Departments/Programs

The College of Liberal Arts is organized into 12 different areas of interest. Learn more about the degrees and certificates offered in each department or program.

1. Anthropology and Ethnic Studies Anthropology focuses on the spectrum of the human experience - past and present. An anthropology degree balances practical, applied, and theoretical research within liberal arts, as well as interdisciplinary education.
2. English The English department offers a variety of courses in literature, language and writing. Our majors explore literature as an artistic medium from both theoretical and historical perspectives, in the process honing students' analytical and writing skills.
3. English Language Center The English Language Center (ELC) provides language instruction for international and domestic students whose first language is not English. The courses serve to improve both spoken and written English so that students may move swiftly into their major courses of study.
4. Foreign Languages With its emphasis on linguistic, cultural and critical skills, the foreign language curriculum provides students the essential skills needed to understand other cultures and to pursue careers in an increasingly global environment.
5. Great Works Academic Certificate The Great Works Academic Certificate (GWAC) encourages students to encounter the great works of philosophy, politics, literature, history, and the sciences in order to enrich their liberal education and their future lives.
6. History The history department's curriculum embraces the panorama of the past while also helping students to fulfill their constitutions, humanities, multicultural, and international requirements.
7. Interdisciplinary Degree Programs The Interdisciplinary Degree Programs allow students to create degree programs from courses across disciplinary boundaries, including cultural studies, linguistic studies, Asian studies, Latin American studies, multi-disciplinary studies in forensic science, and social science studies.
8. Philosophy The philosophy department offers its majors a balanced curriculum of courses in the history of philosophy and in the most recent philosophical theories.
9. Political Science Faculty in the political science department cover a broad range of specialties including American politics, public policy, public law, political theory, comparative politics, and international politics.
10. Psychology The psychology department provides a broad foundation in psychology, with further specialty courses and opportunities for undergraduates to be involved in research and various applied settings. The curriculum meets the needs of students intending to pursue advanced training in psychology, education, medicine, or related fields.
11. Sociology The sociology department teaches courses that concern human behavior, social life and social change. Many topics are examined, including marriage and family, religion, crime and delinquency, deviance, work and occupations, leisure and sports, economic inequalities, race and ethnic relations, and gender.
12. Women's Studies The mission of women's studies is to study women and gender in order to correct institutional devaluation, denial, and neglect of these subjects. Women's studies rely on interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary analysis, as well as drawing upon feminist work in numerous disciplines.