ART 300: Art Fundamentals (3 units)

• This course is designed to introduce studio art, art history, art criticism and aesthetics to the future elementary school teacher. This class will provide a foundation for life-long learning within the art discipline. Competencies pertaining to art instruction will be developed through various art experiences based upon art education theory and practice.

BIOL 101L: Principles of Biology (4 units)

• An examination of the cell, inheritance, ecology, human biology, the diversity of life and evolutionary theory. Emphasis is given to understanding central concepts and to the process of science. Attention is also given to the relationships between biology and Christian faith and practice. It provides foundational understandings for general education and liberal studies.

COM 410: Media and Society (3 units)

• A study of mass media (television, radio, newspaper, etc.) as a social/communication force in American culture. Attention is given to media use by the church, as well as to such significant social/psychological problems as violence and sex in the media. 

DRA 355: Creative Drama (3 units)

• This course equips people to lead others in process-oriented creative drama activities, including theater games, group improvisation, storytelling and related performance forms.

ENV 150: Introduction to Environmental Studies (4 units)

• An interdisciplinary study of the relationships between people and their environment. The use of natural resources, environmental degradation and human population are examined from ecological, social and religious perspectives.

HIST 150: American Civilization (4 units)

• A study of the development of American culture and society from the colonial period to the present. Major themes and events are examined within the context of America's geography, religious and immigrant heritage and sociopolitical development. (This course meets the U.S. Constitution requirement for teaching credential candidates.)

HIST 430: American Wilderness Literature and Philosophy (3 units)

• Exploration of American ideas about wilderness, the natural world and human relationships to them. Includes a four-day field trip to the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. Readings include Thoreau, Muir, Austin, Abbey, Snyder and Williams.

HIST 440: California History and Politics (4 units)

• California is often viewed as the "trendsetter" for the rest of the nation. This course seeks to explain why by acquainting students with the social, cultural, economic and political development of California from early settlement to the present. At the same time, it familiarizes them with the state's current political system and the politics that surround it. (Meets the California history and government requirement for teaching credential candidates.) 

KIN 460: Elementary Physical Education Methods (3 units)

LA 380: Learning Communities (1 unit)

• A seminar course with two hours per week of field experience that will focus on learning communities of elementary educational systems. The course will involve analysis and evaluation of classroom observations in relation to academic studies of the multiple subject programs.

LANG 310: First and Second Language Acquisition (3 units)

• An introduction to the ways human beings acquire a first and second language and the conditions that support acquisition.

LANG 340: Introduction to Linguistics (3 units)

• Language is studied as a system of systems including phonology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Students also discuss language universals and current usage standards.

LIT 180: Introduction to Literature (3 units)

• A study of outstanding examples of the short story, novel, poetry and drama genres. Designed to introduce the student to the world of literature, to create an appreciation for it and to provide analytical tools for further study.

LIT 360: American Literature: 20th Century (3 units)

• Study and analysis of American writers from diverse ethnic, cultural, and racial backgrounds who challenge traditional definitions of American identity. Authors may include Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath and Gloria Anzaldua.

LIT 448: Multicultural Literature (3 units)

• The cultural and ethnic voices of California including Hispanic, Native American, Japanese American, Chinese American, Vietnamese, Hmong and African American writers provide the focus for the reading and analysis of literature in this course.

LIT 465: Literature for Children and Young Adults (3 units)

• This course is a survey course in the literature for children from preschool through junior high school. The course is particularly designed to assist teachers and teacher candidates in the selection and use of literature in the classroom.

MATH 132: Arithmetic and Data Analysis (3 units)

• This course is one of the two courses required for liberal studies majors intending to be elementary school teachers. The purpose of the course is to strengthen the students' conceptual understanding of the mathematics taught in the K-7 settings. Topics will include: numeration systems, a variety of algorithmic structures in arithmetic, simple set theory, probability, descriptive statistics, graphical interpretations of data, construction of appropriate graphical structures.

MATH 134: Algebraic Thinking and Geometry (3 units)

• This course is one of the two courses required for liberal studies majors intending to be elementary school teachers. The purpose of the course is to strengthen the students' conceptual understanding of mathematics taught in the K-7 settings. Topics will include: the interplay of algebra and arithmetic, generalization of algorithms from arithmetic to algebra, functions and equations, the hierarchical ordering of operations, basic analytic geometry, elementary geometric ideas of area, perimeter, classification and spatial relationships.

MUS 305: Music in the Classroom (3 units)PE 120: Dance Movement (1 unit)

• Music skills and effective means of teaching them are the subject of this class. A variety of approaches to teaching music, including the Kodaly method, will be explored. Students will learn the basics of reading and performing music. This course fulfills the requirement of the liberal studies major.

PE 120: Dance Movement (1 unit)

PHYS 105L: Physical Science (4 units)

• An integrative study of the physical sciences, including the history and methods of science, the relationship of scientific truth and biblical truth and the relationship of modern technology to science and its consequences for society.

PHYS 150: Earth Science (3 units)

• This course presents the concepts of the major geological processes affecting the physical earth and helps students appreciate the earth and understand environmental concerns. Exercises in mineral identification are also included.

PS 120: American Politics and Society (4 units)

• Politics is central to the functioning of American society. Government's impact on residents' lives is felt in many ways and has become the dominant force shaping that society. This course acquaints students with the nature and importance of politics in American society, increases their awareness of the structure and functioning of the political system and deepens their understanding of why the system functions as it does, particularly in relationship to the nation's Constitution. The course further seeks to stimulate concern about the democratic quality of political decision making and the justice of governmental actions. (Meets the U.S. Constitution requirement for teaching credential candidates.) 

PS 371: American Law and Legal System (3 units)

• This course is an introduction to American law and the American legal system. Students read case reports of real-world problems along with textual and appellate court discussions of alternative approaches and theories to resolving the underlying disputes. Case analysis helps students to develop an understanding of legal method and legal reasoning. 

PS 373: Nature, Law and Policy (3 units)

• This course is an exploration of the issues surrounding environmental law, policymaking and politics. Students study how environmental decisions are made and enforced and what their impact is-- locally, nationally and globally. 

PS 375: Criminal Justice in America (4 units)

• A society says much about its value system by the way it treats those members who have violated the accepted standards of behavior. This course acquaints students with the American criminal law system, exposes them to its mode of operation through literature and field examination, invites them to assess the justice of its processes and decisions, and encourages a particular concern for the latter. 

PS 385: Urban Society and the Welfare State (4 units)

• As America has become an increasingly urbanized society, growing numbers of people have become dependent upon governmental assistance to meet certain basic human needs. The result has been the gradual evolution of a welfare state—welcomed by some, resisted by others. This course acquaints students with the nature of current social welfare institutions and activities, provides an understanding of the political milieu that has shaped them over time, develops an awareness of the impact they have had on their recipients and stimulates the beginnings of a value-based personal perspective regarding how an individual should respond to the issues of social justice.

PS 390: Religion and Politics in America (3 units)

• Religion influences American politics and society in many ways. Is the connection necessary and proper, or the root of mischief and evil? How should Christians view the role of religion and should they endeavor to exert influence in politics? This course will explore answers to these questions and aid students in deciding how to respond to issues of current concern. 

PS 430: America in a Global Community (4 units)

• The world is increasingly becoming a global community, and America finds itself faced with the challenges and opportunities of living in such a world. But what does it mean to live in a global community? Does America see itself and behave as a member of a global community? This course will explore answers to these questions by examining the nature of American foreign policy since World War II, analyzing various international issues and problems of contemporary concern and exploring what America's response to them should be. 

PSY 120: Introduction to Psychology (3 units)

• The objectives of this course are to present the student with an overview of the facts and issues of the discipline, to examine the relationship of psychology to religion and to explore the implications of the subject matter for how we live. Such topics as perception, learning, biofeedback, stress, normality, therapy and community are discussed.

PSY 350: Child Development (3 units)

• A study of the development of the child from conception to adolescence. Topics of development, such as physical, intellectual, social, emotional and moral are studied.

SOC 310: Cultural Communities of California (3 units)

• An examination of the folklore and historical background of the major "parallel" cultural (minority) groups in California, including but not limited to Native American, African American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander and other Asian American populations. Though special attention is given to cultural groups students come into contact with, national and global, social and cultural issues are explored to enhance their understanding of the similarities and differences among the diverse groups in society. SOC 482 must be taken simultaneously if this is being used to meet a focus series requirement.

SOC 350: Marriage and Family (3 units)

• An introduction to marriage and family as both a social institution and a system of interaction patterns. The family life cycle from marriage through death, including martial relations, divorce, parenting, abuse, mate selection and changing patterns of family life, is examined.

SOC 410: American Ethnicity and Pluralism (3 units)

• A study of the history of immigration, racism, discrimination and assimilation in American society. The experiences of various ethnic groups in America from the nation's founding to the present are examined and the rise of pluralism as the current model for structuring ethnic diversity in American institutional life is explored. SOC 482 must be taken simultaneously if this course is being used to meet a Focus Series requirement.

SOC 442: Social Gerontology (3 units)

• The study of the process of aging as it occurs within American culture. The impact of an increasingly aged population will also be explored, both on a social psychological level and in terms of its impact upon the larger society. Other topics will include ageism, elderly abuse and Alzheimer's disease.

SOC 446: Sociology of Gender (3 units)

• This is a survey course in the study of gender, particularly the sociology of gender. As such, the main purpose of this course is to investigate the ways in which gender is socially organized. In the process, students will continually return to three central questions: (1) what is gender?, (2) how do we know it when we see it? and (3) how does gender appear in and affect life experiences of individuals in different social locations at different points in time? Students will address these questions by focusing on different areas of social life, as well as various theoretical perspectives and levels of analysis. 

SOC 450: Social Problems and Public Policy (4 units)

• Poverty, sexism, racism, crime, drug abuse and family breakup are examples of major social problems that increasingly concern society. At the same time, government's responsibility to deal with these social problems has become widely expected. This course acquaints students with the major social problems that have emerged in recent years, and familiarizes them with the social policies that government has devised in an attempt to alleviate or remedy those problems. In so doing, it seeks to stimulate a concern about the justice and equity of such policies on individuals and groups in our society.