EXCO Past Courses Spring 2019

Self Defense and Empowerment

"Krav Maga is a self defense system that teaches us a problem solving mindset, builds resilience to failure, and trains us to respect value and care for the safety of our fellow man..By training closely we will build community bonds that will come through in times of struggle. The skills we learn in self defense and de-escalation directly apply to our lives managing the complex environment and social dynamics of school family work and the practice teaches us to work together to help each other survive and thrive instead of being distracted by differences. "

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Psychology and Impact of the Lives of Serial Killers

In this course we will learn about the upbringing and actions of some of history's most notorious killers, and unpack their lives to understand who they were. Doing so, we will break down preconceptions of mentally ill people and mental health, and how capturing these people led to new formats of investigating crimes

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Healing in Times of Structural Violence

This course will take a critical look into neoliberal healing and the junction of privilege— how the movement of reformist ideologies and practices of self-care is destructive, contributing to the exploitation and erasure of marginalized communities of color. We will analyze the systematic alignment of identity politics with "industrial complex" regimes. This will be done by exploring metaphysical consciousness, herbal and DIY home remedies/ medicine, astrology, nutritional wellness away from western influences, traditional Chinese medicine, and other holistic practices that promote radical community liberation through relearning self-love.

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Game Design, Narrative, and Education

Every week, Students will learn about a genre of a game, the game(s) that will be analyzed, and the lessons they teach. Students will be able to explore how these games by trying them out in class, or at home on their time. Homework will consist of students finding examples of these lessons in other games, conducting a fair amount of research on their game of choice, and submitting before the start of the next class. Exams will focus on the lessons that are taught in the games highlighted, game design, etc.

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Skateboarding: Art, Sport and Culture

This course is designed to examine, both in the United States and abroad, the influence which skateboarding has had, over the course of its development, on society-at-large.. Through the lens of skateboarding we will dissect the causal and correlative relationships between art, sport, economics, and progressive political change. Though largely lecture-based, we will use media as a primary resource along with other materials, and guest speakers from the skateboarding industry are expected. We will examine skateboarding in its its historical context as well as its most contemporary, and will predict the ways in which the art/sport will change in effect over time.

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DIY Filmmaking - Using what you have

This course will go through the entire filmmaking process from start to finish, while teaching you how to massively increase the production quality of your films, from shooting to editing. Using basic gear such as a DSLR, or even a phone, you’ll learn how to get the best possible image with what you have, by really delving into your camera settings, and understanding how light works. You’ll also learn helpful tools and tricks in editing software that can be used to take your films to the next level. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to use the limitations of what you have to boost the creativity of your writing, so that you can write scripts that can be filmed with the resources you have, while using out of the box solutions that help you achieve what you want within your limitations.

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Social Serendipity: How Individuals Spark Change

We will analyze individuals throughout history to understand how they utilized their social location in order to create change within a community they identify with. Specifically, how their actions impacted the greater society at large. In this course, we will look at individuals who sparked revolutionary change across different divisions of society including: religion, politics, gender/sexuality, business, and art/literature. Students will be able to recognize themselves as contemporary agents of change. Collectively, this course aims to reimagine history as the culmination of everyday people who inspired a domino effect for reform.

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Comedy in political science and news

"Students will analyze the history of comedy throughout its usage and implementation in some of the most visible outlets for modern political comedy are stand-up, television/film, and political impersonation. Comedy in politics will highlight the celebration of democracy and political freedom, and an ultra-partisan tool for mockery and political maneuvering. Within either category, students come from both sides of the political divide. The widely recognized standard within modern political comedy is to 'set aside' political differences for the purposes of laughing at oneself and laughing at the other side, all in the spirit of free expression."

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Beyond the Politics of Immigration

This course will go beyond the politics of immigration laws and politics and dive into how these laws and policies are affecting people on a day to day basis. We tend to learn about why people decide to leave their homes, but never truly study how their lives change on the most basic human level. In this course, we will study the psychological effects of uprooting one’s life to move to a foreign country and how separations due to deportations affect children as well as parents, and analyze how the trauma they experience affects their overall sociability. . The plan is to study specific families and their cases.

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Introduction to Deconstruction

In this interdisciplinary course, students will read and discuss articles and excerpts from books relating to but not limited to: nationalism, race, and ethnicity. With the intent of building a critical lens to confront such topics as they appear in daily life, students will decide how best to demonstrate their new skill set in a final project.

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The Experimental College: How it all began

This course will look at key concepts such as activism, counter culture, student empowerment, and institutionalized hierachy that led to the creation of the Experimental College at San Francisco State College. We will also examine the historical context of social upheaval that made the College part of the Sixities Revolution.

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Seminar of Cacophony: Punk & Experimental Music

This class will be a focus on the various types of punk and experimental music present across the world and across history. The class will be a devoted space to listening and discussing the music of artists that defy convention and are integral to outsider musical culture.

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Skin Care Explained for All

This course will empower learners by providing the knowledge needed to navigate the skin care industry and understand their own needs. Learners will be able to critically assess their skin and skin care products and trends. This course aims to help learners become more confident with the skin type they have. The history of worldwide skin care will be assessed holistically, medically, and aesthetically. Critical analysis of skin anatomy, options, products, ingredients, and skin care regimens will allow learners to create their own skin care program and products.

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Philosophy and Television

This course is designed to explore how philosophical ideas are presented through television. The class should function as a way of connecting people with philosophy in the modern age. Each week the class will discuss a different category of philosophy by connecting a specific concept to a television series. Throughout the course we will analyze the theme of shows, focus on specific episodes, critique cinematography, and reflect upon the importance of symbolism.

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Memeology: history, politics and equality.

" In this course, we will cover the standards, history, politics, techniques, and economic influence that memes have over many different ways of life. Showing the perspectives of gender identity, racial equality, sexual orientation equality, religious equality, being able to speak up against oppression, and find common ground; all through the art and design of Memes. By the end of this course, students will be able to use memes as an act for good, and even create their own memes."

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Cinema in the Personal Computer

Cinema in the Personal Computer is designed to introduce students to new forms of cinema, how audiences interact with it, and how audiences have access to it. In this class, we will be delving into more unconventional forms of cinema, such as video games, and understanding the hardware that is used to present them to an audience. Rather than a set series of images presented in front of an audience, Cinema in the Personal Computer explores cinema in real-time, and how it changes based on our interactions with it. If you have an interest in cinema and computers, this is the class for you.

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Deviant Sexual Methodology: a Kinky Crash Course

"the course will define the basics of kink and BDSM within the context of consent. This course is designed as a corrective to the misnformation spread by the mass media. Learn how to engage in a broad spectrum of BDSM and kinky consensual sex through the description of tools and activities. "

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Prison Industrial Complex: Unpacking the solution

Within the last 30 years families and communities have been affected by what we know as the Prison Industrial Complex. While much has been done to help those inside, a lot is still left to be done for those who have been released back into their community. Successful integration is a matter of public health and essential to build up a community for the better. This class will help those who have been affected by the Criminal Justice system and their allies search for what is needed to ensure their success in today's society.

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Multidisciplinary Global Problem-Solving Activism

Rise up and change the world for the better! The world as we know it faces problems that are unprecedented in their intersectionality. So too must the the future leaders of the world embrace intersectionality to solve these problems. A multidisciplinary, collaborative approach that draws on the strengths of the diversity within our society is necessary to generate responsible solutions to the multi-faceted issues of today. Areas of study include, but are not limited to climate change, cybersecurity, political tribalism, and public health

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P.O.C: Poets of Color

This class will focus on people of color in literature, specifically poetry. Students will read poetry written by people of color and queers and will learn about those poets' lives. Students will also enhance their ability to analyze poetry so they can explore their own writing and thoughts. We will look at Li-Young Lee; Nayirrah Waheed; Toni Morrison; Cherrie Moraga; Naomi Shibab Nye; Chen Chen; Sandra Cisneros and many more.

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Feminist Thought: Cinematic Culture

The course will be run in two parts, the first being a foundation in feminist philosophy, reading and discussing articles. The second will be applying those frame works to various films and television episodes, chosen by the group.

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The Discipline of Creativity

This course explores the question, why be creative? What have you always wanted to do? We will explore the creative process through life-coaching methods. In order to be creative one has to to engage the healing aspects of self, positive habit reinforcement and risk-taking to transcend societal expectations. Creativity is inherently subversive. Workshops and personal projects will be actively integrated and supported during the semester. There will be some suggested readings and small questionnaire like assignments as well as personal project work.

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SFSU's 1968 Strike

The course will explore the causes, the chronology and impact of the five month student strike that resulted in the creation of the first and only College of Ethnic Studies in the United States. We examine how the CoES has developed in the last fifty years and where we think it might go in the next fifty years. We will rely heavily on the Strike Veterans who will be guest speakers and student research.

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California's Early Care and Education System

The course will examine how SF can move from a patchwork of disconnected programs to a more unified ECE system, how we can increase the availability of high-quality, full day ECE programs that meet the needs of children and families, how we can continue to improve the quality of early education, and how we can better collect data from programs and families. We will combat the discrepancies among educators’ knowledge of the way education works from a governmental standpoint and how to utilize various resources provided by the city. Another aspect of the course will be professional development.

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Philosophy of Anime

This course is designed to analyze how anime is produced and what educational, moral, and philosophical themes are presented. The class is divided by main themes in philosophy, with different shows and films that connect to each theme. It is a discussion based course. We will be addressing fundamental and specific topics of philosophy–from metaphysics to consequentialism. This class is aimed towards beginners in philosophy but all are welcome to participate.

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Mental Illness: changing perceptions

Many mental health professionals lack personal experience with mental health, which undermines their ability to be effective. This course will explore the importance of sharing information about mental illness and learning about how to treat and interact with people who have a mental illness so as to ultimately change the standard of care that the mentally ill receive in this country.

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Fighting Ageism

We will define what ageism is, point out ageism in a variety of settings including clinical settings and the workplace, and identify ways in which we can fight against it.

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Revolutionary Ideologies

The course will consist of a chronological review of ideologies that have changed the sphere of politics and society. Along with those ideologies will be an analysis of the people who created, promoted and controlled these ideas and movements

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Existentialism and Eastern Philosophy & Literature

We will use different mediums of art, mainly literature, to examine different aspects of Eastern philosophy in order to find spiritual understanding and empowerment in the modern world. I will share how my practice and belief in Taoism has empowered me.

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Heroes: The Value of Fantasy

We will explore the value of the hero's journey through different novels.

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Colonial Legacies of the Pilipino Revolutions

The course will look at the two major political events that greatly shaped Pilipino history and consciousness, the 1896 and the 1986 revolution. The course seeks to revisit "mainstream" historical accounts of the revolutions, their goals and achievements with a critical eye. The course will look at historical accounts by William Henry Scott, Ambeth Ocampo, and more radical thinkers such as Walden Bello, and literature depicting Pilipino society. More materials can be decided upon later. Students are free to suggest materials to facilitate learning.

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A Examination of Household Appliances

To deeply delve into the importance and utilization of household appliances, ranging from aesthetic to employable purposes. The purpose of which is to see how academically rigorous and analytical we can get into a rather mundane subject. A deep and extensive investigation into the technicality, design, and utility of household appliances since time immemorial. By deeply analyzing and rigorously interrogating household appliances we hope to lampoon modern academic thinking and critically satirize modern pedagogical norms.

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Understanding Collective Liberation Movements

We will about topics ranging from the history of racialization in the US, Abolitionism, Anti-fascism, Capitalism, White supremacy, and Collective Liberation and Solidarity. Join us for discussions regarding the historical struggle against white supremacy, zionism, and Fascism and how they manifest in our modern age. We will discuss movements both national and international, what collective liberation and joint struggle mean through an Anti-zionist Jewish lens.

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Marlinspike: Splices and Knots

This is a class about the splices and knots used in shipwork and their practical applications. Students will learn how to splice a rope into a back splice, eye splice, short splice, long splice, and a dyneema loop, and how to tie several knots including bowline, cleat hitch, timber hitch, sheet's end, barrel hitch and monkey's fist.

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Midnight Cinema

In Other Cinema I would be presenting films that would be considered weird. Most of the films would be categoriezed under the Avant-garde category. While some of the films are hard to watch(content) they do serve a major purpose in the cinema world. We will watch the films and look into the influences they have had on culture and how things have changed after the films initial release. The class is targeted to: cinema students who don't know a whole lot about these "Underground films" or students who are just a fan of good weird films in general. some films we will look at: The Holy Mountain; Tetsuo the Iron Man; Eraserhead; Akira

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Teaching Through Superheroes

To teach elements history, philosophy, social science, theory, and other academic ideas while using superheroes. There will be Socratic circles, journals and other academic forms of expressions.

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Philosophy of Marvel Comic Universe

I want to inspire and open minds; to see and experience (MCU) movies with a deeper understanding; and be curious as to why this (type of storytelling/ART(?)) is interesting to them.

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