Undergraduate Program
About the Program
The History of Consciousness is an interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate program centered in the humanities, with links to the social sciences and the arts. It is concerned with forms of expression and social action as they are manifested in specific historical, cultural, and political contexts. The program stresses flexibility and originality, and is focused on problems rather than disciplines.
The History of Consciousness Minor is available for students who wish to gain an understanding of major ideas, trends, and figures in the history of knowledge using an interdisciplinary approach. Topics include: modernity; the history of philosophy; capitalism; the foundations of critical theory; the emotions; categories and concepts of difference; critical race theory; queer theory; gender and sexuality studies; visual culture; and the foundations of modern intellectual thought. Courses provide students with critical theoretical tools for understanding philosophy, history, race, sexuality, affect, politics, economics and other fields of inquiry.
The undergraduate minor is built around the following Program Learning Outcomes:
- PLO 1. CRITICAL THINKING – The ability to use critical theoretical tools for analyzing and understanding philosophy, history, race, sexuality, affect, politics, economics and other fields of inquiry
- PLO 2. HISTORY OF KNOWLEDGE – An understanding of major ideas in the history of knowledge.
Minor Requirements
One Lower-Division Course
- HISC 1 Introduction to History of Consciousness or other approved course
- Note: HISC 1 is not a prerequisite to taking upper division HISC courses
Five Upper-Division Courses
- Students may substitute one Upper-Division course from another department offered by faculty member affiliated with the History of Consciousness*
- Students may petition the department to substitute one Upper-Division course with a five-credit graduate seminar with permission of the instructor
*Affiliated faculty may be found on the People in HISC page
Questions?
Please email History of Consciousness Undergraduate Advising at hisc-ug-advising-group@ucsc.edu.
To speak to an advisor on how to add the minor, please contact Shauntay Larkins, Director of Student Achievement and lead academic advisor for the Humanities Division. You can make an appointment directly in Slug Success using Shauntay’s personal availability link.