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Diversity in Courses
Public Affairs
PUB AFF 10. Social Problems and Social Change
Units: 5.0
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction to social scientific approaches to study of social problems and their solutions. Using selected contemporary social problems as cases, and drawing on variety of sources (such as scholarly readings, video clips, and guest speakers), exploration of how social problems and their solutions come to be defined, roles that economic, political, educational, and cultural institutions play in perpetuating or solving social problems, and how individuals, social advocates, and communities can lead or impede social change. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 20. Power, Politics, and Social Change
Units: 5.0
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction to key institutions of government, politics, and policy in U.S., covering their history, contemporary forms, and internal dynamics. Includes various scales and branches of government as well as institutions that exercise power and influence in public decision making and social action, such as corporations, unions, media, social movements, and civil society. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 30. Comparative Analysis of Wealth, Policy, and Power
Units: 5.0
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Exploration of strategic interactions that give rise to social problems around world, what can be done to address them, and how different polities have tried (and sometimes failed) to mount effective response. Applications include climate change, antivaccination movement, protest and repression, war and formation of states, corruption, and human and drug trafficking. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 40. Microeconomics for Public Affairs
Units: 5.0
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction to principles of microeconomics with focus on social and policy problems. Study of decisions by firms and individuals, and implications for allocation of resources. Application of economic models to public issues such as social safety net, minimum wage, education, inequality, and poverty. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 50. Foundations and Debates in Public Thought
Units: 5.0
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction of core concepts of democracy and equality and challenges to implementation posed by race, class, and gender inequality. Review of standards by which political systems can be judged to be democratic and identification of obstacles to their mutual implementation. Focus on inequality, its historical causes and modern consequences. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 80. How Social Environments Shape Human Development
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Overview of major theoretical, conceptual, and empirical traditions in study of human development. Exploration of how diverse cultural, social, socioeconomic, and historical contexts interact with biological, cognitive, and psychological processes to affect individuals during key developmental periods (such as early childhood, childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, and late adulthood). Topics may include historical changes in families, schools, neighborhoods, and workplace; economic conditions of families, schools, and neighborhoods; enduring effects of childhood on adult well-being; and impact of ascribed characteristics such as gender, race, and nationality on individuals? environments, pathways, and outcomes. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 111. Microeconomics: Market Failures and Inequality
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: courses 40 (or Economics 1 or 11 or equivalent introductory economics course), 60 (or Political Science 6 or Statistics 10 or equivalent introductory statistics course). Introduction to economic theory for policy analysis. Broad focus on evaluating rationale for government intervention in economy, in particular to address market failures and issues of economic inequality. Major emphasis on market failures in context of environmental sustainability, and economic inequality arising from markets for human capital, health, housing, and labor. Students are expected to have working knowledge of basic statistical and economic concepts. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 112. Social Movements
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction to theories, real-life examples, and applied skills for understanding and contributing to social movements. Examination of how and why social movements emerge; how and why people join, lead, stay, or drop out of movements; and strategies and tactics by which social movements enact change. Draws upon wide range of social movements inside and outside of U.S. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 113. Policy Analysis: Approaches to Addressing Social Problems
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction to applied policy analysis designed to train students in logic of public policy analysis, introduce them to general skills required to do policy analysis, and to prepare them in persuasive presentation of their work. Development of skills fundamental to effective policy analysis and argumentation. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 114. People, Organizations, and Systems
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Theoretical approaches to human service organizations to explore social ecology of helping relationships and problem-solving processes in which helpers and clients in organizations engage. Examination of organizational structures/function. Study of interplay between individual clients, organizations, larger systems, and social and cultural backdrop. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 116. Using Qualitative Methods to Understand Social Problems and Their Potential Solutions
Units: 5.0
Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Introduction to qualitative research methods with focus on ethnographic observations, interviewing, and focus groups. Students practice conducting variety of qualitative methods. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 120. Urban Poverty and Public Policy
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Exploration of how neighborhoods characterized by concentrated poverty affect urban residents. Evaluation of relative efficacy of various public policies that aim to improve life chances of urban poor. Use of explicitly political lens, evaluating roles that elite institutions, mass behavior, class and race-based power disparities, and public opinion play in development and implementation of urban policy. Letter grading.
PUB AFF M125. Creating Safe and Welcoming Schools
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Examination of historical context and causes of school violence, theories, and diverse perceptions of school climate and safety. Special emphasis on impact of school climate on oppressed groups and how social contexts such as poverty and how neighborhood resources influence school safety. Letter grading.
PUB AFF M129XP. Intergenerational Communication across Lifespan
Units: 4.0
(Same as Gerontology M142XP and Social Welfare M142XP.) Lecture, three hours; fieldwork, one hour. Limited to juniors/seniors. What do you say to your parents in conversation? How do you talk to your grandparents? Does your family talk well to one another as group? How do you communicate well with boss who is 30 years older than you? Individuals of all ages interact with one another, and their interactions have significance throughout their lives. Introduction to psychological, interpersonal, and societal issues related to intergenerational communication across lifespan. Letter grading.
PUB AFF M130. Biomedical, Social, and Policy Frontiers in Human Aging
Units: 5.0
(Same as Gerontology M108 and Social Welfare M108.) Lecture, four hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Course of human aging charted in ways that are based on variety of recent research frontiers. Use of conceptual frameworks to increase relevance of aging to students’ lives and enhance their critical thinking–biopsychosocial approach that is based on recognition that aging is inherently interdisciplinary phenomenon, and life course perspective that is distinguished by analytical framework it provides for understanding interplay between human lives and changing social structures, and allows students to understand how events, successes, and losses at one stage of life can have important effects later in life. Focus on individuals as they age within one particular sociohistorical context. Letter grading.
PUB AFF M131. Diversity in Aging: Roles of Gender and Ethnicity
Units: 4.0
(Same as Chicana/o and Central American Studies M106B, Gender Studies M104C, Gerontology M104C, and Social Welfare M104C.) Lecture, four hours. Exploration of complexity of variables related to diversity of aging population and variability in aging process. Examination of gender and ethnicity within context of both physical and social aging, in multidisciplinary perspective utilizing faculty from variety of fields to address issues of diversity. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 135. Firearm Violence Prevention Policy
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Students gain firm understanding of process of health policy making in U.S. primarily through lens of debate over national health care reform culminating in passage of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 and efforts of opponents to repeal or overturn it. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 136. Cannabis Policy and Society
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Designed to enable students to formulate responsible opinions on cannabis legalization, industry, regulation, and taxation; to defend them with good analysis; and to understand logic behind opinions that may differ from their own. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 140. Race, Rights, and Citizenship: Encounters with Bureaucracies
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Examination of role of bureaucracies in emergence of, persistence of, and experience of social inequality. Exploration of dilemmas that bureaucrats face as they do their jobs, and experiences of residents who interact with bureaucrats. Consideration of how peoples’ experience of bureaucracies are associated with socioeconomic standing, and reflection on how experiences with bureaucracies convey messages about race, citizenship, and belonging. Letter grading.
PUB AFF M142. Latino Social Policy
Units: 4.0
(Same as Chicana/o and Central American Studies CM177.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Examination of social welfare of Latinos (Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans) in U.S. through assessment and critical analysis of social policy issues affecting them. Survey of social, economic, cultural, and political circumstances affecting ability of Latinos to access public benefits and human services. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 145. California Policy Issues
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Application of policy analysis to California issues. Guest lectures from practitioners and academics along with readings and videos. Written reports and oral presentations required. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 148. U.S. Housing Policy and Geography of Opportunity
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Exploration of contemporary levels of racial inequality through lens of U.S. housing policy. Study includes historical overview of federal policies; evaluation of ways by which living in racially segregated, high-poverty neighborhoods constrain opportunity and social mobility; exploration of most prevalent affordable housing policies; and evaluation of their respective program designs and outcomes. Letter grading.
PUB AFF M159. Politics of Water
Units: 4.0
(Same as Urban Planning M168.) Lecture, three hours. Access to safe and sustainable water provision is major challenge for governments. Examination of political, economic, and social dimensions of water provision in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and US. Key issues include water and state building, market reforms and globalization, social mobilization, and citizen demand making strategies, role of crisis in citizen claims making. Letter grading.
PUB AFF M160. Urban Sustainability
Units: 4.0
(Same as Urban Planning M161.) Lecture, three hours. In 21st century, majority of Earth’s population now lives in urban areas and virtually no part of globe remains untouched by human influence. Cities constitute crucibles of most pressing social and environmental challenges but are also potential centers of innovation for addressing those challenges. Examination of theory and practice from geography and related fields to understand many articulations of urban sustainability and how it might be achieved. Letter grading.
PUB AFF M161. Environmental Justice through Multiple Lenses
Units: 4.0
(Same as Environment M167 and Urban Planning M167.) Lecture, three hours. Examination of intersection between race, economic class, and environment in U.S., with focus on issues related to social justice. Because environmental inequality is highly complex phenomenon, multidisciplinary and multipopulation approach taken, using alternative ways of understanding, interpreting, and taking action. P/NP or letter grading.
PUB AFF 170. Civil Society, Nonprofit Organizations, and Philanthropy: Comparative Perspectives
Units: 4.0
Seminar, three hours. Increased importance of nonprofits, rise of philanthropy, and (re-)discovery of civil society have moved this set of institutions closer to center of policy agendas. Introduction of conceptual and historical background. Examination of organizational performance and impact. Exploration of key policy issues. Comparative perspective between U.S. and other countries and fields. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 172. Development and Its Governance
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Exploration of how economics, institutions, and politics interact to constrain and shape development strategies–emphasizing tension between normative visions of good economic policy and good governance and practical challenge of identifying practical ways of fostering change in specific settings. Focus on challenges of development in low- and middle-income settings, with exploration of governance challenges within U.S. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 174. Cultural Policy and Cultural Diplomacy: Soft Power, Creative Economy, Innovation, and Arts
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Culture is one of most complex concepts in social sciences. Review of cultural policies at international, national, and local levels. Exploration of culture as system of meaning and identity, as well as culture as art and creative expression. Examination of use of culture in international relations and cultural diplomacy. Letter grading.
PUB AFF 175. Communications and Conflict in Public Affairs
Units: 4.0
Lecture, four hours. Interactive course that prepares students for successful work with collaborators, policymakers, and public. Students gain interpersonal skills, cultural competency; learn effective communication, conflict resolution, and negotiate their interests successfully; learn to engage constituencies and build community around shared goals. P/NP or letter grading.
Undergraduate Public Policy
10C. Public Policy for Crime, Cannabis, and Other Drugs
Units: 5.0
Lecture, three hours; outside study, twelve hours. Application of policy analysis, including critical analysis, problem solving, and substantive policy research, to develop knowledge and understanding about drug and crime policy, with focus on cannabis. Guest lectures by instructors and guest academics and practitioners, with readings from academic literature and policy reports. P/NP or letter grading.
10D. Public Policy and Urban Homelessness
Units: 5.0
Lecture, three hours; outside study, film review, and field/volunteer work, nine hours. Application of policy analysis to issues and solutions concerning homelessness. Guest lectures from local policymakers. P/NP or letter grading.
105. Leadership in Public Interest
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Examination of prevailing models, theories, and practices of leadership in public settings and application of them through case studies, films, and situational articles. Participation in group projects and discussions designed to improve understanding of role of leadership in mobilizing people groups to do difficult work. Introduction to literature and theory on leadership, examination of leadership and group dynamics, and challenge of leadership in times of stress and change. Letter grading.
113. Politics of U.S. Health Policy
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Every modern nation faces similar health system challenges, such as promoting health and longevity, providing effective treatments, balancing benefits and burdens of medical technology, and controlling healthcare costs that grow faster than national income. U.S. seems uniquely disadvantaged with lower life expectancy, problematic quality of medical services, lack of insurance for millions, and highest costs in world, hampering families, businesses, and government. What political dynamics produced this result and influence possibility and direction of ongoing policy change? Examination of meaning of health and healthcare; international experience; current status, organization, and financing of U.S. healthcare system; and factors that affect national health policymaking, including comprehensive healthcare reform: framing of problems, role of public opinion, influence of interest groups, composition and organization of Congress, and opportunities for and applications of presidential leadership. P/NP or letter grading.
C115. Environmental and Resource Economics and Policy
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Requisites: Economics 11, 143. Survey of ways economics is used to define, analyze, and resolve problems of environmental management. Overview of analytical questions addressed by environmental economists that bear on public policies. Concurrently scheduled with course CM250. Letter grading.
M120. Race, Inequality, and Public Policy
Units: 4.0
(Same as African American Studies M120.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Background in economics, sociology, or urban studies preferred but not required. Survey course to examine major debates and current controversies concerning public policy responses to social problems in urban America. Letter grading.
M127. Understanding Public Issue Life Cycle
Units: 4.0
(Same as Political Science M142D.) Lecture, three or four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Recommended preparation: Political Science 10, 40, and one course from Economics 1, 2, 5, 11, or 101. Examination of how public issue life cycle is shaped by (1) economic and political incentives of various actors–business, news media, mass public, organized interests, Congress, the president, regulatory agencies, and courts and (2) ideology, cognitive biases, and ethical reasoning. P/NP or letter grading.
M152. Local Policymaking for Urban Planners
Units: 4.0
(Same as Public Affairs M152.) Seminar, three hours. Study of complex arena of public policy and ethical concerns in planning and community development; necessity to balance demands from interest groups including planners, politicians, business and nonprofit sectors, general public; and interrelationship between local government implementation and federal urban laws and regulations. Letter grading.
Undergraduate Social Welfare
100A. Introduction to Social Welfare: Policies and Programs
Units: 4.0
Lecture, four hours. Origin and development of major U.S. social welfare programs and policies guiding them, with emphasis on analysis of policy developments/issues related to provision of social welfare services. Study of historical and current responses of profession to major social problems. P/NP or letter grading.
100B. Social Welfare Policy: Overview
Units: 4.0
Lecture, four hours. Requisite: course 100A. Review of existing policy regarding major social issues in field of social welfare. Examination of discrepancy between need and capacity of social agencies to address need. Exploration of differential impact of policy on various populations. P/NP or letter grading.
101. Social Welfare in Multicultural Society
Units: 4.0
Lecture, four hours. Social policy viewed from perspective of various cultural groups. Students to become aware of their own cultural perspective and learn to recognize similarities and differences in values, perspectives, and beliefs across cultural groups. P/NP or letter grading.
102. Social Welfare Organizations and Community Systems
Units: 4.0
Lecture, four hours. Recommended requisites: courses 100A, 100B. Detailed demonstration of implementation of policy via functioning of human service organizations. Examination of organizational structures/functions. Exploration of characteristics and organization of community and forces that influence its development and change. P/NP or letter grading.
103. Introduction to Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups
Units: 4.0
Lecture, four hours. Requisites: courses 100A, 100B, 101. Description and demonstration of basic skills employed in direct social work practice via casework process. Students practice these skills in written, role-play, small group, and video or audio exercises. P/NP or letter grading.
M104C. Diversity in Aging: Roles of Gender and Ethnicity
Units: 4.0
(Same as Chicana/o and Central American Studies M106B, Gender Studies M104C, Gerontology M104C, and Public Affairs M131.) Lecture, four hours. Exploration of complexity of variables related to diversity of aging population and variability in aging process. Examination of gender and ethnicity within context of both physical and social aging, in multidisciplinary perspective utilizing faculty from variety of fields to address issues of diversity. Letter grading.
M104D. Public Policy and Aging
Units: 4.0
(Same as Gerontology M104D.) Lecture, four hours. Examination of theoretical models and concepts of policy process, with application to aging policy. Analysis of decision-making processes that affect aging policy. Description of history of contemporary aging policy. Exploration of current policy issues affecting elderly. P/NP or letter grading.
M104E. Social Aspects of Aging
Units: 4.0
(Same as Gerontology M104E.) Lecture, four hours. Topics include theories of aging, economic factors, changing roles, social relationships, and special populations. Weekly seminars organized around key aspect of social gerontology. P/NP or letter grading.
105. Social Welfare Policy in Modern America: Historical Perspectives
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours; outside study, nine hours. Historical overview of American social policy dealing with three core societal problems: poverty, sickness, and joblessness. Programs developed by governments to ameliorate these problems have typically been public insurance programs or cash transfers such as unemployment insurance, welfare, and Social Security. Collectively these programs are known as “the welfare state”; examination of origins of the U.S. welfare state, its development over time, and features that make it distinctive as compared to welfare states in other nations. Letter grading.
M108. Biomedical, Social, and Policy Frontiers in Human Aging
Units: 5.0
(Same as Gerontology M108 and Public Affairs M130.) Lecture, four hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Course of human aging charted in ways that are based on variety of recent research frontiers. Use of conceptual frameworks to increase relevance of aging to students’ lives and enhance their critical thinking–biopsychosocial approach that is based on recognition that aging is inherently interdisciplinary phenomenon, and life course perspective that is distinguished by analytical framework it provides for understanding interplay between human lives and changing social structures, and allows students to understand how events, successes, and losses at one stage of life can have important effects later in life. Focus on individuals as they age within one particular sociohistorical context. Letter grading.
M110. Inequality and Democracy: Analysis and Praxis of Public Problems
Units: 4.0
(Same as Urban Planning M110.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Analysis and praxis of public problems. Taking up case of persistent inequality in liberal democracies, coverage of key frameworks and methodologies for understanding and analyzing poverty and inequality and examination of forms of action, from role of government to social movements, that seek to intervene in such problems. Study of problems, programs, policies, and politics in globally interconnected, transnational world, while avoiding analytical divide between global north and global south. Letter grading.
131. Poverty, Poor, and Welfare Policy
Units: 4.0
Seminar, three hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Current research and policy issues concerning poverty in the U.S., with specific emphasis on single-parent households. Overview of measurements and characteristics of poor people; alternative theoretical explanations of poverty; historical overview of major social welfare policies to combat poverty, particularly Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PROWA); and critical appraisal of recently enacted state welfare reform policies. Relationship between research knowledge about poverty and current policies, and effects of gender, ethnicity, and class on patterns of poverty and policy responses. P/NP or letter grading.
132. Community Analysis and Community Needs
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Theoretical and practical foundation for understanding and depicting demographic composition of communities and for determining community needs. Use of systems theory as organizing framework. Community-level interventions are affected by community’s social ecology, culture, economic system, political system, ethnic composition, and class structure. Agencies often seek to define community needs and develop interventions to respond to those needs. Knowledge of community infrastructure necessary for ascertaining its strengths and resources that can be mobilized for addressing and responding to community needs, issues, and concerns. Social service agencies and communities can work together in partnership to enhance quality of community life. P/NP or letter grading.
151. Child Welfare Policy in America
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Examination of public child welfare system in the U.S. Review of social policies and programs that impact children. History of social policies and programs for children, including discussion of orphanages, foster care, and adoptions. Transformation of public child welfare system into child protection system. Impact of welfare reform on child policies and programs in the U.S. Major programs designed to provide safety net for disadvantaged children, including welfare, food stamps, child care, child support, and children’s allowance programs. Review of research and analysis in this area. Overview of social policies and programs that impact children in the U.S. Examination of comparative policies in other countries. P/NP or letter grading.
162. Health Policy and Services
Units: 4.0
Seminar, three hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Contemporary issues in healthcare financing and delivery and historical perspective on these issues. Role of government in healthcare and ways controversy about this role continues to shape and constrain public policy in health. Major public programs, notably Medicare and Medicaid, and their relationship to issues of access and cost for diverse vulnerable populations. Various public and private approaches to healthcare reform and ways of thinking about their predicted impact, cost, and political feasibility. Issues in care of persons with chronic illness and debate about public and private approaches to long-term care reform. Social work roles in healthcare policy and practice. P/NP or letter grading.
163. Prevention of Risky Substance Use and Related Problems
Units: 4.0
Lecture, four hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Prevention of substance use and related harms from legal and illegal substances is major concern to parents, communities, and nations. Examination of research related to patterns of drug use and related harm (such as crime and mental health disorders) and effectiveness of interventions to reduce these problems. Through review of science-based programs and policies, evaluation of effectiveness of evidence-based interventions to increase student knowledge, skills, and expertise in determining effective interventions to reduce drug-related harm, using most up-to-date information. P/NP or letter grading.
164. HIV Prevention in U.S. and Developing World
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Examination of various approaches to HIV prevention, drawing on infectious disease paradigms from public health and theories of behavior change from fields of psychology, sociology, and communications. Sexual behavior and injection drug use, existing and promising technologies to reduce HIV transmission, and fiscal, cultural, ethical, and moral dilemmas in allocation of prevention resources. P/NP or letter grading.
M165. Disability Policy and Services in Contemporary America
Units: 4.0
(Same as Disability Studies M130 and Gerontology M165.) Lecture, three hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Growing numbers of people of all ages with disabilities are leading active and productive lives in American communities. Many others are struggling to lead such lives. Who are people with disabilities in contemporary America? How has U.S. responded over time to various needs and aspirations of people with disabilities, young and old? What demands have been made over time by disability advocates? How has government addressed demands of advocates for various disability populations? What do we know about extent to which public policies and programs are responsive to people in need? How do demographics, economics, and politics continue to influence evolving public policy responses? P/NP or letter grading.
Undergraduate Urban Planning
M110. Inequality and Democracy: Analysis and Praxis of Public Problems
Units: 4.0
(Same as Social Welfare M110.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Analysis and praxis of public problems. Taking up case of persistent inequality in liberal democracies, coverage of key frameworks and methodologies for understanding and analyzing poverty and inequality and examination of forms of action, from role of government to social movements, that seek to intervene in such problems. Study of problems, programs, policies, and politics in globally interconnected, transnational world, while avoiding analytical divide between global north and global south. Letter grading.
M120. Introduction to Cities and Planning
Units: 4.0
(Formerly numbered 120.) (Same as Public Affairs M109.) Lecture, three hours. Survey of urban history and evolution in U.S., urban social theory, current growth trends, system of cities, urban economy and economic restructuring, traditional and alternative location theories, urban transportation, and residential location and segregation. P/NP or letter grading.
121. Urban Policy and Planning
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Examination of current urban planning and policy issues and debates, such as normative theories of good urban form, metropolitan organization and governance, economic development and growth management, edge cities, spatial mismatch hypothesis, urban poverty, racial/ethnic inequality, gender and urban structure, sustainability, and future of cities. P/NP or letter grading.
M122. Policy, Planning, and Community
Units: 4.0
(Same as Asian American Studies M108.) Lecture, three hours; field laboratory. Project-oriented methods course on conducting needs assessment in Asian American communities. Geographic information systems to be used to define problems and needs. Letter grading.
130. Fundamentals of Urban and Regional Economics
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Preparation: one introduction to microeconomics course. Most U.S. population lives and works in urbanized areas, and world’s population is becoming more urbanized with each passing decade. National, state, and local governments are engaged in managing, planning, policymaking, and governance in urban context. Ultimate efficacy of those public activities can be enhanced by understanding of economic forces acting on urban areas. Basic concepts related to location choice, agglomeration effects, economies of scale, and specialization by cities and transportation. P/NP or letter grading.
C133. Political Economy of Urbanization
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Introduction to new approaches to urban studies, basic concepts and analytical approaches of urban political economy, with major emphasis on American urban problems and restructuring of modern metropolis. Topics include historical geography of urbanization, development and transformation of urban spatial structure, suburbanization and metropolitan political fragmentation, urban fiscal crisis, and role of urban social movements. Concurrently scheduled with course C233. P/NP or letter grading.
M140. Issues in Latina/Latino Poverty: Mexican and Central American Voices from Los Angeles
Units: 4.0
(Same as Chicana/o and Central American Studies M121 and Labor Studies M121.) Lecture, four hours. Examination of key issues (work, housing, and neighborhoods) in urban poverty, with particular focus on Mexican and Central American immigrant populations in Los Angeles. Exploration of major theoretical models that explain urban poverty and application of them in comparative context while exploring differences between Mexican and Central American immigrants. Social conditions and forces that help us understand lives of poor people in comparative context while looking at differences between two major Latino-origin populations in Los Angeles. Critical analysis of new forms of urban poverty in contemporary American society. Letter grading.
141. Planning with Minority Communities
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Overview of planning history, theory, and contemporary issues that affect low-income communities, communities of color, and underserved neighborhoods, particularly in Los Angeles area. Field of planning offers distinct perspectives and opportunities for improving vulnerable communities. Topics range from discussion of intersection between race and income, critical race theory, community development, residential segregation, spatial mismatch, and environmental justice to social justice. P/NP or letter grading.
M161. Urban Sustainability
Units: 4.0
(Same as Public Affairs M160.) Lecture, three hours. In 21st century, majority of Earth’s population now lives in urban areas and virtually no part of globe remains untouched by human influence. Cities constitute crucibles of most pressing social and environmental challenges but are also potential centers of innovation for addressing those challenges. Examination of theory and practice from geography and related fields to understand many articulations of urban sustainability and how it might be achieved. Letter grading.
M164A. Documentary Production for Social Change: Mobility in Los Angeles
Units: 5.0
(Same as Disability Studies M164A.) Seminar, three hours; fieldwork, two hours. Exploration of documentary filmmaking as catalyst for social change, using daily commute in Los Angeles as case study. Introduction to issues of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, and class on experiences of commuting, access to public transportation, and car-based versus alternative (bike and pedestrian) forms of commuting. Exposure to observational, interview-based, and participatory documentary shooting and editing techniques, as well as social marketing strategies that are vital to documentary production and distribution. Letter grading.
CM166. Global Environment and Development: Problems and Issues
Units: 4.0
(Same as Geography M127.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Designed for juniors/seniors. Questions of population, resource use, Third World poverty, and environment. Analysis of global economic restructuring and its connections to changing organization of production and resulting environmental impacts. Case studies from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and U.S. Concurrently scheduled with course C266. P/NP or letter grading.
M167. Environmental Justice through Multiple Lenses
Units: 4.0
(Same as Environment M167 and Public Affairs M161.) Lecture, three hours. Examination of intersection between race, economic class, and environment in U.S., with focus on issues related to social justice. Because environmental inequality is highly complex phenomenon, multidisciplinary and multipopulation approach taken, using alternative ways of understanding, interpreting, and taking action. P/NP or letter grading.
M168. Politics of Water
Units: 4.0
(Same as Public Affairs M159.) Lecture, three hours. Access to safe and sustainable water provision is major challenge for governments. Examination of political, economic, and social dimensions of water provision in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and US. Key issues include water and state building, market reforms and globalization, social mobilization, and citizen demand making strategies, role of crisis in citizen claims making. Letter grading.
M171. Planning Issues in Latina/Latino Communities: Preserving and Strengthening Community Assets in Mexican and Salvadoran Los Angeles
Units: 4.0
(Same as Chicana/o and Central American Studies M122 and Labor Studies M122.) Lecture, four hours. How community and economic development interact, role of assets in community development, and unique synergies and pitfalls that enable or disable communities from developing to their potential. How to strengthen and how to preserve community resources in Pico-Union neighborhood in Los Angeles. Research entails historical analysis, reviews, interviews, electronic asset mapping, web-based data processing and analysis, oral and written reports, and cyber-based research. Letter grading.
CM172. Labor and Economic Development
Units: 4.0
(Same as Labor Studies M171.) Lecture, three hours. Exploration of economic development and identification of ways that labor and labor unions directly and indirectly influence and shape economic development. Wide range of roles that labor plays, and could play, in promoting and supporting economic development for all. Concurrently scheduled with course C271B. Letter grading.
M175. Women and Cities
Units: 4.0
(Same as Gender Studies M175.) Lecture, three hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Examination of relationship between women and cities: (1) how cities have affected women’s opportunities for economic and social equality, (2) women’s contributions to development of U.S. cities, and (3) contemporary strategies and efforts to create urban environments that reflect women’s needs and interests. P/NP or letter grading.
C184. Looking at Los Angeles
Units: 4.0
Lecture, three hours. Introduction to history and physical form of Los Angeles, with emphasis on understanding social, economic, and political issues in development of Los Angeles. Concurrently scheduled with course C284. Letter grading.
185XP. Community-Based Research in Planning
Units: 4.0
Seminar, one hour; fieldwork, three hours. Preparation: at least four Urban and Regional Studies minor courses, of which at least one should be related to subject area of service learning setting. Limited to junior/senior minor students. Designed to serve as complement to service learning requirement and may be used to fulfill capstone requirement for minor. Students are matched to public, private, or nonprofit agency through Center for Community Learning and must complete minimum of 30 hours of work. Duties and responsibilities to be set by students and sponsoring organizations. Readings to be determined in consultation with instructor. P/NP grading.
M187. Latino Metropolis: Architecture and Urbanism in Americas
Units: 4.0
(Same as Chicana/o and Central American Studies M187 and History M151E.) Lecture, four hours. Introduction to history of architecture and urbanism in Americas, from fabled cities of Aztec empire to barrios of 21st-century Los Angeles and Miami. Emphasis on role of cities in Latina/Latino experience and uses of architecture and city planning to forge new social identities rooted in historical experiences of conquest, immigration, nationalization, and revolution. P/NP or letter grading.
Diversity in Undergraduate Workshops
As part of the Luskin Leadership Development Certificate of Completion, students complete Community Impact Trainings. These trainings go deeper into supporting specific identity-based communities and working with diverse populations. Below are a few past trainings. The current list of trainings and workshops can be found here.
Suicide Prevention Workshop
The UCLA Luskin Undergraduate Program is partnering with Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services to present a suicide prevention workshop. Sandra Rodriguez, the facilitator, will discuss the nature of suicide, risk factors, and warning signs of suicide. The overview will also cover how stress, depression, and suicide are connected.
LGBTQ Allyship
This training, led by Megan van der Toom and Kevin Medina, will cover gender and sexuality terminology and frameworks, tangible allyship strategies to support the LGBTQ community from micro to macro levels, and resources for LGBTQ individuals.
Civility and Leadership
Some are easy to work through, but others are so ingrained in our values and identities that it’s not as easy to mediate to resolve. In this session with Michael McCormack, we will learn about pluralism and civil discourse, how we come to understand conflicting ideas, and how to lead and empower others to manage those differences we may have.
An Accomplice to being Anti-Oppression and Anti-Ableism
The purpose of this session is to explore disability inclusiveness, accessibility, campus climate, and share ideas and resources, identify existing challenges and barriers, and form a basic understanding that works towards a more disability inclusive future. I seek to deepen our conversation on the intersection of disability identities with particular attention to (1) how ableism functions in the educational system; (2) disability disparities that impact our communities of color; (3) disability-based trauma; and, (4) the need to combat oppression in disability advocacy.
UndocuAlly 101
The UndocuAlly 101 is an educational training dedicated to increasing the UCLA community’s awareness of the unique needs of undocumented students. This training is led by Enrique Campos.
Remote Learning Resources
How to use Zoom
Zoom allows students to watch lectures in real time, participate in discussion sections and review sessions, and work with other members of project teams. During remote learning, most UCLA courses will use Zoom’s online platform to deliver course material. Please review a Zoom guide here.
How to host or join a Zoom meeting
1. https://ucla.zoom.us/
2. Click on “Login to Zoom” in the upper left hand corner and login with your UID
3. If you are hosting the meeting, you can share your “Personal Meeting ID” with the meeting attendees; if you are joining the meeting, please ensure you receive the “Personal Meeting ID” prior to your meeting time.
4. Click on either “Join a meeting” or “Host a meeting”
*If you are unable to download Zoom, you can click on “start from your browser” and proceed with a web-based zoom meeting.
Bruin Learn
UCLA Bruin Learn (Canvas), is used to create class and collaboration websites that allows students to access course materials, assignments, and more. Most UCLA courses will use Bruin Learn as a platform to post live-lectures links or upload lecture recordings. Students not enrolled or waitlisted in a course, but are interested in auditing a class, may request temporary access to a course’s Bruin Learn page per the faculty’s approval. Please contact our team via MyUCLA Message Center to request temporary Bruin Learn access. A general How-To Guide for Bruin Learn can be found here.
Computers and Laptops
Bruin Resources and Tools provides assistance with remote learning equipment and technical support.
If you need a laptop or other equipment from the Campus Library Instructional Computing Commons (CLICC), please complete the Instruction Equipment Request form. Supplies are limited but we will do our best to accommodate your request. Please note, you will need an account in our ticketing system to access the form and will be prompted to create one if needed. Once your request has been processed, you will be contacted with a specific day and time to pick up your equipment.
Virtual CLICC Windows desktops are also available. For more information, please see Access a CLICC Virtual Desktop.
If you are experiencing problems with a Library CLICC device, contact the CLICC Service Desk. If the sticker on your device starts with the letters FAC or ITO, please contact UCLA IT Support.
Software Resources (UCLA Library)
Connecting Off-Campus
Various online resources at UCLA require a virtual connection to allow students, staff, and faculty to remotely access these materials. To do this, you will be required to enroll in Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with your BOL and set up your computer to provide UCLA authentication with the UCLA VPN or proxy server. (Computers using a UCLA wired or wireless network connection are automatically authenticated.) We recommend reviewing the UCLA Library’s resources here.
Software Library (using CLICC Virtual Desktop)
Accessing the CLICC Virtual Desktop from any computer with an Internet connection will let you work with software to help you study, teach, learn, and create. You can learn how to access this here. Here is a list of software you can find on the CLICC Virtual Desktop. For more detailed information on our software offerings, or to request software to be added to the list, contact us via the UCLA Library Service Portal.
If you are missing various software on your computer, you can these remote tools provided by UCLA. For more information about CLICC Services, view Getting Started with CLICC Equipment – 2021-2022.
IT Support
IT Service’s IT Support Center is available to assist with access to UCLA systems using UCLA logon IDs and multi-factor authentication (MFA). 24/7 support is provided for UCLA Logon and multi-factor authentication (MFA), with escalated assistance available as required. During regular business hours (8am-8pm weekdays), assistance is also available for Google Apps for UCLA, Box, Zoom, VPN access, campus network access, and campus phone systems. Please also utilize this resource for general IT inquiries. Staff will be able to either assist directly or refer you to departmental experts for additional help. Phone: 310-267-HELP (4357) or help@it.ucla.edu
Additional Campus Resources
Campus Resources
COVID-19
For the latest information from campus resources, in relation to COVID-19, please see the tabs below. Almost all resources have updated their websites to include information pertinent to this unique time. Additionally, the following pages will provide you with the latest developments.
- UCLA COVID-19 Resources Page
- UCLA COVID-19 Announcements
- Chancellor’s Messages to the University
- UCLA Requirements for COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring: For Students
- Bruin Safe Online
- UCLA Housing’s COVID-19 Information Page
- Dashew Center Updates
- Luskin COVID-19 FAQ
Faculty, staff, and students can email covid19@ucla.edu with any questions regarding UCLA’s response to COVID-19.
Academic & Professional
- Academic Advancement Program (AAP) – a counseling unit and resource center for first generation, low-income, and historically underrepresented students. AAP strives to provide access, equity, opportunity, and excellence.
- Graduate-Undergraduate Mentorship Program (GUM) – “sticking students together for success” by offering a six-week long workshop series for undergraduate students who wish to learn more about graduate school.
- Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) – PPIA is a not-for-profit that has been supporting efforts to increase diversity in public service for 39 years. To achieve this goal, PPIA focuses on students from groups who are underrepresented in leadership various positions. PPIA’s core programming includes: Junior Summer Institute, an alumni association, a graduate school consortium, and public service weekends. This program is helpful for students interested in pursuing public service graduate programs or professional careers.
- Registrar’s Office – Answers to frequently asked questions about how COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) may affect UCLA Registrar’s office topics can be found here.
- Student Book Store – the UCLA Store has developed new programs to assist students in the transition to online courses including an Online Rental option and free delivery options to get students the materials they need. Additionally, students have access to the following resources for free e-books.
- REDSHELF (US) – students need to create a free account and find their book in the search bar.
- VITALSOURCE (North America) – students should set up an account if they don’t have one. VitalSource has provided a full FAQ and set of instructions (including video tutorials for both new and existing users).
- UCLA LIBRARY – UCLA Library has secured access to digitized versions of books held by University of California. Millions of volumes are now accessible online to students, staff and faculty. If you have questions about your account, please email yrl-circ@library.ucla.edu.
Campus & Community
- Bruin Commuter Club – provides complimentary access to benefits and incentives to UCLA students who use alternative transportation
- First to Go – promotes campus involvement and visibility with a focus on the retention and success of all first-generation college students at UCLA.
- International Students & Scholars Resources – The Dashew Center enhances the UCLA experience for international students and scholars with multicultural programs and services.
Financial
CARES Act
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress and signed into law to provide economic relief from COVID-19. One section of the CARES Act established the Higher Education Emergency Relief fund sent money to schools to use for emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the pandemic. You can find additional information here and read the FAQs here.
There are 3 types of new grants available at UCLA as a result of CARE Act.
- 1.UCLA CARES Universal Impact Grant ($200)
- 2.UCLA Universal Impact Grant ($200)
- 3.UCLA CARES Need Based Grant
- Economic Crisis Response Team – Provides support and guidance to students who have self-identified, or are identified by UCLA faculty or staff, as experiencing a financial crisis that impacts their academic success at UCLA.
- Financial Aid Office
- Housing Security Resources
- UCLA Basic Needs Resource Guide – For a more comprehensive list of resources, UCLA Basic Needs and the Community Programs Office (CPO) have created a guide with information on food, housing, financial support, and other support services that can be accessed virtually.
Health, Well-Being & Resilience
- Rise Center (Campus and Student Resilience) – Provides programs to promote resilience and trains students to help support their peers.
Title IX
