1929		W	4:00-6:40	Mutombo M'Panya	CH 37
1930		W	9:00-11:40	Nelson Kellogg	CH 60
1931		TH	:9:00-11:40	Janet Hess	CH 58
1932		M	1:00-3:40	Ben Frymer	CH 55
1933		M	1:00-3:40	Ajay Gehlawat	CH 35

This is a course required of all incoming upper division students to acquaint them with the specific skills and concepts basic to a Liberal Studies education: 1) analysis of assigned readings, 2) participation in seminar discussions, 3) development of writing skills, 4) introduction to the Portfolio, 5) researching of materials leading to the completion of an Independent Study Project, and 6) application of these skills to issues developed in LIBS 304.

Hutchins Portfolio is available on the web. The divider categories are: Major & Portfolio, Introduction to Liberal Studies, Core Areas, Senior Synthesis, and Advising Keys.

SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF LIBS 302 IS REQUIRED TO CONTINUE IN THE HUTCHINS PROGRAM. Students earning a grade of C- or lower will not be allowed to continue in Hutchins. [top]

2095		W	1:00-3:40	Ajay Gehlawat	CH 68
2096		M	4:00-6:40	Stepanie Dyer	CH 68

This first course in a two-semester sequence (304 & 308), is designed to examine the fundamental beliefs, assumptions, and "self-evident" truths that serve as the foundation for American culture, and then to consider those truths in light of challenges provided by multicultural perspectives. [top]

Contract course. Must use form to register. All tenured or tenure-track faculty.

May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: LIBS 302 and consent of instructor. Contracts available in department office (#16 in rack). Students propose a particular study they want to do, and advisors assist with completion of agreement. Form with advisor's signature is then left in Director McGuckin's mailbox (top right, outlined in blue) for signature. [top]

2098

T

1:00-3:40

Richard Zimmer

CH 68

This course is an interdisciplinary examination of the American Educational System. The course reviews the history of American schooling, philosophical issues that continue to shape its foundations, the effect of ethnicity, gender, class and disability on it, and the ways in which curriculum affects it. Appropriate readings and papers will explore these areas. In addition, students will perform forty five hours as volunteers in public school settings. This will allow students to complete their volunteer prerequisite requirement of the School of Education. Students will share their experiences from volunteering with the class. [top]

Contract course. Must use form to register. All tenured or tenure-track faculty.

See additional information under LIBS 310. [top]

1975

TH

1:00-3:40

Ianthe Brautigan Swensen

CH 68

Intended for elementary credential students, this course introduces the language arts as they are taught in grades K-6. Related topics - e.g., the history of the English Language, language acquisition, basic elements of linguistics - are briefly considered. [top]

2230

TH

4:00-6:40

Ianthe Brautigan Swensen

CH 68

Intended for elementary credential students, this course introduces the language arts as they are taught in grades K-6. Related topics - e.g., the history of the English Language, language acquisition, basic elements of linguistics - are briefly considered. [top]

Developmental processes do not simply unfold-they are constructed in real time through processes of living. Child development, then, is the examination of individual change within a particular context. This course will be a close inspection ofthe pathways child development through the windows of Western culture, emphasizing relevant behavioral, social, linguistic and cultural factors as well as major theoretical views of perceptual, cognitive, physical, emotional, and personality growth. We will contrast subjective views of childhood experiences with objective methodologies and will use a variety of disciplinary approaches and levels of analysis to shape our understanding. There will be a service learning assignment as well as some work in the Hutchins Pedagogy Project. [top]

2033

NA

Anthony Mountain

Get handout in CH 44

Intended for students seeking an elementary credential and wishing to assemble resources in children's literature projects. [top]

2034

NA

Janet Hess

Get handout in CH 44

Intended for students seeking an elementary credential and wishing to assemble resources in children's art projects. [top]

Intended for students seeking to participate in the creation of a Hutchins Community Art Show.
[top]

A capstone course required for students who are developing portfolios and are Hutchins majors. Drawing on the papers collected for their portfolio, students will write a major paper synthesizing aspects of their own intellectual development, and will also write and present a senior synthesis study at the end of the semester.(3 units with 1 unit of non traditional) [top]

This course provides studetns with an opportunity to enhance their facilitation skills through serving as a seminar leader in large lecture/discussion courses. Requires the consent of instructor. [top]

The Modern Censorship Lectures examine the nature of information distribution in the United States today and consider the potential for censorship in the most powerful media system that has ever existed. The lecture series provides a forum for investigative journalists and researchers, allowing them to give an "insider's perspective" on the hard-hitting news reports that fell through the cracks of the mass media. [top]

NOTE ABOUT LIBS 310, 315, 410 AND 415:
May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: LIBS 302 and consent of instructor. Contracts (Independent Project Form - #13 in rack) are available in department office. Advisors assist with completion of agreement. Completed form with advisor's signature is then left in Provost's mailbox for signature (top right). Approved forms will be hand carried by staff to Admissions & Records.

NOTE ABOUT PORTFOLIO: Don't forget to include your major essays and projects under the corresponding core in your Portfolio at the end of the class. [top]

Courses in this area address the following issues and themes:

• Problems and possibilities before us at the start of a new century as we move toward a genuinely global culture.
• The relationship between the individual and all kinds of human groups, the context of human interaction in which the individual finds many of the dimensions of the self.
• Ideas, attitudes, and beliefs that flow between society and the individual and which result in the political and economic arrangements that make life-in-common possible.
• Historical and economic developments, geographical facts, analytical models, and moral questions necessary to understand the dynamics of individuals and their communities.
• Moral and ethical underpinnings of our patterns of social interaction and how these affect issues such as race, gender, and class.
• Questions concerning whether the goals of human dignity, political justice, economic opportunity, and cultural expression are being enhanced or destroyed by specific historical developments, cultural practices, economic arrangements, or political institutions. For example: How, in the face of that compelling force, do we shape the kind of society that values and protects the individual? How do we become the kinds of individuals who understand and help foster the just society?

Contact professor for description.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

In this course we study how a quest for democracy is manifested first in English and Spanish America and later in the relations between the United States, Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico. We explore the nature of democracy self-determination, colonialism, and the classification of citizens according to class, gender and culture. For this explorations we use theoretical tools such as economic, discursive (the intersection between power and language) and patriarchical analyses of power relations and their impact on human bodies in the present.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

As President Clinton often quipped in his election campaign, “it’s the economy, stupid.” With the recent crisis in the mortgage market, it is becoming increasingly apparent that our economic system could use some serious rethinking. And it is also clear that the average citizen needs to be more informed about the hidden structure of our monetary system. This course will explore the nature of money in the 21st century, the implications of a debt-based and interest bearing system, the role of the Federal Reserve, the meaning of the Gross National Product, distribution of wealth, taxes, and a variety of related topics. We will examine our national (and international) priorities as they are reflected in federal and state budgets and, on a more personal note, we will explore the significance of money in our own lives.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

This course will examine several conspiracy theories, including the Kennedy assassination and the events of 9/11, focusing on popular perceptions and misperceptions, their representations in the media and in scholarly research, and possible cover ups.  Following our construction of a critical framework for analyzing conspiracy theories, students will research particular conspiracies of interest to them individually and in groups. The "Truth" is out there!

Our nation is currently facing the worst economic crisis since the GreatDepression of the 1930s, with housing markets collapsed, massive layoffs,a struggling stock market, tight access to credit, and a severe drop in consumer spending.  This course will examine the nature of American capitalism past and present in order to understand the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to the difficulties we face today. We will familiarize ourselves with major theories of the capitalist system; read classic literature on the American self-help tradition, class
conflict, and the relationship of the state and the free market; learn about the interconnections of our global economy; and answer the question of whether we really are in another Great Depression.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

Courses in this area address the following issues and themes:

• Science and technology and their relationships to the individual and society.
• The methods of science and important information that has been discovered through their applications.
• Some of the crucial issues posed by our cultureís applications of science and technology and, adversely, the cultural consequences of a materialist world view.
• How science and technology impact all areas of our lives.
• How, for better and for worse, as inheritors of the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions, we intervene in our material world technologically.
• Scientific aspects of particular social issues, or an issue of personal concern, the sense of science as a social endeavor.
• The values implicit in a particular technology.

Water, the most indispensable substance for all life on earth, has always played a vital role in the development of human society and culture. Today, our understanding of and the choices we make about this “Blue Gold” are increasingly central to the future of both human civilization and the natural world on which it ultimately depends. This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of the changing meaning and use of water in various eras and cultures as well as its pivotal role at present as the most vital natural ingredient capable of helping reestablish a healthy and balanced human relationship with the natural world.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 LIBS 101-202
[top]

This course will provide a multi-faceted analysis of the system of food production and distribution in the modern world, and its implications for both human and environmental health. We will explore the global food web through a variety of lenses, including economics, politics, health, ecology, chemistry, aesthetics, and psychology. We will examine the consequences of industrial agriculture and developments in genetic engineering, as well as the recent emergence of farm to school projects in our local community, which are building stronger connections between schools and local farmers, and integrating food and gardens into all aspects the curriculum. We will explore a variety of perspectives on diet and nutrition. The course will include a service learning or community-based research component, and will hopefully add new meaning to the notion that “you are what you eat.”

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

Contact professor for description.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

An interdisciplinary look at what constitutes "garbage."  Students will learn the chemistry of garbage, the technologies of disposing of garbage, the social definitions of garbage presently and in history, the social dimensions of garbage, and the finances of garbage.  Recycling will be explored.  Students will make a number of field trips and perform service learning projects with schools and community agencies. Field trips to be arranged.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

This class will explore the geological, ecological, and cultural/historical significance of various types of terrain.  Areas of focus may include mountains, caves, coasts, lakes, rivers, glaciers, faults, volcanoes, deserts and mass-wasting events.  Field trips and projects will be required.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

Courses in this area address the following issues and themes:

• Why humans create literature, epics, poetry, drama, and other literary forms, the visual arts, languages, architecture, music, dance, the writings of philosophers, and the thought and literature of the worldís religions.
• The inner world of creativity and individual values as well as the questions about how we arrive at a sense of meaning and purpose, ethical behavior, and a sense of beauty and order in the world.
• Deep and significant aspects of ourselves which may otherwise remain obscure and therefore troubling.
• Important questions - and occasional answers - about life and death, about feelings, and about the ways we see things.
• The metaphors that help us recognize and become aware of the interrelations of all the areas of inquiry humanity has developed.
• Images from which we may learn about our reality or realities of other times.
• Creative and intuitive thinking processes that lead to an understanding of the aesthetic experience.
• How the arts can be an end in themselves, as well as a means to an end.

"In this course we will examine the commodification of the
Native American through white shamanism, the historical burden of cultural genocide, artistic responses to the historical experience of Native
Americans, the construction of the Native American in Hollywood cinema and anthropological photography, and counternarratives, in cinema, architecture, and art.  A significant aspect of our study will be the examination of the views of contemporary Native American artists through literature, poetry, film, and lectures."

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

This course will examine representations of racial minorities in Americancinema from the beginning of the twentieth century to the beginning of the twenty-first. Applying an interdisciplinary and multicultural approach, we will investigate the depictions of race, racial identity, and interracial relationships in both mainstream (Hollywood) and alternative cinemas. We will supplement our inquiry through related works of literature and theatre, in addition to readings in film theory, film history and critical cultural studies. Thus, even as students are introduced to the aesthetic and historical underpinnings of classical American cinema, this canon will be consistently interrogated and reformulated by examining the representations of minority figures and groups. Students will explore these issues through their own writing and research, as well as through in-class discussions, presentations, and film screenings

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

This course will explore Environmental/Earth Art Concepts, works and artists and the relationship between art and nature. We will study ancient and modern earthworks and use a variety of artistic and scientific techniques for observing, recording, and understanding nature. This is a hands-on class that will satisfy the core C requirement but is not a seminar.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

Although postmodernism and poststructuralism have been a part of our academic world for several decades, most people do not have a very good grounding on the issues involved with these topics. Often there is a general embrace or rejection without understanding. In this course, we will look at the ways in which postmodernism and poststructuralism have evolved over time. Specifically, we will examine the main questions that trigger these schools of thought and the philosophical debates that surround them. We will study the main authors, their ideas and their social backgrounds.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

In this course we will consider various examples of memoir writing, particularly in terms of the author’s use of place, that is, of a specific local as it relates to, or does not relate to, the writer’s depiction of his or her life story. We will want to ask questions such as: How has place shaped both the writer’s understanding of his or her world and, in turn, the issues themetized in the respective life story? How might the same environment be understood otherwise, say, in terms of a difference in gender, race, ethnicity, or religion on the part of the writer? How has our sense of place our coming from a particular locale shaped our reading of the memoir?

At the same time, we will be writing and workshopping our own life stories, looking for ways to develop and strengthen our craft and voices as writers. Furthermore, we will take at least two fieldtrips one to an urban locale, another to a nature preserve in Sonoma County and think about these places from our point of view as writers shaped by our background and world views.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

Courses in this area address the following issues and themes:

• Reality as a result of many factors, some of them psychological, some biological, some philosophical, some social and the many aspects of being or existence as reaching from the physical to the metaphysical.
• Consciousness as, somehow, the result of our gender, our ethnicity, our health, the ways in which we were reared, the social stratum in which we find ourselves, the beliefs that were engendered in us, and other factors.
• Consciousness as occurring across a spectrum of potentials (conscious/unconscious, rational/irrational, egocentric/transpersonal, masculine/feminine) that influence our personal and collective realities.
• Human needs at various levels of emotional, religious or spiritual, intellectual, and transpersonal or universal disciplines, practices, and experiences.
• One of the major concerns of people in all places at all times has been: what are the components of being human?
• The range of answers which are sometimes perplexingly inconsistent with one another, and yet their very divergence itself suggests something about the powerful complexity of the human individual.
• The study of biology as it relates to psychology, and consciousness as it affects and is affected by perceptions of reality.
• Meaning-making as a necessary human achievement, and identity formation as it is understood in the light of developmental psychology and the nature-nurture controversy.

In this class, we will look at the connections between the personal and
the geographic. This course will examine the self and our personal
histories using the ideas, tools, and methods commonly used in geography - including mapping, coring, pattern analysis, and spatial analysis. "Geography is the science of place and space. Geographers ask where things are located on the surface of the earth, why they are located where they are, how places differ from one another, and how people interact with the environment" (Association of American Geographers). This class will use both writing and artistic techniques to examine ideas of space and place, and to create a series of maps of our interior and exterior worlds. We will also use geomorphic process concepts like erosion, sedimentation, andgeologic history as metaphors to examine the internal and external forces that have molded us into the person we are. We will seminar on these ideas and create weekly projects to share in class. A paper and/or project, which will be largely autobiographical, will be required at the end of the semester. At least one weekend field trip will also be required.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

Life might be without inherent meaning or it might be without a meaning we can understand. Either way, human desires for logic and immortality are futile. Between this yearning for eternal truth and the actual condition
of the universe there is a gap that can never be filled. We are forced to
define our own meanings, knowing they might be temporary. In this course we will approach the absurdist and existential dilemmas of human
existence. We will attempt to describe our desire to make rational
decisions despite existing in an irrational universe. We will examine free
will, choice, personal responsibility and the search for order that brings
us into direct conflict with nature. But be assured: all will not break
down into chaos; our experience of the absurd and consciousness of death will be the proof of our uniqueness as well as the foundation of dignity and freedom. We will revolt against tomorrow and as such come to terms with the present moment.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

"I don't want to achieve immortality through great works. I want to achieve it through not dying." - Woody Allen.

Confronting death can bring us fully to life. This course will examine biological dying, the sociology and psychology of death, and the spiritual dimensions of passing beyond through literature, art, film medicine, guided meditations, and humor. Written and experiential assignments will engage our analytic, creative, and spiritual minds. This course may be emotionally challenging. Field trips to be arranged.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

Contact professor for course description.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]

Contact professor for course description.

Prerequisite: LIBS 302 or LIBS 101-202
[top]