Purpose
The Liberal Arts and Sciences division offers several fields of concentration and an opportunity for studying the relationships among the disciplines. It helps students develop the reading, writing, and thinking skills necessary for success in both academic and professional life.
Objectives
The Liberal Arts and Sciences are meant to prepare students to examine the world critically, to understand the consequences of actions, and to appreciate human potential
and the beauty of our world. These classes can lay a foundation for vocational eminence, develop character, and transmit cultural heritage. Successful graduates grow in self- understanding and are able to act effectively in their social world.
The division offers courses to meet the University’s general education requirements, to complete the associate and/or bachelor’s degree programs in liberal arts, or to take a minor, minors, or free electives in Biology, Chemistry, Criminal Justice, Economics, English and Communications, History, Humanities, Islamic Studies, Mathematics, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, or Spanish.
Associate of Arts (AA) Degree in Liberal Arts
Major Area of Concentration:
92 credit hours as follows:
General Education Core
(44 credit hours)
English and Communications
(12 credit hours higher than EN 150)
| EN151 |
Rhetoric and Style |
| EN152 |
Writing from Sources |
| EN166 |
Speech |
Mathematics, Biological, and Physical Sciences (12 credit hours including one mathematics course higher than Math 150 and one biological or physical science course)
Humanities
(4 credit hours)
| HM279 |
East-West Signature Course |
Behavioral and Social Sciences
(8 credit hours)
Computer and Information Science
(8 credit hours)
(May receive credit by examination)
Major Field of Concentration
(40 credit hours)
Concentration: All these courses must be taken from liberal arts and sciences.
| HM280 |
Research in the Liberal Arts |
Free Electives
(8 credit hours)
The Bachelor of Arts degree program in Behavioral Sciences (BHS) consists of those disciplines which primarily focus on the behavior of human beings as individuals and as members of the society. These disciplines include the entire range of academic study of the human behavior, societal and institutional functioning, social structures, and relational impacts. The BHS disciplines include anthropology, criminal justice, economics, foreign languages, history, Islamic studies, political science, psychology, sociology, and social work. Students opting to select this program are encouraged to take a broad and interdisciplinary approach to the academic study of Behavioral Sciences, and may in addition focus on a particular discipline or combination of disciplines.
The program combines applied scientific research with a sound grasp of major theories in the behavioral sciences. Students will obtain the technical ability and theoretical comprehension to recognize, articulate, and assess
- artistic, social, and scientific contributions of many different cultures and peoples implications of the comprehensive global interconnectedness and interdependence of all forms of life as specifically related
- to humankind
- key assumptions of diverse sociopolitical, historical, and psychological theories, critical functions and importance of science and technology in social
- and human development, and the needs and aspirations of human
- beings which contribute to the basis of all socio-economic, political and cultural activities.
Upon completion of the program students will be in a position to contribute proactively toward a positive solution to contemporary and future- oriented challenges resulting from all forms of globalization and all levels of global interdependence.
Generically structured, the program provides options for students to assist them in the preparation for graduate studies and/or professional careers in the fields of criminal justice, political science, history, law, psychology, sociology, social work, international relations, government, public relations, urban and social planning, human resource management, and related areas.
Specific career positions for graduates include: Career counseling
- Child welfare administration
- Probation/parole officer positions Government and foreign service Research and evaluation
- Public relations
- Human services case work
- Personnel analyst
- Human resource specialist.
To complete the program students are required to earn 64 credit hours of general education core, 60 credit hours of the program core courses specified as CI213; EC201or EC 202; HS326; MT221; PL310; PL 311; PL381; PS 311; SC322; SC335; one of PS310 or PS321 or PS341; one of SC 333 or SC 363 or SC 384; two BHS courses above the 100 level; two BHS courses above the 200 level; and 56 credit hours of free electives for a total of at least 180 credit hours. Among the 56 credit hours of free electives, students are encouraged but not required, to select at least one area of focused interest, as determined by the educational goals and objectives of the student, from the following:
- African-American Studies
- Criminal Justice
- International Relations
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Sociology
Students pursuing professional careers in the human services area are encouraged to take courses in the division of Business Administration, Computer and Information Science, Electronics Engineering Technology, or any of the Liberal Arts and Science areas. All students are also encouraged to take a sequence of three courses in a foreign language. These courses will be counted in the free electives category.
A: General Education Core Courses
(64 Credit hours)
B: Behavioral Sciences Major Courses
(60 Credit hours)
One of PS310 or PS321 or PS341:
Urban Psychology, Social Psychology or Theories of Personality. One of SC333 or SC363 or SC384: Social Problem Solving, The Family, or Society and Culture. One
200/300/400 level course in CJ, HS, PL, PS, or SC. One 300/400 level course in CJ, HS, PL, PS, or SC.
C: Free Electives (56 credit hours)
Suggested areas of focused interest in the BHS program, with a recommended sequence of courses, include:
African–American Studies
| EN341 |
African-American Literature |
| HS231 |
African History |
| HS336 |
African-American History |
| PL313 |
Politics of American Minorities |
| PS203 |
Psychology of the African-American Experience |
International Relations
| PS330 |
Abnormal Psychology |
| PS346 |
Motivation |
| PS350 |
Physiological Psychology |
| PS410 |
Experimental Psychology |
| PS412 |
Psychological Testing |
Psychology
| SC313 |
Environment of the Community |
| SC320 |
Introduction to Social Work |
| SC424 |
Issues in Welfare |
| SC430 |
Social Work Practice I |
| SC431 |
Social Work Practice II |
Social Work
| SC301 |
History of Sociological Thought |
| SC311 |
Population and Human Ecology |
| SC312 |
Human Relations |
| SC313 |
Environment of the Community |
| SC363 |
The Family |
| SC384 |
Society and Culture |
Sociology
Students who opt not to select one of these focused areas of interest must still complete the general education requirements (64 quarter hours), the BHS major courses (60 quarter hours); and an additional 56 quarter hours for a total of 180 credit hours.
English and Communications
The Bachelor of Arts degree program in English and Communications provides students with skills in reading closely and writing clearly and expressively. The program offers courses in the literature of the world and communication in a variety of genera and media. In the introductory courses students learn to listen carefully, to read perceptively, to write professionally, and to speak confidently. In advanced courses, students learn to see the design of what they read and to design what they write thoughtfully, to see the possibilities of various genres, to understand how history and culture affect communication, to develop a sense of literary and film history and genres, to shape arguments to needs and audiences, and to appreciate the differing values in visions of human existence.
Students will develop analytic and interpretive skills. They are encouraged to see the world through the eyes of other people, other cultures, and other time periods and to compare those responses to their own responses to the world. They will be able to interpret and create rational and persuasive arguments for a variety of audiences in a variety of styles. Finally they will be able to design and present documents in print and other media. By the time they finish their Bachelor’s degree program students will have mastered the following skills:
- They will be able to analyze expository and persuasive texts; identify thesis, premises, logic, and implications; and evaluate the quality of the rhetoric and evidence.
- They will be able to construct and deliver an argument both in oral and written form.
- They will be able to support arguments with credible, recent, and authoritative academic sources and cite the sources appropriately.
- They will be able to analyze the generic features of texts.
- They will be able to relate texts to their historical and cultural contexts.
- They will be able to analyze the ideological implications of texts.
- They will be able to analyze constraints on language.
- They will be able to analyze and apply communication theory in professional and personal contacts.
A background in English and Communications prepares students for a number of challenging and rewarding fields including careers in
- Graduate study in language, literature, communication theory, journalism, management, and teaching
- The law
- Teaching professions
- Editing, journalism, public relations, technical writing, and copywriting for advertising agencies
- Poetry, fiction, and drama.
Students who wish to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Communications must take EN260 and six other courses in English at the 100-200 level, EN301 and seven other courses at the 300-400-level (60 credit hours).
Mathematics
The Bachelor of Arts degree program in Mathematics is designed to provide students with the mathematical skills that can be used in many careers, as well as in everyday life. Mathematics plays a dual role of academic discipline on its own, and serves as the basic language for all sciences. Certain skills learned in the program will prepare students to apply mathematics to real-life situations, while other skills will provide a solid base for statistical research. Upon completion of the program, a student will be well rounded enough to be able to choose either a career in industry or further studies in academia. The aim of the Mathematics department is to prepare students to move into jobs for the future.
The discipline of mathematics offers a variety of programs in pure and applied mathematics to meet the needs of students in different academic and career areas. Program options include:
Specialized classes in Math that will prepare students who major in other disciplines to increase their effectiveness in their own particular fields.
An Associate of Arts degree program in which a general liberal arts education can be combined with a solid background in Mathematics.
A Bachelor of Arts degree program in Mathematics, which prepares the student for a math- related career.
Jobs in Mathematics
- Mathematical training is an excellent qualification for jobs in areas such as:
- Architecture
- Actuarial work
- Banking and tax analysis Computer engineering Consulting
- Government agencies Investment analysis Management and marketing Material and inventory control Math teacher/education
- Stocks and commodities trading.
