Arts and Literature

The College of Letters and Science Seven-Course Breadth requirement and American Cultures Breadth requirement are the foundation of the college's liberal arts program. It can only be fulfilled with college coursework; AP exams and other high school work do not count toward this requirement.

Knowledge and appreciation of the creative arts. Courses meeting this requirement involve significant engagement with arts, literature or language, either through critical study of works of art or through the creation of art.

* - Courses that also fulfill the American Cultures Breadth requirement

collapse all expand all

Ancient Greek and Roman Studies 10A (formerly known as Classics 10A)—Introduction to Greek Civilization (4 units)

Department Abbreviation: XAGRS 10A

Prerequisite: None; however, this is a writing- and reading-intensive course, and your writing skills should exceed the College Writing course level

Satisfies: Either the Arts and Literature, Historical Studies, or Philosophy and Values breadth category if completed with a C− or better or a Passed grade

Course Description: Study of the major developments, achievements, and contradictions in Greek culture from the Bronze Age to the 4th century BCE. Key works of literature, history, and philosophy (read in English translation) will be examined in their political and social context, and in relation both to other ancient Mediterranean cultures and to subsequent developments in Western civilization.

Schedule of Classes

Film 50—Film for Non-majors: California in the Cinematic Imagination (4 Units)

Department Abbreviation: XFILM 50

Prerequisite: None

Satisfies: Arts and Literature breadth category if completed with a C- or better or a Passed grade

Course Description: This course examines how California has figured in the cinematic imagination as an industrial center and as a landscape of fantasy, site for the formulation and revision of national mythologies regarding the American West. We will assemble a cinematic history of the state—from the founding of the Spanish missions to the 21st century—while asking how filmmakers from D. W. Griffith to P. T. Anderson figure the California landscape as both wasteland and promised land, iconic backdrop for the examination of American national identity and politics, the construction of gender, and narratives of racial and class struggle. Texts will address the history of the state, the history of the film industry therein, and formal, narrative, and ideological analyses of the films that structure the course.

Schedule of Classes

Music 26AC—Music in American Culture (4 units)

Department Abbreviation: XMUSIC 26AC

Prerequisite: None

Satisfies: Arts and Literature breadth category if completed with a C- or better or a Passed grade.

Course Description: This course offers an introductory look at the diverse musical cultures of the U.S. We will learn about a variety of musical practices—particularly those resulting from cross-cultural interactions—that contribute to the rich multiplicity of cultural practices in the United States. Because of the vast array of people and cultures in the U.S., this course necessarily presents only a selection of traditions. Rather than an exhaustive survey, we will focus on several key themes and voices within a broader history, with emphasis on popular and folk genres. Students will investigate the role of music makers in shaping and affecting society, explore musical and social principles that increase individual agency while affirming group bonds, celebrate the diversity of contributions of a variety of cultures within the United States, and examine how applied musical practices work to empower their participants. Students will also practice active listening skills and develop a technical music vocabulary applicable to various performance genres and styles, to engage in critical listening and analysis.

Schedule of Classes

Music 27—Introduction to Western Music (4 units)

Department Abbreviation: XMUSIC 27

Prerequisite: None

Satisfies: Arts and Literature breadth category if completed with a C- or better or a Passed grade.

Course Description: Devoted to the development of listening skills, and a survey of major forms and types of Western art music.

Class Description: Music 27 explores the world of art music, mostly but not exclusively from the Western tradition. By the end of the semester you will be familiar with the main outlines of Western art music, beginning with the Middle Ages and concluding nearly 1000 years later with today's music.

Schedule of Classes