Associate in Arts - Political Science

at Foothill College USA

The General Electrician program consists of a comprehensive course of study necessary for career success as a General Electrician. This program is intended to meet the "whole program status" as required by the Department of Apprenticeship Standards. Graduates will have acquired the knowledge and skills needed to function as general electricians including foundation sciences, mathematics, safety, plan and code reading, as well as necessary job-based skills. Upon completion of required work experience and hours, graduates will be qualified to take the State certification examination and work as electricians. Career opportunities for qualified general electricians in the constructions trades are very diverse. Depending on the student's career interest and courses taken, graduates find employment as General Electricians in commercial, industrial, and residential areas, voice data video technicians, fire/life safety technicians, or non-residential lighting technicians.

The Residential Wireman program is offered in partnership with Santa Clara County Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee. This 3-year apprenticeship program provides students with paid on-the-job training and in-class instruction with no tuition fee. The students will learn how to install and connect electrical systems in homes, condos and apartments, and how to maintain basic electrical and power distribution systems within a residential environment.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students gain hands-on experience as they work on electrical systems and component wiring to include: power distribution systems, electrical panels, wiring, conduit, piping, test equipment, transformers, motors, grounding, over-current protection, security, solar and home automation systems. These specialized skills are acquired through on-the-job training and classroom instruction and lead to employment in the construction and service industry. After five years of classroom and work experience, students who pass the state license exam are recognized as journeypersons in the electrical trades industry.
• Residential Wireman students will be able to identify the tools and the materials used in residential wiring, to calculate values using Ohm's Law in D/C series, parallel and combination circuits, to identify architectural and mechanical symbols on residential drawings, and to read and to analyze blueprints, diagram structured wiring systems.

The Foothill College Veterinary Technology program is an academically challenging two-year, AVMA-accredited course of training that prepares the student for employment as a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT). The program focuses on building competency in essential skills through hands-on training and personal attention to students. Graduates receive an Associate in Science Degree in Veterinary Technology and are then eligible to sit for the Veterinary Technician National Examination to become licensed.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• The student will demonstrate entry-level competency in the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the practice of veterinary technology in a wide range of practice settings.
• The graduates will demonstrate entry-level clinical skills competency in accordance with accreditation requirements.

The Business Administration program has a dual mission (transfer and workforce) in providing students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to prepare for transfer to four-year institutions and to pursue a career or to develop their own businesses.

Students are provided the courses necessary to pursue studies in specialized business fields such as accounting, finance, advertising, marketing, management, banking, and business information systems. All students expecting to work in private or profit organizations or government are strongly urged to include business principles and other business specialized courses as electives.

Additionally, the department offers coursework and activities for increased professional proficiency, career changes, or new employment challenges, as well as for small business development. The Business department's small business entrepreneurship program is currently in redesign mode and will be refocused on the development of curriculum, activities, and community partnerships with the objective to address the "skills gap." Our initial emphasis will be on skill areas in leadership, communication, collaboration, project management, and innovation.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will demonstrate appropriate use of business terms and concepts across a standard breadth of business functions (R&D, Mfg, Sales, Mktg, Ops, IT, Acctg, Finance, etc.).
• Students will demonstrate appropriate use of analytical frameworks, methods, and skills in response to business questions, cases, and projects.

The major in English is excellent preparation for careers in law, teaching, advertising, journalism, communications and business administration. Most positions in modern institutions and industries require excellent skills in writing and reading. This major provides students with those skills along with a breadth of cultural and historical knowledge through the study of great literature.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to compose a thesis-based essay that clearly communicates a logical, evidence-supported argument.
• Students will demonstrate, in writing, comprehension and critical analysis of college-level texts.

The Associate in Science in Steamfitting & Pipefitting Technology degree program is conducted in partnership with the Pipe Trades Training Center apprenticeship program. The apprenticeship program is five years in duration, requiring a minimum of 9,000 hours of on-the-job training. After 5 years of classroom instruction and paid work experience, students are recognized as journeypersons within the Pipe Trades industry and work to protect our environment by properly installing and maintaining piping and equipment for complex heating and air conditioning and special industrial piping systems.

The apprenticeship program, which includes coursework, lab work and on-the-job training, involves learning about the assessment, installation, maintenance, and repair of different types of pipe systems, effective and safe tool use, material applications, related mathematics, and science and storage. The Associate in Science in Steamfitting & Pipefitting Technology degree builds on the Certificate of Achievement in Steamfitting & Pipefitting Technology by adding requirements for general education courses and electives.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• In compliance with applicable standards and codes, students will demonstrate ability to install and remove piping and equipment for complex heating and air conditioning applications and special industrial piping systems, such as those used in semiconductor, biotechnology, and power generation facilities.
• In compliance with applicable standards and codes, students will demonstrate ability to maintain, extend, and/or alter piping and equipment for heating and air conditioning, and for special industrial piping systems, such as those used in semiconductor, biotechnology, and power generation facilities.

The Anthropology Program educates students to understand and value the cultural and social diversity on a global scale, both past and present. By studying cultural, physical and linguistic anthropology and archaeology, students gain valuable skills and knowledge to prepare them for transferring to a four-year university and for careers and success in the workplace. Through innovative learning experiences, the anthropology program connects students to the community, and heightens their awareness of today's critical human problems. Through these activities the program introduces more educated citizens into our community who seek to solve problems and improve our world.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to understand and apply cultural relativism; they will be able to convey an understanding of multiple cultural perspectives.
• Students will demonstrate a core knowledge base in anthropology appreciating and reflecting on human diversity in the past and present.
• Students will integrate their knowledge and understanding of anthropological concepts and methods to creatively and ethically solve real-world human problems at the local, regional, and global scales.
• Students will be able to articulate key concepts and events in the process of human evolution and demonstrate knowledge, skills and abilities toward that end.
• Students will be able to critically assess the important role that the past plays on the present, and conversely, the important role that the present has on the past from both local, regional, national and worldwide perspectives.

Psychology stands at the intersection of the biological sciences and the humanities because of its study of mental processes, cognition and behavior of individuals and social groups. To further understanding, psychology is involved in research with both animals and people. The psychologist is interested in how the brain and nervous system function, how perception evolves from sensation, how we learn and remember, and what it is that motivates us.

Psychology covers the total life span to learn more about how individuals function in family, community and society. To this end psychologists research what can go wrong in development and how it can be changed, and how to resolve organizational, personal, international, and family conflict. It is a dynamic field in which advanced research methods lead to new understandings of human behavior, which can be applied in practical situations in the lives of individuals.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to recognize the diversity of behavior of various populations and be able to explain, interpret, apply, and evaluate a broad base of concepts in the different fields of psychology.
• Students will be able to apply critical thinking skills and psychological theories to real-world situations, and to be able to apply research methodology and data analysis in the process of answering questions about human behavior.

The Women's Studies major offers both male and female students opportunities to study the experiences, history, contributions and cultural images of women domestically and internationally, with a strong emphasis on global understanding and multicultural contributions. Courses from a variety of traditional disciplines, including sociology, history, psychology, communication and art, are included within the major.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• The student will be able to identify connections between specific people, groups, events and ideas and larger sociological, psychological, historical and gender studies specific themes, developments and topics.
• The student will be able to critically analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources and draw valid sociological, psychological, historical, and gender studies interpretations from them.

Philosophy is the oldest academic subject in the world and its concerns have given rise to nearly all other specialized academic disciplines. The primary motivation of philosophy is the same as the underlying motivation of all academic thought; the desire for knowledge and understanding. Philosophy is an attempt to understand our reality, our attempts at knowledge, our quest for a good and meaningful lives and most ambitiously, our construction of a society that might make these good lives possible.

Course work in philosophy will explore the major areas of the discipline. Logic and critical thinking courses will explore the methodology of philosophic discourse and academic discourse in general. The other core courses will explore the epistemological, metaphysical, ethical and political dimensions of philosophy. The philosophy program also offers courses exploring the history of philosophy from its beginnings in the ancient world through contemporary philosophy. The program also offers a collection of courses which explore the philosophic concerns manifested in the world's religions. If you have a curious mind and seek understanding, then philosophy may be the major for you.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to critically analyze and evaluate arguments regarding issues of metaphysics and epistemology.
• Students will be able to critically analyze and evaluate arguments regarding issues of ethics and political philosophy.

The Associate in Science in Plumbing Technology degree program is conducted in partnership with the Pipe Trades Training Center apprenticeship program. The apprenticeship program is five years in duration, requiring a minimum of 9,000 hours of on-the-job training. After 5 years of classroom instruction and paid work experience, students are recognized as journeypersons within the Pipe Trades industry, working to protect the health and safety of the community by piping pure water to commercial and industrial buildings for drinking, cooking, washing, cleaning, manufacturing or personal use, and removing wastewater after it has served its purpose. Labor market analysis indicates increased employment opportunities in the Pipe Trades through 2020. Students earning an associate degree increase their marketability and employment opportunities.

The apprenticeship program, which includes coursework, lab work and on-the-job training, involves learning about the assessment, installation, maintenance, and repair of different types of pipe systems, effective and safe tool use, material applications, related mathematics and science and storage. Students will learn to read blueprints, apply layout and install, as well as estimate and repair both supply and wastewater systems. The Associate in Science in Plumbing Technology degree builds on the Certificate of Achievement in Plumbing Technology by adding requirements for general education courses and electives.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• In compliance with applicable standards and codes, students will demonstrate ability to install and remove plumbing systems such as drain waste and ventilation systems, systems for various industrial fluids, public or private water systems and gas piping systems.
• In compliance with applicable standards and codes, students will demonstrate ability to maintain, extend, and/or alter plumbing systems, including drain waste and ventilation systems, systems for various industrial fluids, public or private water systems and gas piping systems.