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GE Pathway Minor in Science, Technology and Values

Pathway Coordinator: LaDonna Knigge, BUTE 533.

The rise of science and technology has profoundly affected nearly every aspect of the world in which humans live-the natural and built worlds around us, our social and cultural institutions, our daily habits, and our very bodies and minds are all inextricably connected to science and technology. Students of Science, Technology and Values explore many controversial issues, especially those with direct consequences in their lives, such as the relation between science and religion, or research on human embryonic stem cells; they learn how to evaluate controversial claims about science, such as whether science is the preeminent form of knowledge; they learn how to evaluate their own use of technology and its consequences, such as the privacy concerns raised by GPS devices and the Internet, or what playing video games does to the sense of self. A primary goal of the Science, Technology and Values Pathway is to prepare students to deal with the many complex and difficult issues caused by the rapid increase in scientific knowledge and the many new technologies that result from this.

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 Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
The qualities of being human are examined through the investigation of evolutionary principles, non-human primates, human fossil record, and living peoples. The biological origin, evolution, and variation of humankind are explored. Lower division General Education Breadth Area B2, Natural Sciences-Life Forms. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory. This is an approved General Education course. (000490)
Designed for non-science majors, this course will examine contemporary science issues and use this context to provide an understanding of the basic chemical processes that govern our lives. Students will learn how scientists study chemical processes, decipher them, and develop them to meet our needs. The importance of the relationship between science and technology and the public's understanding of these issues will also be explored. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (001819)
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)
Prerequisite: English Placement Test score of 147 or higher.
An intensive writing course designed to introduce students to professional expository writing by using media content as models and a platform. Emphasis is on clarity, conciseness, and consistency in style, along with form, content, context, and effectiveness of communication. Writing for various audiences will feature the Internet, academic writing, persuasion, description and other rhetorical models. 2 hours discussion, 2 hours activity.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course. (021092)
This course focuses on the principles and scientific thought processes as they relate to climate change, air and water resources, and ecosystem alteration. The Earth's physical environment is the primary focus, although a portion of the course covering ecosystems bridges physical and biological interrelatedness of the global environment. Problem solving skills and skills in analyzing environmental issues are emphasized. 2 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020268)
An integrated study of the nature and interactions of living things and their environments. This course is an introduction to the processes of evolution and speciation, ecology and ecosystem processes, cellular biology and organismal physiology. The course is primarily for students without a strong background in high school biology or chemistry. The course includes online content delivery, in-class discussion, and a hands-on activity session. 2 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020372)

Arts (C1)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
APCG 110 provides an introduction to computer graphics and art. Students use the computer as a tool for creating static and animated images. Basic instruction in design and color relationships is provided. The writing component may include research reports from current graphics publications and/or attendance and discussion of art exhibitions. 1 hour discussion, 4 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (002287)

Humanities (C2)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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 Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
This course is also offered as RELS 241.
In this course we investigate the long and complicated relationship between science and religion by examining both the conflict and co-operation between theologians, philosophers, and scientists in the Western and Eastern worlds throughout history and into the modern age. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (007201)
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)
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)
This course is also offered as PHIL 204.
In this course we investigate the long and complicated relationship between science and religion by examining both the conflict and co-operation between theologians, philosophers, and scientists in the Western and Eastern worlds throughout history and into the modern age. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (007201)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
This course explores technology and science through science fiction, both historical and contemporary. In our rapidly changing technological civilization, technology and science offer numerous benefits to individuals and to societies along with a host of new challenges and considerations often foreshadowed in science fiction. Science fiction has also been used as a vehicle to inform, misinform, motivate, or alarm its audience regarding social, cultural, environmental, sustainable, technological, scientific, and other issues. This course uses science fiction to explore the past, present, and possible future effects of science and technology on society, culture, environment, sustainability, as well as on invention and innovation. Throughout the course various nonfiction articles, science fiction stories, and sections of science fiction works are used in discussions around a variety of themes. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (021221)

Individual and Society (D1)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
Provides an overview of evolving geospatial technologies and explores their impact on the individual and society. Questions how economics, politics, culture, and values affect technological development. Examines issues such as privacy, representation, geopolitics, surveillance, equity, and social justice. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (021148)
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)
This course explores invention and innovation, looking at the social, cultural, economic, environmental, intellectual, and sustainable contexts of technologies and scientific advancements. Critical technologies and scientific advancements are explored; how these technologies and advancements came about including the individuals, connections, organizations, settings, and culture which enabled the development. The impact on the individual, culture, society, economy, environment, sustainability, and other technologies and advancements at their inception, in our current world and the future, are considered. Throughout these investigations attention is directed to the development and social context of these inventions and advancements, challenging students to understand the past as the foundation of the world today and setting the stage for the future. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (021220)

Societal Institutions (D2)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
A cross-cultural examination of religions and world views. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (000499)
Examination of the political, economic, religious, and social structures of the medieval and early-modern civilizations that are the focus of the seventh-grade history/social science curriculum in California public schools: the Islamic world, China, Japan, Europe, the Americas, Ghana, and Mali. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (004493)
Prerequisites: ENGL 130I.
Popular mediated culture has evolved with communication during the past century to establish institutions that help define our shared identity. This course is about the resulting culture that appears in mass media and how it reflects, creates, or diminishes values central to the United States by examining the resulting forms, messages, and impacts within society and societal institutions. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (021224)

Lifelong Learning (E)

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
This course explores the impact of technology on our lives. Aspects of our complex technological society are investigated through study of the various forms technology takes, and readings in contemporary literature regarding the impact these technologies have on individuals. Students are encouraged to reflect on technology in their own lives through journaling, and to discourse with their peers on the benefits and harm to individuals, society, and humanity that modern technology presents. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (020623)
The mass media are changing more rapidly now than at any time in the past century, and this course gives a context to those changes and provides an overview of what citizens need to know for understanding the role of the mass media in their public lives. Students explore the structure of media organizations; the professional and ethical values of journalists; the needs, desires, and influences of culture on media consumers; and the impact of changing technologies - both visual and written - on public relations and traditional news gathering. This includes critical analysis of the relationship of journalism and society and their effect on democracy, as well as the psychological, political, economic, and cultural values of citizens. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (020555)
The mass media are changing more rapidly now than at any time in the past century, and this course gives a context to those changes and provides an overview of what citizens need to know for understanding the role of the mass media in their public lives. Students explore the structure of media organizations; the professional and ethical values of journalists; the needs, desires, and influences of culture on media consumers; and the impact of changing technologies - both visual and written - on public relations and traditional news gathering. This includes critical analysis of the relationship of journalism and society and their effect on democracy, as well as the psychological, political, economic, and cultural values of citizens. 3 hours lecture.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course. (021263)

Upper Division

Natural Sciences

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
Prerequisites: One biological sciences course.
The inheritance, expression, and evolution of the genetic material in humans. Topics include genetic engineering, gene therapy, prenatal diagnosis, cancer, the human genome project, genetic influences on human behavior, such as homosexuality and mental illness, and the social and ethical consequences of the new technologies. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (001140)
Prerequisites: GE Foundation Physical Science and Life Science areas.
Rise to the challenge and take responsibility for your future. In this course students explore the nature of invention and innovation in context of the individual, culture, society, economics, environment, technology science, and sustainability among others. Case studies of innovators and inventors are studied, placing the ideas and inventions in historic context as well as considering contemporary and future implications. In light of this exploration and study, the students are challenged to develop their own creative proposal for new innovations or inventions. Not simply a refinement, but a creative innovation and invention, and then to consider and analyze the implications and ramifications of their idea. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (021228)
Prerequisites: GE Foundation Physical Science and Life Science areas.
Rise to the challenge and take responsibility for your future. In this course students explore the nature of invention and innovation in context of the individual, culture, society, economics, environment, technology science, and sustainability among others. Case studies of innovators and inventors are studied, placing the ideas and inventions in historic context as well as considering contemporary and future implications. In light of this exploration and study, the students are challenged to develop their own creative proposal for new innovations or inventions. Not simply a refinement, but a creative innovation and invention, and then to consider and analyze the implications and ramifications of their idea. 3 hours lecture.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education Capstone course. (021363)

Arts/Humanities

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
This course studies American culture and the various ways in which particular cultural products reinforce, oppose, underscore, or resist the values of the dominant culture - we also explore the gaps between the explicit and the implicit in those cultural values. Our discussions of these texts sustain an ongoing conversation about the various ways science and technology drive and are driven by the movements in culture we explore. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (021118)
This course studies American culture and the various ways in which particular cultural products reinforce, oppose, underscore, or resist the values of the dominant culture - we also explore the gaps between the explicit and the implicit in those cultural values. Our discussions of these texts sustain an ongoing conversation about the various ways science and technology drive and are driven by the movements in culture we explore. 3 hours lecture.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (021236)
An examination of the philosophical issues raised by scientific inquiry. Topics include the logical empiricist view of science, perception, and discovery, scientific paradigms, and the implications of reductivism. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved General Education course. (007193)
This course introduces students to the ways in which historic and contemporary religious communities interpret catastrophes and how religious worlds explain and provide humans with tools to cope with catastrophes and with making meaning out of suffering and death. Focus is on visions of the end of the world (apocalypticism, environmental destruction), interpreting the meaning of disasters (natural, human-induced), and personal and global annihilation (epidemics, nuclear destruction). 3 hours lecture.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course. (008166)

Social Sciences

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
This course examines how societies create, understand, and resolve environmental problems. It uses anthropological methods to explore relations between cultural and natural orders in a wide range of human groups. It emphasizes new approaches that can contribute to the well-being and sustainability of living communities in the twenty-first century. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (020636)
Students acquire a qualitative understanding of how various information and communication technologies work, the social needs that drive technology developments, and the future impact of new information technologies on work and society. This course is required for all majors in the Department of Communication Design. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (001659)
This course explores the fundamental relationships between brain function, mental states and consciousness, and human behavior. Attention is given to the influence of brain research on artificial intelligence, neural networks, and computer technology, and to the current metaphor of brain as computer. The course focus is on basic brain processes involved in sensation and perception, motivation and emotion, learning and memory, and language and consciousness. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (007919)
Catalog Cycle:13