Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies - Human Development Option

at California State University, Dominguez Hills - Carson Campus USA

The Chicana/Chicano Studies (CHS) major emphasizes preparation for those interested in teaching; specialists in bilingual and cross-cultural education; majors in other academic fields who wish to include an additional scope in their field; students pursuing advanced degrees (M.A., M.S.W., Ph.D., or J.D.); and those entering a variety of occupations such as business, communications, urban affairs, government, social work, school administration, counseling, criminology, law, foreign services and other related fields.

In addition, the CHS Department sponsors an extensive public programming calendar throughout the academic year, including the annual Chicana and Chicano Studies Department Lecture Series. The CHS Department also co-sponsors the annual campus-wide Día de los Muertos celebration and the annual Dolores Huerta Graduation Celebration. In support of student organizations, Chicana and Chicano Studies faculty members serve as advisors and work closely with the following student organizations: MEChA, Espíritu de Nuestro Futuro, Hermanas Unidas, and Latina/o Greek organizations.

The B.A. in Film & Television Production in the Digital Media Arts Department at CSUDH is a hands-on, professionally-oriented program geared for students who want marketable job skills for careers in film, television, and related media industries. Students write, create, produce, direct, and edit their own film features, television documentaries, music videos, instructional films, television public service announcements (PSA’s), and a variety of client-based projects for nonprofit organizations, community groups, and corporate partners.

The mission of the Film & Television Production degree is to

1. provide an academic program that gives students a solid base in the theory and technology skills required for professional careers in the film and television industry;
2. provide hands-on experience in the basic software and hardware tools utilized in film and television production;
3. provide the opportunity for students to work in teams, applying their producing, directing, writing, editing, and engineering skills to produce a variety of professional-quality film and television products; and
4. develop interpersonal skills and professional demeanor that will enable students to work effectively and cooperatively as team players on collaborative projects in the industry.

The Film & Television Production curriculum emphasizes collaborative teamwork among the students in the Digital Media Arts Department’s three degree programs. For example, Film &Television students will write, produce, film, and edit a television documentary or short movie that our Audio Engineering students then take over to perform the sound design elements of ADR, foley, and sound effects editing, while our Music Technology students compose, arrange, and record original music scores for the film’s soundtrack. Conversely, our Audio and Music Technology students record and produce a band’s song while the Film & Television students film and edit the music video of the song as well as the bonus material such as interviews with the band and behind-the-scenes “making of” footage for the interactive DVD, Blu-ray, or website.

The Film & Television Production degree is geared for students who want to have careers working as professionals in the media industry. These career goals include producer, director, writer, editor, cinematographer, camera operator, audio/video post-production, motion graphics and animation designer, or freelance videographer. With Hollywood just 20 minutes from campus, our students have the opportunity to work for and serve internships at a variety of commercial TV stations, motion picture studios, audio and video post- production houses, and cable networks. There are also internship and employment opportunities for our students in noncommercial media venues such as educational media at schools and colleges and in-house media production at major corporations and community organizations.

Psychology is about people's behavior and about people's experience. Psychologists teach and do research or applied work on subjects relating to the social and behavioral sciences. In order to discover more about behavior, psychologists study both humans and animals. Psychology covers a wide range of topics, from the way our social environment influences us to the inner workings of our bodies. This diversity of topics is reflected in the psychology curriculum.

The Department of Psychology sees its mission as offering a solid foundation in the theories and scientific methods of psychology to diverse and nontraditional students who choose to study Psychology at the undergraduate and graduate level. The department offers courses in aspects of the empirical knowledge base of scientific psychology and applied psychology for psychology majors and graduate students. Furthermore, the department helps meet the needs of those studying other subjects, such as Human Services majors, Liberal Studies majors, people minoring in Psychology, and other individuals. The department sees its mission as offering these educational experiences within a framework which values and encourages diversity. Within this broad mission, the department develops, evaluates, and alters, as needed, a set of specific goals and objectives for the psychology major.

The department publishes its goals and objectives for all Psychology students to review. It also engages in an ongoing Outcomes Assessment program to evaluate its success in achieving these goals and objectives. Psychology majors are required to participate in the Outcomes Assessment program in order to evaluate both the effectiveness of the department and student competencies.

The Department of Africana Studies in the College of Arts and Humanities offers a major and a minor in Africana Studies. Africana Studies is primarily a peoples- and culture-based discipline that investigates Africana peoples’ experiences. These experiences range from earliest human civilizations through the tragic era of enslavement, colonization, uprootment, to the forced migration and displacement of African peoples. The intellectual framework that sets Africana Studies apart from other disciplines is that it explores the subject area from the perspective of Africana peoples’ interests, aspirations, possibilities, and envisioned destinies. The foundation of the discipline rests on an understanding and appreciation of African peoples’ worldview and philosophy of life as the starting point for all Africana intellectual inquiry.  The BA degree and minor program offered by the department emphasize an examination of the theoretical and empirical characteristics of the African world experience from both a contemporary and historical perspective.

The Master's Program in Computer Science is a two-year program in which a student must complete a required core of courses and additional concentration and general computer science elective courses. The curriculum for the Master of Science in Computer Science requires 36 semester credit units, and offers both a thesis option (30 semester credit units of coursework and 6 semester units of a thesis) and a non-thesis option (33 semester credit units of coursework and 3 semester credit units of a project). Students may choose to obtain the degree in Computer Science with specialization in Software Engineering or Distributed Systems and Networking.

The academic program is expected to culminate in a master's thesis or project. During the first semester of the program, the student should choose a major advisor who will assist him or her in the choice of elective courses. The major advisor will chair the student's advisory committee for the thesis. Two additional members of the students graduate advisory committee will need to be selected.

The graduate program can provide a strong background for future study in a doctoral program. It also provides graduate training as preparation for professional applications. Students with a master's degree in computer science are also prepared for a career in teaching and/or research.

A majority of graduate classes are scheduled to accommodate late afternoon and evening students.

The department offers an established graduate program leading to the Master of Arts in Sociology. The program is designed to provide all students with a strong foundation in sociological theory and research methodology. The graduate program is designed to allow for a substantial degree of student choice. Students may choose a macro- or micro-based program of study and select from several areas for further specialization or experience. These areas include, but are not restricted to, such concentrations as social research and computer applications; sociology of education; community and clinical sociology; law and society; criminology and deviance; and general sociology. Students are expected to select a major advisor who can best facilitate their specific interests in the program. Finally, students may choose one of the following options to complete their program of graduate study: comprehensive exam, thematic project or thesis. Students with an interest in teaching and administrative applications of the degree are encouraged to complete via examination. Those with research interests or who may wish to pursue advanced graduate study toward a doctoral degree are encouraged to opt for the thesis or thematic project options.

The Department of Sociology has an established record of success in graduate education. Many of the department's graduates have found careers in research, teaching and a wide range of other fields. Special emphasis is placed on practical and policy-relevant research participation by graduate students in the Urban Community Research Center. Students are encouraged to take an active role in the department, the discipline and the wider community. Students may apprentice in one or more of the many advanced forms of social scientific research, including evaluation research, social impact analysis, ethnographic field research, etc. Students who wish to pursue advanced study beyond the M.A. degree may elect to take additional work necessary to acquire the Graduate Certificate in Social Research.

Health Science offers a variety of programs including a major with different options leading to the Bachelor of Science in Health Science.

The Healthcare Management Option is designed to provide students with a general foundation in the principles and theories of management, the skills needed by frontline or middle level supervisors in a health care unit, an understanding of the organizational structure of the health care system, the financing of health care services in the United States, and knowledge of current health policies at local, state and federal levels.

The Asian-Pacific Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary major and minor in the study of Asian and Pacific Islander cultures, emphasizing a transnational perspective. Concentrations are offered in the major:

• The Asian-Pacific Studies Concentration focuses on Asian-Pacific peoples, societies, and nations from the perspective of their historical, cultural and political experiences from antiquity to the present. It covers ancient civilizations, history, culture, philosophy, religion, politics, economics, and gender and family relations. It also explores the interconnections of Asian Pacific societies with the rest of the world. Though not required, Study Abroad and Asian language classes are highly recommended.

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 Master of Science Program in Biology is a two-year program in which a student must complete a series of both core and elective courses and engage in independent scientific research that culminates in a thesis. This graduate program is designed to be a flexible degree that can help students reach their career goals, whether that be further study in a doctoral program or employment in science education, health sciences or environmental fields.

In the first semester of the program, the student will choose a research mentor who will provide guidance for the thesis research and help the student set their curriculum. Three members of the student's thesis committee, including the research mentor, will need to be selected by the end of the first year of the program.

To accommodate students with other professional commitments, many graduate classes are scheduled in the late afternoon and evening.