Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies (Religion, Politics and Global Affairs)

at Kaplan Group - Arizona State University - Tempe Campus USA

The MA in social and cultural pedagogy is a two-year program designed for educators with professional experience who seek to develop real-world skills and practical knowledge to help them accomplish specific career goals.

After being equipped with philosophical, theoretical and practical knowledge on social pedagogy, students are able to analyze social structures and cultural dynamics, and work with communities to address complex societal problems through the design, implementation and evaluation of socio-educational strategies.

Students have the opportunity to create an individualized path of study that accommodates their personal interests and career goals. Students can also join a vibrant university club (Social and Cultural Pedagogy Graduate Organization), a national organization of scholars and practitioners (Social Pedagogy Association) and an international organization (Global Alliance for Social Pedagogy and Social Education).

The BA in religious studies with a concentration in religion, culture and public life approaches religion as a mode of human culture, as constituted in intellect, language, emotion, practice, art and everyday life.

The program focuses on the role religions play in the formation of cultural identities, traditions, norms and memories, and it examines in particular the impact religions have on culturally specified ways people reason, communicate, socialize, work, entertain, dress, eat, live and die. Special consideration is given to the influence of religion on gender roles and sexual norms; the formation of images of the body and the moral assessment of medical practices; and the reflection and reproduction of religion in film, popular culture, and conventional, digital and social media.

The concentration addresses present-day interests and prepares students for jobs in a variety of professions, including education, journalism, media studies, gender studies, health care, politics, law, education, migration and international studies.

Students in the BFA program in art with a concentration in photography are offered an education in the creation and analysis of photographs as a form of creative expression.

Students work in a wide range of photographic media including specialized 19th-century processes, traditional black-and-white and state-of-the-art digital output.

The internationally recognized photography faculty at ASU are diverse, representing and encouraging a wide range of approaches to the creation of photo-based art. Students learn to be self-disciplined and self-directed, to understand complex ideas around how images function in their work, and to develop a strong sense and control of the craft of photography. The Northlight Gallery engages students and provides opportunities to learn about gallery and museum practice through the mounting of exhibitions and working with artists and the collection.

The BSE program in computer systems engineering with a concentration in cybersecurity provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to build dependable and secure information systems and networks and to ensure the integrity and quality of the information being stored, processed and transmitted.

The BFA program in art with a concentration in ceramics provides a stimulating and challenging environment for artistic and intellectual growth. With the realization that discipline, familiarity with historical precedents and freedom go hand in hand with creative activities, the ceramics program strikes a balance between the acquisition of traditional skills and the promotion of independence and innovation. Responsibility is placed on the individual student to find personally meaningful content and an effective means to express that content within the ceramic arts.

The ceramics program features a complete and varied line of kilns, wheels and other equipment. Faculty members ensure that students learn the techniques and concepts that enable them to take their work in any direction they wish. A guest artist schedule enhances the program as does the Ceramics Research Center at the ASU Art Museum, which has a collection of more than 3,000 pieces and provides unparalleled opportunities to study and research the ceramic arts.

Students declare their BFA concentration at the time of their ASU admission. Following admission, if students wish to change their BFA concentration, they may meet with their School of Art academic advisor.

The School of Music, Dance and Theatre provides a dynamic and culturally diverse learning environment in which students develop as creative artists, scholars and educators. Studies in dance cultures, music, digital media, dance history, philosophy and criticism, movement science, somatics, and stage and screen production enhance the rich educational setting. Creativity and research, the core program values, help to bridge knowledge and community and are embedded in a broad range of academic experiences emphasizing movement and creative practices, artistic process, leadership and pedagogy.

The BA in English with a concentration in secondary education focuses on rigorous content in literature, composition, linguistics and secondary teaching pedagogy. This program provides extensive preparation for meeting the needs of all student populations, including attention to levels of academic performance and cultural and linguistic diversity.

Students finish the program with Arizona Department of Education certification for middle and high school English language arts. Both a fingerprint clearance and a background check are required in the second year of the program.

Students in the linguistics concentration of the BA program in English focus on study of the history and structure of language. Students have the opportunity to study with distinguished faculty actively engaged in scholarly research and to gain practical experience through internships that prepare them for an ever-expanding variety of careers. The program also prepares students to continue their studies in graduate and professional programs.

The MA program in English allows for a variety of transdisciplinary studies within five distinct tracks. Comparative literature --- Students interpret cultural productions in English and at least one other language, and they explore approaches ranging from textual criticism, critical theory and translation to cultural studies and the social sciences.

Creative writing -- Students in the accelerated BA/MA creative writing track strengthen their artistic practice by participating in intensive creative writing workshops in either fiction or poetry, alongside the study of contemporary literature and innovative creative techniques.

English studies --- Students in this track learn how to interpret and articulate complex cultural, historical, literary and language related ideas into accessible material for general audiences through a series of courses from across disciplinary areas of study.

Literature --- Students develop and hone skills in oral presentation, writing and critical thinking while exploring social, historical and cultural contexts.

Writing, rhetorics and literacies --- This program offers students a wide array of courses encompassing the history, theory and practice of rhetoric and pedagogy of writing.

The BA in art history is a dynamic program that investigates visual culture and engages students in a rich and diverse curriculum. Inherently interdisciplinary, art history intersects with a variety of fields including history, literature and economics.

Faculty members emphasize critical concepts in their teaching, including the close study of artists, objects and technologies. Students explore art's history in economic, social and political contexts and the relationship of visual art to other disciplines such as literature, science, anthropology, media and performance studies. In addition to art history courses, the program includes interdisciplinary coursework from disciplines across the university.

Internships are available at a wide range of arts organizations. The program is enriched by partnerships with the ASU Art Museum and museums throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area and beyond, including an affiliation with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.