B.A. Liberal Studies Napa Valley/Solano: Course Descriptions

Fall 2022

AMCS 350 - Ethics, Values and Multiculturalism

This course examines theories and discourses of race, ethnicity, and multiculturalism and
their impact on American thought and practice. Students will explore questions of ethics
and values that shape the U.S. as a multicultural society and learn about conceptual
tools they can apply in thinking critically about these issues in the various contexts they
live in. This course can be taught in on-line or hybrid modes during the summer and/or
intersession only.

ANTH 318 - Human Development in Evolutionary Perspectives

This class explores human development using natural selection, sexual selection,
parental investment and related theories. We will examine topics such as pregnancy,
childbirth, infancy, childhood, mate choice, marriage, and aging using multiple levels of
explanation to understand who we are and where we come from.

ARTH 460 - History of American Art

A survey of the American experience from pre-Colonial times to the present, with
insights into European, non-Western, and native influences.

ARTH 465 - Modern Art from 1945 to 1979

A course exploring European and American developments in late modern and early
postmodern art with a focus on work made between 1945 and 1979. Movements such
as Abstract Expressionism, Pop, Minimalism, Photo-Realism, Earth Art, and Feminist Art
will be discussed in depth, along with the social, economic, and political context within
which the work was created. Reading and writing assignments on designated topics will
be required.

BIOL 314 - Field Biology

A course emphasizing plant and animal communities of Northern California.

WGS 375 - Gender, Power and Freedom in U.S. History

Centering diverse gendered lives this class examines the history of American social,
political, cultural, and economic institutions. Students in this class will learn gender
studies and intersectional analytic approaches to U.S. history since pre-European
colonization to the present.