Liberal Studies: Major Options and Requirements
All Liberal Studies majors must complete the following 20-unit core in addition to the requirements specific to each option. (Students should consult with an advisor to determine which catalog year they fall under.)
LBS 234 Multicultural Arts, L.A. (or LBS 454 Special Topics for students with catalog years prior to spring ’07)
LBS 301 Interdisciplinary Investigation
LBS 360 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Culture and Society
LBS 489 Senior Project
LBS 490 Prose Seminar in Liberal Studies
Students must also select one of the following options.
Option I. Interdisciplinary Studies in Culture and Society (68 units) This option prepares students for careers in law, education, journalism, government, publishing, business, medicine, and non-profit work. Students in this option must complete the GE program and other university requirements (78 units), 20 units of LBS major core courses (see above), and either two 24-unit depth areas or one 48-unit concentration (listed below), leaving up to 34 units of free electives that may used to pursue a minor (to reach the total of 180 units required for graduation).
Option II. Elementary Subject Matter Teacher Preparation (180 units) This option leads to the B. A. in Liberal Studies and has been certified by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC). As such, it provides students with the optimal preparation for the multiple subjects California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET). Students in this option must complete 112 units of ESM Common Core courses, 20-28 units of additional GE classes and University requirements, 20 units of LBS major core courses (see above), 20-24 units in one depth area (listed below), and up to 8 units of electives (depending on catalog year and courses selected).
Option III. Blended Elementary Subject Matter Teacher Preparation (204-206 units) This option leads to the B. A. in Liberal Studies and the Preliminary Multiple Subject with CLAD Credential; accordingly, students take courses for their credential at the same time as they are completing their B. A. requirements. This option has been certified by the CCTC, and as such it provides the optimal preparation for the multiple subjects CSET. Students in this option must complete 112 units of ESM Common Core courses, 20 units of LBS major core courses (see above), 20 units in one depth area (listed below), and 52-54 units of professional education courses (which includes 6 units of prerequisites).
Option IV. Subject Matter Teacher Preparation: Directed Elementary (68-102 units) This option offers students who have not completed the ESM Common Core the opportunity to prepare for the CSET or, if they pass the CSET early enough, to acquire a second depth area. Accordingly, this option is appropriate for those who select the multiple subject teacher preparation program midway through their college careers, for those who need additional training to pass one or more sections of the CSET, or for those who wish to acquire a second depth area. This option offers students the most direct path to meeting the entrance requirements for the credential programs: a B.A. with a 2.75 GPA and successful completion of the CSET. Students in this option must complete 78 units of GE and university requirements, 20 units of LBS major core courses (see above), 24 units in one depth area, and 24-58 units of directed electives that may utilized for CSET preparation or for a second depth area. Students in this option who have not passed the CSET must take directed electives for CSET preparation until all sections of the CSET have been passed or all requirements for graduation have been met.
Concentrations and Depth Areas
Students select from the following concentrations or depth areas to complete the requirements for their option (the list of approved courses for these concentrations and depth areas is available in the Liberal Studies department office).
Concentrations:
Students in Option I may select 48 units in one of the following concentrations to complete the requirements for that option.
A. Concentration in Science, Technology, and Medicine Studies
Drawing from the traditions of critical science studies scholarship in a wide variety of disciplines, this concentration examines the social and cultural dimensions of science and its technological and medical applications. While deepening students' knowledge of the sciences, the concentration explores the social and cultural imperatives that shape science and its applications. It also studies the influence of the sciences on social formations and cultural productions.
B. Concentration in Women's and Gender Studies
The Women's and Gender Studies concentration is an interdisciplinary program of study that takes as its central object of study gender in culture and society. This concentration draws from the traditions of feminist scholarship in a wide variety of disciplines, from the natural and social sciences through the humanities and arts. Although the field of women's studies has always looked at the construction of gender and gendered roles and representations, the use of "gender studies" makes the focus both general and specific: students critically analyze gender in the context of class, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, and explore gender as a category that structures power, as a set of cultural meanings to be interpreted, and as a set of bodily performances.
Depth Areas:
Students in Option I may complete 24 units in each of two of the following depth areas to complete the requirements for that option. Students in Options II-IV must complete 20-24 units (depending on option and catalog year) in one of the following depth areas.
1. American Studies
2. Cultural Studies
3. Creativity and Performance
4. Language Arts
5. Mathematics
6. Natural Science
7. Race and Ethnicity Studies
8. Social Science
9. Science, Technology, and Medicine Studies
10. Women's and Gender Studies