The mission of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences is to prepare students for lives of critical thinking, cultural awareness, and service. Reflecting the mission of the University, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences offers vigorous educational programs designed to preserve and strengthen the central values of a liberal arts education, while providing specializations geared to today’s career opportunities.
The College is committed to providing students opportunities through courses and programs in the following academic departments: communication; English; history, law and the liberal arts, and gender studies; language and culture; religious studies and philosophy; social, behavioral, and justice sciences; and visual and performing arts.
The College emphasizes the following educational objectives:
- Develop abilities of reading, speaking, writing, and critical thinking
- Enhance creative talents, aesthetic sensibilities, and appreciation for works of literary and artistic excellence
- Gain meaningful insights into the varied realms of human life, including the religious, philosophical and psychological
- Elevate awareness and understanding of moral issues, and heighten a sense of personal and social responsibility
- Develop a deeper and more mature understanding of human behavior, the problems of society, a sense of history, a global awareness and appreciation for cultural/linguistic diversity and a grasp of the institutional workings within society
- Achieve sound preparation for immediate occupational needs or for advanced graduate or professional education
- Cultivate a joy for learning and an excitement for continuing inquiry about themselves, their society, and the global community
The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences coordinates, promotes, and supports the academic areas of fine and applied arts, humanities, language and culture, and social sciences. The College emphasizes exposure to a range of perspectives and a liberating attitude that frees individuals to be open-minded, creative, and inquisitive. The College functions as an integral organizational unit, providing distinct programs and resources that advance the University’s commitment to high quality education and that affect the direction of the institution.