Humanities + Sciences: Critical Studies
About
Critical Studies, part of our college-wide humanities and sciences curriculum, teaches you to think critically and imaginatively about the world around you. Taught by a dynamic interdisciplinary faculty of academic experts in the fields of performance art, ecology, robotics, anthropology, queer studies, history, philosophy, new media and more, these seminars challenge you to investigate a broad range of perspectives and values.
Critical Studies offers the skills needed to approach your own work within a larger cultural context and to develop strategies needed to re-envision, rethink, and remake our world.
Our Neurodiverse Future: A Reading and Conversation with Chris Martin - An Evening Hosted by Critical Studies, Writing & Literature, & Critical Ethnic Studies
Please join the Critical Studies program as we co-host an evening with poet Chris Martin on April 8th, 2025.
Chris Martin will read from May Tomorrow Be Awake: On Poetry, Autism, and Our Neurodiverse Future, his new work, Field Guide to a Tilted Mind, and work from some of the authors in the Multiverse imprint, a series of neurodivergent writing, which he curates for Milkweed Editions. Martin will discuss his work as a poet, teacher and curator, and hopes to open up a conversation about neurodiverse futures during the Q&A period.
A reception will follow with light refreshments provided. This event is free and open to the public. Masking is encouraged, but optional.
Pair research and writing with hands-on making.
Critical Studies seminars are designed to speak to your creativity. Many courses combine traditional learning activities, such as close readings and written responses, with hands-on making and visual assignments. You’ll discover how to connect your creative interests to major themes and events in contemporary life.
Harness critical thinking to creative practice.
The world needs you to tell its stories.
A special guest speaker series brings renowned experts into our classrooms to help broaden your critical capacities.
Foundations in Critical Studies / CRTSD 1500
Foundations in Critical Studies explores the provocative
Foundation in Critical Studies teaches students how to actively engage with complex nonfiction texts and how contemporary art and design practitioners grapple with core ethical issues in modern social life.To fulfill your first-year Foundation in Critical Studies requirement, you can choose from several course options with different themes. These courses are designed by faculty from different academic disciplines to provide interdisciplinary perspectives on shared topics and explore how intellectual scholarship can manifest real-world applications.
Philosophy & Critical Theory
Philosophy and critical theory cultivate curiosity and ethical reflection
Courses in Philosophy and Critical Theory examine how meaning is made. They explore core claims, contradictions and contexts of cultural and personal values, of imagination and invention, and will ask you to consider how your creative practice engages with some of the major themes, concerns, and events of our times.
Science & Math
Science and math courses teach skills in experimentation, modeling, and observation
Recent courses such as Ecological history, Gaming Science, Global Carbon/ Local Fiber, and Dynamic Anatomy, allow you to explore the scope, power, and appeal of math & science and to focus on connecting these fields to your areas of creative practice.
Social Science & History
Social science and history cover essential research techniques while emphasizing cultural literacy and diverse perspectives
Courses in Social Science and History develop students’ critical thinking skills of your identity and society. This includes the ways that people and communities interact through persistent formations of culture politics, institutions, economies, and systems of power, privilege, and domination.
Ecological Practices Minor
Fall 2025 Ecological Practices Course Highlights:
The Ecological Practices minor provides students the opportunity to meld environmental knowledge with studio practice as they develop and explore the possibilities of applying deep ecological understanding to their work as artists and designers.
Visit the Ecological Practices minor page to learn more or declare your minor.
Computational Practices Minor.
The minor in Computational Practices is an opportunity to supplement your BA, BFA, or BArch degree with coursework focused on new computational technologies.
Learn more about the Computational Practices Minor here.
We offer a range of 2000-level and 3000-level Critical Studies, all designed to meet humanities and sciences requirements for graduation (51 units total).
Please note that some programs (including Architecture, Fashion Design, and Interaction Design, require specific Science/Math and/or Social Science/History courses.
Many of our courses also fulfill requirements for different minors as well.
Patricia G. Lange
Chair, Critical Studies Program
Professor, Critical Studies Program
Rene Bruckner
Assistant Director of Academic Administration, Humanities & Sciences, Academic Affairs
Kris McGhee
Project Manager, Humanities & Sciences Division, Academic Affairs
Melinda De Jesus
Associate Professor, Critical Ethnic Studies Program
Jorge Antonio Espinosa Mills
Adjunct II, Critical Studies Program
Nicholas Gamso
Adjunct II Professor, History of Art and Visual Culture Program
Thomas O Haakenson
Associate Professor, History of Art and Visual Culture Program
Brian Karl
Patricia G. Lange
Chair, Critical Studies Program
Professor, Critical Studies Program
Christina La Sala
Associate Professor, Individualized Studies Program
Ginger Mueller-Testerman
Adjunct 1 Professor, Critical Studies Program
Lydia Nakashima Degarrod
Senior Adjunct, Critical Studies Program
Elizabeth Travelslight
Senior Adjunct Professor, Critical Studies Program
J.D. Zamfirescu-Pereira
Assistant Professor, Critical Studies Program