The Big Ideas Courses, first launched in fall 2012, are dedicated to the premise that the most important issues and questions of our time—or any time—cannot be adequately addressed by scholars versed in one discipline alone. The co-teachers of each Big Ideas Course bring the different methodologies, underlying assumptions, and wisdom of their respective disciplines to bear on the course and its topic, and the resulting insights and discussions are richer and deeper than anyone disciplinary approach could produce. Read More.
"Prison"
"Prison"
African American Studies 181AC / Ethnic Studies 181AC / Legal Studies 185AC / Social Welfare 185AC
Spring 2020: Jonathan Simon (Law), Keith Feldman (Ethnic Studies), Tina Sacks (Social Welfare), Nikki Jones (African American Studies)
Spring 2017: Jonathan Simon (Law), Keith Feldman (Ethnic Studies), Tina Sacks (Social Welfare)
Spring 2014: Victoria Robinson (Ethnic Studies), Jill Stoner (Architecture), Jonathan Simon (Law), Patricia Hilden (Ethnic Studies)
The Big Ideas Courses introduces a new exciting format to the UC Berkeley classroom in which faculty and students from different disciplinary viewpoints are brought together around a pivotal concept. This course brings the subject of prisons, and the prison system to the fore of the undergraduate AC curriculum. As Professor Jill Stoner shared:
"Prisons are mostly at the periphery of our intellectual landscape, just as they are now relegated to the hinterlands of our constructed landscape. I look forward to discovering the intersection of countless cultural and intellectual threads in the American cultural complex called 'Prison'." Read More
“Fire"
“Fire: Past, Present and Future Interactions with the People and Ecosystems of California”
Anthropology C12AC / Environmental Science, Policy, and Management C22AC
Spring 2024: Kent Lightfoot (Anthropology), Scott Stephens (Environmental Science, Policy, and Management)
Fall 2022: Kent Lightfoot (Anthropology), Scott Stephens (Environmental Science, Policy, and Management)
Fall 2021: Kent Lightfoot (Anthropology), Scott Stephens (Environmental Science, Policy, and Management)
Fall 2020: Kent Lightfoot (Anthropology), Scott Stephens (Environmental Science, Policy, and Management)
Fall 2019: Kent Lightfoot (Anthropology), Scott Stephens (Environmental Science, Policy, and Management)
Fall 2018: Kent Lightfoot (Anthropology), Scott Stephens (Environmental Science, Policy, and Management)
Fire is a part of the California landscape, and while many have come to dread fire season, this has not always been the case. “FIRE: Past, Present and Future Interactions with the People and Ecosystems of California,” joins the expertise of Anthropology professor Kent Lightfoot and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management professor Scott Stephens. Jointly, they prompt students to investigate how our interactions with wildfires in California have changed dramatically over the centuries, and to learn from earlier management strategies — some of which may be applicable to our contemporary world. In collaboration with the community, Indigenous scholars are invited as guest speakers to share their perspectives with the class. Read More
"The 2020 Election"
“The 2020 Election”
African American Studies C20AC / Public Policy C20AC
Fall 2020: Michael Cohen(African American Studies), Saru Jayaraman (Public Policy)
The fall 2020 semester presented a quadrennial opportunity to study American politics during a presidential campaign. “The 2020 Election,” combined real-time analysis of the election, a lively roster of guest speakers from across the Berkeley campus and community, and an in-depth study of relevant historical and sociological trends that have shaped the contemporary moment. This class, hosted by Professor Michael Cohen (Department of African American Studies) and Professor Sarumathi Jayaraman (Goldman School of Public Policy), provided students with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary introduction to American politics in a time of unprecedented crisis and possibility. Healthy and civil debate was welcomed as students were prompted to analyze how America’s past reflects its current politics and policy by attempting to answer challenging questions such as: How has white supremacy shaped the United States since its founding? Why are there only two political parties in the United States? And how will the future of American democracy be defined by this year’s election? Inspired by student desires for an academic space to learn and talk about the election, this course was designed to provide students with the opportunity to relate what they were learning to their personal lives and to apply their knowledge outside the classroom/mobilize change outside the classroom. Students were encouraged/invited to enroll in the “Freedom of Summer” internship, where they got hands-on experience reaching out to restaurant workers in key swing states to get out and vote. Read More.