College of Arts and Letters
Founding Dean:
Kandi Turley-Ames, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Fine Arts and Humanities: Randy Earles, D.M.A.
Associate Dean, Social and Behavioral Sciences: Ron
Hatzenbuehler, Ph.D.
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College of Arts and Letters
Programs of study in the College of Arts &
Letters
introduce students to ways of thinking and expression intrinsic to the
arts,
humanities, and social and behavioral sciences. Students
are thereby aided in the development of intellectual
skills and
personal values which serve them in career planning and lifelong
learning. The College is organized into a
Division of
Fine Arts and Humanities and a Division of Social and Behavioral
Sciences.
Curricular
offerings
in the College lead to Associate of Arts,
Bachelor of
Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science,
Master of
Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Public Administration, Master of
Science,
Doctor of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Courses
leading to these degrees provide an
introduction to a variety of academic disciplines and in-depth
specialization
in numerous areas. Degrees from programs
in the College of Arts & Letters may lead directly to employment in
certain
occupations or prepare an individual for more advanced study. Students planning to engage in graduate or
professional training (for example, law or medicine) should pay
particular
attention to the admission requirements of the programs that they plan
to pursue.
Mission
Statement of the College of Arts and Letters
The College of Arts and Letters offers a variety of
academic programs that develop skills in written and oral
communication
and critical thinking while exploring the diversity and scope of
the human
experience with both undergraduate and graduate students. Faculty
in the
College provide instruction and training of superior quality in
the fine
arts, humanities, social sciences, and behavioral sciences
and produce
innovative scholarship that advances knowledge. Through student
and
faculty collaborative endeavors, the College promotes opportunities for
research and creative activities that investigate and enrich our shared
cultural, economic, environmental, health,
political, and social
systems.
General Education Requirements
All Associate and Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor
of Science degree programs include a general education
component
intended to provide a depth of knowledge in liberal studies as a
necessary
background for the specialized knowledge acquired in the discipline in
which
the student majors. Additionally, the
General Education Requirements are intended to assist the student in
developing
the intellectual flexibility necessary for a fulfilling career.
By meeting these requirements, students develop
their critical
thinking skills as well as competency in oral, written, and
mathematical
communication. They also acquire habits
of thought traditionally associated with the well-educated person: the
ability
to analyze and propose solutions to problems; the ability to recognize
and
assess value structures; and the ability to investigate and understand
the
literary and expressive arts. The
General Education Requirements and Goals are detailed in the Academic
Information section of the Catalog.
Transfer Students
Students transferring to Idaho State University who seek a bachelor's
degree in the College of Arts and Letters should refer to the section, Transfer Credits toward General Education
Requirements under "New Transfer Students" in the
Undergraduate Admission section of the catalog.
Major Requirements
In
addition to the General Education component, all Bachelor of Arts
and Bachelor of Science degree programs require a concentration in a
departmental major of at least 24 credits, of which at least 16 credits
must be in courses numbered 3000 and above. The particular course
requirements of the departmental majors in the College of Arts and
Letters are outlined under the department headings in the catalog.
The Teacher Education Program
The College of Arts and Letters shares responsibility with the College
of Education for the Teacher Education Program. Students may fulfill
the requirements of the Teacher Education Program while majoring in a
discipline within the College of Arts and Letters. The Teacher
Education Program admission and completion
requirements are detailed in the College of Education section of
this
catalog.
Pre-Law Advising
The successful attorney is one who understands how changes within
society affect the relationships between and among people. An effective
attorney should have an understanding of human behavior; social,
political and economic change; our ecological systems; and the general
influence of our philosophical, literary, and historical heritage.
Hence, the student with a broad undergraduate preparation and a
developed insight into many facets of life attains the best educational
preparation for the practice of law.
The student who aspires to attend law school should seek the
counsel of one of the Pre-Law Advisors:
Dr. Ronald Hatzenbuehler, History / General Studies
Dr. Bruce Loebs, Communication and Rhetorical Studies
Dr. Angela Narasimhan, Political Science
Dr. Tesa Stegner, Economics
These pre-law advisors will create a pre-law curriculum designed
to accommodate
the student's major and help him/her prepare for the Law School
Admission
Test and a career in accordance with the principles discussed above.
Bachelor of Arts in General Studies
This is a
non-specialist degree program designed to meet the needs of students
interested in broadly-based education in the liberal arts. It provides
greater flexibility and breadth in subject matter than provided by
traditional degree programs. See the Associate Dean for Social and
Behavioral Sciences in the College of Arts and Letters for advising in
this program.
This degree
requires
completion of the following program:
All of the General Education Requirements 37 cr
Upper division courses in the fine arts and
Humanities and/or social and behavioral sciences 20 cr
Upper division credits from programs in the
College of Arts and Letters, College of Business, College
of Education, College of Science and Engineering, or
Division of Health Sciences 20 cr
Electives 43 cr
TOTAL: 120 cr
Associate of Arts in General Studies
This
degree requires completion of the General Education Requirements as
outlined
for the
Bachelor of General Studies degree (above); 3 additional lower
division credits in the arts and humanities; 3 additional lower
division credits in the social and behavioral sciences; 6
additional lower division credits beyond the General Education
Requirements
from the Colleges of Arts and Letters, Business, Education, Science and
Engineering, or the Division of Health Sciences; and elective credits
from
all across the University (please consult the restrictions on
graduation
credits from certain groups, as defined in the Credit
Requirements section of the catalog) to total 64 credit
hours.
