture, lab and demonstration. Does not satisfy the physical education requirement. Prerequisites: Any PE course from PE 101 PO – PE 185 PO.
Credit: 0.5
When offered: As announced in semester schedule of classes.
PHYS128 PO. Electronics with Laboratory (CP). J. Hudgings. Electronics with Laboratory. Transistors and integrated circuits in a variety of applications, including operational amplifiers, basic digital circuits, analog/digital conversion and an introduction to microprocessors. Course contains a community partnership component. Project required. Prerequisites: PHYS041 PO and PHYS042 PO, or PHYS070 PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Each spring.
PSYC180B PO. Seminar in Clinical Psychology. S. Masland. Focuses on current issues and controversies in the field of clinical psychology, incorporating evaluation of the role of the mental-health professional. Analysis of theories of psychotherapy (particularly cognitive and behavioral) and treatment of specific mental-health disorders. Emphasizes critical thinking, discussion and writing about research, theory, and case studies. Letter grade only. Prerequisite: PSYC131 PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Spring 2018.
RUSS182 PO. Post-Soviet Russian Culture and Society. L. Rudova. The course explores the major changes in Russian society since the collapse of the U.S.S.R. through fiction, popular media and film. Topics include post-Soviet identity and nostalgia, nationalism, wars in Chechnya, terrorism, control of the media, ecological issues, new religiosity and popular culture. Readings from the Russian media and contemporary fiction. Films. Prerequisites: RUSS044 PO. May be repeated once for credit.
Credit: 1
When offered: Spring 2018.
SOC 116 PO. American Families. J. Grigsby. As the most basic social institution, the family is important not only to individual members, but also to other social institutions and society as a whole. Understanding human behavior in the context of the family, therefore, includes the individual, group, institutional, and societal levels of analysis. First we will see how the family as a social institution has changed over time in the United States and in particular, how immigration affects families. Social processes that take place in the context of the family (as a social institution), such as dating, forming intimate partnerships, parenting, and providing care comprise another aspect of this course. We will also look at social situations that challenge families and family members, such as work - both inside and outside the home, poverty, and domestic violence. While most of the course readings emphasize theory and empirical research, we will also examine public debate about family structure and processes that have appeared recently in the popular media. Throughout the semester we will address the roles of race, gender, age, social class, and sexual orientation in the family as a social institution.
Credit: 1
When offered: Offered alternate years; next offered spring 2018.
THEA130 PO. Introduction to Directing (CP). G. Ortega. This is an introduction to the art and craft of directing for the stage and related forms that will allow the artist to enhance their vision and eventually formulate their concept into fruition. There will be an emphasis on play selection, detailed script analysis, the director’s concept, collaboration with designers, auditions and casting, actor coaching, rehearsal strategies, and production methods. We will workshop several scenes as well as projects that the students will create. In addition, our directors will have the opportunity to work with students from a local elementary school as a community partner to produce a short adaptation of a fairy tale or a fable being taught in their curriculum. Community Partnership course. Letter grade only. Prerequisites: THEA001 PO and THEA 002 PO, or permission from instructor. May be repeated once for credit.
Credit: 1
When offered: Each spring.
Revised Courses for fall 2018
ENGL153 PO. The Beyond of Language. J. Kirk. It goes without saying that there is nothing outside of language. But the question is what sort of thing that nothing might be? And whether it can be known or experienced. In this seminar we will investigate some or all of the following: birdsong and other animal utterances; the grammar of colonialism; mystical languages of unsaying; the task of the translator; the transmission of the incomprehensible; the writing of the disaster; speaking in tongues. Although we will be reading ancient and modern texts, our particular emphasis will be on materials from the Middle Ages, that is, the last era before the capitalist schism that has led to the technocratic dream in which we now toil. Readings may include works by Plato, Aristotle, Porphyry, Pseudo-Dionysius, Anselm, Ibn Arabi, Marie de France, Dante, Chaucer, the anonymous author of the Cloud of Unknowing, Nebrjia, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Benjamin, Agamben.
Credit: 1
When offered: Offered alternate years; next offered fall 2018.
FREN103 PO. Frenchness: May 68-2018, and Beyond. V. Pouzet-Duzer. Frenchness: May ‘68- 2008. Social, cultural, political and literary determinants of the notion of “Frenchness.” From the famous “Events of May ‘68” through May 2008 and beyond, the evolution and transformation of ideas about what it means to be French. Stereotypes of French identity, analyzed and discussed through newspaper articles, excerpts from novels, interviews, songs and films. Letter grade only. Prerequisites: FREN044 PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Fall 2018.
GERM104 PO. Composition and Creative Writing. F. von Schwerin-High. This course provides students with intensive practice in academic as well as critical creative writing , introducing them to German stylistics, the varieties of essay construction, and general principles of short scholarly and fiction writing. Students analyze, discuss, write about, and produce a range of short scholarly and literary texts, thereby enhancing their writing skills as well as their reading abilities and familiarity with scholarly and creative writing conventions. Prerequisites: GERM044 PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Offered alternate years; next offered fall 2018.
HIST017 CH. Introduction to Chicanx/Latinx History. T. Summers Sandoval. An introductory survey to the historical experiences of Chicanx/Latinx peoples in the United States, including Mexican and Puerto Rican diasporas, as well as South and Central American migrations. Exposes students to historical methods and analysis through topics like migration and settlement; community and identity formation; and the roles of races, gender, class and sexuality in social and political histories. Culminates in a public research project. Letter grade only.
Credit: 1
When offered: Each fall.
JPNT174 PO. Literary Reconfigurations of Modern Japanese Identity:1868-the Present. K. Kurita. Modern Japanese Literature in English Translation: Literary Reconfigurations of Japanese Identity, 1868 to Present. An overview of key literary and intellectual issues since the Meiji Restoration, centering on the building of identity through Japan’s ongoing dialogue with the West. Some relevant works by Western authors, Japanese films and Western films on Japan are included.
Credit: 1
When offered: Fall 2018.
LGCS114 PO. Linguistic Discrimination. This course is an introduction to the ways in which language can be used as a tool of empowerment or disempowerment for individuals and groups. In the modern public consciousness, racism, sexism, classism, etc. are generally considered to be taboo, however, prejudicial judgments about ways of speaking are seldom censured. In this class, students will learn about how prejudice manifests itself in language ideologies, social practices, and public policy. Students will produce their own research projects analyzing an aspect of linguistic discrimination and proposing strategies for addressing this type of inequality and educating the public about the role of language in discrimination. This class will be taught in the Inside-Out Prison Exchange format, alongside incarcerated students at the California Rehabilitation Center. Letter grade only.
Credit: 1
When offered: Fall 2018.
MATH189B PO. Topics in Applied Mathematics. A. Rumbos. Cutting edge topics in Applied Mathematics that will be of interest to students in a broad range of disciplines. Specific topics might include: Optimization, variational methods, discrete models, stochastic differential equations, delay differential equations, control theory & perturbation methods. Prerequisites: MATH102 PO and either MATH101 PO or MATH131 PO. May be repeated once for credit. Previously offered as MATH188 PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Offered alternate years; next offered fall 2019.
POLI160 PO. Comparative Politics of Europe. E. Dobbs. This course explores the three key political challenges facing Europeans in the post-war era: what is Europe, where are its boundaries, and who is European? Topics include the emergence, expansion and possible contraction of the EU/euro zone, immigration and multiculturalism, nationalism, populism, state-society relations, and the challenges of national vs. supranational governance. Prerequisites: POLI005 PO or POLI008 PO, or equivalent.
PSYC131 PO. Psychological Disorders. S. Masland. The purpose of this course is to provide a general introduction to psychopathology in adults. This class focuses on central issues in the study of psychological disorders, including how psychologists decide what is “normal” versus “abnormal.” Psychological disorders are considered through the lenses of epidemiology (e.g., how common are psychological disorders?), phenomenology (i.e., what are the symptoms of disorder?), course (i.e., what is expected over time?), etiology and pathophysiology (i.e., causes and mechanisms), and treatment. Issues are examined across multiple levels (e.g., brain, behavior, subjective experience, impact on/of society). Prerequisites: PSYC051 PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Each fall.
PSYC137 PO. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. G. Bacio. This seminar will explore current scientific and socio-cultural understandings of substance use disorders. Using a bio-psycho-social approach, the course will examine the etiology, prevention, development, diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorders across the life span. Letter grade only. Prerequisites: PSYC131 PO. Previously offered as PSYC180S PO.
Credit: 1
When offered: Each fall.
SOC 075 PO. Social and Political Movements. C. Beck. Can activism from below change society and political institutions? What challenges do activists face, how do they sustain their movements, and how do they win? The study of social movements is one of the largest areas of focus in sociology. The course covers the major social movements that spurred the field’s development in the 1960s through the present, with a special emphasis on the parallels between right-wing and left-wing activism and global-transnational social movements. The course covers the major research traditions, theories, and methods of a study with a focus on how successful challenges to power are made.
Credit: 1
When offered: Offered alternate years; next offered fall 2018.
