Courses

The main goals of this course are for students to be acquainted with the current state of social science research on cyberspace, to think about what an anthropological and ethnographic approach can gain for us and begin to carry such a project out, and to think critically and collectively about a series of questions about society in the cyber age.

This course is an intensive introduction to the morphology, syntax, and grammar of modern standard Arabic.  Students without prior knowledge of the language will learn the alphabet, phonology, and basic grammar of Arabic while working on developing their vocabulary and communication skills.

Formerly Beginning Painting. This is a beginning oil painting course with a focus on realistic painting. An understanding of painting realistically will be developed through work on accurate color matching and attending to common drawing problems. This course will introduce all basic oil techniques. Program fee: $40. Fundamentals of Drawing recommended.

A studio course in the use of mixed media techniques and materials including but not limited to assemblage, sculpture, photography and 3-D structures.  Emphasis on exploring the unique properties of materials and incorporating diverse mediums to express personal and innovative developments.  Program fee: $40.  Additional student expense approximately $40.

This advanced course emphasizes contemporary drawing techniques and concepts.  The aim of the class is two-fold: to encourage experimentation and broaden your range of media and ideas and to help you define your own body of work.

In this biotechnology course, students will gain an appreciation of the science behind using living organisms and their to enhance human lives and the environment. Through this exploration, students will also learn and apply scientific reasoning by analyzing original research articles and by performing laboratory experiments using methods in biotechnology.

This natural science course will delve into plant biotechnology and how these techniques can be used to effect the social and physical limitations of food, drugs and energy.  The positive and negative aspects of genetically-engineered crops will be discussed.  Methods for analyzing current controversial issues will be taught.

The course will examine the cultural highlights of jazz history from Buddy Bolden (1920’s) to Joshua Redman (2000’s).

A service-learning course in which Pitzer students and community participants explore autobiography, how it produces a private space within prevailing public discourse, a space of social theory, historical revision and self-reflection. Assignments are organized around hands-on community service in a literacy program at an off-campus community-based location.

This class explores the intersections of film and literature to discover how the dialogue between the two media enhances our reading experience of the printed word while developing new kinds of visual literacy. The class will focus on a selection of British novels that have been adapted for film.

Effective public speaking is an essential skill for proponents of social change.  The goal of this course is to build student speaking skills through intensive practical training, peer feedback, observation of online speeches, and engagement with literature on technical communication and strategies of social influence.

A critical investigation of how ecological issues and insights are communicated through graphic media.  Special consideration is given to how visual images are used to explain, explore and manipulate.

We will explore the contemporary experiences of African American, American Indian, Asian American/Asian Immigrant, Chicana/Latina and White women, focusing on the social construction of gender and race.  We will place the experiences of women of color at the center of the analysis, looking at the socioeconomic and political conditions which affect their lives.

This course is global in scope and surveys materials from the last five centuries.  Major themes include the history of globalization and industrialization, ecological imperialism, the history of ecology, the idea of wilderness, science and environment, and global environmental change.

An introduction to probability. Topics will include combinations, permutations, probability and expected value. Games such as keno, roulette, craps, backgammon and blackjack will be analyzed. The course will provide excellent preparation for Statistics as well as for use of Game Theory in the social sciences.

Introduction to the basic concepts of the calculus, including slopes, rates of change, limits, the derivative and the integral, and the relationship between these concepts, especially the Fundamental theorem of Calculus, with applications to the natural and social sciences. Each concept will be treated from numerical, analytic and geometric perspectives.

The course will consider television’s distinct modes.  Key genres – live drama, mini-series, sitcom, soap opera, sketch comedy, game show, science fiction, variety, news and reality – will be discussed. We will employ intermedia studies – developing critical readings of how television engages with radio and film in its use of genre.

Introduction to mathematical logic through the development of proof techniques (natural deduction and semantic tableaux) and model theory for sentential logic and quantification theory.  Properties of logical systems, such as consistency, completeness and decidability.  Satisfies Pitzer’s “Formal Reasoning” graduation requirement.

For nearly 50 years the Cold War influenced nearly all aspects of American political and cultural life. This course examines Cold War genre films in an effort to understand how Americans perceived the Soviet threat and how these popular perceptions influenced international and domestic politics.

This course is designed to introduce students to the role, application, analysis and interpretation of statistical methods used in psychology.  Descriptive and inferential statistics will be covered, and the use of SPSS for data analysis will be emphasized.

This course provides a basic introduction to the biological bases of human and animal behavior.  Topics include: the structure and function of the nervous system, drugs, motivation, emotion, learning and memory, sensation, consciousness and psychopathology.

This course provides an overview of major topic areas and methods associated with social psychology, investigating important research contributions and theoretical views. Through readings, exercises, experiment reviews and class discussion, students will gain a clearer understanding of the wide variety of influences that contribute to our social behavior.

This course explores psychoactive drugs from an interdisciplinary perspective, including historical, legal and policy issues, pharmacology, brain anatomy and chemistry, placebo and expectation effects, addiction, and a biopsychosocial survey of alcohol, stimulants, caffeine, nicotine, marijuana, opiates, hallucinogens and ecstasy. Introductory psychology and introductory neuroscience recommended.

Introduction to the discipline of sociology.  We will look at race, class, gender, deviance, etc.  and become familiar with how sociologists look at the world.

Film is an excellent medium through which to convey critical insights and truths about the social world.  This class will use movies (both documentaries and narratives) as tools to learn about sociological ideas and perspectives.

This course introduces Sociology students to the methods sociologists use in collecting and analyzing data (using SPSS), with an emphasis on research design and survey methods.

How is religion ultimately a social phenomenon?  How do social forces influence religion?  How does religion influence society? Let’s look at religion with sociological eyes.

Florez, J

Spanish 22 is an intensive introductory Spanish course that covers Spanish 01 and Spanish 02.  Constant reading, writing and oral exercises during class meetings will provide the student with the necessary tools needed to communicate in Spanish, and to advance to the next level, Intermediate Spanish (SPAN 33).

Hamilton, G

Students will read a variety of essays and use them as models for their own creative pieces in the following areas: Autobiography, Observation, Reflection, Cause/Effect, and Position. Seminar-based discussions, descriptive exercises, grammar training as needed, and the opportunity to workshop and revise one's own writing will be the focus of each class.