Category Archives: Liberal Arts & Sciences – Electives

All Liberal Arts Elective Courses: Quantitative Reasoning, Physical Science OR Life Science, Societies & the Social Sciences, Expressive Culture, General Liberal Arts Electives

Spring 2024

Expressive Culture: Topics (CORE-UA 700)

College Core Curriculum (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2024)

CORE-UA 700-000 (10544)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Tue,Thu12:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Ganti, Tejaswini

CORE-UA 700-000 (10545)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Fri8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by

CORE-UA 700-000 (10546)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Fri9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by

CORE-UA 700-000 (10547)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Fri11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by

CORE-UA 700-000 (10548)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Fri12:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by

CORE-UA 700-000 (10549)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Tue,Thu8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by Hay, Jonathan

CORE-UA 700-000 (10550)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Fri8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by Xie, Vivi Fupeng

CORE-UA 700-000 (10551)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Fri9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by Xie, Vivi Fupeng

CORE-UA 700-000 (10552)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Fri11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by Deng, Zhilong

CORE-UA 700-000 (10553)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Fri12:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Deng, Zhilong

Expressive Culture Undergraduate
Fall 2023

Human Development I (APSY-UE 20)

Introduction to research and theory of human development across the life span. Seminal theories & basic research of individual growth & development are analyzed & critiqued. Emphasis is on the range in human development with discussion of normative & non-normative development. Emphasis is also placed on the importance of understanding the influence of normative & non-normative contexts of development, including the impact of culture, heritage, socioeconomic level, personal health, & safety. Relations between home, school, & community and their impact on development are also explored via readings, lectures, discussions, & weekly observations in the field. Interrogation of implicit folk theories as a foundation for exploration of formal knowledge of human development.

Applied Psychology (Undergraduate)
2 credits – 7 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2023)

APSY-UE 20-000 (11334)09/05/2023 – 10/24/2023 Mon,Wed11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by Hogan, Frances

APSY-UE 20-000 (11789)09/05/2023 – 10/24/2023 Tue,Thu3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Copeland, Cynthia

APSY-UE 20-000 (11405)09/05/2023 – 10/24/2023 Tue,Thu9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)at OnlineInstructed by Hogan, Frances

APSY-UE 20-000 (21980)09/05/2023 – 10/24/2023 Mon,Wed9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)at OnlineInstructed by Strom, Carolyn

Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Societies & the Social Sciences Undergraduate

Photography through the Lens of Magnum (IDSEM-UG 2930)

Learn the history of some of the most widely known works of journalistic and documentary photography over the last seventy years through the lens of a globally preeminent photo collective, Magnum Agency. Photographers at this collective have created iconic documentary images and helped define the field of photojournalism as we know it today, setting an influential tone for style and content. Students will examine this in a variety of topics, including the documentation of war, social justice concerns, women’s issues, and sex work. Along the way, students study the business model of this agency to grasp how its differences, from other photographic enterprises, influence the work produced. We use this agency as a lens through which to address a recent history of photography, the trajectory of visual journalism, and the place of advocacy in documentary photography. We also ask critical questions of this visual documentation, assessing power imbalances, ethical complications, and more. Our studies take us through time and around the world via the medium of photography. Specific photographers we may explore include: Robert Capa, Susan Meiselas, Jonas Bendiksen, Nanna Heitmann, Bieke Depoorter, and Eli Reed. Readings include theory, journalistic accounts, history, and other critical literature. Naturally, we spend a lot of time looking at photos, and may have the opportunity to meet some of these photographers. Students visit NYC galleries, write academic papers, and produce a photo project.

Interdisciplinary Seminars (Undergraduate)
2 credits – 7 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2025)

IDSEM-UG 2930-000 (9720)09/02/2025 – 10/21/2025 Wed2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Walsh, Lauren

Expressive Culture Fall 2025 Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Undergraduate

History of Cinematography (FMTV-UT 1206)

This course deals with the history of the art and science of cinematography. A working Director of Photography will relate a perspective that is unique and factual to a theoretical discussion, which is traditionally academic. Cinematography has a strong tradition of adapting its tools to enhance the storytelling experience. This course allocates as History & Criticism for Film & TV majors. COURSE SUBJECT TO DEPARTMENTAL FEES. “Non-majors must process a “Permission Notice for Non-Majors” form” to register for the course (subject to availability).

Undergraduate

Class #
Section #
Meets

Class #: 16741
Section #: 001
Meets: W 11a-1:45p

Fall 2025 Fall 2026 Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Undergraduate

Food and the City (FOOD-UE 1050)

Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates:

Food is all around us. It influences who we are and how we related to our surroundings. This course explores food in the city from multiple points of view. Students observe and analyze various aspects of food in the city, from personal experiences to large social issues such as gentrification and food insecurity, and examine the cultural, social, and political aspects of food systems. Students acquire familiarity with basic ethnographic skills and methods such as interviews, observations, visual ethnography, and virtual ethnography Liberal Arts Core/CORE Equivalent – satisfies the requirement for Society & Social Sciences for Steinhardt students.

Food Studies (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Fall 2025 Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Societies & the Social Sciences Spring 2026 Undergraduate

Global Media Seminar: Britain and Europe (MCC-UE 9457)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates:

With an emphasis on British and European news and journalism, this course explores globalization from a wide range of theoretical frameworks including political economy, cultural analysis, theories of representation, and critical race and postcolonial studies. It considers how technologies, diasporic and transnational communities, and international institutions impact global communications, and how these networks and organizations are challenging, re-imagining and re-shaping social, cultural and geographic boundaries via mediated discourse.

Media, Culture & Communication (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Fall 2025 Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Societies & the Social Sciences Spring 2026 Undergraduate
Fall 2023 Fall 2024

Visual Culture/Science and Technology (MCC-UE 1411)

This course examines the imagery of science and technology, the role of visuality in the construction of scientific knowledge, artistic renditions of science, and the emergence of visual technologies in modern society. It looks at how visuality has been key to the exercise of power through such practices as cataloguing and identification; the designation of abnormality, disease, and pathologies; medical diagnosis; scientific experimentation; and the marketing of science and medicine. We will examine the development of the visual technologies in the emerging scientific practices of psychiatry and criminology; explore the sciences of eugenics, genetics, pharmacology, brain and body scans, and digital medical images of many kinds; the marketing of pharmaceuticals, and the emerging politics of scientific activism.

Media, Culture & Communication (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2024)

MCC-UE 1411-000 (14031)09/03/2024 – 12/12/2024 Tue,Thu12:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Almenara, Maria Paz

Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Undergraduate
Fall 2023

Journalism Ideas & Practice (JOUR-UA 25)

This intensive, once-a-week course is designed for students with a serious interest in writing about movies for print and digital media. Students practice various forms of film journalism while developing a deeper understanding of the art form through screenings and close readings of works by Brooks Barnes, Pauline Kael, Peter Bogdanovich, Ellen Willis, James Baldwin and Francois Truffaut. Planned class trips include a major film festival and a tour of the Criterion Collection, a film company specializing in art-house cinema. In addition to discussing individual films and film movements, we will cover essential journalism skills, with guest speakers offering guidance on specific topics like reporting and interviewing techniques. Classwork will include writing exercises, presentations and workshops. By the end of the course, students will have raised their cinema I.Q. and written a variety of film articles that inform and engage.

Journalism (Undergraduate)
2 credits – 14 Weeks

Expressive Culture Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Undergraduate

Management & Organizations (BUSOR-UH 1003)

Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue,Thu
Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue,Thu

Why do some organizations succeed while others flounder? Whether it be as an employee within a traditional for-profit business, or within one of the wide spectrum of alternative career paths, all of us will ultimately be a part of organizations. This course will help illuminate the key processes and factors that determine why organizations function as they do, drawing upon the fields of management, strategy, sociology, and psychology in the process. Specific topics covered include: Corporate strategy and achieving competitive advantage, Organizational structure and design, Organizational and national culture, Leadership, Motivation and incentives, Groups dynamics, Power & politics within organizations, including a discussion of persuasion & influence and social networks, Judgment and decision-making.

Business & Organizational Studies (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Fall 2025 Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Societies & the Social Sciences Spring 2026 Undergraduate

Intro to Marketing (MKTG-UB 9001)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu
Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu,Tue,Thu
Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu,Tue,Thu
Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu,Tue,Thu
Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu,Tue,Thu,Mon
Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu,Tue,Thu,Mon,Tue
Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu,Tue,Thu,Mon,Tue
Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu,Tue,Thu,Mon,Tue,Wed

This course evaluates marketing as a system for the satisfaction of human wants and a catalyst of business activity. It presents a comprehensive framework that includes a) researching and analyzing customers, company, competition, and the marketing environment, b) identifying and targeting attractive segments with strategic positioning, and c) making product, pricing, communication, and distribution decisions. Cases and examples are utilized to develop problem-solving abilities.

Marketing (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Fall 2025 General Elective Societies & the Social Sciences Spring 2026 Undergraduate
Fall 2023

Economics of Media and Entertainment (ECON-UB 120)

The media and entertainment industries (including professional sports) share a series of peculiar features: essentially, they (a) produce an intangible output (e.g., a music recording), which can be distributed in a variety of forms and (b) do so based on an input which is extremely idiosyncratic: the creative output of a person or group of persons (e.g., a singer or a band). Finally, (c) recent technological innovation has changed the balance of power between the various players and led various industry segments to re-invent their business model. This course provides an introduction to the businesses of media and entertainment: value chain, key players, significant trends, etc. It takes a distinctive economics perspective to understanding how the forces of supply and demand have changed the business model of various industry segments.

Economics (Undergraduate)
3 credits – 14 Weeks

General Elective Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Societies & the Social Sciences Undergraduate
Fall 2023 Spring 2021

Entertainment Law (MULT-UB 48)

This two-credit course is about key legal aspects of the entertainment industry. Entertainment law is not a separate legal discipline. There is really no such thing as entertainment law. Instead, it lies at the intersection of several areas of law and applies those disciplines to the diverse entertainment industry of products and services. The course will involve a foundational coverage of the following areas: contract, advertising, protection of ideas by contract, copyright and trademark (including the concepts of parody and fair use), rights of publicity and privacy, defamation, and artist representation. This course should prepare you to analyze a wide variety of entertainment law issues at a general level. Entertainment law does not tend towards an orderly system because it lacks overriding organizational principles that would tie together its myriad facets. As such, this course will appear to lack a logical outline in its progression and instead, will examine this corner of law in separate pieces, which will cover doctrine, analytical problem-solving, practical skills related to law (e.g., analytical writing, reasoning skills, argument structure, etc.), and the particular contexts in which issues arise in the entertainment industry. Dealing with more narrow topics, such as constitutional concerns or union representation, or obtaining a much deeper knowledge of specific topics discussed in class, will require additional, specialized study. This class also helps students further develop their reasoning, communication, and listening skills.

Multidisciplinary (Undergraduate)
2 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2021)

MULT-UB 48-000 (10639)01/28/2021 – 05/10/2021 Thu2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by

MULT-UB 48-000 (10725)01/28/2021 – 05/10/2021 Thu3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by

General Elective Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Societies & the Social Sciences Undergraduate
Fall 2023

Religions of India (RELST-UA 337)

Investigates religious developments in India within their historical context. Familiarizes students with the religions of the subcontinent—including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, and Judaism—through secondary source readings and English translations of primary source materials. Rather than survey religious traditions as closed systems divorced from time or place, students grapple with the central theories and historiographical challenges pertaining to religion in India, especially those that impact our ability to understand everyday religious experience, both past and present.

Religious Studies (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2023)

RELST-UA 337-000 (23005)09/05/2023 – 12/15/2023 Mon,Wed3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by

Cultures and Contexts Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Texts and Ideas Undergraduate

Film Story Analysis: (DWPG-UT 1105)

This text analysis course is designed to provide a platform for an in-depth study of how the story of a film is presented, what choices are made by the author, how information is offered or withheld and what effect this has on the drama. This class will be an “anthology” of different works, each selected for a different aspect of storytelling, exploring how the stylistic choices, themes, and dramatic devices reveal themselves within the body of work. The course is designed to better help students organize their own narratives by analyzing the techniques employed by various screenwriters in constructing their screenplays. A selection of films will be screened and discussed in terms of continuity of theme; delineation of plot, development of structure, protagonist’s story purpose, dialogue as action and character. After each screening, the instructor will lead a group discussion and analysis of the film, focusing further on the techniques, conventions and devices employed by the screenwriter to both tell a good story and satisfy the demands of the audience.

Undergraduate

Class #
Section #
Meets

Class #: 12375
Section #: 001
Meets: T 3:30-6:15p

Fall 2025 Fall 2026 Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Undergraduate
Fall 2023

Science in Our Lives: Biodiversity and the Earth (SCIED-UE 215)

In this course students explore the Earth as an integrated, dynamic system involving the material world and diversity of living things which we call biodiversity. Specifically, this course explores the flow of energy and materials through the Earth System and potential human impact on this system. Through the practices of science students learn to use data to produce scientific knowledge for themselves and the public while exploring the question of what it means to engage in citizen science.

Science Education (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2023)

SCIED-UE 215-000 (11814)09/05/2023 – 12/15/2023 Mon,Wed10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by Milne, Catherine

Physical Science OR Life Science Undergraduate
Fall 2024 Spring 2023

Film, Literature and Mental Health (UNDSW-US 89)

Artists often explore powerful issues of mental health through literature and film. “No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul.” (Ingmar Bergmann 1918-2007) In this course, we will draw on classic examples from literature and film to highlight and understand aspects of mental health in ways that are more vivid and visceral than any text book can illustrate. Materials will be chosen from novels, poems, and films to illustrate various mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), dissociative identity disorder (DID), and schizophrenia. We will look at how some of the disorders fare in psychological treatments that either succeed or fail. Guest speakers may be invited to highlight some topics.

Undergrad Social Work (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2024)

UNDSW-US 89-000 (16283)09/03/2024 – 12/12/2024 Mon11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by Michaels, Vera

Expressive Culture Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Societies & the Social Sciences Undergraduate
Fall 2023

Ethnicity & The Media (SCA-UA 232)

Examines media images in relation to the making of ethnic and racial identities in the United States. Surveys some of the theoretical approaches to the study of images, paying particular attention to the intersection of history and ideologies or representation. Looks into the nature and politics of stereotypes; inquires into their reproduction through discourses, representations, and practices; and then moves to a comparative examination of media images in relation to the making of African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American images in the media, looking specifically at changes and continuities in the representation of these four minority groups in the media.

Social and Cultural Analysis (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2023)

SCA-UA 232-000 (20866)09/05/2023 – 12/15/2023 Tue,Thu3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Davila, Arlene

Societies & the Social Sciences Undergraduate

Counting and Chance (MTHED-UE 1051)

Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates:

This course is designed to be accessible and approachable for people who will be future teachers of elementary school mathematics. It is also intended for people who want to broaden their knowledge in mathematics and experience it as a relevant, challenging, and enjoyable field. It is not intended for math majors. It will be taught as a problem-based course, that allows for students to explore and develop new ideas, and apply them to real life situations. The course builds on intuitive understandings of fundamental ideas of counting and chance and moves gradually to more formal knowledge of combinatorics and probability concepts and techniques. The learning experiences offered throughout the course are designed to facilitate student interactions and active role in the learning process. Liberal Arts Core/MAP Equivalent – satisfies the requirement for Quantitative Reasoning for Steinhardt students.

Mathematics Education (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Fall 2025 Quantitative Reasoning Spring 2026 Undergraduate
Spring 2022

Principles of Macroeconomics (ECI-UF 101)

This course provides an introduction to the fundamental topics in macroeconomics, the analysis of the economy as a whole. After an overview of introductory economic concepts, such as comparative advantage, opportunity costs, and supply and demand, the course focuses on the determinants of aggregate income, employment, and prices. Other topics include the study of long-run economic growth, the business cycle, the financial system, as well as monetary and fiscal policy. *ECI-UF 101 and ECII-UF 102 may meet some of the equivalent course requirements for the College of Arts and Science. Students may take ECI-UF 101 and ECII-UF 102 in any order; neither course is a pre-requisite for the other.

Economics I (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)

ECI-UF 101-000 (19798)01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Tue,Thu12:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Mejorado, Ascension

ECI-UF 101-000 (13426)01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Tue,Thu11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by Mejorado, Ascension

ECI-UF 101-000 (13352)01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Tue,Thu2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Mejorado, Ascension

ECI-UF 101-000 (19799)at Washington SquareInstructed by

ECI-UF 101-000 (19800)at Washington SquareInstructed by

Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Societies & the Social Sciences Undergraduate

Urban Ethnography (SCA-UA 9868)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Mon,Wed

Through a focus on contemporary Paris, this course aims to explore the insights offered by anthropological approaches to cities and urban life. We will consider the relationships between urban spatial organization and an array of social, economic and political phenomena; the relevance of consumption and display to the shaping of urban identities; and the shifting dynamics of social groups and boundaries within the urban context. This will be accomplished through course readings and also through training in urban ethnographic research methods, supporting each student’s own systematic observation over the semester of one locus of everyday Parisian life. The final project for the course will be a piece of ethnographic analysis based on this field research.

Social and Cultural Analysis (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Fall 2025 Societies & the Social Sciences Spring 2026 Undergraduate