HUMU 200 Women's Realities
An introduction to women's studies as an academic discipline and a critical analysis of the traditional views of women as individuals, members of families, and societies. The perspective is historical as well as cross-cultural. 3 credits.
HUMU 313 The Renaissance
(Same as HISU 313). The modern Western sensibility has its main roots in the European Renaissance . This course traces the origins of this "reactionary revolution" in the writings of the humanists and major reformers, the work of the early modern scientists and the artistic productions that reshaped human consciousness itself. 3 credits.
HUMU 316 From Latin America to Los Angeles: Culture and Ways of Life
Students are introduced to the culture of Latin America in the areas of literature, philosophy, art, music, dance, cinema, and architecture; Latin American culture as the expression of a multiethnic and multicultural way of life; and Latino culture in the United States. 3 credits.
HUMU 320 Roll Over Beethoven: A Survey of Rock and Roll
A survey of the many musical styles and cultural movements collectively called "rock and roll" that have developed since the mid-1950s. The course will examine the artistry of rock music, as well as its historical contexts and social implications. This course may also be offered online. 3 credits.
HUMU 329 Experimental Topics in the Humanities
An examination of selected topics in the humanities relevant to evolving areas of importance to the field. Syllabi must be approved by the Dean and announced to the Curriculum and Academic Committee prior to being offered. May be repeated for credit provided the course content is different. 3 credits.
HUMU 345 Art, Technology and Culture
The goal of this course is to explore the particular ways that art transforms culture. Technologies, from ancient oral narratives through medieval cathedrals, geographical explorations, public theatres and the printing press to the nearly ubiquitous open access of current electronic media, will be studied as essential to both the creation of the works themselves as well as to their transmittal over space, time and peoples. The course historically contextualizes a number of critically important artistic units of cultural information [epiphanies or memes] in order to demonstrate the process of cultural evolution. The course also highlights the primacy of the imagination and the intertwining roles of creator/artist/adapter, medium chosen and publisher/producer/promoter. 3 credits.
HUMU 347 Society, Culture, and Literature
(Same as ENGU 347/SOCU 347). An exploration of the sociological and/or anthropolitical contexts of literature. The course varies in content depending on the instructor, but the topics to be selected might include the following: urban literature and life; rural, pastoral, or utopian environment; literature and sex roles; the literature of work; the influence of anthropological works on 20th-century literature; poetry and narrative in preliterate society; and the Cambridge School of Classicists and their theories about various myths of the hero. This course may also be offered online. 3 credits.
HUMU 350 Cities and Civilization
From today's Los Angeles to classical Athens, cities have shaped and transformed Western civilization. Utilizing technology, this multi-disciplinary course investigates contemporary Los Angeles and its urban predecessors, such as Athens, Madrid, Paris, London, and Vienna, as crossroads of cultural change. 3 credits.
HUMU 365 Culture, Theater, and the Visual Arts
An interdisciplinary course in which theater, painting, sculpture, and architecture are used to explore some of the major questions that continue to preoccupy Western civilization at the end of the 20th century. Discussions will center around five themes: the search for God; man/woman and nature; the cult of the machine; mortality and immortality; male and female. Lecture and discussions, theater, and museum field trips. 3 credits.
HUMU 499 Independent Study
Prerequisites: Instructor's approval and approval of petition. Directed reading and/or research designed to meet specific needs of superior upper division students. 1-3 credits.