Master of Arts in Sociology - General Sociology Option

at California State University, Dominguez Hills - Carson Campus USA

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 Social Work (MSW) program at California State University, Dominguez Hills is intentionally designed to address the diverse social service needs, issues and problems particular to a large metropolitan area such as Los Angeles County. Building on the diversity of the various ethnic groups and cultures residing in the area, the program will prepare social work students for contextually competent social work practice, inclusive of the issues of culture, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, class, sexual orientation and gender. The effects of bias, prejudice and institutionalized racism are examined so that students understand how these issues can affect social work practice, policy development and program implementation. Students learn a variety of perspectives and ways of identifying strategies and interventions for addressing these concerns and other problems in social work practice with individuals, families and communities.

The Department of Social Work promotes a psychosocial, ecological and cross-cultural approach to social work practice with Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality serving as the theoretical framework for contextually competent practice. The curriculum is developed and organized as a coherent and integrated whole consistent with program goals and objectives. California State University, Dominguez Hills offers one concentration: Social Work Practice in Communities (SWPC) and three specializations that students can choose from: Children, Youth and Families, Community Mental Health and Community Capacity Building.

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 Theatre Arts Option offers courses in the field of acting and directing, design and technical theatre, theatre history, dramatic literature, multicultural children's theatre, speech, and drama for the classroom. The Dance Option offers courses in the fields of ballet, modern, jazz, and tap; dances of world cultures to include Hip Hop, Ballroom, Middle Eastern Dance, African Dance, and Latin Social Dance; choreography; dance history; and dance production. Course requirements for theatre and dance in the major and minor programs provide for flexibility and allow students considerable choice in planning their academic careers.

The Theatre and Dance Programs prepare students in all areas of theatre (Performance, Design/Tech, and Literature/History) and dance (Performance, Choreography, and Technique). Our program is multi-cultural and multi-ethnic by nature and offers a wide range of dance styles and theatre techniques to explore. The Theatre Performance Minor focuses on acting and directing, while the Theatre Education Minor doubles as both a general program and preparation for future teachers. The Dance Minor focuses on dance technique, choreography, and performance.

Students and faculty often collaborate with other departments including: Art, Music, Digital Media, English and Humanities.

Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) is a broad-based, liberal arts and sciences major that focuses on developing exemplary skills in written and oral communication, textual analysis, critical thinking, research methods, and the ability to bring a wide range of resources to bear in approaching complex problems. Because it combines knowledge systems across the meta-disciplines of the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences, an IDS major is great preparation for both the workplace and for entry into graduate or professional schools. IDS is part of a national network of Programs for Accelerated College Education (PACE) that are designed for working, adult students who want to earn a bachelor’s degree in a reasonable period of time while they maintain a full-time job. While all admitted students are welcome, IDS/PACE students are primarily transfers who enter CSUDH with 60 units and junior-class standing.

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.

n 1977, the Labor Studies program was developed at CSU Dominguez Hills to provide Southern California with the only state-supported bachelor of arts program in this field. Our program was designed with the assistance of state and local labor leaders and was coordinated with Labor Studies programs at nearby community colleges. Labor Studies focuses upon all aspects of working life from the point of view of workers. Emphasis is placed on understanding the labor movement as it relates to historical, economic, and social issues of the twenty-first century. The Labor Studies program offers a major, a minor, and a certificate program.

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 Philosophy department offers a major and a minor in Philosophy and a minor in Religious Studies. The program provides a strong foundation in the history of Western thought and deals with a variety of ongoing philosophical and religious issues, tracing them from their origins in early Greek and other historical sources to current theories and disputes. The department offers a variety of courses in contemporary philosophy, including phenomenology and applied ethics. The department recognizes the importance of cultural diversity and through its course offerings addresses multicultural concerns.

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.

As a major, English offers a varied and soundly-based program that unifies the study of composition, language, and literature.

It prepares the student for a career in business, communications media, teaching, and for advanced study in graduate and professional schools. It is truly a versatile major.

Our programs seek to develop skills applicable not only to all professional disciplines but also to significant tasks of life: the ability to read perceptively, write effectively, and think critically. The senior seminar, English 490: Seminar in Literature, offers an integrative experience in which students work not only toward the fullest development of their skills as readers, writers, and thinkers but also toward their development as professional scholars.