ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 150
Environment and Society
McKenzie

Environment and Society is designed to provide insights into the major disagreements that exist today between scholars, leaders and citizens regarding today's environmental issues and problems. We will examine the 20th century rift between so much of humankind and nature - a rift that all too often produces in industrial society urbanites a longing for a nearly forgotten and highly romanticized "benign" nature that can never be recaptured and, more importantly, never really existed. We will examine the nature of controversies between the urbanite and the farmer and inquire into the schism between urbanite and agribusiness which has been intensified as that sector adopts an increasingly industrialized presence. We will examine the differences between the Industrial World and the Non-Industrial World, never so clearly revealed as at Kyoto, as the international community struggles with global environmental issues. At all times we will attempt to respond to specific questions including what are the real environmental issues facing nations and peoples, to what extent have they been exaggerated or discounted, what are the most appropriate and sensible solutions or approaches to these problems and what are the appropriate role(s) which individuals and societies can play. We will combine social, philosophical, religious, political, economic and geographic perspectives to provide an understanding of how the interrelationships between environment and society have evolved over the span of human history. The course explores a variety of methodologies/tools to demonstrate how environmental issues/attitudes may be analyzed on scales ranging from local through national to international bases. Hopefully, students will become sufficiently conversant with these tools that they will be able to use them in analyzing non-environmental but equally highly charged social issues.

Readings and Assignments:
In addition to a half dozen required books it is presumed that students will keep abreast of current environmental issues through a daily newspaper subscription. Two examinations (both subjective) are worth 40% of the course grade and two short inquiry/position/research papers (dates due coordinated with the composition instructors associated with the course) are also worth 40% of the course grade. The remaining 20% of the grade will be assigned by the discussion section coordinators and will be based on a combination of participation/preparation within the discussion sections.

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GENDER STUDIES 210g
Social Issues in Gender
Orenstein

This course offers an introduction to the issues and political ideologies of the Women's movement and Women's' studies, the pro-feminist Mens' movement and Mens' studies, and the emerging field of Gender Studies. We review the new feminist analysis in a variety of fields, and engage in debates on new issues confronting women and men in the future - such as the emergence of new reproductive technologies. We explore sexism, racism, classism and through a section on ecofeminism, we also explore speciesism. We introduce a feminist analysis of women in the arts.

Readings and Assignments:
We will read the Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir in honor of the 50th anniversary of its publication. We read feminist texts since WW II, the new Mens' Studies writings, and we read Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Won" and Alice Wolker's "The Color Purple." We have films on women in the arts and will include a lecture on women's music.

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GEOGRAPHY 120g
Geopolitics
Michael Dear

This course examines exactly how the concept and practice of the nation-state came to dominate world politics. It explores notions of turf and territory, nationalism, and the growth of geopolitical awareness. A central focus of the course will be on the "state," and how it has altered its geographical expression since the Industrial Revolution. This historical focus will be used to explain the structure and evolution of the geopolitical map of the modern world into the 21st century. This course explores the state, the geopolitical map of the 'western' world 1750-1980, and the future (or lack thereof) of the nation-state.

Readings and Assignments:
The course employs readings from numerous primary and secondary sources, with a focus on The Geopolitics Reader, O'Tuathail Et. Al. (EDS.). Two research papers concentrating on contemporary issues in geopolitical theory will be assigned, in addition to a mid-term and a final examination.

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HISTORY 235g
War and the American Experience
Roger Dingman

This course seeks to prepare students for informed citizenship by enabling them to analyze the role war has played in the development of the United States as a polity and a society. In examining the causes, conduct, and consequences of America's wars, it gives particular attention to the relationship between the military, the society, and the individual. Its lectures and weekly discussion sections address four thematic questions: What was the role of war in the creation of the Unites States as a nation? Can war be used to extend the boundaries of democracy as well as those of the nation-state? Does the use of war to defend democracy against foreign enemies advance or undermine the principles underlying American government and society? Finally, what should the relationship between the rights of citizenship in a democracy and the obligations of military service be? This course also asks: Is violence endemic in society? Can it be controlled - or displaced - through politically managed wars? Who in society should bear the rights - and risks - of providing for the common defense?

Readings and Assignments:
Geoffrey Perrett, A Country Made by War; Gerald Linderman, Embattled Courage; Jonathan Utley, An American Battleship in Peace and War; and selections from E.W. Sledge, With the Old Breed; Colin Powell, My American Journey; and Thomas Ricks, Making the Corps.
Students are required to complete two quizzes, two Internet assignments, a critical book review, a course research and writing project, and a midterm and a final examination.

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JUDAIC STUDIES 211
The Holocaust
Ellenson

This course is intended as an introduction to the ethical issues arising from the Holocaust - Adolf Hitler's attempted genocide of the entire Jewish people, as well as the murder of millions of others, during the years 1933-1945. While the approach taken in many courses on the Holocaust is essentially a historical one, the aim of this class is to identify and evaluate the moral dilemmas and challenges that arise from this event. Of course ethical issues do not arise in a vacuum. Historical, sociological, and psychological factors are of supreme importance in shaping the contours within which ethical decisions are made. Proper attention will therefore be paid to these factors in determining the moral lessons that are to be derived from the Holocaust. In this way the course will achieve its objective of assisting the student in gaining an understanding of the processes and complexities of moral reasoning. It is hoped that the approach to the class will permit the student to view the Holocaust for what it was and is - a tragedy of immense proportions, not only for the Jewish people, but also for the world. In the minds of many ethicists, the Holocaust and related events are harbingers of the most frightening tendencies inherent in an evermore rational, impersonal, and bureaucratically-oriented world.

Readings and Assignments:
The grading scheme will be as follows:

Midterm Examination 25%
Research Paper 30%
Final Examination 25%
Discussion Section 20%

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MULTIDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITITES 166
Poverty and Welfare in America: Historic and Current Trends
Susan D. Einbinder

Wealth abounds in the United States, and our economy is one of the strongest in the world. Many Americans drive luxury cars, dine in fancy restaurants, and live in beautiful homes replete with big-screen television, fancy stereos, stylish clothes, and refrigerators filled to the brim with delicious food. Amidst our country's incredibly high standard of living, though, many of our citizens are poor: 14% of all Americans, and 20% of children, live in families with incomes below the poverty level. This class seeks to answer the question, "WHY ARE THERE POOR PEOPLE IN AMERICA?" To answer this question, we will study the evolution and relationships between the U.S. economy, the government, and nonprofit institutions to understand the growth, development, accomplishments and limitations of the U.S. welfare state. Theoretical and empirical studies by experts in the field will be utilized, as well as descriptions of actual provisions available to all citizens, and those specifically intended to reduce poverty. Students will also research specific aspects of current legislation affecting the poor in the U.S. relying heavily on Internet materials via the World Wide Web. Class discussions, debates, and lectures will be used to explain, explore, critique and debate the materials. Group assignments and individually written papers will be required, and the final examination will be an in-class, formal debate about provisions in the new legislation, judged by invited experts in the field.

Characteristics of the American economy and government will be reviewed and compared to those found in other industrialized nations. Demographic information describing Americans' educational achievements, employment and occupational status, income and wage distribution, race/ethnicity, family composition, and other relevant traits will also be reviewed. Sources of government funds, and policies, programs and services paid for by the federal government will be analyzed, and students will have the opportunity to balance the federal budget via a simulation available on-line. The Work Opportunity and Personal Responsibility Reconciliation Act of 1996 that restructures assistance to most poor Americans will be described and its national, state and local impact will be asserted.

Readings and Assignments:
Readings for this class include research-orientated analyses of topics addressed, articles and reports from advocacy and research institutions geared for non-specialist readers, newspaper and magazine articles, and Internet materials. A series of five assignments, two individually authored papers, and three group-related projects, are required with contents that build upon each other to prepare the student for the final in-class examination. Discussion sections are structured to help students prepare these assignments and some class time is devoted to the topic as well. Both the Instructor and the Teaching Assistant are available via phone and e-mail on a regular basis, and a listserve discussion group will be available for students. Official office hours will be arranged, and informal meetings can be set up by request to assist students in mastering the materials of the course.

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POLITICAL SCIENCE 130
Law and Public Policy
Gillman

This course explores a broad range of social issues through an introduction to law, courts, and judicial processes. We will begin by examining the idea of law, the nature of legal education, the selection of judges, the civil and criminal justice system, and the role of appellate courts. We will then explore a series of debates and case studies that will give us a chance to delve more deeply into the politics of law and the pursuit of justice. This course will also ask the following questions:
What is "the rule of law?" Does law serve power or justice? What influences outcomes in civil and criminal justice? Was the "Independent Counsel" act a good idea? When do people deserve punishment or deserve to be held "liable" for their negligent conduct? How broad is "freedom of speech?"

Readings and Assignments:
Some of these issues will be explored in movies. But we will also be reading:
Baum's American Courts
Adams' Philosophical Problems in the Law
Lewis' Make No Law
Stern's Buffalo Creek Disaster
Requirements: 1 short paper, 1 longer paper, midterm, final, participation.

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POLITICAL SCIENCE 165
Modern Times
Gillman

The object of this course is to give you a fascinating, provocative, interdisciplinary overview of some of the distinctive features of life in the twentieth century. In other words, what are some of the ways in which life in the twentieth century is different than life in earlier centuries? More specifically, has the history of modern times been a story of progress (getting us closer to freedom, democracy, equality, prosperity, science) or regress (getting us closer to tyranny, exploitation, mass destruction, environmental devastation, shallow materialism)? We begin by looking at some of ways to which the world has changed over the last few centuries and then explore more contemporary issues in more depth.  Some questions this course will address: What is progress? Freedom? Democracy? Equality? What are the major 20th century debates over the virtues and vices of capitalism? Mass society? Technology? Television? Multiculturalism?

Readings and assignments:
In addition to watching some movies we will be reading:
Bell + Dagger's Ideals and Ideologies
Juxley's Brave New World
Lecch's Land of Desire
Orwell's Land of Desire
Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death
Requirements: 1 short paper, 1 longer paper, midterm, final, participation

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PSYCHOLOGY 155
Psychological Perspectives on Social Issues
Jellison

Prejudice and stereotypes are discussed in relation to social psychological theories and research. General theories related to inter-personal relations, attitude formation and change, conformity, and social cognition are reviewed. Research and specific theories of prejudice are examined in depth. Emphasis is placed on practical approaches for reducing prejudice. The concept of stereotyping (i.e. an over-simplified conception of a group or person) is explored within intimate relationships in regard to conceptions of what it means to be male and female. Finally, the idea that our own self conceptions are a form of stereotype is explored.

Readings and Assignments:

The Social Animal
A Lesson Before Dying
Intimate Strangers
Owning Your Own Shadow

There are multiple brief writing assignments (1-2 pages) in which students apply analytic concepts from the course to their own lives. The discussion section focuses on these practical applications. Examinations are short answer essay. The final is not comprehensive.

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SOCIOLOGY 142gm
Diversity and Racial Conflict
Elaine Bell Kaplan

This course examines the patterns of race relations in the United States. We will examine the relations between the white community and the communities of people of color, particularly African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans and Latinos. We will also discuss white ethnic groups. We will explore the way in which race relations shape our institutions and structures and our daily lives. We will also see the way in which institutional racism operates. Theories personal racism, internalized racism, cross-racial hostility between people of color and the intersection of race, class and gender will also be discussed.

A few of the issues we will be concerned with include: the historical and contemporary expressions of racism in America and the various ways in which racism, sexism, and class are interconnected. We will also consider why these divisions and the accompanying differences in opportunity and achievement continue; how these divisions and differences are reproduced and the reality that lies behind the rhetoric of equality and opportunity and justice for all. For example, how are economic rewards, employment decisions, political electoral campaigns and public policy decisions shaped by racial bias? In what way do these factors influence university admissions, faculty hiring, and relations with fellow students and student groups? Has racism changed over time? On a personal level, how do we cope with our own racism and with racism directed against us? We will also consider the necessary conditions and the processes to bring about effective social change.

Required Reading: (All books are on 2 hour reserve at Leavey Library. See Reference Librarian for Xerox Reader material.)
Christopher Bates Doob, Racism: An American Cauldron 2nd. ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1996
Elaine Bell Kaplan, Not Our Kind of Girl, Unraveling The Myths of Black Teenage Motherhood, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.
Harry H. L. Kitano and Roger Daniels, Asian Americans, 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall, 1995
Joan Moore and Harry Pachon, Hispanics in the US Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1985

Xerox Reader (available at USC bookstore)
1. "The Prison of Race and Gender: Stereotypes, Ideology, Language, and Social Control: (Paula S. Rothenberg, Racism and Sexism, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988.)
2. "How Serious is the Problem of Racism?" (William Dudley, ed. Racism in America: Opposing Viewpoints, San Diego, CA.: Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1991.
3. "The Problem: Discrimination, United States Commission on Civil Rights"

For another SOCI 142gm section, see the next entry.

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SOCIOLOGY 142gm
Diversity and Racial Conflict
Ransford

In a multiracial society, race relations are at the center of public concern and public policy. This course emphasizes the past and present relations between the white majority and the "colonized minorities" (African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans). Asian Americans and white ethnic immigrants are also discussed.

Throughout the course there will be an emphasis on the historical origins of racism and discrimination, updated to include current policy issues. Los Angeles will be discussed as one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country (and the world). The current Los Angeles Riots will be considered in a number of places in this course. This course will also explore:
1. The dual trends in black mobility - the rising black middle class vs. increased unemployment, poverty and despair in the inner city
2. two views on immigration - symbiosis vs. zero sum
3. Racial intermarriage, trends and the 'mixed race' classification debate

Required Readings
1. Course Reader for SOCI 142 (Bookstore)
2. Ransford, Race and Class in Am. Soc. 2nd ed.
3. Duneier, Slim's Table
4. Kotlowitz, There are No Children Here

Course Grading: 10% quiz, 25% midterm, 25% empirical paper, 25% final, 10% reaction paper to There Are No Children, 5% Brief reaction paper to Color of Fear video.

The midterm and final are primarily essay exams with a preview set of questions handed out one week before the exam. For example, I will pass out 7 or 8 questions one week before the exam. On the day of the exam, I might call out 3 essays. Attendance and participation in class discussions will be used as "swing factors" if you're on the borderline between two grades.

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SOCIOLOGY 150gm
Social Problems in American Society
Vern L. Bengtson

In SOCI 150 we examine some of the major social problems confronting American society today: crime, violence, drugs, discrimination, environmental pollution, terrorism, the prospect of nuclear war. What can we do about these problems? What does sociological research suggest about their causes and their solution?
In this course we analyze these and other problems using the tools of sociological data and theory. We assess the public policies - laws- that have been passed in order to "solve" these problems, and explore why many of these have failed. We focus on two specific issues that may directly affect your experience as adults in the 21st Century: (1) Urban violence (will there be a repeat of the Los Angeles "riots" of 1992; (2) Population aging (will Social Security and medical care benefits be available for you when you retire?)
SOCI 150 explores contemporary social problems in three categories: (1) Issues involving individual deviance (crime, gangs, rape, sexual deviance, mental illness); (2) Problems of social inequalities (discrimination and prejudice reflected in racism, sexism, and ageism); (3) Crises reflecting societal changes during the 20th Century (the worldwide population explosion, population aging, environmental pollution, family and health problems, war and terrorism.)

Readings and Assignments:
The basic texts include Henslin's Social Problems in Modern Society; a volume edited by Los Angeles Time reporters, Understanding the Riots; and two Opposing viewpoints collections: (1) Should abortion rights be restricted? (2) How will an aging population affect America?
The grade for the course is based on : (1) Three exams; (2) Four quizzes; (3) Discussion section participation and assignments throughout the semester; (4) JEP (Joint Educational Project) involvement; (5) Short in-class assignments accompanying each lecture. Extra credit can be earned through participation in class debates, analysis of movies and videos reflecting social problems, or a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance.

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SOCIOLOGY 155
Immigrant America
Edward Park

The dual purpose of this course is to provide a theoretically rigorous and a fieldwork-based introduction to immigration studies. Relying on four important recent texts, this course will examine current social science debates on immigration, focusing our attention on recent immigration from Mexico, Central America, and Asia. In addition, the course will also highlight the impact of immigration and the complexities of immigrant life in Los Angeles and Southern California, the center of post-1965 immigrant settlement. Topics that will be covered in this course will include immigration policy, economic integration of immigrants on urban race relations, and the increasingly heated policies surrounding immigration and immigrants. Taking advantage of USC's central location, a major component of this course will involve extensive fieldwork in an immigrant community of your choice. The purpose of this fieldwork is to link the academic discourse in immigration studies with the empirical findings in your research. This course explores immigration, racial conflict and ethnic communities.

Readings:
Hondagneu-Sotelo. Gendered Transitions: Mexican Experience of Immigration. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994.
Min, Pyong Gap. Caught in the Middle: Korean Communities in New York and Los
Angeles. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.
Portes, Alejandro and Ruben G. Rumbaut. Immigrant America: A Portrait. Second
Edition. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996
Waldinger, Roger and Mehdi Bozorgmehr, Editor. Ethnic Los Angeles. New York:
Russel Sage Foundation, 1996.

Assignments: 1 midterm, one 10 page paper, final exam

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