The Arts and Humanities area of emphasis will examine the cultural activities and artistic expressions of human beings. The courses are designed to develop students’ awareness of the ways in which people throughout the ages and in different cultures have responded to themselves and the world around them in artistic and cultural creation and to develop students’ aesthetic understanding and ability to make value judgments. This emphasis enables the student to take courses that will satisfy lower division major preparation requirements for areas within the fields of Fine Arts, Performing Arts, English, Ethnic Studies, Foreign Languages, Music, Philosophy, Photography, and Theatre Arts.

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to: 

• 1. Communication Competency
  a. Attend to and clearly express ideas in written, spoken, numerical, and artistic forms.
  b. Communicate effectively and logically.
  
• 2. Information Competency
  a. Evaluate multiple sources of information to apply it critically and appropriately
  b. Gather, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize information.
  
• 3. Quantitative Competence
  a. Implement quantitative and qualitative models to make predictions, draw conclusions, and make decisions that are logical and feasible.
  b. Collect, organize, analyze, and process research data in a clear, synthesized format.
  
• 4. Analytic Inquiry Skills
  a. Distinguish the modes of inquiry and critique used in the natural, social, and behavioral sciences and the humanities.
  b. Explain the connections among the various disciplines.
  
• 5. Ethical Reasoning
  a. Apply ethical principles to personal, academic, professional and/or community issues.
  b. Work ethically and effectively with others.
  
• 6. Ability to Engage Diverse Perspectives
  a. Recognize the multitude of diversities in the physical and human environments and how these diversities impact the individual and society.
  b. Recognize the diversity of human experience, the role of the natural environment, and the relationship between the two.
  c. Describe and appreciate the role of culture and the arts in society and in one’s personal life.
  
• 7. Ability to Create
  a. Act purposefully in combining awareness, critical thinking, and communication skills with personal responsibility in order to originate, innovate, or build upon ideas.
  
• 8. Growth Orientation
  a. Apply the skills necessary for successful living in an ever-changing and global environment.
  b. Identify and adopt the concepts of personal health and fitness to enhance the quality of life.