*Choose from these courses if planning to complete a minor.

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 400: Intercultural Communication (3 units)

• A study of the principles involved in communication between people of different cultures. Emphasis is placed on the practical aspect of intercultural communication through cross-cultural contacts. 

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.

GEOG 220: Cultural Geography (3 units)

• An investigation into the human-land relationships of the world. A geographic perspective is brought to political, economic, social, and environmental structures and relationships. The course includes a study of both the physical and cultural features and landscapes present in the world today, with an emphasis on understanding the effects of human modification of the natural environment.

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 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 440: Spanish Literature (3 units)

• This course includes a brief history of the Spanish language and a study of the most notable literary works and authors of Spain, along with their corresponding historical periods. The goals of the class are: (a) to enable students to develop an appreciation for Spanish culture, its people, literature and literary history; (b) to enable students to be able to identify authors and their works; and (c) to help students to recognize the styles of the various epochs and works. This course may be taught in the Spanish or English language.

LIT 445: Latin American Literature (3 units)

• Literary works of the most famous authors from Mexico and Central and South America will be studied, analyzed and critiqued. The historical setting of the works and the bibliographies of the authors will also be examined. This course may be taught in either the Spanish or English language.

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 400: World Politics and Society (4 units)

• Modern communications and transportation, increasing economic interdependence and the spread of political unrest and conflict have made Americans more aware of the impact of the world on their lives. Yet their understanding of other countries, and the forces that influence their relationships with the United States, is often limited. This course acquaints students with the social, economic and political systems of varied nations around the world; helps them to understand why those nations function in the world community as they do; and explores their problems and prospects. 

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.

REL 418: Culture, Religion and the Church (3 units)

• This course will explore the religious history, traditions and thought of major cultural groups in Central California, with particular attention to the history, teachings and practices of the Christian church in these cultures.

REL 452: Christianity in the Non-Western World (3 units)

• How do Christians in other parts of the world live? Who do they understand themselves to be? How do they follow Christ? In this course, we will discover and investigate Christianity in its diverse forms in Asia, Africa and Latin America. We focus on ethnographic elements of Christian communities such as the ways they live as families, their organizational structure, boundaries around their communities, their rituals, their festivals and how they relate to the broader cultures around them.

SOC 300: Cultural Anthropology (3 units)

• An introduction to cultural anthropology. The course analyzes various particular cultures and examines questions regarding human culture as a shared, universal phenomenon.

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 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 482: Intercultural Practicum (1 unit)

• This practicum experience involves working as a volunteer in a local group in a group other than one's own. Orientation, on-going reflection and final debriefing are included in this experience. Living with a cultural host family or in an apartment or house within a cultural community may also be an option for some practicum experiences. Must be taken in conjunction with SOC-310 or 410 when those courses are used to meet a focus series requirement.

THEO 430: Contemporary Theologies (3 units)

• A study of major theological thinkers and movements in the 20th and 21st centuries from Karl Barth to the present, including consideration of context, methodology and distinctive contributions.

THEO 447: Theology of the Human Person (4 units)

• With all the diversity among individual people groups within any one society and cultures around the world, what is it that makes one commonly human? The purpose of this course is to discover and deepen one's theological understanding of the human person. Students begin by exploring understandings and experiences of being human in other cultures, then in their own cultures and religious subcultures and last in the biblical texts. Participants will develop awareness of the complexities of understanding what it means to be human, as well as broaden their cognizance of the variety of such theologies—historically, culturally and religiously.