Dimensions of Culture
OFFICE: 132 Sequoyah Hall, Marshall College
http://marshall.ucsd.edu/DOC
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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