Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies
College of Letters and Science
Office: 231 Evans Hall, (510) 642-0108
Dean: Tyler Stovall, PhD
Department Website: Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies
Overview
Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies (UGIS) in the Undergraduate Division of the College of Letters and Science serves as a center for innovations in undergraduate education that extend beyond traditional departmental boundaries. Our major and minor programs attract undergraduates who wish to explore the most intellectually engaging and promising interdisciplinary fields under the direction of scholars who are pioneers in charting these new areas and methods of inquiry. UGIS has been, and continues to be, an incubator for new ideas, including experimental programs and courses, as well as curricula designed to promote the ideals of a liberal arts education. We are especially dedicated to creating programs such as the Freshman and Sophomore Seminar Program and the Undergraduate Research Program that nurture productive intellectual relationships between faculty members and students.
Field Major
Interdisciplinary Studies
The ISF major affords undergraduates a thoroughly interdisciplinary framework for their studies. The program allows students to establish individualized areas of concentration using courses in the humanities, the social sciences, and/or the professional schools and colleges.
Group Majors
American Studies
This group major offers students the opportunity to study American society using a broad range of methods drawn from a variety of disciplines in the College of Letters and Science and the professional schools and colleges. American Studies courses will attempt to take into account how the cultures of America have been continually reshaped by movements of people, commerce, and ideas crossing borders. The major draws on faculty resources and research in literature, history, economics, architecture, material culture, media studies, ethnic studies, and urban and regional studies.
Cognitive Science
This group major is the cross-disciplinary study of the structure and processes of human cognition and their computational simulation or modeling. This interdisciplinary program has been designed to give students an understanding of questions dealing with human cognition, such as concept formation, visual perception, the acquisition and processing of natural language, and human reasoning and problem solving. The program draws on relevant courses found within the fields of biology, computer science, education, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology, as well as specially designed lower and upper division courses in cognitive science.
International and Area Studies
The International and Area Studies office (101 Stephens Hall, (510) 642-4466) administers group majors in Asian Studies, Development Studies, Latin American Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS), and Political Economy. For information about those group majors, see the individual program listing.
Media Studies
The major applies a range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities to the understanding of contemporary mass media and their structure, history, content, consequences, and policy implications.
Religious Studies
The major provides opportunities for securing a broad background in the liberal arts while at the same time allowing for a focus on a thematic concern or a particular religious tradition. The major views religion from a global perspective and combines aspects of the humanities and social sciences. A Religious Studies minor is also available.
Minor Programs
Applied Language Studies Minor
Sometimes called Applied Linguistics, the field of Applied Language Studies is devoted to the study of particular domains of language learning and use, such as foreign language learning and teaching, bi- and multi-lingualism, translation and interpretation, communication in professional contexts, or intercultural communication.
Creative Writing Minor
Students earn a minor in Creative Writing by completing three upper division creative writing courses and two upper division literature courses. Students may choose among a wide variety of courses from numerous departments. The Creative Writing minor is housed in the Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies, 231 Evans Hall. A student handbook outlining minor requirements in detail is available at the minor office. For more information, call (510) 642-2363 or visit the website.
Disability Studies Minor
The Disability Studies minor explores how to best meet the challenges and alleviate the problems of those with impairments or disabilities, with emphasis on the role of those affected in defining problems and evaluating solutions. The minor requirements consist of two core courses and three approved upper division electives chosen from a wide variety of courses from numerous departments. The Disability Studies minor is housed in the Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies, 231 Evans Hall. A student handbook outlining minor requirements in detail is available at the minor office. For more information, call (510) 643-7691 or visit the website.
Human Rights Interdisciplinary Minor
This minor offers a teaching program specifically focused on human rights but open to myriad disciplinary approaches and welcomes students from many corners of campus. It allows students to shape their education around coursework that investigates the legal, political, historical, economic, social, psychological, and representational dynamics of human rights. Helping undergraduates explore issues via multiple forms of thought and media of expression—through literature as well as politics, journalism as well as law, film as well as anthropology—the IHR minor emphasizes the many different intellectual spaces in which human rights questions are currently being posed. For more information, call (510) 643-7691 or visit the website.
Other Programs
In addition to the majors listed above, the Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies oversees a suite of academic enrichment programs:
The Big Ideas Courses, launched in 2012, brings together two or more faculty members from different disciplines to co-teach innovative breadth courses. Big Ideas Courses take up key intellectual and societal challenges that cannot be adequately addressed by the perspective or methodology of one discipline alone. For more information, call (510) 642-8378 or visit the website.
The College Writing Programs (112 Wheeler Hall, (510) 642-5570), designed to help undergraduates establish fluency and control over their reading and writing skills, is also in the Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies.
Freshman and Sophomore Seminars arose from the conviction that early intellectual contact with faculty members would greatly enhance the undergraduate experience at Berkeley. Professors from nearly every campus department join together each semester to offer an impressive array of seminars. The courses numbered 24 (and in some cases 90) bear one unit of credit; they are limited to 15 students, and freshmen are given priority for enrollment. The courses numbered 84 bear one or two units of credit; they are limited to 15 sophomores. The courses numbered 39A-39Z are limited to 25 freshmen and sophomores. Seminars, which emphasize interaction and discussion, provide a counterpoint to the learning experience in Berkeley's large lecture halls. These seminars also offer lower division students an unprecedented opportunity to explore a wide range of majors and even fields of study usually reserved for graduate students. As you browse through this Bulletin, you will find lower division seminars sponsored by Letters and Science departments as well as by the professional schools and colleges.
Descriptions of all the seminars scheduled for the upcoming semester can be found in time for Tele-BEARS registration on the program's website that also contains other useful information and features for undergraduates. For additional information regarding the Freshman and Sophomore Seminars, contact the program office at 231 Evans Hall, (510) 642-8378.
Letters and Science Discovery Courses: Students in the College of Letters and Science are asked to fulfill seven breadth requirements. The Letters and Science Discovery Courses are exemplary breadth courses, designed to engage and broaden the minds of non-experts. Taught by some of the most distinguished faculty members on campus, the L&S Discovery Courses are guaranteed to deliver a high-quality educational experience. For more information, including the current list of courses and the breadth requirements they fulfill, visit the website.
On the Same Page is a campus-wide book-in-common program, designed to welcome new freshmen and transfer students into the intellectual dialogue that characterizes the Berkeley campus. Each year all of the faculty and all new students receive a book (or film or other study object) that provides the focus for discussions, courses, events and activities in the fall term. For more information, call (510) 642-8378 or visit the website.
Scholarship Connection is Berkeley's clearinghouse for information on scholarships that are funded by sources outside the University. Enrolled Berkeley students may search for awards on Scholarship Connection's online database. In addition to providing information on many externally-funded awards, Scholarship Connection also administers the campus recruitment and selection for several highly competitive awards, such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Merage, and Truman Scholarships. Scholarship Connection offers workshops and individual advising to help applicants prepare competitive applications for these prestigious awards. For more information, visit the website or contact Scholarship Connection at 5 Durant Hall, scholarships@learning.berkeley.edu , or (510) 643-6929.
The UC Berkeley Washington Program allows undergraduates to spend a semester in Washington, D.C. Students in the program combine coursework with field research in an internship that reflects each student's particular area of interest. For more information, call (510) 642-9102, M24 Wheeler Hall, or visit the website.
The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) seeks to involve undergraduates more deeply in the research life of the University. To this end, OUR coordinates and develops programs and resources that bring undergraduates into the field, laboratories, and archives. Whether assisting faculty with research or pursuing their own research under faculty supervision, Berkeley students can experience what it means to be a part of cutting-edge research at a world-class research university. For information on the great variety of undergraduate research opportunities at Berkeley, visit the Research@Berkeley website or email research@learning.berkeley.edu .
The Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP) is the ideal place for students to begin to put their classroom learning to use. As research apprentices, students gain skills and perspectives as they assist faculty with research. More than 1,400 students participate in this program each year, working with faculty from nearly every department and college. For a current list of faculty projects, visit the URAP website .
When students are ready to embark on research of their own design, the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and-the Haas Scholars Program offer fellowships that allow students to pursue sophisticated research. For information about these and other programs, visit the website.
The Office of Undergraduate Research is located in 5 Durant Hall, (510) 643-5376.
UGIS 5A Doing Research: Critical Inquiry at Berkeley 1 Unit
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Summer
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 2.5 hours of Lecture per week for 6 weeks.
Introduces the nature of research and the research university's role in the production of knowledge. Explores differences and similarities among modes of inquiry in sciences, social sciences, and humanities by looking at UCB faculty and their various approaches to current problems. Examines challenges and rewards of doing research. Profiles undergraduate researchers. Online course for new freshmen culminates in (optional) welcome week activities.
UGIS W5 Doing Research: Critical Inquiry at Berkeley 1 Unit
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Summer
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 2.5 hours of Web-based lecture per week for 6 weeks. This is an online course.
Introduces the nature of research and the research university's role in the production of knowledge. Explores differences and similarities among modes of inquiry in sciences, social sciences, and humanities by looking at UCB faculty and their various approaches to current problems. Examines challenges and rewards of doing research. Profiles undergraduate researchers. Online course for new freshmen culminates in (optional) welcome week activities. This course is web-based.
Formerly known as 5.
UGIS C10/OPTOM C10 The Eye and Vision in a Changing Environment 2 Units
Department: Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies; Optometry; Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
Course covers introduction to the basis of common sight reducing visual disorders with major public health implications for society--e.g., myopia, cataracts, diabetic hypertensive eye disorders, developmental disorders (e.g., lazy eye), and environmentally induced disease and disorders (solar eye burns, cataracts). Major approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of common disorders will be addressed in terms of the biological and optical sciences underlying the treatment or prevention. Impact of eye care on society and health and care delivery will be reviewed.
Instructor: Adams
UGIS 39B Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 1.5 - 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Hours and format: 1 hour of seminar per week per unit.
Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Priority given to freshmen and sophomores.
UGIS 80A It's Elementary! Exploring Science with Young Students 2 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
This course introduces the fundamentals of K-5 science education through demonstrations, skill modeling, and discussion. Topics include inquiry-based and cooperative learning strategies; team building and management tools; and assessment techniques. Students are placed in an elementary school and are provided the support needed to successfully participate in the classroom. This seminar offers an opportunity to explore teaching, foster children's natural curiosity, and inspire local students.
Students will receive no credit for Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies 80A after taking Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies 82. Instructor: Johnson
UGIS 80B It's Elementary! Exploring Math with Young Students 2 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
This course introduces the fundamentals of K-5 math education through demonstrations, skill modelng, and discussion. Topics include inquiry-based and cooperative learning strategies; team building and management tools; and assessment techniques. Students are placed in an elementary school and are provided the support needed to successfully participate in the classroom. This seminar offers an opportunity to explore teaching, foster children's natural curiosity, and inspire local students.
Students will receive no credit for Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies 80B after taking Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies 82. Instructor: Nolan
UGIS 81A Teaching Science with Middle School Students 2 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies 80A.
This course introduces the fundamentals of sixth to eighth grade science education through demonstrations, skill modeling, and discussion. Topics include inquiry-based pedagogy, assessment techniques, empirically-based lesson revision, and adolescent development. Students are placed in a middle school and are provided the support needed to successfully participate in the classroom. This seminar offers an opportunity to explore teaching, foster children's natural curiosity, and inspire local students.
Students will receive no credit for Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies 81A after taking Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies 82. Instructor: Johnson
UGIS 81B Teaching Math with Middle School Students 2 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies 80B.
This course introduces the fundamentals of sixth to eighth grade math education through demonstrations, skill modeling, and discussion. Topics include inquiry-based pedagogy, assessment techniques, empirically-based lesson revision, and adolescent development. Students are placed in a middle school and are provided the support needed to successfully participate in the classroom. This seminar offers an opportunity to explore teaching, foster children's natural curiosity, and inspire local students.
Students will receive no credit for Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies 81B after taking Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies 82. Instructor: Nolan
UGIS 82 K-8 Teaching and Inquiry-Based Lesson Design in the Science and Mathematics Classroon 2 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks. 4 hours of Seminar per week for 8 weeks.
This course surveys basic approaches to K-8 science and math teaching through modeling inquiry-based teaching and discussion. Topics include inquiry-based pedagogy, assessment techniques, lesson plan design and revision, and child development. Students are placed in science and math learning environments with upper elementary and middle school children to practice teaching. This seminar offers an opportunity to explore teaching, foster children's natural curiosity, and inspire local students.
No restrictions. Instructor: Nolan
UGIS 98 Directed Group Study for Lower Division Students 1 - 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 1 to 4 hour of Directed group study per week for 15 weeks.
Seminars for the group study of topics not covered by regularly scheduled courses. Topics may vary from semester to semester.
Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
UGIS 110 Introduction to Disability Studies 3 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks. 6 hours of Lecture per week for 8 weeks.
This course focuses on the social and personal meaning of disability and chronic illness. We will explore definitions and conceptual models for the study of disability, the history of disabled people, bio-ethical perspectives, the depiction of disability in literature and the arts, public attitudes, and legal and social policies. The course will investigate the interaction of disability with social factors such as gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and class. The course is for students with and without disabilities, and may be of special interest to students preparing for careers in the health professions, education, law, architecture, social work, or gerontology.
UGIS 112 Women and Disability 3 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
This course will explore the intersection of women's experience and disability issues, emphasizing the social and personal impact of disability and chronic illness on relationships, identity, employment, health, body image, sexuality, reproduction, motherhood, and aging. Through real stories of women's lives which reached the media in the last decade and before, students will move toward a dynamic understanding of the impact of a range of physical, emotional, and mental disabilities in the context of current social forces and public policy. We will explore historic perspectives as well as current trends in medicine, independent living, care-giving, insurance, public benefits, law, and community activism as they affect and are affected by disabled women and girls and their families. We will discuss controversial ethical issues such as prenatal screening, wrongful birth law suits, and physician-assisted suicide. Course readings will draw on the rich literature of disabled women's anthologies, biography and autobiograhpy, scholarly and popular literature of disability, feminist analyses, creative writing, women's art, film, and theatre.
Instructor: Saxton
UGIS 113 Disability Studies in Practice 3 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 6 hours of Internship and 1 hour of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
A graded service-learning internship course in disability studies. Students will draw lessons from working in collaboration with major disability rights and independent living organizations. Each student will do an internship at one of these organizations for six hours a week. In an additional one-hour a week seminar together, students will first prepare for the internships, setting objectives for skills to be learned and planning effective projects, and then analyze and reflect on the work done, both in order to create greater understanding of each intern's individual experiences and in order to think critically about how "service" and "organizing" can address the needs and goals of the disability community. Students must apply in advance for admission into this course.
Instructor: Schweik
UGIS 120 Introduction to Applied Language Studies 3 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of lecture and fieldwork per week.
This course is an introduction to the study of language as applied to real world problems in specific situations in which people use and learn languages, e.g., language learning and teaching, language socialization, bilingualism and multilingualism, language policy and planning, computer-mediated communication, stylistics, translation, intercultural communication, language and symbolic power, political and commercial rhetoric. Fieldwork consists of observation and analysis of language-related real world problems.
Instructor: Kramsch
UGIS C133/HISTORY C191/HMEDSCI C133 Death, Dying, and Modern Medicine: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives 4 Units
Department: Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies; Health and Medical Sciences; History; Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 2 hours of Discussion per week for 15 weeks. 6 hours of Lecture and 2 hours of Discussion per week for 8 weeks. 8 hours of Lecture and 2 hours of Discussion per week for 6 weeks.
This course will study the end of life--dying and death--from the perspective of medicine and history. It seeks to confront the humanist with the quotidian dilemmas of modern clinical practice and medicine's deep engagement with death more generally. It invites pre-med, pre-law, and public policy students to understand these matters in light of the historical and, more broadly, literary and artistic perspectives of the humanities.
Instructors: Laqueur, Micco
UGIS C136/AMERSTD C112F/ESPM C191/HISTART C189 The American Forest: Its Ecology, History, and Representation 4 Units
Department: Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies; American Studies; Environ Sci, Policy, and Management; History of Art; Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
The American forest will be examined in terms of its ecology, history, and representations in paintings, photographs, and literary essays. This examination seeks to understand the American forest in its scientific and economic parameters, as well as the historic, social, and ideological dimensions which have contributed to the evolution of our present attitudes toward the forest.
Instructors: Lovell, McBride
UGIS 140 The Hand-Printed Book in Its Historical Context 2 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 4 hours of Studio per week for 15 weeks.
The "Hand-Printed Book" is a studio course taught in the Bancroft press room. Using antique presses and 19th century type, each class produces by hand a rare first edition of a work from the Bancroft collections that has never been published before. As students learn how hand-produced books have been made in the west for the last 500 years, they are also taught about the history of the book, using examples from Bancroft's rare books and manuscripts collection.
Instructor: Ferriss
UGIS C155/HISTORY C175B/RELIGST C135 Jewish Civilization: Modern Period 4 Units
Department: Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies; History; Religious Studies; Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
This is the fourth course in a four-course sequence in the history of Jewish culture and civilization. It explores the major themes in Jewish history from 1750 to the present, with special attention paid to the transformation of Jewish communal and individual identity in the modern world. Topics to be treated include the breakdown of traditional society, enlightenment and emancipation, assimilation, Hasidism, racial anti-Semitism, colonialism, Zionism, and contemporary Jewish life in Europe, North America, and Israel. The multicultural nature of Jewish history will be highlighted throughout the course through the treatment of non-European Jewish narratives alongside the more familiar Ashkenazi perspective.
UGIS 156 Human Rights Interdisciplinary Minor Capstone Workshop 1 or 3 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 3 hours of seminar every month; 8 hours final conference.
Prerequisites: History C187 or L&S C140V.
The HRI Capstone Workshop structures the process of turning research projects into conference papers in preparation for the HRI conference. The course allows students to tackle common research and writing problems together in a series of group advising sessions.
Instructor: Gallagher
UGIS W157 Experiential Learning: Context, Self-Reflection and Professional Development 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of web-based lecture and 3 hours of web-based discussion per week for 10 weeks. This is an online course.
This course facilitates your learning and self-reflection about various types of organizational contexts, structures, and cultures and about the development of practical strategies to promote successful internship experiences. A series of audio-visual lectures, practical exercises, writing assignments, projects, and online group discussions will guide you through all stages of your internship experience. The course will also present a range of theories, methods, and real-world example for examining management and organizational theory and practice.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Instructor: Clark
UGIS 160A Art 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 4 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
This course delves into various facets of the Arts in Washington, D.C., whether involving public arts through museums such as the Smithsonian, or performance venues such as theatres; art history and public issues involving arts sponsorship and presentation.
UGIS 162A Political Science: Behind the Bully Bulpit - The History of Presidental Speech 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 4 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
As history has shown, there is no bully pulpit in the world like the American presidency. Whether it was Roosevelt declaring war on the Japanese or Regan declaring war on government bureaucracy, they, like all presidents, understood the power of their words to make history and to change it. This course will study the history of the presidency through their speeches. We will read and analyze remarks delivered from the podium in economic booms and busts, in times of social unrest, and even in moments of humor. By reading others and drafting our own, we will also learn the elements of an effective speech and how to craft and deliver one. A few former and current presidential speechwriters will be featured as guests throughout the semester. Course requirements include the 750-word op-ed, preparation and delivery of a 10-minute speech, writing a mid-term paper based on course materials and sitting for a final exam.
Instructor: Gottheimer
UGIS 162E Political Science: Environmental Policymaking and the Politics of Climate Change 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 4 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
World leaders at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Copenhagen this past December announced that they reached "a meaningful agreement" that will lead to a global treaty to address climate change. Many observers see the politics of the Copenhagen Accord as a glimpse into the new world order in which international diplomatic power will increasingly be shared by the United States (U.S.) and emerging powers, such as China. Climate change policy also offers a lens through which the U.S. domestic environmental policymaking process can be viewed and its evolution better understood. This course will examine the dynamics of global environmental treaty-making after first studying the development of U.S. environmental protection efforts. Students will then analyze the international and domestic efforts that led up to the Copenhagen Accord and assess what is needed and likely to result from the next UNFCCC meeting to be held in Mexico City in 2010.
Instructor: Wagner
UGIS 162H Political Science: Interest Group Politics: Lobbying and Influences 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 4 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
This course will explore the role of interest groups and lobbyists in the American political process. We will discuss what makes an influential lobbyist in Washington. We will examine the ways in which organized interests try to achieve their goals, and what determines whether or not they are successful. We will investigate whether the tens of thousand of lobbyists roaming the streets of Washington improve or detract from the quality of American democracy.
Instructor: Drutman
UGIS 162I Political Science: Lobbying, Money, and Influence in Washington 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
This course will be an intense examination of lobbying in Washington with particular attention given to the role of money and campaign finance in the operation of what has become a highly sophisticated and poorly understood network of advocacy and influence. The approach of the instructor is to provide a basic understanding of three different but interrelated knowledge sets: the Congress, political money, and lobbying by interest groups.
Instructor: Billet
UGIS 162J Political Science: U.S. Supreme Court: Judicial Politics and Constitutional Interpretation 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
This course will introduce students to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. Besides covering the Court's historical origins, its institutional power and limitations, and its current cases, this course will attempt to de-mystify one of the nation's most cloistered governmental institutions. Students will learn the nuts and bolts of what happens to a case from the day a petition to review a dispute arrives at the Supreme Court until the day the justices issue a final opinion.
Instructors: Bravin,J., Bravin,N.
UGIS 162K Spies! The Politics of Intelligence 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
In this course, students will be introduced to recent issues concerning intelligence, such as intelligence failure, reform, and oversight, with a focus on how the change in U.S. intelligence in the post-9/11 context has increasingly emphasized domestic or "homeland" intelligence. Students will gain an understanding of the different types of intelligence, the range of responsibilities that the different Intelligence Community members hold, and the relationship between intelligence and the policymaking process.
Instructor: Cain
UGIS 162L Middle East Politics and the Arab "Spring" 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
This course provides an overview of modern Middle Eastern politics with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of the recent events of the Arab "Spring." This course begins with a historical analysis outlining the development of the states in the Middle East. Through this course, students will gain an understanding of the dynamics of the Middle Eastern politics and society.
Instructor: Robbins
UGIS 162M U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
What are the United States' interests in the Middle East? Who and what determine those interests? And how are those interests pursued? This course addresses these questions in two parts. Students should leave this class with a strong understanding of the challenges that the U.S. faces in the Middle East, as well as an informed viewpoint regarding how well America is meeting those challenges.
Instructor: Trager
UGIS 162N American Political Journalism 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
This class will explore the relationships among politics, news media, and government. It will do so by focusing on particular news events in which the role of the media becomes an integral part of the story.
Instructor: Lozada
UGIS 162O The Science of Politics: Campaigns and Elections 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
This class will teach you how to better understand the fundamental factors that drive elections in America and to learn some of the skills employed by political professionals. Many of your assignments will require you to apply the lessons of this class to real time events. Our goal in this class is to go beyond the spin and hyperbole of many election commentators and understand how voters decide and how strategists persuade.
Instructor: Goldstein
UGIS 162P Beyond Sovereignty 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
The decline of traditional sovereignty is the focus of this course. The nature of that transformation--what is causing it, why, and with what implications--will be the object of our concern. While time frames are elusive, the bulk of our attention will be on the post-Cold War world.
Instructor: Starrels
UGIS 162R Looking at the World: U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Summer
Grading: Letter grade.
This course combines two areas of continual fascination in Washington and beyond - US foreign policy and policies regarding national security. The course provides students with a framework to understand policy analysis, development, and implementation while introducing them to a range of the most pressing substantive policy issues the US is currently facing. The course will alternate between foreign policy issues and functional organizational tools used to address these issues.
Instructors: Lester, Preble
UGIS 162S U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Africa 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 4 hours of lecture per week.
This course will focus on the evolution of U.S. foreign policy toward Africa from African independence until present day. Specific themes include economic development, China's economic expansion, foreign aid, democracy, and human rights. Specific attention will focus on the role of race and ethnic politics and their influence on U.S. policy.
Instructor: Demessie
UGIS 162T Foreign Policy in Asia 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week.
What are the most pressing foreign policy challenges in Asia today? How do American foreign policymakers respond to crises in Asia?
To what extent does domestic politics influence or inform our policy making? This course seeks to help students develop the analytical skills necessary to understand American policy toward Asia, especially in preparation for a career in foreign policy.
Instructor: Nardi
UGIS 165 A Window Into How Washington Works 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
The federal government effects policy (e.g., enhancing public safety, protecting the environment, promoting a viable and growing economy, etc.) primarily in three ways: taxing, spending, and regulating. This course will explore how regulations -- an important instrument of government and one of the easiest ways for a President to make his/her mark -- are developed, amended, or repealed, with an emphasis on how the various institutions of the federal government are involved in the process and how they interact with the other interested entities.
Instructor: Katzen
UGIS 173 Museums and Society: The Power of Display in Washington DC 3 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
This course explores museums as dynamic sites of intellectual and cultural debate, and as institutions vested with the authority to define aesthetics, history, heritage, and even citizenship. Now more than ever, as the process of globalization raises questions about the fluidity, preservation, and "authenticity" of culture, museums of all kinds are attracting great interest both as places to visit and as a subject of critical analysis in their own right. As places defined by the collection, display, and interpretation of objects, museums are bound up in questions of permanence and transience, difference and identity, equity and privilege--issues that lie at the heart of what is termed the "new museology." But as institutional repositories of community memory or indigenous knowledge, they are also bound up in questions of representation, access and ownership--issues that move the debate over museum collections squarely into the politics of local, state, and national control over heritage. If ownership and control are the new realities of international heritage policy (and law), museums have quickly emerged as important sites on which and through which these claims are being made.
Instructor: Reddy
UGIS 175 Washington Ethics: Crisis, Reform, and Reaction 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 4 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks. 6 hours of Lecture per week for 8 weeks.
This course explores the history, theory, and practice of public attempts to reform electoral and political processes at the national level. Emphasis will be on key players and institutions in Washington, D.C., and key theories underlying our conceptions of good government and politics.
Instructor: Clark
UGIS 176 Ensuring Food Safety: Role of Producers, Consumers, and Public Health Agencies 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
The course offers students an opportunity to gain insights into how the knowledge and expertise they acquire during their university studies can be applied to facilitating or enhancing efforts by public health agencies (local, state, national, and international) and by food producers, food manufacturers, food distributors, and other pertinent industry, to ensure food safety.
Instructor: Ekperigin
UGIS 176A Negotiating with Terrorists 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
This course will serve to teach and discuss the topic "Negotiating with Terrorists." The focus will be on negotiations with collective terrorist movements, not on bargaining with hostage takers in the course of single-event hostage taking incidences. The course will be organized in four thematic blocks with three classes each. All of the classes will be based on working on analytic themes. During classes, case studies will be equally discussed to foster understanding of these matters.
Instructor: Goerzig
UGIS 176B Green Governance 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week.
How do we create a sustainable world? What is the role of energy and environmental policy? Will technical innovation lead to better solutions? What is the role of the consumer? Should business climate change planning be under government mandate or voluntary? Will market-based solutions work? What metrics should we use to determine the relative effectiveness of various policies? These are the sorts of questions we will ask in this course.
Instructor: DuPuis
UGIS 177 The Politics of Education 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.
Students will study the ways power and politics affect and are affected by such issues as reform and innovation, centralization and decentralization within federal systems of governance, privatization and school choice, race and ethnicity, poverty and inequality, professionalism and bureaucratization, and testing and accountability.
Instructor: Martinez
UGIS 187 Project-Based Instruction 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Fall
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of lecture and 3 hours of fieldwork and 1 hour of discussion per week.
Prerequisites: Education 131.
Framed around the topic of sustainability, the course engages students from different math, science, and engineering majors in the process of applying the content knowledge from their discipline to build project-based curricula for presentation as part of a 45-hour field placement in a local high school classroom. Students develop pedagogical content knowledge and relate teaching theory to practice through readings, classroom activities, discussion, lesson planning, and field observations.
Instructor: Johnson
UGIS 188 Research Methods for Science and Mathematics K-12 Teachers 3 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar and 2 hours of Laboratory per week for 15 weeks.
Students undertake several in-depth research projects to develop methods for engaging in authentic research in the science or mathematics content area related to their major. Interactive lectures and labs are designed to meet the needs of future teachers by practicing specific techniques--including statistics, mathematical modeling, and scientific writing--needed to address scientific questions so that they may guide their future K-12 students to develop skills in problem solving and research.
Instructors: G. Johnson, Nolan
UGIS 189 Integrating Research Methods into K-12 Teaching in Mathematics and Science 1 or 3 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 4 hours of seminar per week.
Prerequisites: Concurrent internship in a research lab with the Cal Teach Summer Institute.
This course is designed to provide connections between research methods and science and math content learned in a research lab with teaching in the K-12 classroom. Hands-on inquiry-based science and math lessons are modeled and discussed. Students write research proposals, create posters demonstrating their research accomplishments, develop K-12 lesson plans that align with their research, and assemble digital portfolios on standards-based teaching and assessment.
Instructor: Nolan
UGIS 192A Supervised Research: Humanities 1 - 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: Requires 3 hours of work per week per unit.
Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP). Directed individual research on topics connected to faculty scholarship.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Students may enroll in only one section of 192 per semester.
UGIS 192B Supervised Research: Social Sciences 1 - 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: Requires 3 hours of work per week per unit.
Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP). Directed individual research on topics connected to faculty scholarship.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Students may enroll in only one section of 192 per semester.
UGIS 192C Supervised Research: Biological Sciences 1 - 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: Requires 3 hours of work per week per unit.
Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP). Directed individual research on topics connected to faculty scholarship.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Students may enroll in only one section of 192 per semester.
UGIS 192D Supervised Research: Physical Sciences 1 - 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: Requires 3 hours of work per week per unit.
Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP). Directed individual research on topics connected to faculty scholarship.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Students may enroll in only one section of 192 per semester.
UGIS 192E Supervised Research: Interdisciplinary Studies 1 - 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: Requires 3 hours of work per week per unit.
Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP). Directed individual research on topics connected to faculty scholarship.
Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Students may enroll in only one section of 192 per semester.
UGIS C196A/GWS C196A/HISTART C196A/HISTORY C196A/MEDIAST C196A/POL SCI C196A/POLECON C196A/SOCIOL C196A UCDC Core Seminar 4 Units
Department: Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies; Gender and Women's Studies; History; History of Art; Media Studies; Political Economy; Political Science; Sociology; Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks. 4.5 hours of Lecture and 1.5 hours of Discussion per week for 10 weeks.
Prerequisites: C196B (must be taken concurrently).
This course is the UCDC letter-graded core seminar for 4 units that complements the P/NP credited internship course UGIS C196B. Core seminars are designed to enhance the experience of and provide an intellectual framework for the student's internship. UCDC core seminars are taught in sections that cover various tracks such as the Congress, media, bureaucratic organizations and the Executive Branch, international relations, public policy and general un-themed original research.
Instructor: Cain
UGIS C196B/GWS C196B/HISTART C196B/HISTORY C196B/MEDIAST C196B/POL SCI C196B/POLECON C196B/SOCIOL C196B UCDC Internship 6.5 Units
Department: Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies; Gender and Women's Studies; History; History of Art; Media Studies; Political Economy; Political Science; Sociology; Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 20-4 to Thirty hours of Internship per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: C196A (must be taken concurrently).
This course provides a credited internship for all students enrolled in the UCDC and Cal in the Capital Programs. It must be taken in conjunction with the required academic core course C196A. C196B requires that students work 3-4 days per week as interns in settings selected to provide them with exposure to and experienc in government, public policy, international affairs, media, the arts or other areas or relevance to their major fields of study.
Instructor: Cain
UGIS C196W/GWS C196W/HISTART C196W/HISTORY C196W/MEDIAST C196W/POL SCI C196W/POLECON C196W/SOCIOL C196W Special Field Research 10.5 Units
Department: Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies; Gender and Women's Studies; History; History of Art; Media Studies; Political Economy; Political Science; Sociology; Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 240-300 hours of work per semester plus regular meetings with the faculty supervisor.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Students work in selected internship programs approved in advance by the faculty coordinator and for which written contracts have been established between the sponsoring organization and the student. Students will be expected to produce two progress reports for their faculty coordinator during the course of the internship, as well as a final paper for the course consisting of at least 35 pages. Other restrictions apply; see faculty adviser.
Course may be repeated for a maximum of 12 units.Course may be repeated for a maximum of 12 units. Formerly known as 196W.
UGIS 196N UCDC Summer Internship 6 - 8 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Summer
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Internship per unit per week.
Prerequisites: DeCal Public Policy 98/198.
This course provides a credited internship for all students enrolled in the Cal-in-the-Capital/UCDC summer program. 196N requires that students work 3-4 days per week as interns in settings selected to provide them with exposure to and experience in government, public policy, international affairs, media, the arts, or other areas of relevance to their major fields of study.
Instructor: Cain
UGIS 198 Directed Group Study for Upper Division Students 1 - 4 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 1 to 4 hour of Directed group study per week for 15 weeks.
Seminars for group study of topics not covered by regularly scheduled courses. Topics may vary from semester to semester. Students must have completed 60 units to be eligible to enroll.
Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
UGIS 303 Apprentice Teaching in Science and Mathematics 2 Units
Department: Undergrad Interdisciplinary Studies
Course level: Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Undergraduates may take the course with consent of instructor.
The course is designed to support new science and mathematics teachers in earning a credential for teaching in California secondary schools. Students demonstrate that they have developed the skills to meet the state credentialing requirements by undertaking an inquiry project on their own teaching practice. Effective teaching methods for the science and mathematics classrooms are emphasized, including strategies for lesson planning, assessment, and English language learner support.
Course may be repeated for credit with consent of instructor. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Students must hold an approved teaching placement concurrently. Instructor: Nolan
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