Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies with Concentration in Social Sciences

at California State University, Dominguez Hills - Carson Campus USA

Liberal Studies (LBS) is an interdisciplinary undergraduate major for students who intend to become elementary and special education teachers or to pursue related graduate work. Courses leading to the B.A. in Liberal Studies focus on the subject areas taught in elementary schools as well as professional preparation and early fieldwork.

History as an academic and professional discipline continually looks for the best ways to help us understand times, people, and places very different from our own.  It also provides tools to identify and analyze the processes of historical development that have shaped the world we live in today. One cannot understand the present without carefully studying the past.

The CSUDH History Department offers three degree programs: a 45-unit Bachelor of Arts, a 63-unit Bachelor of Arts Education Option, and a minor. Students in both major degree programs complete two lower-division pre-requisite courses in world history before attaining upper-division status.

Psychology is about people's behavior and about people's experience. Psychologists teach and do research or applied work on subjects relating to the social and behavioral sciences. In order to discover more about behavior, psychologists study both humans and animals. Psychology covers a wide range of topics, from the way our social environment influences us to the inner workings of our bodies. This diversity of topics is reflected in the psychology curriculum.

The Department of Psychology sees its mission as offering a solid foundation in the theories and scientific methods of psychology to diverse and nontraditional students who choose to study Psychology at the undergraduate and graduate level. The department offers courses in aspects of the empirical knowledge base of scientific psychology and applied psychology for psychology majors and graduate students. Furthermore, the department helps meet the needs of those studying other subjects, such as Human Services majors, Liberal Studies majors, people minoring in Psychology, and other individuals. The department sees its mission as offering these educational experiences within a framework which values and encourages diversity. Within this broad mission, the department develops, evaluates, and alters, as needed, a set of specific goals and objectives for the psychology major.

The department publishes its goals and objectives for all Psychology students to review. It also engages in an ongoing Outcomes Assessment program to evaluate its success in achieving these goals and objectives. Psychology majors are required to participate in the Outcomes Assessment program in order to evaluate both the effectiveness of the department and student competencies.

The program leading to the Master of Arts Degree in English is a 30-semester-unit curriculum. Opportunities for emphasis in British literature, American literature, rhetoric and composition exist in a flexible curriculum.

The Master of Arts in English prepares students for doctoral degrees or for community college teaching positions. The concentration in rhetoric and composition specifically prepares students to teach composition at the community college level; it also improves the instructional skills of in-service teachers of English in the secondary schools. Many students have discovered that work on both the undergraduate and graduate levels has provided them with the skills that enable them to succeed in business, industry, and the professions.

The emphasis in Rhetoric and Composition is a specially designed program for students who plan to teach writing at the secondary or community college level. Students may be offered the opportunity to gain practical experience by working as tutors in the writing program. Students who choose this emphasis are required to take the "Required Course and "Three additional courses" in Rhetoric and Composition as listed below to satisfy Section F in the Literature Option.

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program, is designed to accomplish two objectives. The first of these is to prepare students for lifelong professional careers in commerce, finance and industry, as well as for management careers in the public and not-for-profit sectors. A second objective is to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to obtain professional, entry level positions in one functional area of the business enterprise, or in some particular field of business.

Computer Technology forms the technological infrastructure of modern commerce. It's the driving force of every industry and permeates everyday life. The ability to combine the power of computing with the management of multimedia information is arguable the key to obtaining ascendancy in any field.

Computer Technology is an ever-evolving, expanding field. The proposed Computer Technology Program will provide students with the background, knowledge and skills they'll need to adapt to the dynamic nature of the marketplace. Program faculty will consist of traditional academics as well as industry professionals in order to provide curricular content that is on the cutting edge of industry trends.

The BACT degree provides a high quality degree program in computer technology that will prepare students for lifelong learning as they pursue professional careers in computer technology and leadership roles in the society in which they serve. It provides our students with a strong foundational base, state-of-the art techniques, methodologies, and tools to specify, design and develop technology-based solutions to complex system problems. This program prepares our students to communicate well, both orally and in wiring, on moral and ethical development, in knowledge of the liberal arts, and on commitment to services to others. CT provides opportunities for students to contribute to the body of knowledge that serves the profession, by engaging in activities which support their interests and are in agreement with the goals and objectives of the College, and the university.

Students who have academic or professional goals that are not easily met by one of the regular degree programs at CSU Dominguez Hills may find that the undergraduate Special Majors program is more suitable to their unique needs and interests. Through these programs, students will integrate studies from two (or more) departments or colleges, either concentrating on each equally or choosing one department or option as the primary emphasis with the other(s) as secondary.

The Geography program is one of two programs housed in the Department of Earth Science and Geography. Geography studies the spatial distribution of features across Earth’s landscape, such as the location of landforms, water bodies, and the organization of climate zones. It also considers the human landscape including how populations are distributed, why they migrate, and the ways they alter natural and urban environments. As a tool to advance these spatial analyses, the Geography program teaches the use of both traditional and computer-based geotechnical skills (geotechniques) such as cartography, remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS).

Geography at CSUDH emphasizes “hands-on” learning, and many department courses feature field trips. The expertise and international focus of the faculty provide opportunities for engaged students to learn about and participate in diverse research projects ranging from treeline studies in alpine environments, mapping river systems in California, or studying the effects of population growth, urbanization, and water scarcity.

The Earth Science major is one of two programs housed in the Department of Earth Science and Geography. The Earth Science degree is a cross-disciplinary program that trains students for careers involving earth system science, which broadly includes the physical science behind the interactions of the lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. The Earth Science program also examines the contribution of those systems to natural landscapes and geological hazards, during the modern era and through geological time. Importantly, it also considers the relationship of human populations to these geosystems.

If you are curious about the answers to the following questions, Earth Science might be the right major for you:

• How and when did the Earth form? How has Earth evolved? What is the history of life on Earth? When did the mass extinctions occur, and what caused them?
• What is plate tectonics, and how do tectonic plates interact? How do mountains form? How, where and why do volcanoes form? What causes earthquakes? Can we predict them? Why or why not? How do tsunamis form?
• What are the different drainage patterns for river systems? How do flowing water and ice sculpt the landscape? How does the generation of hydroelectricity change the characteristics of flowing rivers?
• What is groundwater, why is it important to humans, and what are the implications of groundwater contamination?
• What has Earth’s climate been like in the past? How might climate change in the future? What is the greenhouse effect and ocean acidification? What is the carbon cycle, and why is it important?
• What are the differences between non-renewable, renewable and perpetual natural resources? What is the nature of supply vs. demand in regard to water, petroleum, coal, minerals, and other natural resources? What are the pros and cons of various energy sources including nuclear, solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and carbon-based fuels?

The Master of Arts in Humanities offers broad interdisciplinary exposure to all of the areas of the humanities – history, literature, philosophy, music and art – and the establishment of an integrative perspective among them, with emphasis on their interrelating effects and influences. Students may concentrate in one of the five humanities disciplines or take an interdisciplinary approach to themes that can be traced across the humanities. The degree is offered entirely on an external degree basis. Students can complete all course work and graduate from the program without coming to campus. This kind of master's program is best for students who are unable to attend classes on campus regularly or those who can study independently and prefer an individualized approach to advanced education. Courses are offered in fall, spring and summer trimesters of 14 weeks each.