PDF version of this chapterThematic Option
College Academic Services Building 200
(213) 740-2961
(800) 872-2961
Email: rromans@usc.edu
www.usc.edu/thematicoption
Director: Robin Romans, Ph.D.
Thematic Option, the university's general education honors program, is an alternative to the usual ways by which freshmen meet their general education requirements. Its curriculum is arranged around four core courses which focus on the history of Western civilization through the close reading of primary literature and philosophical texts.
The program teaches students to formulate ethical questions, to analyze and understand the reasoning behind views that differ from their own, to recognize the roles that historical, political, and social forces play in matters of personal choice, and to express their views coherently in writing. Thematic Option offerings can be arranged to fit any major; students meet their general education requirements through the Thematic Option program by contract between the program and the Degree Progress Department in Student Administrative Services.
To maintain small classes and allow for extensive discussion, Thematic Option is limited to 180-200 students each year. Students must be highly motivated, with a record of academic achievement. The average Thematic Option student has cumulative SAT scores above 1450 and an A high school GPA. The program is rigorous and requires extensive reading and writing.
Course Requirements
Four required core courses are taken by all students. These courses are CORE 101 Symbols and Conceptual Systems; CORE 102 Culture and Values; CORE 103 The Process of Change in Science; and CORE 104 Change and the Future. Most students seeking a B.A. degree will take CORE 102 and CORE 104 during their first semester of study and CORE 101 and CORE 103 during their second semester. The sequence differs somewhat for students seeking a B.S. degree or other degrees offered outside the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.The core curriculum also includes eight units of writing required of all students. These units satisfy the university's writing requirement. The classes, which are accompanied by individual, bi-weekly tutorials, are offered in small sections and focus on materials taught in the core courses as a basis for teaching writing skills.
The core curriculum is supplemented by two theme courses -- one in the natural sciences and the other in either the humanities or the social sciences -- chosen in consultation with a Thematic Option advisor.
Information about theme courses for Thematic Option and other program offerings can be obtained from advisors in the Thematic Option office.
All students in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences must meet the foreign language skill level requirement. All other students must meet skill level requirements for their respective degrees.
Thematic Option is available to students of all majors. Students subsequently dropping the program may have their completed core courses articulated into appropriate categories of the university's regular general education program. Specific information about which of the various general education categories can be satisfied by Thematic Option core courses is available in the Thematic Option office.
All Thematic Option students are required to seek regular academic advisement from the program advisement staff and from their major advisors.
Thematic Option CORE courses and writing classes are not available for pass/no pass registration.
Descriptions of the Thematic Option CORE courses follow.
Courses of Instruction
Thematic Option (CORE)
The terms indicated are expected but are not guaranteed. For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.
101 Thematic Option Honors Program: Symbols and Conceptual Systems (4, FaSp) Study of the structures through which we shape our experience in religion, philosophy, literature, music, and the visual arts, and of competing theories of interpretation. Students may not take this course on a P/NP basis.
102 Thematic Option Honors Program: Culture and Values (4, Fa) Systematic reasoning about values and ways of living; close reading of major texts within the Western tradition; Biblical and classical through contemporary sources. Students may not take this course on a P/NP basis.
103 Thematic Option Honors Program: The Process of Change in Science (4, FaSp) Critical problems in the development of scientific thought, studied as vehicles for understanding the content and structure of the sciences. Specific subject matter in selected scientific disciplines will be presented. Students may not take this course on a P/NP basis.
104 Thematic Option Honors Program: Change and the Future (4, FaSp) Analysis of historical change; social and political theory and revolutionary thought; introduction to competing images of future states of affairs; the continuing process of change. Students may not take this course on a P/NP basis.
111 Thematic Option Honors Program: Writing Seminar I (4, Fa) Students may not take this course on a P/NP basis.
112 Thematic Option Honors Program: Writing Seminar II (4, Sp) Students may not take this course on a P/NP basis.
195 Summer Seminar (3, Sm) An honors course for high school students in summer residence; each section focuses on a topic in the arts or humanities, social or natural sciences.
495 Senior Seminar (4, max 12, FaSp) Intensive exploration of a selected theme, problem, process, or period. Prerequisite: completion of 4 CORE classes and 8 units of writing.
499 Special Topics (2-4, max 12) Intensive interdisciplinary exploration of a selected theme, problem process, or period.