Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies - English Literature Option

at California State University, Dominguez Hills - Carson Campus USA

The Spanish Language has become an important global language and those who hold a degree in Spanish is of invaluable asset in California, across the country and the world. Over 534 million people worldwide speak Spanish as a first and second language. More than 41 million people in the U.S. speak Spanish. The US Census Bureau reports that the population of Latino origin is expected to jump to 119 million by 2060. Moreover, the employment opportunities for Spanish majors continue to grow with both the passage of Proposition 58, which removes restrictions on bilingual education programs for California, and with the Global California 2030 Initiative that calls for the expansion of the teaching and learning of world languages and the number of in more than one language over the next 12 years.

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 department offers an established graduate program leading to the Master of Arts in Sociology. The program is designed to provide all students with a strong foundation in sociological theory and research methodology. The graduate program is designed to allow for a substantial degree of student choice. Students may choose a macro- or micro-based program of study and select from several areas for further specialization or experience. These areas include, but are not restricted to, such concentrations as social research and computer applications; sociology of education; community and clinical sociology; law and society; criminology and deviance; and general sociology. Students are expected to select a major advisor who can best facilitate their specific interests in the program. Finally, students may choose one of the following options to complete their program of graduate study: comprehensive exam, thematic project or thesis. Students with an interest in teaching and administrative applications of the degree are encouraged to complete via examination. Those with research interests or who may wish to pursue advanced graduate study toward a doctoral degree are encouraged to opt for the thesis or thematic project options.

The Department of Sociology has an established record of success in graduate education. Many of the department's graduates have found careers in research, teaching and a wide range of other fields. Special emphasis is placed on practical and policy-relevant research participation by graduate students in the Urban Community Research Center. Students are encouraged to take an active role in the department, the discipline and the wider community. Students may apprentice in one or more of the many advanced forms of social scientific research, including evaluation research, social impact analysis, ethnographic field research, etc. Students who wish to pursue advanced study beyond the M.A. degree may elect to take additional work necessary to acquire the Graduate Certificate in Social Research.

The Department of Art and Design programs at California State University, Dominguez Hills are characterized by a unique and close correlation among the Art History, Studio Art, and Design Options, and by a strong coordination among the different studio areas. These Options introduce students to potential careers in the art world as well as providing personal fulfillment through creative and scholarly endeavors. Although a minor is not required, those who foresee a career in art are encouraged to complete a minor in the Department of Art and Design.

The Studio Art Option offers students a solid background in both traditional and contemporary media in closely supervised small classes.

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 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.

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.

The program leading to the Master of Arts Degree in English is a 30-semester-unit curriculum. Opportunities for emphasis in Teaching English as a Second Language exist in a flexible curriculum.

Within the graduate program leading to the Master of Arts, students may choose to complete a concentration in either the Teaching of English as a Second Language (TESL) or Rhetoric and Composition. Graduate students also may elect to do all of their work in the study of literature. The program is designed carefully to offer both breadth and depth and will give students a solid understanding of their discipline.

The Master of Arts in English Option in the Teaching of English as a Second Language (TESL) is a 30-unit program of study designed for graduate students planning careers in TESL/TEFL at the secondary school or college level in this country or abroad. This program combines upper-division and graduate-level coursework in English and linguistics.

The Department of Anthropology offers undergraduate students course work in the five anthropological subdisciplines: ethnology, archaeology, biological anthropology, applied anthropology and anthropological linguistics. In addition, courses focus on contemporary disciplinary research, area studies and societal applications of anthropological knowledge.

The major concentration in Archaeology is designed to provide the undergraduate student with a strong background in general anthropology, archaeology and cultural preservation. It stresses anthropological theory, archaeological methodology, field research, data collection, area studies and applications of the field to cultural resource management. In the face of rapid population expansion and increased development, public concern has grown to protect the quickly diminishing cultural resources related to our ancestral and traditional heritage. In addition to the concentration, the department offers a certificate in Cultural Resource Management to those students who complete the program and demonstrate competence in applied aspects of the field.

The Biology Program at CSU Dominguez Hills is designed to provide students with intensive, progressive and balanced learning experiences in cell and molecular biology, organismal biology, population and community biology, and environmental science.