Course Finder

IGETC AREA 4 (Social and Behavioral Sciences)

• Advisory: Eligibility for English 1.

This course is an introduction to public policy. The course covers core topics in American public policy and focuses on institutions, policy actors, and major theoretical models. In addition, the course covers the nature and practice of policy analysis in order to demonstrate how to employ evaluative criteria in substantive policy areas.

IGETC AREA 4 (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

• Advisory: Eligibility for English 1.

This seminar in international politics features analysis and discussion of the international system. Patterns of cooperation and conflict between states, alliance systems, security issues and the international economy are among the topics on which students will write papers. Seminar sessions are characterized by discussion, oral reports and critical analysis of papers, articles and books. Consultation with the instructor is encouraged before enrolling.

IGETC AREA 4 (Social and Behavioral Sciences)

Satisfies Global Citizenship

• Advisory: Eligibility for English 1.

This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the fields of Global Studies and International Political Economy. Students will analyze critically the role of national governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and multinational corporations, in regard to phenomena such as, international markets and production regimes, monetary and trade policy, international and global conflict, and environmental degradation. Contending theoretical and ideological perspectives regarding international systems, processes, and trends will be applied and evaluated.

POL SC 5 is the same course as ECON 5 and GLOBAL 5. Students may earn credit for one course.

C-ID: POLS 120.

IGETC AREA 3B (Humanities) or AREA 4 (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

• Advisory: Eligibility for English 1.

In this inter-disciplinary course students examine fundamental ideas about politics in the writings of major Western philosophers from the ancient to the contemporary period, and use those ideas to consider and debate current political issues.

POL SC 51 is the same course as PHILOS 51. Students may earn credit for one, but not both.

IGETC AREA 3B (Humanities) or AREA 4 (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

• Advisory: Eligibility for English 1.

This interdisciplinary course in philosophy and political science examines arguments and discourses developed within contemporary political thought. How those discourses critique and/or are rooted in modern ideologies, such as liberalism and socialism will be considered. The theoretical perspectives presented in the course will be used to critically examine important issues in contemporary politics. Students will situate themselves as citizens and political agents in relation to those issues.

POL SC 52 is the same course as PHILOS 52. Students may earn credit for one, but not both.

C-ID: POLS 140.

IGETC AREA 4 (Social and Behavioral Sciences)

• Advisory: Eligibility for English 1.

This course examines the structure and operation of the international system. Emphasis is placed on the nature and sources of conflict and cooperation and issues of war and peace among states in the international system.

IGETC AREA 4 (Social and Behavioral Sciences)

• Advisory: Eligibility for English 1.

This course concentrates on the political and social history of East Asia in the 20th century. The following subjects are studied: major movements of social and political change; revolution; the pattern of political culture and power; the pattern of foreign and domestic policy; and the relationship of East Asia to the Western World.

Please see “Independent Studies” section.

Please see “Independent Studies” section.

This course prepares students to successfully apply for and be granted US Citizenship by the Office of Homeland Security. Students will learn about US History and Civics to prepare for their final interview and how to correctly fill out and submit the N-400 Application for Citizenship. Students will also learn interviewing techniques that will help them prepare for the final interview with the US Government.

• Advisory: BUS 5 or POL SC 24.

This course is a practicum in the legal profession and provides students with experience in the legal field. Students engage in applied learning through unpaid experiential activities organized by SMC’s applied/service learning center (in conjunction with the student and the instructor). Experiential learning will take place in private firms, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations that have a direct connection to the American legal system. Students will complete a minimum of 30 hours of work at their placement, develop a customized reading list relevant to their particular placement (i.e., a student placed with a labor lawyer would develop a reading list specific to labor law), and submit academically-sound written reports regarding the work done at their placement. Through this experiential learning opportunity, students develop a deeper understanding of the discipline and the profession.

This course is graded on a P/NP basis only.

• Advisory: POL SC 31 and eligibility for English 1.

This course builds upon the content of Political Science 31, Introduction to Public Policy, to provide the student with field experience in the discipline. This course addresses the theoretical underpinnings of democratic civic engagement and is a practicum in public policy in a local setting. In this hands-on course, the student will engage in experiential learning through various governmental and nongovernmental agencies which have a role in developing and/or implementing public policy. The student will develop a reading list, customized to the focus of his/her particular agency, and complete a minimum of 30 hours of volunteer work with that agency. The course exposes the student to organized, meaningful public policy research and implementation in substantive policy arenas and will be supervised in his/her off-campus experiential learning project pertaining to the development of public policy.

This course is graded on a P/NP basis only.

• Corequisite: Any course in Political Science.

This course — taken in tandem with another course in the discipline — enables a student to apply course content in a meaningful and relevant way to a particular activity. In this hands-on course, students engage in applied learning through unpaid experiential activities organized by the student (in conjunction with SMC’s applied/service learning center) and approved by the instructor. Students will develop a customized reading list relevant to their particular activity, complete a minimum of 15 hours of volunteer work with that activity, and submit academically-sound written reports regarding the activity. By applying course material to their experience, students develop a deeper understanding of the discipline.

This course increases older adults’ understanding of local, national, and international current affairs and how it affects their lives as well as the world around them. Older adults consider the political, economic, and social movements that determine domestic and foreign policies in the United States and around the world.

This course helps Emeritus students understand how music and culture influences and is influenced by political movements. Emphasis will be placed on listening to the music of various eras in American history and discussing how the music shaped and was shaped by those historical events, and what the impacts of those events are on current American life and politics.

This course helps Emeritus students understand how political movements influence and are influenced by popular culture (such as music, books, comics, fine arts, sports, theater, films and TV). Emphasis will be placed on reviewing different elements of popular culture of various eras in American history and discussing those influences and their impacts on American life and politics.

This course explores the intricate relationship between technology and politics, analyzing how technological advancements shape political systems, governance, policy-making, and public engagement. Students will examine the impact of technology on political campaigns, information dissemination, surveillance, cybersecurity, citizen participation, and the formulation of government policies. Through case studies, discussions, and critical analysis, students will develop a nuanced understanding of the complexities and implications of technology in the political landscape, including its influence on policy development, implementation, and the functioning of government institutions.

This course increases Emeritus students’ understanding of various subjects that vary from term to term. Students will consider the political, social and economic ramifications of special topics each term, both domestically and around the world. Topics may include such subjects as: America & the World; Health Care in the US; US Economy & Taxes; Global Climate Change; Poverty in America; Housing in California, etc. Check section note for course topic(s).

IGETC Foreign Language (required for UC only)

Satisfies Global Citizenship

This course introduces the students to basic vocabulary and fundamental sentence structure in the present, preterit and imperfect tenses, and a general introduction to fundamental cultural differences between the United States and Lusophone countries. Basic aural and reading comprehension is developed and students hold simple conversations and write short compositions about present and past actions. This course provides a thorough basic introduction to the diverse cultures, customs and traditions and to historical and current events of the Portuguese-speaking world. The course is taught in Portuguese except in cases of linguistic difficulty as determined by the professor.

IGETC Foreign Language (required for UC only)

Satisfies Global Citizenship

• Advisory: PORTGS 1*.

This course is a continuation of Portuguese 1. Using the communicative approach, this course stresses basic vocabulary and fundamental sentence structure in the past and future indicative tenses and the subjunctive mood. The course develops basic aural and reading comprehension. This course provides a thorough introduction to the diverse cultures, customs and traditions and to historical and current events of the Portuguese-speaking world. The course is taught in Portuguese except in cases of linguistic difficulty as determined by the professor.

*The advisory for this course is comparable to two years of high school Portuguese.