| UCLA Extension

Probability

EC ENGR 131A Probability. (Instructor: Prof. L. Dolecek) introduction to basic concepts of probability, including random variables and vectors, distributions and densities, moments, characteristic functions, and limit theorems. Applications to communication, control, and signal processing. Introduction to computer simulation and generation of random events. Letter grading.

Writing for Public Speaking

Course for PEP students only. Outside enrollment not allowed.

Digging Up the Past: Finding out about past ecosystems

We've all seen the skeletons of dinosaurs and other fossil organisms in museums, although most people don't go beyond gaping at their size. Paleontologists can actually use information from those bones, and other lines of evidence, to find out about how these animals lived - how they moved, what they ate, even how they breathed. They can also make inferences about the environments of these animals - what was the vegetation, how much water was there, what was the temperature. And while this information is interesting in its own right by telling us something about our Earth's past, it can also be used to tell us something about how our world will change in the future in light of current climate change. Find out how we get this information, what we do with it, and the work of paleontologists in this xOPEN course.

The Play's the Thing

Great theater has the power to both entertain and inspire. At its best, a play can inform and even transform lives. This course features spectacle theater from Greek origins to today's socially relevant musicals, the work of our best playwrights, plays about famous people, and a focus on the actors' craft. Short scenes from staged plays on video, as well as actors performing live scenes and monologues via Zoom will be presented and discussed. We explore what engages us, makes us laugh, what touches our hearts, and what helps us live richer lives in tough times.

Brain Made Simple: Neuroscience for the 21st Century

General overview and introduction to the most exciting and fundamental topics encompassing the field of neuroscience. This course examines the basic physiology of the brain and nervous system and the revolutionary developments now affecting our understanding of the brain. Transferable for UC credit.

Food Studies Graduate Certificate Colloquium

Food is complex subject given that production, procurement, preparation, consumption, and exchange of edible matter is biologically vital to human growth, development, and function and critical to many aspects of society and culture. Food studies is growing cross-disciplinary field of research, teaching, and advocacy that encompasses and draws from cultural anthropology and geography, food law and policy, urban planning, sociology, literature, history, public health, nutrition, environmental science, molecular and cell biology, science and technology studies (STS), agronomy, and other disciplines. Survey of some of these wide-ranging topics and disciplines that define food studies.

Introduction to Earth Science

Elements of Earth science; study of Earth materials; nature and interpretation of geologic evidence; study of geologic processes; historical aspects of geology. Transferrable for UC Credit.

Critical Reading and Writing

This introduction to literary analysis includes close reading and carefully written exposition of selections from one or more of the principal modes of literature: poetry, prose, fiction, and drama. This course looks at twentieth-century American short stories set in diverse regional, ethnic, gendered, and imagined communities. These are stories that speak to America's reality, sometimes puzzling, often frightening, more often than not just plain hilarious. This course also looks at short philosophical essays published in the eighteenth-century by perhaps the greatest English essayist, Samuel Johnson: his brief and pointed comments on social life and human experience provide just the opportunity to read broad and true observations of human nature expressed in prose of a very high stylistic and conceptual order. Transferable for UC credit.

Sustainability Internship

The internship provides students with a unique experiential learning opportunity related to environmental sustainability. The internship site is selected by the eligible student from among a variety of related disciplines, allowing the student to create a distinctive independent learning experience. The purpose is to apply the material learned in formal Sustainability Certificate academic courses to a workplace setting, acquiring valuable job skills. Students gain hands-on experience by working on real industry problems/projects in the private or public sector or in a nonprofit organization. Students intern for a minimum of 120 working hours. Throughout the internship, students communicate and work alongside an Extension instructor who helps guide them through the process. Students are required to complete a final report of their experience once they complete the internship.

Sustainable Food and Agriculture

This course examines the concepts, practices, and policies of sustainable food and agriculture. Students begin by surveying the environmental, economic, and social foundations of the field in the U.S. and globally. Topics include a systems approach to sustainable agriculture; the relationship of farming to water, energy, air, and soil; field crops and animal production practices in sustainable agriculture; sustainable horticulture; organic agriculture; sustainable seafood and aquaculture; economic, social, and political context of sustainable food and agriculture; and sustainability in the culinary arts. The course also considers the impacts of agricultural industrialization and potential opportunities for the future of sustainable agriculture, including identifying practical tools, measuring performance, and reviewing best practices. Guest speakers and field trips are scheduled in the public and private sectors.

Food Justice

This online course examines food justice from diverse theoretical, applied and ethical perspectives (e.g., socioeconomic class, race and ethnicity, culture, access and equity, law, economy, ecology, sovereignty, health, and wellbeing). We survey food justice organizations and initiatives working to create and maintain healthy and sustainable food systems locally, regionally and globally. The course explores the contemporary food system by examining food production, distribution, and consumption and their impacts on the quality of life of food producers, workers and consumers. The course provides a framework for understanding and addressing issues of food justice, specifically the role of policy and politics in determining what we eat, who experiences the costs and benefits of contemporary/industrial food systems, and how we can build equity and sustainability for our food system. Upon completion of the course, students will have a working understanding of established and emerging approaches to the challenges of improving and promoting food justice. Students also gain the practical knowledge needed to advocate effectively for food justice.

Renewable Energy Economics and Policy

This rigorous course provides accelerated exposure to the real-world challenges and opportunities of implementing renewable energy projects. Participants are introduced to fundamental concepts, tools and resources. Students then apply the course concepts in a facilitated learning environment, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to real case studies drawn from industry. Topics include large-scale wind energy projects, distributed solar projects, bioenergy, energy efficiency, clean-tech commercialization and climate change mitigation. Students will assess policy questions, evaluate economic opportunities and develop meaningful recommendations regarding the case studies. After successfully completing this course, participants will be better equipped to evaluate policy alternatives, participate in public stakeholder processes, and make critical organizational decisions related to renewable energy. There are no prerequisites for this course. Internet access is required to access course materials, participate in discussion forums and submit course requirements.

Creative Drawing Workshop

This course introduces students to a variety of methods of expression through drawing, from fundamental techniques to "Marathon Drawing" (developed at the New York studio school). Students use charcoals, pencils, pastel, and wet media to work from still life, photos, and imagination. Representation through abstraction is covered, as well as working with different paper surfaces. Students are encouraged to create a small body of work.

Introductory Psychology

This introductory course provides an overview of the vast and fascinating field of psychology. General introduction includes topics in cognitive, experimental, personality, developmental, social and clinical psychology; six hours of psychological research required. Transferable for UC credit.

Happiness: Theory, Research and Application in Positive Psychology

What makes human beings flourish? In this course, we will examine, discuss, and apply theories and research within the field of positive psychology. Lectures, readings, papers and in-class exercises are based on the scientific discoveries, philosophical questions, historical perspectives and practices of well-being. Topics include: biological and physiological determinants of happiness, how happiness is measured, roles of human neuroanatomical structures in well-being, human character strengths and virtues, positive emotions, meaning and engagement, relationships, accomplishment, resilience, pleasure vs. long-term happiness, bi-directional relationship between physical health and positive affect, roles of evolution and motivation in happiness, and whether or not the pursuit of happiness is a practical endeavor and moral obligation.

Ultimate Character Creation

Having a great story is crucial, but the key to selling your screenplay is character. You must have great characters. In this class, you learn how to create dynamic, exciting characters that audiences will love and actors will be dying to play (the real secret to selling and getting your screenplay made!). In this course, you analyze great movie characters, focusing on key scenes that make us fall in love with a character; examine unlikable characters, villains and supporting characters; also, dive into narrative function, character arc, backstory, psychology and motivation, personality and body language. Step by step, you build your characters through the use of weekly assignments, including exercises, worksheets, and scene writing, giving you the ultimate toolbox for creating truly great characters every time.

Screenwriter's Lab: The New Method

Kemp Powers (playwright and screenwriter, One Night In Miami), Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7 and The Social Network), and Sheila Callaghan (writer and producer, Shameless) are among countless television and film writers who got their start in the theatre and who continue to work in both disciplines. Agents and producers often read plays with the goal of finding a writer who excels at character-driven storytelling—which is at the heart of theatre. In this course, you learn tools to deepen your characters, expand on new plot ideas, and most importantly, find your unique voice as a writer. You first explore the fundamentals of play construction and writing techniques, writing frequently to master the art and craft of playwriting, culminating in a one-act play or one-act of a play. You then learn to apply your new-found skills to your own film or TV script.

Chinese Brush Painting

In Chinese art and culture, a flower is never merely a flower nor scenery merely a place; each has its legends, romantic stories and symbolic spirituality. Take a journey into the world of Chinese Brush Painting in this comprehensive 11-week course which offers an in-depth exploration of its theory, materials, techniques, skills and subjects. Through lectures, demonstrations, discussion and live step-by-step instruction, students learn basic skills and concepts, then build up to more advanced techniques and compositions. Subjects include floral, landscape and animals. Topics include detailed instructions on appropriate use of rice paper, brushes, colors and ink. For beginning to advanced students.

Special Topics: Design Entrepreneurship

Design finds and solves problems. It is at the intersection of art and business, and the successful designer knows how to navigate between the two. Design is a vast field, and successful designers learn to target toward their interest and strengths in order to thrive. In this class, students learn to position themselves, target their portfolios and communications toward select design markets, and learn the business side of design. Topics include freelance best practices, scoping opportunities in the vast market of design, positioning yourself to have a strong voice in targeted markets, and exposure to industry professionals to understand firsthand where the demand is for talent in the design field.

UX and Design Communication Arts Virtual Open House

Join us for a free information session about the Design Communication Arts, User Experience and Visual Arts Programs. Learn about career pathways and creative outlets and meet a few of the people involved with the programs.