Dimensions of Culture
OFFICE: 132 Sequoyah Hall, Marshall College
http://provost.ucsd.edu/marshall/doc.html
Program Director
Fraser Cocks, Ph.D.
Assistant Program Director
Pamela S. Wright, Ph.D.
The Dimensions of Culture Program is a three-course sequence taught
by faculty from the Departments of History, Political Science, Communication,
Ethnic Studies, Philosophy, Literature, Sociology, and the Teacher Education
Program. This program provides an interdisciplinary issues-oriented
exploration of nineteenth- and twentieth-century American culture, and
illustrates Marshall Colleges commitment to exploring the meaning
of social justice and investigating the means by which it might be achieved
in contemporary American society.
The first quarter, Diversity, introduces students to the study of basic
distinctions in social differences and commonalities among human individuals
and groups. This course surveys a range of social differences and stratifications
that shape the nature of human attachment to self, work, community,
and a sense of nation. The second quarter, Justice, introduces basic
concepts of political and social theory and moral philosophy. Readings
are drawn from nineteenth- and twentieth-century American history and
legal case studies. The third quarter, Imagination, introduces students
to the study of the arts as the cultural expression of the issues presented
in the first two quarters. Materials focus on the interdisciplinary
study of twentieth-century American culture, including music, literature,
art, film, and photography.
Written assignments are required in each quarter of the Dimensions
of Culture sequence. In the second and third quarters, students receive
intensive instruction in university-level writing in small sections.
Frequent writing assignments and revisions are required in connection
with the material presented in class. At the conclusion of the course,
students are expected to be able to construct deductive arguments regarding
contemporary social issues and inductive arguments interpreting cultural
representations.
The Marshall College core course and writing requirements are met by
completion of this sequence. Students must have satisfied the universitys
Subject A requirement before enrolling in Justice or Imagination. All
Marshall College first-year students must complete this three-course
sequence. Transfer students should see their college academic adviser
regarding the appropriate course requirements.
For further details on Marshall College requirements, see Marshall
College, General-Education Requirements.
Courses
Lower-Division
1. Dimensions of Culture: Diversity (4) This
course focuses on sociocultural diversity in examining class, ethnicity,
race, gender, and sexuality as significant markers of differences among
persons. Emphasizing American society, it explores the cultural understandings
of diversity and its economic, moral, and political consequences. Three
hours of lecture, one hour of discussion. Open to Marshall College students
only. (Letter grade only.) (F)
2. Dimensions of Culture: Justice (6) This
course considers the nature of justice in philosophical, historical,
and legal terms. Topics include racial justice, political representation,
economic justice, gender and justice, the rights of cultural minorities,
and crime and punishment. The course offers intensive instruction in
writing university-level expository prose. Three hours of lecture, two
hours of discussion and writing instruction. Open to Marshall College
students only. (Letter grade only.) Prerequisite: completion of Subject
A requirement. (W)
3. Dimensions of Culture: Imagination (6) Using
the arts, this course examines the evolution of pluralistic culture
to the modern period. There is a special emphasis on the interdisciplinary
study of twentieth-century American culture, including music, literature,
art, film, and photography. The course offers intensive instruction
in writing university-level expository prose. Three hours of lecture,
two hours of discussion and writing instruction. Open to Marshall College
students only. (Letter grade only.) Prerequisite: completion of Subject
A requirement. (S)
Dimensions of Culture
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