Social and Cultural Studies Course Descriptions
Social Science Course Descriptions
SCS 1001 Introduction to Sociology (3 units)
Overview of the principles and basic concepts of sociology as a social science. Topics that will be examined include the study of groups, collective behavior, socialization, culture, social institutions, class and caste systems, stratification, community, social roles, social planning, and social control. Fall Semesters.
SCS 1002/3102 Cultural Anthropology (3 units)
The study of society, culture, and personality from a cross-cultural perspective. Comparison across cultures of social organization and relations: kinship, religion, and belief systems, cultural transmission, social control and racism, environment, social change, and applied anthropology. Fall, Spring Semesters.
SCS 1075/3075 Sociology of Religion (3 units)
Working from the classics, Durkheim, Marx, Weber, Mead, Parsons and Bellah, religious consciousness will be examined within a general theory of human action. Historical and comparative frameworks will be used to identify the role religious expression and activity has played in society and social organization. In addition, the major themes of secularization, modernization, religion and politics, civil religion, religious movements, rise of fundamentalism, and civility and religion will be explored. Offered intermittently.
SCS 3100 Multicultural Perspectives toward an Inclusive World View (3 units)
Using a sociological perspective, this course explores the concepts of culture, language, and ethnicity of African, Asian, Chicano/Latino, Native American, Oceania, and Caribbean people in the US. Topics to be examined include: development of ethnic identity, bilingualism, educational achievements, and concepts of a pluralistic society. Offered Regularly.
SCS 3103 Problems of Contemporary Society (3 units)
An investigation and analysis of selected social issues such as crime and violence, prejudice and discrimination, automation and technology, population problems and changes in familial, economic and political institutions from a local and national perspective. Offered Regularly.
SCS 3105 Sociology of Biotechnology (3 units)
This course will focus on the social impact of medical technology on the traditional values of conception, birth, disease, aging and bionics. We will investigate the relationship between biotechnology and human health through a cross-cultural approach by looking at the similarities/differences between Western pharmaceutical models of disease and the more holistic/shamanistic medical practices in other parts of the world. Emphasis on social, economic, and cultural factors which produce these models. Offered regularly.
Specialized Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies Course Descriptions
SCS 1000 University 101 (1 unit)
Designed for first-year students who are exploring academic and career options. Complements, and is taken simultaneously with, the linked courses in the Vision Quest program. This course provides a unique opportunity to explore majors, careers; encourages good study skills, time management, and critical thinking. Fall Semesters.
SCS 1005 Human Cultures (2 units)
A comparative exploration of human cultures focusing on diverse family, institutional and community structures. Topics of study include: kinship, marriage, religion and economics. Students reflect on human social experiences within a global and historical context. Fall, Spring Semesters.
SCS 1012/3112 The Latino Lens (3 units)
Designed to raise awareness and educate students about the fastest growing groups in the United States, this course is an introduction into the lives and cultures of Latino Americans through film and video. Issues such as stereotypes, discrimination, religion, language, immigration, generation gaps, and culture clash, to name a few, are covered. Screenings, small group discussions, and group projects all work together to bring the perspectives of Latinos, “The Latino Lens,” into sharp focus. Fall Semesters.
SCS 1014/3114 Dominican Expressions (1 unit)
Theme varies each year. Coordinated with a series of events scheduled on campus. Fall, Spring Semesters.
SCS 1032/3132 Female Images of the Divine: A Cultural Analysis (3 units)
The history of the modern-day feminist movement begun in the late 1960s has been viewed by some as the third wave of feminism following the battle for suffrage in the early twentieth century and women's polemics of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This most recent movement brought with it a new interest in female images of the divine. This course will offer a critical review of some of the available literature, which has expanded upon this theme as it investigates the relationship between the divine female and women's sense of freedom, power, and personal integrity. Summer Sessions.
SCS 2000/4000 Introduction to Women and Gender Studies (3 units)
A general introduction to the study of women and gender across disciplines. Core debates and theories concerning women, men, gender roles, and sexuality are explored and engaged with and between such diverse disciplines that include but are not limited to history, psychology, literature, feminist studies, and film studies. Spring Semesters.
SCS 2003/4003 Perspectives of Latin America: Physical Geography, Peoples, Cultures and Traditions (3 units)
An integrative, interdisciplinary course that serves as an introduction to the varied landscapes, diverse peoples and multi-cultural customs of Latin America. The course may be team taught from different disciplines or perspectives. Spring Semesters.
SCS 2999/4999 Independent Study (1-3 units)
Consists of directed reading and/or independent research on a topic of special interest to a student and faculty member. Offered as needed.
SCS 3034 Alternative Lifestyles (3 units)
A course that will explore the sociological implications of the variety of lifestyles that dot the American social landscape: gays/lesbians/transgenders, drugs/prostitution, communal/gangs, single parents/homelessness, straight/traditional. Guest speakers will be featured. Offered intermittently. (Pathways)
SCS 3035 Sociology of American Muslim Communities (1 unit)
This course will explore the challenges and transformation that first, second and third generations of American Muslims experience in their attempt to assimilate into the American culture. Emphasis will be on the media and Muslims, the Muslim women, the black Muslim experience, the impact of 9/11 on acceptance and assimilation. Guest speakers will be featured and reflection papers required. Offered intermittently.
SCS 3036 RAP as Protest (1 unit)
Listen up People, got news for you...Let’s do RAP and protest hot on cue...With guest speakers and reflection papers, just a few...Don’t let it stress you, baby, it’s somethin’ you can do...So hop on board and join the fun, it’s what’s happenin’...It’s new, Hello!!! Offered intermittently.
SCS 3110 Film and Society (3 units)
A critical examination of the holographic relationship between Hollywood and the American culture with particular emphasis on the impact that film has on shaping the collective consciousness in terms of mythologies, archetypes, energies, and multicultural patterns and relationships. Offered regularly.
SCS 3131 Fairy Tale as Parable and Narrative (3 units)
This course is a study of the universal meaning of fairy tales. Fairy tales are from the oral tradition, passed down through generations that deal with existential problems. Such topics as the death of a parent, the search for human bonds (marriage and friendship), generational transitions, and the rites of passage from childhood through adolescence to adulthood will be analyzed. Summer Sessions.
SCS 3135 Social Language of Cinematography (3 units)
A course designed to introduce the average filmgoer to the sociology of film: that is, the understanding and analysis of how film and video communicate social meaning and have a significant impact on shaping the beliefs and images of the American culture. Students will explore the wider context of the medium–its economical, political, and philosophical implications–as well. Offered intermittenly.
SCS 3136/3137/3138 Native American Studies (6 units)
Students will explore the multi-faceted world of Native American cosmology/psychology as revealed in mythology, creation stories by investigating the arts, politics, natural history, literatures, world view and religion. Part of a Cultural Heritage Colloquium encompassing culture, religion, art, literature, philosophy and ecology. Offered intermittently.
SCS 3146 Principles of Archaeology (3 units)
Principles of Archaeology will investigate archaeological theories, principles and methods with particular focus on California Native American sites, their spiritual/ritualistic and religious significance. Emphasis likewise will be placed on the cultural implications of rock art, pottery, basket weaving, cradle baskets and how these material “stuff” provide a snapshot into native attitudes about the land and tribal/band identity. Spring Semesters.
SCS 3150 Women in Film (3 units)
A critical examination of the relationship between film and women's issues with particular emphasis on how the sociological portrayal of women shifts at different times, and how the traditional mythologies, archetypes, and stereotypes of women worldwide are rapidly changing with the advent of such films as Beloved, Eve's Bayou, Mi Familia, Thelma and Louise, and I Shot Andy Warhol. Offered intermittently.
SCS 3151 Mythology and Film (3 units)
A critical examination of the relationship between myth and the American culture as portrayed in film. Particular emphasis will be placed on cultural energies, archetypes, and shadow issues haunting American culture as reflected in film noir, drama, action, comedy, and documentaries. Representative films include Boys Don’t Cry, Arlington Road, Bonnie and Clyde, Ordinary People, and The Piano. Summer Sessions.
SCS 3160 Foundations in Adult Learning (3 units)
An interdisciplinary examination of the great ideas which have shaped humankind’s thinking in the past, and the influence of these ideas in the present. Through this examination, students will practice and refine college-level foundation skills in critical thinking, oral presentations, writing, and reading and will be better prepared to apply their personal and professional experience to their future academic course requirements. Prerequisite or co requisite is ENGL 1003. Fall, Spring Semesters. (Pathways only)
SCS 3170 California: Economy/Politics/Cultural Development 1850-Present (3 units)
This course will explore the modern sweep of California history from the railroads to the unfolding Schwarzenegger era with emphasis on the movie industry, agri-business, high-tech and the perennial battle over water and preserving the ecology. Fall, Spring Semesters.
SCS 3180 Borges: The Dreamer in the Labyrinth (3 units)
One of the major writers of the Twentieth Century, Jorge Luis Borges has remained a mystery for most of his readers, who are dazzled by his short stories but wonder about the inner world of this master of fables and paradoxes. By weaving his life and work with references to the times and culture in which he lived the course will reveal the man behind the stories and some of the hidden clues in his work. Summer Sessions.
SCS 3181 Cultural Ritual and Belief (3 units)
Investigates and analyzes cultural beliefs, symbols and rituals in both the modern and post-modern era with emphasis on the importance of intuitive thinking, the unconscious, “magical realism” and Eastern thought in creating a new paradigm for the global village of the 21st century. Offered Intermittently.
SCS 3197 Special Topics in Social and Cultural Studies (1-3 units)
Examples are Women in Asia, Social Terrorism and the Psychology of Violence, Shamanism and the Indigenous Healing Tradition, Magic, Witchcraft and Religion, Film and the American Super Heroes, Service Learning – The Cultivation of Social Values, Peace and Conflict Studies. Problems in Contemporary Islamic Societies. Offered intermittently.
SCS 3198 Special Topics in Latin American Cinema (3 units)
An introduction for students to Latin American cinema and the film archives of the Latino Film Festival at Alemany Library. This course examines particular directors, works, themes, genres, or countries from films found in the archives. Possible topics may include Louredes Portillo’s body of work, immigration, gender roles, documentaries, contemporary Mexican cinema, magic realism, civil rights, sexuality, Latin American shorts, or other similar topics. Summer Sessions.
SCS 3205 Modernity and the Dark Side (3 units)
This course will explore the dark side of modernity by focusing first on the Nazi experience, by analyzing their ability to manipulate the German people through fear, technology and the media as a metaphor to a wider investigation of how centralized control of technology and media can have dire consequences for the global village of the 21st century, leading not only to a continued loss of individual freedom but to a continuation of political “killing fields.” In addition, American parallels will be drawn highlighting the intolerance of the “Far Right,” as exemplified by the Neo-Nazi movement and corporate domination of the media. Spring Semesters.
SCS 3233 Playwrights as Social Critics (3 units)
Looks at the social revolution in artistic/social consciousness that transpired between 1880-1950 as represented by Gaugin, Matisse, Picasso, Ibsen, O'Neill, Joyce, Kafka by which the world was turned upside down by the Freudian/Einsteinian revolution theory ushering in the Cycle of Anxiety or Disillusionment. Summer Sessions.
