ABCD-GEs at USC Part 2
Live, laugh, love GEs! Couldn’t get enough of our Part 1 GE series? Well, we’ve batched up some more GE courses we thought were quirky and fun but, most importantly, educational.
To sum up what GEs are: they are a variety of courses within the arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences that students must complete to graduate from USC—regardless of major. Eight categories, ten GE courses.
The six Core Literacy categories are:
GE-A: The Arts (1 course)
Discover, explore and interpret the rich and multi-faceted history and traditions of the different forms of art.
GE-B: Humanistic Inquiry (2 courses)
Engage closely with works of the imagination—in words, sight, and sound—understanding what it means to live another life and see over the horizon.
GE-C: Social Analysis (2 courses)
Examine how individual and collective actions, shaped by identity factors like gender, race, and class, influence and are influenced by economic, political, and social contexts globally and historically.
GE-D: Life Sciences (1 course)
Understand fundamental scientific concepts and methods, emphasizing science's societal impact, enabling them to formulate testable hypotheses and distinguish sound reasoning from unsupported claims.
GE-E: Physical Sciences (1 course)
Solve scientific problems and understand how scientific knowledge is obtained and evaluated, with hands-on experiences in cutting-edge research through life and physical sciences courses and faculty-led labs and field programs.
GE-F: Quantitative Reasoning (1 course)
Examine the analysis and manipulation of data and information related to quantifiable objects, symbolic elements, or logic in order to help them navigate the complexity and sophistication of the modern world
The Global Perspectives requirements prepare students to be socially responsible, respect diverse cultures and understand how race, class, and gender influence power and the connection between global issues and local challenges. The categories to fulfill in Global Perspectives are:
GE-G: Equity in a Diverse World (1 course)
Deepen understanding of citizenship and moral agency in a global society by exploring the roles of race, class, and identity in conflicts and inequality, while addressing social responsibility and equity in contemporary contexts.
GE-H: Traditions and Historical Foundations (1 course)
Examine the historical and cultural foundations of contemporary and past societies by studying enduring and influential literary, political, economic, philosophical, legal, ethical or religious traditions.
Now that we’ve covered our bases, let’s dive in to see what other interesting GE courses you can take at USC!
General Education Courses
GE-A: The Arts
COMM 396g Fashion, Media and Culture
This course explores fashion as a form of communication and culture as well as fashion’s role in identity, body politics, art, nationhood, celebrity and Hollywood culture, youth cultures and subversive practices.
DANC 302g Hip Hop Don’t Stop: Exploring Black Vernacular Dance
This course compares the history and practice of Urban Folk Dance, including hip-hop, freestyle, street dance and relevant social dances of the 20th century.
THTR 197g Comedy and Performance
This course examines the history of comedy in performance from its earliest incarnations to the present day.
GE-B: Humanistic Inquiry
EALC 333g Introduction to Korean Film
This course examines Korean film, the film industry, and critical issues from the colonial period to the present.
ENGL 376g Comics and Graphic Novels
This course explores the issues in visual and popular culture, focused on critical and historical interpretation of words and images in comic books and graphic novels.
HIST 245gm How Sex Changed: US History, 1870-the Present
This course investigates the nature of femininities and masculinities over the course of U.S. history,
;including topics like women’s rights, birth control, abortion, and gay/lesbian liberation.
PHIL 168g The Meaning of Life
This course examines philosophical treatments of the problem of the meaning or purpose of human life.
GE-C: Social Analysis
ANTH 140g Mesoamerican Cosmovision and Culture
This course explores the nature and contributions of pre-Columbian high civilizations (Maya, Aztecs, etc.) and their descendants as they resist and assimilate to the modern world.
ANTH 371gm Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs
This course examines youth gang dynamics and their effects on institutions and provides a comparative analysis of Asian, African, and Mexican American gangs.
POSC 220g Critical Issues in American Politics: Presidential Election in Real Time
This course investigates enduring political issues, as well as the political processes and institutions.
SOCI 169gm Changing Family Forms
This course explores the peculiarity of the “modern” Western family system in historical and cross-cultural perspectives with a focus on the “postmodern” family crisis in the United States.
GE-D: Life Sciences
BISC 140g Our Blue Planet in a Changing Climate
This course seeks to understand biological oceanography and marine ecosystems. It also examines the impact of climate changes on marine ecosystems and analyzes ocean-related case studies being discussed by mainstream media.
CHEM 203Lgx AIDS Drug Discovery and Development
This course utilizes scientific principles underlying molecular approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, using specific models within a societal (business, legal, ethical) context.
LING 110Lg In a Word
This course examines the understanding of words as a gateway to the human mind—how words are stored, comprehended and retrieved, and constructed. Words and concepts. Words and social constructs. The processing and the acquisition of words in normal and atypical children and adults.
GE-E: Physical Sciences
ASTR 100Lgx The Universe
This course addressed the universe: planets, satellites, comets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies, while including practical components such as planetary observations and a dark-sky field trip.
GEOL 108Lg Crises of a Planet
This course analyzes the impact of civilization on planet earth, and the impact of earth’s natural evolution on society. Specific topics include earthquakes, volcanism, landslides, floods, global warming, acid rain, groundwater depletion and pollution, as well as mineral and fossil fuel depletion and the formation of the ozone hole.
GE-F: Quantitative Reasoning
GEOL 157Lg The Logic of Climate Change: From Data to Deeds
This course seeks to understand the quantitative underpinnings of the scientific case for man-made climate change and analyzes climate data, the examination of potential causes, the attribution of causes, and civilizational consequences.
PSYC 240gx Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning in Health Care
This course utilizes critical analysis and reasoning skills to solve scientific problems in human behavior, including the presentation of data, logic of research design, statistics, and research ethics.
GE-G: Equity in a Diverse World
AMST 101gmw Race and Class in Los Angeles (also satisfies GE-C)
This course analyzes race and the economic, political, gender, and social dimensions of contemporary Los Angeles, including topics such as residential segregation, economic inequality, and city politics.
BUCO 333mw Communication in the Working World - Managing Diversity
This course utilizes communication strategies to manage workplace diversity in analyzing historical, social, and legal precedents. It also examines institutional barriers to diversity with a focus on race, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical disabilities, culture.
EALC 150gw Global Chinese Cinema and Cultural Studies (also satisfies GE-B)
This course examines the transnational production and circulation of Chinese-language cinema and analyzes the larger sociocultural significance of films by engaging their historical context.
HIST 265gw Racism, Sexism, and the Law (also satisfies GE-C)
This course explores and interprets laws concerning marriage, inheritance, slavery, immigration and the allocation of public space and how they have organized historical constructions of race and sex.
RXRS 413w Globalization of the Biomedical Industry
This course assesses globalization; pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices, and combination products in advanced, emerging, and developing markets. Other topics include regional and national regulations, global and regional harmonization efforts, and ethical considerations.
GE-H: Traditions and Historical Foundations
AHIS 121gp Art and Society: Renaissance to Modern (also satisfies GE-A)
This course analyzes European art and its legacy in the Americas. Painting, sculpture, architecture and other visual media are considered in relation to social and cultural history.
LAW 320p Law, Slavery, and Race
This course focuses on how law, politics and culture interact to shape the institution of slavery and the development of modern conceptions of race.
RXRS 201p The History and Geography of Drugs
This course examines the discovery and use of drugs (legal/illegal)/poisons as well as how they helped shape, modify or change history as described in classical literature through the present day.
GE courses are gateways to discovering new interests and broadening your worldview. Engaging with these courses will help you develop essential skills and insights, preparing you for meaningful involvement in our global community. So, take the leap of faith into these exciting courses and make the most of your time at USC!
Written By: Leslie Escobedo, Assistant Director – Office of Undergraduate Admission