All courses used to fulfill ISF major requirements must be taken for a letter grade. No exceptions. Only COVID exceptions and Fall 2022 P/NP grades will be considered. Courses offered on a mandatory P/NP basis cannot be used to fulfill an ISF major requirement.
ISF Core Requirements (4 courses)
Theory and Methods
ISF 100A: Introduction to Social Theory and Cultural Analysis (4 units)
All ISF majors must take ISF 100A. No exceptions.
Theory and Practice
All ISF majors must take aTheory and Practice course from the ISF 100-series courses listed below or from a list of approved courses taught in various departments across campus.
- ISF 60: Technology and Values (3 units)
- ISF 100B: Interdisciplinary Theories of the Self and Identity (4 units)
- ISF 100C: Language and Identity (4 units)
- ISF 100D: Introduction to Technology, Society, and Culture (4 units)
- ISF 100E: The Globalization of Rights, Values, and Laws in the 21st Century (4 units)
- ISF 100F: Theorizing Modern Capitalism: Controversies and Interpretations (4 units)
- ISF 100G: Introduction to Science, Society, and Ethics (4 units)
- ISF 100H: Introduction to Media and International Relations (4 units)
- ISF 100I: Consumer Society and Culture (4 units)
- ISF 100J: The Social Life of Computing (4 units)
- ISF 100K: Health and Development (4 units)
- ISF 110: An Introduction to Data Analysis and Visualization (4 units)
These core courses provide an introduction to interdisciplinary theories and methodologies in the social sciences and the humanities. A student may not double-count a course as part of their course of study and as meeting the Theory and Practice requirement.
NOTE: If a student’s course of study requires advanced work in a specific methodological approach, an appropriate course may be substituted for ISF 60, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, 100H, 100I, 100J or 100K with the permission of their faculty adviser. In such cases, the student’s area of concentration normally requires courses in quantitative analysis, advanced statistical methods, demographics, natural sciences, and/or computer science.
Interdisciplinary Research Methods
ISF 189: Introduction to Interdisciplinary Research Methods (4 units)
Required for all applicants who apply to the major after June 1, 2014 but not a prerequisite to major declaration.
For all applicants, ISF 189 must be completed before ISF 190, the Senior Thesis Seminar, and in the semester before they graduate. ISF 190 must then be completed in their final semester. If a student enrolls in ISF 190 either simultaneous with or without having passed ISF 189, the student will be dropped from ISF 190.
This class is an introduction to research methods, leading students through different units built around specific learning goals and practical exercises. The course is designed to teach a range of research skills, including (but not limited to) the ability to formulate research questions and to engage in scholarly conversations and arguments; the identification, evaluation, mobilization, and interpretation of sources; methods and instruments of field research (interviews, questionnaires, and sampling) and statistical thinking; and the construction of viable arguments and explanation in the human sciences. At the same time, the course is designed to help students identify their own thesis topic, bibliography, and methodological orientation in preparation for ISF 190. Students who have already taken one of the following courses and received a B- or better can place out of the requirement to take ISF 189:
Note: The following courses will be accepted in place of ISF 189, with faculty approval, through Fall 2023 only. Effective Spring 2024, ISF 189 is required for all ISF majors, no exceptions. If a student requires additional methods practice for their Senior Thesis, additional methods courses may be used towards the Course of Study only.
- Anthropology 169B – Research Theory and Methods in Social and Cultural Anthropology
- Demography 160 – Special Topics in Demography
- History 104 – The Craft of History
- Psychology 101 – Research and Data Analysis in Psychology
Senior Thesis
ISF 190: Senior Thesis (4 units)
Must be completed in a student’s final semester, after they have completed ISF 189.
Course of Study (6 courses)
A minimum of 20 UNITS (at least SIX courses) drawn from at least THREE fields or disciplines. Courses for this requirement must be UPPER DIVISION, (numbered 100 or above). A student may use a maximum of 3 classes from one discipline. All courses a student self-selects for their Course of Study must be approved by their faculty advisor.
Upon consent of a faculty adviser, courses outside of the College of Letters and Science may be accepted when relevant, e.g., courses in Social Welfare, Journalism, Public Policy, City Planning, Business Administration, Architecture, etc. (For further information, please see Sample Research Programs.) Please refer to the relevant courses listed for possibleResearch Fields to view examples of how students can formulate their Course of Study.
*Note: Upon approval from an ISF faculty advisor, a student may include one technical or natural science course as part of their Course of Study.
