Nova Forum Spring 2024 Course Guide

Catholic students might think of their coursework and their faith as two separate things, but the Catholic intellectual tradition is so vast that many USC courses intersect with it in different ways. Below is a list of USC courses that Catholic students might find fruitful. These are not Catholic studies courses, nor are the instructors necessarily Catholic. Some students might find their views challenged, and the USC Caruso Catholic Center cannot endorse everything that students might be taught in a given course. Yet we encourage students to explore these courses with confidence, in dialogue with trusted mentors, and to approach their ongoing formation as thinkers as something directly relevant to their Catholic faith. As St. Augustine teaches: “All truth is God’s truth.” If you have questions about these courses or instructors, please let us know! You can email us here: novaforum@catholictrojan.org.

Art History

  • AHIS 121gp: Foundations of Western Art: Renaissance to Contemporary

Instructor: Samantha Burton

Description: European art its legacy in the Americas. Painting, sculpture, architecture and other visual media considered in relation to social and cultural history.

Classics

  • CLAS 101gp: State and Society in the Ancient World

Instructor: Maya Maskarinec

Description: Achievement of the near East, Greece, and Rome with emphasis on the development of ideas, arts, and institutions which have influenced modern man.

English

  • ENGL 174g: Reading the Heart: Emotional Intelligence and the Humanities

Instructor: Thomas Gustafson

Description: A study of emotional intelligence through literature, history and the hearts with a focus on anger, happiness, love and empathy.

  • ENGL 230g: Shakespeare and His Times

Instructor: Thea Tomaini

Description: Close study of Shakespeare's plays and poems to introduce his language, stagecraft, literary "genius," social and literary contexts, precusors and rivals, and legacy.

  • ENGL 261g: English Literature to 1800

Instructors: Anthony Kemp, Steven Minas, David Rollo

Description: Intensive reading of major writers to 1800.

  • ENGL 299g: Introduction to the Genre of Poetry

Instructor: Christopher Freeman

Description: Historical survey of the traditions of lyric poetry from Shakespeare to the contemporary, examining the genre's multiple forms of literary, visual, and aural expression.

  • ENGL 304: Introduction to Poetry Writing

Instructor: Molly Bendall, Robin Lewis

Description: Introduction to the techniques and practice of writing poetry.

  • ENGL 420: English Literature of the Middle Ages

Instructor: David Rollo

Description: Selected studies in the major figures, genres, and themes of Middle English literature to Malory, with special emphasis on Chaucer.

Freshman Seminars

  • FSEM 100: Mystical Poetry

Instructor: David Albertson

Description: For-credit course is Freshman only, 2 units, Pass/Fail, Mondays 2-3:50pm, and ends Week 12.

History

  • HIST 103g: The Emergence of Modern Europe

Instructor: Jacob Soll

Description: Political, intellectual, and cultural developments in Europe, 1300-1815. Renaissance and Reformation; absolute monarchy, scientific changes, Enlightenment; French Revolution and Napoleon.

International Relations

  • IR 150xg: Environmental Issues in Society

Instructors: Sean Fraga, Douglas Becker

Description: Exploration of the major social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical disagreements that exist between scholars, leaders, and citizens concerning today's most serious environmental issues and problems.

  • IR 310: Peace and Conflict Studies

Instructor: Douglas Becker

Description: Interdisciplinary study of the pursuit of peace, including causes of war, arms races, conflict resolution, peace movements, nonviolent resistance, and peace with justice.

Judaic Studies

  • JS 100gp: Jewish History

Instructor: Joshua Garroway, Leah Hochman

Description: Major ideas, personalities, and movements in Jewish history from antiquity to the present in light of interaction of the Jews with the general culture.

  • JS 180gp: Judaism

Instructors: Reuven Firestone, Leah Hochman

Description: Jewish beliefs, practices, and history from the biblical period to the present; Judaic contributions to Western civilization.

  • JS 211gw: The Holocaust

Instructors: Timothy Werlinger, Benjamin Ratskoff, Leah Hochman

Description: Historical background and responses to the Holocaust, with special emphasis on ethical implications.

Religion

  • REL 141g: Global Religions in Los Angeles

Instructor: Varun Soni

Description: Congregational and individual expressions of religion in Los Angeles.

Slavic Languages and Literature

  • SLL 344g: Tolstoy: Writer and Moralist

Instructor: Peter Winsky

Description: Tolstoy's major works in the context of his ethical views. Readings and lectures in English.

Thematic Option

  • Core 104: Change and the Future: Thematic Option Honors Program

Instructor: Anne Marie Yasin, Peter Westwick, Brett Sheehan

Description: Critical readings of a series of texts in the liberal arts designed to promote discussion of important themes, theoretical approaches, research directions, and interdisciplinary connections.

  • Core 200: Liberal Arts Reading Salon

Instructor: Trisha Tucker

Description: Critical readings of a series of texts in the liberal arts designed to promote discussion of important themes, theoretical approaches, research directions, and interdisciplinary connections.