GE Pathway Minor in Great Books and Ideas

Pathway Coordinator: Laird Easton TRNT 223B.

Books and ideas inspire people and communities. "Great Books and Ideas" is a General Education Pathway that brings together cultural legacies from around the world and influential developments going on right now, providing students with rich resources for understanding their present and their future. This Pathway ranges broadly in time as well as place, exploring the big questions and seeking answers both classic and novel. It provides a survey of fundamental and controversial texts and ideas, drawn from across the University, and an opportunity to define "greatness" for ourselves.
To fulfill the upper-division requirement, students take three interdisciplinary courses with content that varies from section to section ("Revolutionary Ideas in the Natural Sciences", "Great Books and Ideas: Social Sciences", and "Great Books and Ideas: Humanities"). By debating the books and ideas in these courses, students and faculty will shape this Pathway over time. Throughout its courses, this General Education experience offers us the chance to make connections across time and place that illuminate why we think the things we do - the "Great Books and Ideas" that form the world we live in now.

Course Requirements for the Minor: 18 units

To earn an interdisciplinary Pathway Minor in this field of study, candidates must complete nine lower-division units and nine upper-division units from the courses listed below.

Lower Division

Foundation Associations

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
GEOS 101	General Geology	3.0	FS	GE
Earth materials, processes, and history, and their significance to humankind. No college credit for students who have passed GEOS 102. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (004067)
GEOS 105	Introduction to Astronomy	3.0	FS	GE
Origin and evolution of the universe. Topics include black holes, pulsars, quasars, life in the universe, and interstellar communication. Constellation study in Roth Planetarium and telescope observation of stars and galaxies at Observatory. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (004129)
PHIL 102	Logic and Critical Thinking	3.0	FS	GE
A practical course in clear thinking and sound reasoning, which includes training in recognizing and avoiding the most commonly made mistakes in reasoning. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (007151)
PHIL 102E	Logic and Critical Thinking -- ESL	3.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: For Students with English as a Second Language. A special section of Logic and Critical Thinking open only to students with English as a Second Language. Interested students should consult with international evaluations. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (007152)
PHYS 100	Concepts in Physics	3.0	FS	GE
A non-mathematical General Education lecture, laboratory-activity course with opportunities for discussion. Topics include Newtonian Mechanics, properties of matter, heat, wave motion, sound, electricity, and light. Not intended for students who have completed high school physics. 2 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (007392)

Arts (C1)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
MUSC 292	Great Musical Compositions and Composers	3.0	FS	GE
A survey of seminal compositions and composers from western art music history. Musical traditions, compositional techniques, performance mediums, and the compositional background of individual works and composers, and the effects of political, social and philosophical issues upon the compositions and composers studies are explored. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (006183)
THEA 110	Introduction to the Theatre	3.0	FS	GE
A survey of all aspects of theatre arts, including history, production styles and techniques, acting, directing, and stagecraft. Supplemental reading and examination of theatre literature. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (009211)

Humanities (C2)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
ARAB 101A	Beginning Arabic I	4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to Arabic language and culture. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Arabic. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020747)
ARAB 102A	Beginning Arabic II	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: ARAB 101A. Continuation of ARAB 101A. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Arabic. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020748)
ARAB 201	Intermediate Arabic I	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: ARAB 102A. Students review and expand language skills and cultural concepts introduced in ARAB 101A and ARAB 102A. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020749)
ARAB 202	Intermediate Arabic II	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisite: ARAB 201. Students review and expand language skills and cultureal concepts introduced in ARAB 101A, ARAB 102A, and ARAB 201. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020750)
CHNS 101A	Beginning Chinese I	4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to Chinese language and Culture. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading and writing Chinese. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020752)
CHNS 102A	Beginning Chinese II	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: CHNS 101A. Continuation of CHNS 101A. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Chinese. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020753)
CHNS 201	Intermediate Chinese I	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: CHNS 102A. Students review and expand language skills and cultural concepts introduced in CHNS 101A and CHNS 102A. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020754)
CHNS 202	Intermediate Chinese II	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: CHNS 201. Students review and expand language skills and cultural concepts introduced in CHNS 101A, CHNS 102A, and CHNS 201. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020755)
CMSD 156	Language and Culture of Deaf Americans	3.0	FS	GE
Using a conversational approach, this course will provide students with a foundation of expressive and receptive skills in American Sign Language. Cultural aspects of the deaf community, such as history, education, language arts, and pragmatics will be explored. Additionally, lectures will provide information on hearing loss and comparison of sign languages and systems. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (002142)
CMSD 256	American Sign Language I	3.0	FA	GE
The beginning course is taught using a conversational approach. Students acquire knowledge about cultural and linguistic aspects of deafness and ASL, as well as attain receptive and expressive skills that will enable them to communicate with individuals using ASL. 3 hours lecture. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. This is an approved General Education course. (002149)
CMSD 257	American Sign Language II	3.0	SP	GE
Prerequisites: CMSD 156 or CMSD 256 or faculty permission. Continuation of Language and Culture of Deaf America (CMSD 156) and ASL I (CMSD 256). Much of the course is conducted in sign, with the exception of some lectures presented with voice on cultural and linguistic aspects of the Deaf. 3 hours discussion. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. This is an approved General Education course. (002150)
EFLN 170	English as a Foreign Language	3.0	FS	GE
Intensive practice and analytical study in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Focus on American culture, supplemented by selected reading in various academic disciplines. This course is open to international and resident students who have lived most of their lives in a non-English-speaking country. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (003377)

Note: EFLN 170 is for international students for whom English is a foreign language.

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
ENGL 260	Great Books	3.0	FS	GE
The study of novels, poetry, and drama selected from the world's great literature. Historical, thematic, and formal approaches shape the analysis of these works. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (003492)
FREN 101	First-Semester French	4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to French language and culture. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing French. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (003787)
FREN 102	Second-Semester French	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: FREN 101 or equivalent. Continuation of FREN 101. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing French. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (003792)
FREN 201	Third-Semester French	4.0	FA	GE
Prerequisites: FREN 102 or equivalent. Reviewing and expanding of language skills and cultural concepts introduced in FREN 101 and FREN 102. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (003795)
FREN 202	Fourth-Semester French	4.0	SP	GE
Prerequisites: FREN 201 or equivalent. Reviewing and expanding of language skills and cultural concepts introduced in FREN 101, FREN 102, and FREN 201. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (003794)
GERM 101	First-Semester German	4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to German language and culture. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing German. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (004199)
GERM 102	Second-Semester German	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: GERM 101 or equivalent. Continuation of GERM 101. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing German. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (004201)
GERM 201	Third-Semester German	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: GERM 102 or equivalent. Reviewing and expanding of language skills and cultural concepts introduced in GERM 101 and GERM 102. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (004204)
GERM 202	Fourth-Semester German	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: GERM 201 or equivalent. Reviewing and expanding of language skills and cultural concepts introduced in GERM 101, GERM 102, and GERM 201. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (004203)
GREK 101	First-Semester Greek	4.0	INQ	GE
Introduction to the ancient Greek language and culture. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of reading, pronunciation, and composition in ancient Greek. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020745)
GREK 102	Second-Semester Greek	4.0	INQ	GE
Continuation of GREK 101. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of reading, pronunciation, and composition of ancient Greek. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020746)
HBRW 101A	Beginning Hebrew I	4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to the Modern Hebrew language and culture. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Modern Hebrew. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020724)
HBRW 102A	Beginning Hebrew II	4.0	SP	GE
Continuation of HBRW 101A. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Modern Hebrew. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020725)
ITAL 101	First-Semester Italian	4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to Italian language and culture. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Italian. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005088)
ITAL 102	Second-Semester Italian	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: ITAL 101 or equivalent. Continuation of ITAL 101. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Italian. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005090)
ITAL 201	Third-Semester Italian	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: ITAL 102 or equivalent. Reviewing and expanding of language skills and cultural concepts introduced in ITAL 101 and ITAL 102. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005093)
ITAL 202	Fourth-Semester Italian	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: ITAL 201 or equivalent. Reviewing and expanding of language skills and cultural concepts introduced in ITAL 101, ITAL 102, and ITAL 201. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005092)
JAPN 101	First-Semester Japanese	4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to the Japanese language and culture. Emphasis on the development of fundamental skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing with clear understanding of basic sentence structures. Acquisition of Hiragana and Katakana characters (phonetic symbols). 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005334)
JAPN 102	Second-Semester Japanese	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: JAPN 101 or faculty permission. Continuation of JAPN 101. Special attention to different verb forms and essential auxiliary expressions. Appropriate language use in a variety of social settings. Acquisition of 110 Kanji characters (ideographic symbols). 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005335)
JAPN 201	Third-Semester Japanese	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: JAPN 102 or faculty permission. Review of major grammatical structures and further development of the student's cultural awareness and proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Japanese. Special attention to logical discourse development. Acquisition of 200 Kanji characters (ideographic symbols). 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005336)
JAPN 202	Fourth-Semester Japanese	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: JAPN 201 or faculty permission. Continuation of review of major grammatical structures and further development of the student's cultural awareness and proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Japanese. Special attention to refining and expanding discourse. Acquisition of 300 Kanji characters (ideographic symbols). 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005337)
LATN 101	First-Semester Latin	4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to the Latin language and culture. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of reading, pronunciation and composition of Latin. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005390)
LATN 102	Second-Semester Latin	4.0	INQ	GE
Continuation of LATN 101. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of reading, pronunciation, and composition in Latin. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020732)
PHIL 101	Introduction to Philosophy	3.0	FS	GE
An introduction to philosophical thought and skills. Issues that traditionally have been of central importance in philosophical inquiry, such as the nature of knowledge, reality, and values, will be emphasized. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (007155)
PORT 101A	Beginning Portuguese I	4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to Portuguese language and its associated cultures. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Portuguese. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (007752)
PORT 102A	Beginning Portuguese II	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: PORT 101A. Continuation of PORT 101A. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Portuguese. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (007754)
RELS 110	Asian Religions	3.0	FS	GE GC
An introduction to the religions of the East: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (008128)
RUSS 101A	Beginning Russian I	4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to Russian language and its associated cultures. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Russian. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (008916)
RUSS 102A	Beginning Russian II	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: RUSS 101A. Continuation of RUSS 101A. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Russian. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (008920)
SPAN 101	First-Semester Spanish	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: SPAN 101 is not available for credit to students with two or more years of Spanish within the last three years. Introduction to Spanish language and culture. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Spanish. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (009113)
SPAN 102	Second-Semester Spanish	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: SPAN 101 or equivalent. Continuation of SPAN 101. Emphasis on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Spanish. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (009118)
SPAN 201	Third-Semester Spanish	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: SPAN 102 or equivalent. Reviewing and expanding of language skills and cultural concepts introduced in SPAN 101 and SPAN 102. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (009121)
SPAN 201N	Spanish for Spanish Speakers	4.0	FA	GE
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. Reviewing and expanding of language skills possessed by speakers of Spanish who have not studied the language formally. This course includes composition and reading. Particular focus on the Mexican-American/Latino experience. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (009123)
SPAN 202	Fourth-Semester Spanish	4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: SPAN 201 or equivalent. Reviewing and expanding of language skills and cultural concepts introduced in SPAN 101, SPAN 102, and SPAN 201. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (009120)
SPAN 202N	Spanish for Spanish Speakers	4.0	SP	GE
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. Further reviewing and expanding of language skills possessed by speakers of Spanish who have not studied the language formally. Builds on topics studied in SPAN 201N. This course includes composition and reading. Particular focus on the Mexican-American/Latino experience. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (009126)

Individual and Society (D1)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
AIST 170	Introduction to American Indian Studies	3.0	FS	GE USD
Introduction to socio-cultural development of the American Indian in modern times and the background for present-day conditions. Attention given to contemporary Indian affairs and problems. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (000375)
HIST 101	Ancient Civilizations	3.0	FS	GE GC
Examination of the political, economic, religious, and social structures of the ancient civilizations that are the focus of the sixth-grade history/social science curriculum in California public schools: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Kush, the Hebrews, Greece, India, China, Rome. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (004492)
SOCI 100	Introduction to Sociology	3.0	FS	GE
This course helps organize thinking about societies in general, the society we inhabit, and our place within it. Underlying questions are: Why do people have different values? Why do people act differently? Why is there inequality? And why and how does society; its values and norms, institutions, and groups influence our behavior. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (008933)

Societal Institutions (D2)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
ANTH 112	Society, Time, and Archaeology	3.0	FS	GE GC
Significant events in mankind's prehistoric cultural development and their relevance to the present. Human antiquity; the acquisition of culture during the Paleolithic; the beginning of early civilization. Introduction to the methods of archaeology and human paleontology. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (000491)
GEOG 106	The American West	3.0	FS	GE USD
The historical cultural geography of the American West, emphasizing how various cultural groups have each made a unique imprint on the western landscape. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (003861)
POLS 101	Vital Political Problems	3.0	FS	GE
An examination of major political problems challenging America today. Emphasis on class discussion of controversial topics involving political policy in the context of the study of political science. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (007467)

Lifelong Learning (E)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
CHLD 252	Child Development	3.0	FS	GE
Designed for Nursing, Liberal Studies, Communication Sciences & Disorders, and other non-Child Development majors, this course studies the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of children from conception through adolescence. The course explains genetic, biological, and environmental influences including cross-cultural issues. Scheduled observations are included. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (001442)
ENGL 240	Literature for Life	3.0	FS	GE
Readings of literary masterpieces as springboards for personal reflection on students' social, psychological, and physiological being. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (003423)

Upper Division

Natural Sciences

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
NSCI 300	Revolutionary Ideas in the Natural Sciences	3.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Pathway Foundation Physical Sciences and GE Pathway Foundation Life Sciences. This course presents to students the seminal ideas in the natural sciences. Not only is the historical development of a scientific discipline explored, but connections are made with great ideas in other areas - both within the natural sciences and beyond. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (021365)
NSCI 300Z	Revolutionary Ideas in the Natural Sciences - Capstone	3.0	FS	GE WI C
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Pathway Foundation Physical Sciences and GE Pathway Foundation Life Sciences. This course presents to students the seminal ideas in the natural sciences. Not only is the historical development of a scientific discipline explored, but connections are made with great ideas in other areas - both within the natural sciences and beyond. 3 hours lecture.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education Capstone course. Formerly NSCI 300I. (021115)

Arts/Humanities

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
HUMN 300	Great Books and Ideas: Arts/Humanities	3.0	FS	GE
This course advances students exposure to and appreciation of a selection of central works in the disciplines of the Humanities and Arts. The specific content of the course varies by section. Students bring together their experiences throughout the Pathway in order to forge a deeper understanding of the role of Humanities/Arts as an academic discipline and as a lens for apprehending their world. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (021104)
HUMN 300Z	Great Books and Ideas: Arts/Humanities - Capstone	3.0	FS	GE WI C
This course advances students exposure to and appreciation of a selection of central works in the disciplines of the Humanities and Arts. The specific content of the course varies by section. Students bring together their experiences throughout the Pathway in order to forge a deeper understanding of the role of Humanities/Arts as an academic discipline and as a lens for apprehending their world. 3 hours lecture.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education Capstone course. (021359)

Social Sciences

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
SOSC 300	Great Books and Ideas in the Social Sciences		3.0	FS	GE
This course advances students' exposure to and appreciation of seminal works in the disciplines of the Social Sciences. The specific content of the course varies by sections and instructor discipline. In this course, students deepen their understanding of the role of the social sciences as an academic discipline and further enhance their understanding of the world around them. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved General Education course. (021168)