Bachelor of Arts in African and African-American Studies

at Shorelight Group - University of Kansas USA

Chinese
In a few short weeks, CHIN 104: Elementary Chinese language students know their four tones and can speak beautifully about basic topics of daily life. Learning characters, the challenging but fun aspect of Chinese, starts slowly the first year, then accelerates the second and third years of study. Advanced-level students from KU can read newspapers and contemporary fiction by the time they graduate; graduating majors are fluent in Chinese.

Japanese
Often considered the "Gateway to the East," Japan is a center for commerce, trade, education, and culture in East Asia. KU alums with Japanese language skills have followed career paths such as acting for Japanese television, banking in Tokyo, and working as a legal expert for Microsoft, as well as many who pursued graduate work in Japanese culture and history. Beyond the practical advantages, studying Japanese possesses its own intrinsic rewards: learning one of the world's most complex languages exercises the mind in unique ways. Japanese language students are never bored!

Korean
Although Korean has been a spoken language for several thousand years, the development of its phonetic alphabet in 1446, hangul, made it the easiest East Asian language to master. Today Korean is the 11th most spoken language in the world. More than half of Korean's vocabulary can be traced to Chinese, and the structure and grammar are similar to Japanese. KU is the only institution in Kansas that teaches intermediate and advanced Korean language courses.

Behavioral Neuroscience is a new major in Psychology at the University of Kansas.  The concentration in behavioral neuroscience is designed for students with a focused interest in the biological bases of behavior and thought. The concentration is well suited for students who are contemplating professional or mainly research careers in medicine, pharmacology, veterinarian medicine, animal science, neurology, neurobiology, and neuroscience.  It is also suitable as a degree for those headed into other health-related fields or graduate school in other areas of psychology. As a behavioral neuroscience major, you will take courses in many different departments because, as you explore the neural basis of behavior and prepare to enter the neuroscience research field, you will need to acquire knowledge in the realms of chemistry, biology, psychology, statistics, and even computer science.

Architectural engineering is the engineering discipline concerned with the planning, analysis, design, construction, and operation of engineered systems for commercial, industrial, institutional, and large residential facilities. Engineered systems include electric power, communications, and control; lighting and acoustics; heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC); fire and life safety; structural systems; and green buildings and sustainability.

Architectural engineering at KU is a challenging ABET-accredited four-year course of study that leads to a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering (BS ARCE). At KU, the BS ARCE program is administered by the School of Engineering in consultation with the School of Architecture & Design. Undergraduate students in the ARCE program have full access to the resources in both schools including scholarships, courses, computer and instructional laboratories, shops, student organizations and activities, and libraries.

KU's English Department is at the core of the humanities, highlighting the "human" through our individual, one-on-one interactions with our students, our emphasis on community and global engagement, and our abiding interest in our shared humanity through the stories of others. We seek to challenge the mind and to engage the imagination of our students, to teach them to ask questions and to seek for answers.  We encourage them to grapple with the complexity of a culturally and commercially interconnected world and the global networks and processes of cultural exchange. We believe that words and ideas will shape the world. We teach our students life-long skills, so that they learn to write clearly, creatively, and effectively—discovering themselves even as they lay a solid foundation for professional success. 

The Department of Architecture emphasizes design education through diverse experiences which include learning through making, collaborative research, and community engagement. Our mission is to provide our graduates with an educational foundation for exemplary professional practice and personal career fulfillment; to prepare them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers who will serve, enrich, and sustain their professions and communities.

The B.A. in Music degree is a general music degree intended for students desiring a broad study of music with the flexibility to take elective coursework in other disciplines. This degree program includes private applied study in an instrument or voice, ensemble performance, and coursework in music history and music theory.

To study with the KU School of Music’s Theory and Composition (MTHC) Area is to engage the passions, both musical and intellectual, of six composers and scholars who have each earned national and international recognition for their contributions to the discipline.

Working with faculty in the division, you will be able to pursue a wide range of scholarly interests and musical styles. Our specialists in music theory research and teach a wide breadth of approaches on diverse subjects. In addition to critical assessment of the standard common-practice and contemporary repertoires, students have the opportunity to learn about specific fields of faculty expertise, including film music, philosophy and critical theory, rhythm and meter, and modern rock music.

Our composers in the division are also skilled teachers who can help you refine your craft and develop your unique compositional voice. Among their vast and varied portfolios, they have each made significant contributions in producing new music for a wide range of genres, including works for wind band and orchestra, opera and choral music, instrumental and vocal chamber music, music for film, and electronic music (particularly involving live performance).

In the Department of Applied Behavioral Science, we understand that an equitable and safe multiracial, multiethnic, and multicultural environment produces innovative thinking, research, and learning. We seek to provide an environment for learning and working where differences are valued and each person in the ABS community is supported and offered an equitable opportunity – irrespective of national origin, age, sex, health status, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or disability – to achieve their academic and professional goals. These efforts are led by our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and are supported by our faculty and staff.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textiles/Fibers is a four-year, 120 credit hour immersive course of study of the Textiles/Fibers medium.

The first year is spent in Foundations where students focus on the development of their creative and technical skills.

After the foundation year, Textiles/Fibers students will pursue instruction on a broad range of textile approaches and techniques including complex weave structures, textile design software and technology skills, sewing, screen printing, fabric and yarn dyeing, felting, quilting, knitting, knotting, bound resist, transfer printing, embroidery, and other techniques depending on interests and coursework. 

A bachelor’s degree in public administration provides undergraduate students with the knowledge and skills needed for planning, implementing and evaluating public programs. As students learn to think critically and analytically about public policy, they will better understand the dynamics in their own communities and how to be more effective citizens and public officials.

Graduates of the program will be ready to work in settings like local and state government, nonprofit organizations and private sector businesses.

The public administration program is designed for students who have earned an associate's degree or equivalent hours and are looking to complete the final two years necessary for a bachelor's degree in public administration.