Fall 2026 Seminars

Contemporary Issues in African Economic Development (Prof. Nyema Guannu, Economics)

TR 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 41244)

TR 6:00-7:40pm (CRN 42697)

This introductory seminar course will examine major contemporary issues in economic development and underdevelopment, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. Topics discussed include the role of markets, inequality and poverty, international and regional economic processes, domestic macroeconomic policies, economic growth, the role of the state in economic development, civil war and conflict, debt crisis, and other central issues of economic development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Art and Power (Prof. Amy Woodson-Boulton, History)

MWF 10:50am-12:00pm (CRN 41228)

MWF 12:15-1:25pm (CRN 41229)

This course focuses on the social role of art and culture in both upholding and destabilizing power relationships in the modern West, part of the broad First Year Seminar theme “Culture, Art and Society.” The visual arts, architecture, advertising, propaganda, fashion, universities, and museums, for instance, include and exclude people in various ways, some obvious and some subtle. All of these forms of art have been used as tools to uphold the powerful (for example, the palace of Versailles or war propaganda), but art also has the enormous potential to speak truth to power and play a unique role in modern society, as a socially acceptable form of criticism of existing power structures (for example, the works of many novelists protesting industrial capitalism). You will think through the political uses of art and culture, the commercialization of art in the modern period, and how culture continues to differentiate socio-economic classes. (This last point is particularly important as you consider the meaning of, and privilege bestowed by, a university education.) We will consider the social history of art, art disciplines, and art institutions in relation to the leisure necessary for making and appreciating art; in relation to questions about “primitive” art, race, and evolution; and in relation to the question of “progress,” “revolution,” and the “avant-garde.” In addition, we will consider individual works of visual art and literature, as well as the changing nature of time and space in new genres such as photography and film.

Meet the Professor:

Amy Woodson-Boulton is associate professor of British and Irish history and recent past Chair of the Department of History. She has published on cultural reactions to industrialization and on the social role of art, including her monograph Transformative Beauty: Art Museums in Industrial Britain (Stanford, 2012). She is currently studying the relationships between anthropology and art in the age of Empire.

Art of Understanding (Prof. Juan Mah y Busch, English & Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies)

MW 8:00-9:40am (CRN 42548)

MW 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41266) - First to Go Program Only

To become familiar with the artistry of your understanding, in this course you learn to meditate. No prior experience is presumed or expected. Alongside regular meditation, you practice different forms of writing (such as simple description, contemplative writing, critical examination, research). Through the regular practice of meditation and writing, you settle into the interplay between words and wordlessness, drawing attention to the qualitative dimensions of lived experience, such as the wordless music of words or a spacious moment of time, the quiet release of an exhale or the cool breeze of an inhale. Grounded in meditation, writing, discussion and engaged participation, in the class you develop your own more artful understandings.

Meet the Professor:

Juan D. Mah y Busch is professor and chair of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies (CLST) and professor of English. In addition to his academic training, for over two decades he was formally trained in meditation. He uses meditation and literary analysis as research methods in order to examine a range of questions in critical race and ethnic studies, ethical and aesthetic epistemologies, and contemplative pedagogy. He coordinates the CLST Learning Community and has worked with the First-To-Go Program since its inception. He lives in Northeast Los Angeles with his partner Irene, their three children, and their boxer Brooklyn.

Juan.MahyBusch@lmu.edu

Black Los Angeles (Prof. Jae Williams, African American Studies)

TR 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 41255) 

Honors Program Only

This course is an interdisciplinary examination of the presence and contributions of Africana people in Los Angeles from the founding of the city in 1781 to contemporary social movements. We will concentrate on the geography, history, and social norms that transformed Black life and made the basis for its popularized representations in music, film, and tv. We will approach the course both thematically and chronologically, by addressing how Los Angeles is a racialized space and how Black people contribute to its cosmopolitan identity.

Meet the Professor:

Jennifer Williams is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies; She is a Philadelphia native, and attended Temple University for her graduate work. Her research interests are Black women’s history, Afrofuturism, and Black introversion.

Books About Beasts: Animal Narrative, Human Readers (Prof. Molly Youngkin, English)

MWF 9:25-10:35am (CRN 41250)

MWF 10:50am-12:00pm (CRN 41251)

This course focuses on literary representations of animals, or animal narratives, to show how humans understand their own place in the world and responsibilities to the world.  The central questions of the course will be:  How are animals represented by humans?  According to these representations, what is the relationship between humans and animals?  Do animals have rights?  What obligations do we have to them?  We will contextualize these questions by discussing contemporary debates about the animal/human relationship, including the use of animals in scientific research, the role of zoos and wildlife parks in animal preservation, the role of pets in our lives, the ethics of vegetarianism, and other topics of interest to students enrolled in the class. 

By reading animal narratives in conjunction with discussion of contemporary debates about related topics, we will better understand the complicated relationship between humans and animals and the ethical issues involved in this relationship.

Meet the Professor:

Dr. Molly Youngkin teaches in the English department and specializes in nineteenth-century British literature. She teaches courses in Romantic and Victorian literature, as well as gender studies, periodical studies, narrative theory, and animal studies.

Molly.Youngkin@lmu.edu

The Catholic Church, Nazis, & Jews (Prof. Margarete Feinstein, Jewish Studies)

TR  1:45-3:25pm (CRN 41226)

Meet the Professor:

Dr. Margarete Myers Feinstein is Associate Director and Clinical Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies at Loyola Marymount University. She received her Ph.D. in History from the University of California at Davis. Interested in legacies of the Nazi period, she has published extensively on German national identity and on Jewish Holocaust survivors in postwar Germany. Gender, memory, and personal narratives often feature in her work. Among the courses that she teaches at LMU are the History & Psychology of the Holocaust and Genocide, Modern Jewish History, Nazi Germany & Questions of Conscience, and the History of Antisemitism.

mfeinste@lmu.edu

Childhood in International Cinema (Prof. Aine O’Healy, Modern Languages and Literatures)

T 4:30-7:50pm (CRN 41235)

This seminar introduces students to critical writing through the exploration of international cinema. Our focus is on the representation of childhood in several films produced around the world since the 1940s. In order to engage with these films, drawn from different national contexts and historical periods, students apply the tools of audiovisual analysis to discern the symbolic functions fulfilled by the figure of the child. We will examine how the construction of children in cinema intersects with discourses of nation formation and with the representation of gender, sexuality, ethnicity and social class. The assigned readings, mainly drawn from cinema studies, will guide our explorations and will allow us to place the filmic analyses in a broader context, encompassing issues of globalization, discourses of the border, and discussions about multiculturalism and diversity.

Meet the Professor:

Professor Áine O'Healy is Professor of Italian at Loyola Marymount University.

Contemplative Practice (Prof. Jane Brucker, Studio Arts)

TR 8:00-9:40am (CRN 41263)

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41264)

This course examines a variety of cultural traditions, art practices, science learning and social attitudes that relate to experiencing the contemplative mode. Throughout the semester we will seek to understand the variety, creativity, process and power of the contemplative experience. Our primary task concerns the written expression and examination of the contemplative experience, but to do that we will participate in related sensory, creative and meditative exercises that engage our reflection and provide insight and discipline. Encountering a range of meditative techniques, without a commitment to their efficacy, will be followed by opportunities to step back and appraise these experiences in order to gain a deeper appreciation of their meaning and significance. Practices are often introduced by visiting scholars, artists and practitioners allowing for interchange, dialogue and understanding.

Meet the Professor:

In addition to her studio practice as an artist, Professor Brucker teaches in the Department of Art and Art History. Her teaching incorporates her background in drawing, sculpture, and performance art and her expertise an AmSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. Her degrees include an MFA from The Claremont Graduate University and an MA in Religion and the Arts from Claremont School of Theology. She has published on the topic of contemplation and spirituality and is the recipient of numerous fellowships, residencies and awards, mostly recently as a recipient of the 2023-24 City of Los Angeles Master Artist's Award (COLA). Her artwork has been exhibited throughout the US and in Germany, France, Scotland, Japan, Nepal, Netherlands and the Czech Republic. When not in LA, Professor Brucker is in Europe where she co-directs the art and science galerie PLUTO.

Jane.Brucker@lmu.edu

Drama and Culture of Southeast Europe (Prof. Nenad Pervan, Theater Arts & Dance)

MW 9:55-11:10am (CRN 41261)

This is a Theatre History class that covers about 500 years of playwriting in the specific geographic and cultural parts of Europe – the Balkans. This part of Europe covers several countries in the southeastern part of the continent and is known for its exciting, often traumatic history, as well as for its wonderful nature, food, and environment. That being said, the Balkans also offer a tremendous cultural richness in all of the artistic fields, including theatre arts and dramatic literature. Throughout the semester students will read four (4) plays by different playwrights from different time periods and of different genres. After analyzing and discussing plays in the class, the students will be required to write a 5-page-long critical essay/paper about each of the plays. The students will also be exposed to various other elements of the Balkan culture including history, geography, lm, music, arts and food. For their final project, students will be required to write a “free style” paper that answers the open question “To me, Balkan Spirit In Drama Is...?”

Meet the Professor:

Einstein Goes to Hollywood: The Science and Fiction of Science Fiction (Prof. Jonas Mureika, Physics)

TR 9:55-11:10am (CRN 41246)

This course will explore depictions of future science in movies and television, and discuss how realistic (or unrealistic) these mechanisms actually are. In the process, students will learn the fundamental tenets of two revolutionary ideas in 20^th century physics: the non-intuitive framework of quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of relativity. These paradigm-shifting descriptions of Nature and some of their distinguishing characteristics arose from the breakdown of established physical laws previously believed to be immutable. An overarching aim of the course is to demonstrate how even the failures of the greatest ideas in science can lead to unparalleled advances in our understanding of the world in which we live.

Meet the Professor:

Prof. Jonas Mureika is a theoretical physicist who studies black holes, quantum gravity, and cosmology. He has been at LMU since 2004. Dr. Mureika spent much of his academic training at the University of Toronto, where he earned his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in physics. He also holds an M.Sc. from the University of Waterloo where he studied particle physics. His research interests lie in identifying the observational signatures of quantum gravity that might arise in future experiments such as gravitational wave detections and imaging of supermassive black holes through the Event Horizon Telescope.

Previously, Dr. Mureika engaged in several interdisciplinary projects, including modeling wind and altitude assistance in sprint races and studying hidden structure in abstract expressionist art. He also teaches the core course "Weapons of Mass Destruction," which provides an overview of the history and science of nuclear weapons.

jmureika@lmu.edu

Greek Stories: Identity and Storytelling (Prof. Christina Bogdanou, Modern Greek Studies)

MW 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 41238)

MW 3:40-5:20pm (CRN 42731)

Fascinated by Greek mythology and history and intrigued by Modern Greece and its culture? A literature-based course, Greek Stories looks at Greek myth, history, literature, and culture as it has evolved from the past to the present. The relationship between myth and history, conflicting cultural identities, war and politics, urbanization and globalization, the changing geopolitical map of Europe will be some of the topics we will explore in our discussions.

Meet the Professor:

Professor Christina Bogdanou earned a Ph.D in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles with an emphasis in 19th - 20th c. European literature, critical theory and gender studies. A native of Athens, Greece, she completed her B.A. in English literature and linguistics at the University of Athens. Upon graduation, she received the prestigious National Scholar Award (I.K.Y) to pursue an M.A. in Comparative Critical Theory Studies at Warwick University in the UK and then her doctorate degree at UCLA. Prior to her appointment at LMU, she taught at UCLA and Occidental College.

Professor Bogdanou joined LMU in 2001. She has taught courses in comparative literature, critical theory, and Modern Greek literature, culture and language. She is currently the Director of the Basil P. Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies and the Odyssey Summer Study Abroad Program in Greece.

Her teaching and research interests are in the areas of identity politics, gender studies, cultural representations of women and women’s writing/voices.

Holocaust Literature and Film (Prof. Pauline Ebert, Modern Languages and Literatures)

MW 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 41236)

The Holocaust has been positioned at the limits of representation -- as the indescribable, the incomprehensible. The impossibility of adequately expressing the atrocities of the Holocaust stands in contrast to the need to transmit knowledge about this event to later generations. Attempts to represent the Holocaust, to describe and understand this event and its implications, are numerous and have occurred across a wide range of media forms (literature, film, photography, art, music, monuments, etc.), and genres (as in documentary, drama, comedy, science fiction). As the Holocaust recedes in time and the numbers of living historical witnesses and survivors decline, these representations increasingly shape our perception and understanding of the event.

This course will investigate literary, filmic, and artistic representations of the Holocaust, focusing in particular on questions of ethics, aesthetics and history. We will examine the various debates and controversies surrounding the issue of representation of the Shoah and discuss some of the theoretical texts that have shaped the area of Holocaust Studies. We will explore the ways in which these written, filmic, and artistic cultural artifacts have attempted to narrate the events of the Holocaust, and examine exemplary responses to the Shoah in a variety of media forms and genres. The course will deal with questions such as the meaning of art and the limits of historical representation.

Making Sense of Global Politics

MW 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41233)

MW 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 41234)

This course is an introduction to the main issues, actors, processes and outcomes shaping global politics at the turn of the 21st century. It covers issues such as nuclear proliferation, global terrorism, food security, the environment, the global economy, global inequality and poverty, financial crises, population and migration, global health, global crime, and the role of some of the most important international organizations in trying to effectively deal with such challenges. This course is designed to jump-start (or reinforce) your curiosity about some of the most pressing issues shaping the world we all live in. The course is discussion-based; descriptive in nature (i.e. based on facts, data and research, the course answers what some of the most pressing global issues are actually about); and, it helps build healthy work habits and gain writing and oral communication skills that you will find useful no matter what profession you choose to enter.

Students are required to do—and think about—all assigned readings before class and read newspapers and follow the news on a daily basis. (If you know you are not going to be able to do this, then you should not take this class.) Upon completion of this course, you will: a) be a much more informed global citizen; b) know how to present effective arguments—both in writing and orally—on virtually any global topic; and, c) have work habits that most future employers will likely find worth investing in (vs. the profile and experiences of other people).

This course answers what type of questions: “What is nuclear proliferation about?”, “What are financial crises about?”, and so on. If you’d like to gain some analytical tools to help you explain why nuclear proliferation and financial crises (to name just two examples) take place, this course is the perfect complement to more advanced courses on, for instance, International Relations, Politics of the Global Economy, International Security and Comparative politics (which you can also take at the Political Science Department at LMU). Before trying to explain anything, it is key to understand very well what is that we want to explain.

On Life Well-Lived (Prof. Vandana Thadani, Psychology)

MW 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 41253)

Honors Program Only

This course’s theme is a “A Life Lived Well.” We will be exploring the topic of living well using various bodies of research in psychology—much of this from positive psychology. Positive Psychology is the scientific field of study that aims to understand how people, organizations, and society flourish, and how each can nurture happiness, strengths, self-esteem, and optimism.  We are going to sample many areas of research to get varying perspectives on what it means to live well and how we might cultivate a life well lived. During this exploration, I’ll encourage you to reflect on and apply the work that most resonates with you: How can you flourish or live well in the future and in during your time in college over the next four years?  Our work will involve critical thinking in that we will turn to empirical evidence to justify, uncover, and question our beliefs/assumptions/goals/desires. It will also be personal and reflective.  Learning processes will include class discussions, experiential activities, lots of writing and peer editing/feedback, and (very rarely) short lectures.

Meet the Professor:

Professor Vandana Thadani is a professor in the Department of Psychological Science at LMU. She completed her Ph.D. in Developmental psychology at UCLA. Her research is in educational psychology and aims to understand what makes for powerful learning environments and how teachers can be supported to create these environments. 

On the Technological Sublime (Prof. Sue Scheibler, Film/TV Studies)

F 11:30am-2:50pm (CRN 41256)

Honors Program Only

The sublime invites us to, in the words of the poet Pierre Reverdy, “stroll elegantly along the edge of the abyss;” an abyss that, as we stare into it, fills us with wonder, curiosity, delight, terror, joy, and awe. In this course, we will explore the various ways that filmmakers, TV creators, video game developers, writers, poets, musicians, and others have produced works of art that, at least for a moment, in their sublimity, challenge our sense of self, experience, and perceptions by carrying us out of our “normal” ways of thinking, feeling, and perceiving, into a sublimely transcendent encounter with the other as well as ourselves that can leave us forever changed.

Meet the Professor:

Sue Scheibler (they/them) teaches courses such as Queer TV, Video Games, Science Fiction TV, Japanese Anime TV and time studies, in the School of Film and TV. Her scholarly interests include disability justice (with a focus on neuroqueer), video games,  television studies, ethics, among others.

"I've been teaching On the Technological Sublime in Honors for about fourteen years now. I love teaching it because it allows me to bring all of my interests into the class: philosophy (I have graduate degrees in the Philosophy of Religion), theology (I have a seminary degree), Buddhist and Daoist philosophy; media studies (especially video games and TV studies); physics; and poetry." –Prof. Scheibler

Susan.Scheibler@lmu.edu

Principles of Scientific Reasoning 

TR 9:55-11:10am (CRN 41249)

ACCESS Program Only 

Communication and critical thinking skills are developed with an emphasis on science, nature, technology, and mathematics in multiple contexts. Mathematical and scientific reasoning are investigated through inductive and deductive arguments, the scientific method, and the notions of definition, classification and conjecture. The course will also examine the role and purpose that scientists and scientific educators play in society, and how math and science inform movements for social justice and equity, as well as issues related to ethics and responsibility in the STEM profession. There will also be an emphasis on exploring the contributions to science and technology from diverse cultures and communities.

Rhetoric, Media, and Civic Responsibility (Prof. Kai Prins, Communication Studies) 

MW 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 41259)    

This course introduces students to the rich history of civic engagement and the importance of becoming involved in their communities and nation. It seeks to develop students’ civic voices as well as an understanding of the moral values that guide them. Democracy depends upon the willingness of learned citizens to engage in the public realm for the betterment of the larger good. Taking as its starting point the work of John Dewey who understood democracy as a way of relational living in which the decisions and actions of one citizen must be understood in terms of their influence on others, this course introduces students to the responsibilities associated with civic engagement. Civic engagement is a rhetorical act and it is important to understand the persuasive nature of arguments in public discourse and the media. Students will engage and examine how different spheres of influence (families, friends, school, professional environments, and the media) both contribute to and provide rhetorical barriers to active civic engagement.

Science and Engineering (Prof. Hawley Almstedt, Health & Human Sciences)

MW 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 41247)

MWF 10:50-11:40am (CRN 41248)

An introductory course on the fundamentals of science and its impact on society.  

What is science and scientific thinking? What qualifies as science? What is the philosophy of science? Does science answer everything? What are the social and ethical philosophical questions surrounding modern science? What is the scientific approach addressing today’s challenges such as climate change? 

The students will be engaged in critical lively discussions, writing papers and present engaging presentations. The students will build a foundation to not only improve their understanding of science and engineering, but also will be guided to build a foundation for their future research, social and academic engagement.

Saints and Sinners: 20th Century Catholic Novels  (Prof. Scott J. Roniger, Philosophy)

MW 8:00-9:40am (CRN 42693)

MW 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41241)

This course will be a close reading of some of the greatest works of fiction in the 20^th Century, including the very best of Catholic literature in the modern period. The themes explored in these classics, which will be unpacked in the course, are perennial and include the following: the restlessness of the human soul, human life understood as exile and pilgrimage, the paradoxes of human freedom, the nature of love and sacrifice, the human person’s flight from and encounter with God, and the mystery of supernatural grace and mercy.

The course provides an ideal introduction to humanistic studies at the university level by allowing these perennial issues to be raised by classic works of fiction. Using literature as a springboard to philosophical and theological questions is an excellent way for first-year students to see how such questions can arise in the course of human life and why these questions are central to the human search for happiness. Such a method engages the heart, mind, and imagination of students. While this course fits best within the “Faith and Reason” theme, it also deals with aspects of ethics, virtue, justice, culture, and society.  

The learning objectives are: (1) To learn how to read classic works of literature at a proper level of detail and complexity, which includes developing a sense for the importance of the connections between structure, theme, and symbolism embedded in a novel. (2) To learn how to articulate orally perennial issues as they are manifest and developed in such literature. (3) To learn how to write papers that are grammatically correct, accurate in their descriptions of the novels, and insightful in their discussion of the themes in the novel. (4) To think imaginatively, philosophically, and theologically about how these works of literature can enrich their own lives.

Meet the Professor:

Dr. Scott J. Roniger is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He earned a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (STB), summa cum laude, and a Masters of Sacred Theology, magna cum laude, from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He then earned a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Chicago and a Licentiate in Philosophy (PhL), summa cum laude, from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. He earned his doctorate in philosophy, with distinction, from The Catholic University of America. He has published scholarly articles on Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Husserlian phenomenology.  

The Sights & Sounds of Resistance (Prof. Divine Kwasi Gbagbo, Music)

TR 11:50am-1:05pm (CRN 41262)

Meet the Professor

Divine Kwasi Gbagbo is Assistant Professor of Music (Ethnomusicology) in the music department. He earned his Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Arts (Fine Arts), with specialized focus in Ethnomusicology and Musicology, from Ohio University. His expertise in scholarship, research, teaching, and performance has given him more than two decades of teaching experience in world music cultures, African and African American music, music history, African studies, and interdisciplinary arts in different cultural contexts. In the music department at LMU, he teaches courses in ethnomusicology and directs the World Music ensemble. Dr. Gbagbo brings his multicultural background to bear on the classroom experience and ensemble's performances. He also writes choral art and instrumental music, which blends indigenous Ghanaian-Ewe compositional styles with techniques in western conventional harmony. He served as teaching associate at Ohio University and Kent State University before joining the music department at LMU.

divine.gbagbo@lmu.edu

Truth and Lies in Politics: Is U.S. Democracy Dying? (Prof. Richard Fox, Political Science)

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41254)

Honors Program Only

U.S. politics is changing dramatically.  Citizens increasingly rely on different sources of information and don’t believe the same facts. Political leaders appear incapable of working together to solve the problems facing the country.  Accepted democratic norms are cast aside with alarming frequency.  Is this a turning point?  This course examines issues in law, politics, and society to assess whether the democratic principles that served as a guiding framework for American politics are dying out and being replaced by a new framework.

Meet the Professor:

Richard Fox teaches and researches in the areas of U.S. Congress, elections, media and politics and gender politics. He received a National Science Foundation Grant to study political interest and ambition among high school and college students and has published several books and numerous articles.  He has also written op-ed articles, some of which have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. After graduating from Claremont McKenna College, he earned his M.A. and Ph.D from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Who Owns Art? (Prof. Melody Rod-ari, Art History)

MWF 12:15-1:25pm (CRN 41260)

Who Owns Art? examines the history of collecting in Europe and America during late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The course will examine specific cultural patrimony cases such as the ongoing debate over the return of the Parthenon sculptures currently in the collection of the British Museum. Specifically, the class will explore questions such as: should the sculptures be returned to Greece where they once adorned the Parthenon temple, or should they remain in the British Museum where greater numbers of visitors have access to them? This seminar is for students who are interested in learning about cultural patrimony, art law, and the world of collecting and museums. Students will have opportunities to visit local museum collections such as the Norton Simon Museum and the Getty Villa. 

Meet the Professor:

Melody Rod-ari is a professor of Art History at LMU and is also the Southeast Asian Content Editor for Smarthistory. Prior to coming to LMU, Dr. Rod-ari was the curator of Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum. She continues to be an active curator and recently redesigned the South and Southeast Asian galleries at the USC, Pacific Asia Museum. Her research investigates Buddhist visual culture in Thailand, and the history of collecting South and Southeast Asian art. Her work has been published by various journals and university presses including Amerasia Journal and the National University of Singapore Press. She has received fellowships from the Henry Luce Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Writing Los Angeles: Journalism in the City of Angels (Prof. Lauren Smart, Journalism)

MWF 10:50am-12:00pm (CRN 41252)

This seminar examines Los Angeles as community through the journalism produced about the city and its environs. By consuming historical and contemporary print, web, audio and video stories about Los Angeles, students will explore the power structures in story-telling and learn about how the city’s own story has been shaped and perceived by the journalists who have covered it. There will be a heavy emphasis on the distinct and melded cultures that comprise the city’s fabric, waves of immigration that have shaped its populace and the urban planning that produced its blueprint. The reading list will include works by native Angelenos and journalists from other places who tried to explain the city to readers back home. Students will also be introduced to the act of producing local journalism, traveling off campus to explore and write about the city that surrounds them.