Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Womens Studies

at Shorelight Group - University of Illinois at Chicago USA

Philosophy (from the Greek “love of wisdom”) originated as the search for understanding concerning the most basic features of reality, the natural world, and human life. The discipline prizes and develops the skill of engaging effectively with arguments on a tremendous range of subjects. In ancient times, philosophers pioneered the study of topics from the physical cosmos to the gods to human conduct. They debated not only the character of fundamental reality but also questions of how we can attain knowledge of it. To this day, philosophy engages with questions drawn from every part of our life and experience. For example: Is there such a thing as a purely objective observation? Am I identical with my brain? Is it ever permissible to break the law? Why is there evil in the world? Is death to be feared, and why?

Job candidates and applicants to professional schools can only be helped by being able to examine both sides of a question, think critically, write cogently, and solve very general abstract problems. Moreover, the powers of reflection, imagination, self-expression, and engagement with the ideas of others that philosophy cultivates are in themselves of fundamental value for human life.

Biological Sciences majors study living systems. Students and faculty pursue diverse programs of study, including, but not limited to, biochemistry, animal behavior, cell biology, development, ecology, environmental sciences, evolution, genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, paleontology, plant biology, physiology (cellular, organismal, and environmental), population biology, and urban ecology. Students completing a baccalaureate degree in Biological Sciences are prepared for a wide range of careers, including jobs in a variety of health professions, the veterinary or pharmaceutical sciences, public or private research, education, regulatory policy, conservation and wildlife biology, environmental professions, and agriculture.

The Department of Biological Sciences offers a program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a Major in Biological Sciences.

The Department of Anthropology at UIC is committed to cultivating responsible, global citizens. Programs are available in Anthropology and Geography, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Students majoring in Anthropology are given the opportunity to pursue interests with our faculty all over the world and to work closer with the curators, collections, and facilities at The Field Museum in Chicago. Courses and training are offered in archaeology, biological anthropology and sociocultural anthropology.

The Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry is awarded by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to students who successfully complete this curriculum. It is a joint program of the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Chemistry. It is intended for students planning advanced study in biochemistry or molecular biology, who wish to pursue a medical degree, or who will be seeking employment and careers in biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, or related fields. Students may be advised through the LAS advisors in the Department of Chemistry.

The Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience is awarded by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to students who successfully complete the curriculum. It is a joint program sponsored by the Departments of Biological Sciences and Psychology with the support of Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience (LIN) faculty from the Departments of Chemistry and Philosophy. Students are advised by the Department of Biological Sciences.

The Department of Communication highlights the role of communication, media, and technology in creating relationships within human societies. Courses range from the personal through the international level and build responsible citizenship.

A degree in communication focuses on social science research, leading to several career paths, including market research, corporate relations, human resources, event planning, advertising, media writing, teaching, and government.

The core courses introduce fundamental concepts, theories, issues, and statistical methods in a variety of settings and build skills in reasoned argument, research, and critical thinking.

Subsequent courses integrate analysis and research, emphasizing observation, production, and consumption as critical processes in which students continually engage, while also emphasizing systematic inquiry that involves students in research activities. The courses foster critical understanding of the ways that individuals, groups, and societies create meanings about their worlds through communication.

The STEM-designated, MS in Construction Engineering and Management degree is designed to meet the growing demand in the field for highly skilled construction engineering managers. Students learn about a wide range of topics, including construction regulations, quality control, and environmental sustainability.

Political science is the systematic study of politics and its connection to human life as a whole. It focuses on the way people are governed and govern themselves in a wide variety of settings—including the state, the workplace, schools, and the family—and the way in which governance in those settings affects their life chances and shapes their sense of self. Students who elect this major examine, among other things, the relationships between law and political institutions, economic and political power, and culture and political identity. They develop the analytical, interpretive, and critical methods necessary to understand these relationships at local, national, regional, or international levels, and thus, to act as responsible citizens at those levels. They also learn to write well. In short, political science is central to a well-rounded liberal arts education.

Political science also provides excellent preparation for careers in law, government, teaching, journalism, business, and the nonprofit sector.

In addition to the BA with a Major in Political Science program, the department offers two concentrations: the Concentration in Law and Courts and the Concentration in Urban Politics.

The Department of English offers a Major in English and Minor in English, Minor in Professional Writing, and a Major in Teacher Education and Minor in Teacher Education.

The field of English focuses on the study and practice of various forms of writing in English. It includes:

• The study of written works in English—whether by writers from the United States, Britain, former colonies, the Commonwealth nations, or elsewhere—whose aesthetic achievement and cultural significance qualifies them as literature;
• The study of literary criticism and theory, of the relationship between literature and popular culture, and of allied narrative forms such as film, performance, electronic communications, and other new media;
• The study of the English language, its historical development, and its rhetorical dimensions;
• The theory and practice of writing, whether of poetry, fiction, nonfiction prose, or other expository forms;
• The theory and practice of teaching English language and literature, particularly at the secondary level.

Students who major in English develop broad reading and writing skills that make possible both an analytical engagement with, and a critical understanding of, diverse fields of cultural and aesthetic production. The English major offers excellent preparation for careers in writing, editing, publishing, teaching, government, law, and advertising.

Political science is the systematic study of politics and its connection to human life as a whole. It focuses on the way people are governed and govern themselves in a wide variety of settings—including the state, the workplace, schools, and the family—and the way in which governance in those settings affects their life chances and shapes their sense of self. Students who elect this major examine, among other things, the relationships between law and political institutions, economic and political power, and culture and political identity. They develop the analytical, interpretive, and critical methods necessary to understand these relationships at local, national, regional, or international levels, and thus, to act as responsible citizens at those levels. They also learn to write well. In short, political science is central to a well-rounded liberal arts education.

Political science also provides excellent preparation for careers in law, government, teaching, journalism, business, and the nonprofit sector.

In addition to the BA with a Major in Political Science program, the department offers two concentrations: the Concentration in Law and Courts and the Concentration in Urban Politics.