LCAD-Catalog-2016-2018

LIBERAL ARTS
WELLNESS — THE ARTIST AS A VITAL FORCE
1 unit required
(no grade points)
WELLNESS: BALANCING THE WHOLE PERSON
(LA101)
3 units
Wellness is an active process of making choices
toward a healthy and fulfilling life. There are many
dimensions of wellness: academic, emotional,
spiritual, physical, social, and intellectual,
environmental, financial, occupational, etc. Each
dimension of wellness overlaps with others, and
each is equally vital in the pursuit of optimum health.
Wellness is also related to one’s ideology (ethics,
personal values, belief systems, behavior) and
character (being trustworthy, respectful, responsible,
fair, caring, etc.), and these will be examined as they
relate to how we choose to act. Students will learn
how one can reach an optimal level of wellness by
understanding how to maintain and optimize each of
the dimensions of wellness. Guest experts will visit to
discuss specialized aspects of the course content, and
several classes will be devoted to putting the lessons
into active practice via “lab” sessions.
Required in residence for all majors (except those
who completed the Speech requirement prior to Fall
2016).
ENGLISH SKILLS — THE ARTIST AS COMMUNICATOR
6 units required
(in addition to any preparatory classes)
NON-REQUIRED PREPARATORY CLASSES
(units as needed)
COLLEGE PREPARATORY WRITING 1 & 2
(LA010 & LA011)
1-2 units Credit/Non-Credit; no grade points
For those who did not pass the writing diagnostic,
these pre-baccalaureate courses are designed
to help students with fundamentals of grammar
and conventional writing mechanics so that they
can matriculate into Composition. These are
developmental courses and may be repeated as many
times as necessary.
Graded Pass/No Pass only. Does not count toward a
student’s GPA, but does count toward units earned.
Course fees.
WRITING REQUIREMENT (4 UNITS)
ENGLISH COMPOSITION
(LA108)
2 units
Required (First semester, freshman year)
This first leg of the freshman writing requirement
focuses on exploratory writing and methods of
rhetoric. This course helps students discover that
writing is a natural, creative, and meaningful activity
that helps them learn about themselves and the
world. Students reach a level of expository writing
deemed appropriate for the university level, in
preparation for the more sophisticated writing that
is required later in their academic careers. Classes
are conducted in a workshop setting where students
explore issues of craft and various strategies for
effective writing. Minimum passing grade for this
course is a “C” in order to matriculate into the second
leg of the freshman writing requirement: Critical
Reasoning (LA110).
Prerequisites: Satisfactorily passing the LCAD
English Placement Diagnostic or consent of College
Preparatory Writing 2 instructor.
CRITICAL REASONING
(LA110)
2 units
Required (Second semester, freshman year)
This second leg of the freshman writing requirement
focuses on analytical skills and academic research.
Students learn various methods of inquiry, analysis,
and argumentation then practice their reasoning
skills in writing assignments, class discussions, and
oral presentations. Assigned readings focus on basic
philosophical questions and issues facing thinkers
in all academic disciplines. Students learn the
importance of questioning and critiquing the words
and ideas of others. Ultimately, students experience
firsthand how critical reasoning processes enable
them to become informed and educated citizens of
the world, with the abilities to affect change via their
own words and actions. Minimum passing grade
for this course is a “C” and successful completion of
this course is a prerequisite for all Liberal Arts & Art
History courses.
Course Prerequisite: A minimum grade of C in English
Composition.
ANALYTICAL SKILLS — THE ARTIST AS THINKER AND
SYNTHESIZER OF INFORMATION
3 units required
SENIOR CAPSTONE 2
(LA423)
2 units
Required (Second semester, senior year)
A summative course designed to foster intellectual,
conceptual, and artistic self-reflection by the
graduating senior. Students articulate the direction,
meaning, and aesthetic context of their Senior
Portfolio 2 studio projects via the writing of a senior
paper, which also explores the student’s influences,
personal aesthetics, creative intent, and goals. The
course culminates in a formal oral defense before a
panel where students must summarize and synthesize
the essence of their Capstone papers in the context
of presenting images of the Senior Portfolio 2 studio
work and the story of its creation. Senior Capstone
must be taken concurrently with Senior Portfolio 2.
Neither may be taken on an independent-study basis.
Course Prerequisites: Senior standing and the
completion of all other Liberal Arts and Art History
coursework requirements.
HUMANITIES — THE ARTIST AND WORLD CULTURES
3 units required
THE HISTORY OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION
(LA211)
3 units
Required
This interdisciplinary course aims at informing
students about Western intellectual and cultural
heritage through synthesizing primary resources
in literature, philosophy, psychology, religion, and
music. The goal is to generate an individual mode of
life; that is, to consider one’s place in the world, and
how one might live a worthwhile life. The approach
to the resources is personal and visceral, with the
ultimate ideal objective of applying assimilated
cultural experiences to the process of living and of
making art. This course covers Greece, Rome, the
Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Modern period,
and interfaces with Western Art 1 and Western Art 2.
Course Prerequisites: English Composition; may be
taken concurrently with Critical Reasoning, but not
before.
PROJECT GREEN: ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY AND
CULTURAL CONSCIOUSNESS
(LA223)
3 units
This course explores humankind’s relationship with
the planet, examining how both ancient and modern
civilizations have related to the environment and
developed differing philosophies on stewardship.
Diverse cultural and ecological factors are studied
to identify the variables that contribute to altering
environmental conditions. Students then investigate
modern environmental problems facing our planet
with an emphasis on the history of our changing
local ecology. The class surveys the history of the
conservation movement, contemporary local and
global conservation efforts, and explores critical
issues currently facing California’s ecosystems.
Students gain an increased awareness of
environmental issues and their own relationship with
the environment in their daily lives.
GENDER STUDIES IN POPULAR CULTURE
(LA228)
3 units
An interdisciplinary approach to American culture,
this course explores the origins and perceptions of
gender in culture and society. Drawing on visual
studies, literary theory, sociology, politics, economy,
et al., issues of race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, bias,
and stereotypes are explored as they relate primarily
to media representation and language, as well as to
such diverse topics as health, public policy, labor, and
law. Content in advertising (semiotics, visual literacy,
etc.) is a good starting place to extend the analyses
into television, film, music, and game art. This course
may focus on a different theme or culture each time it
is taught.
CATALOG
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