Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies

at Shorelight Group - University of Massachusetts - Boston USA

Labor Studies is an interdisciplinary program that examines work, the workplace, workers, and their organizations. Drawing on the fields of economics, history, political science, sociology, and other disciplines, courses in Labor Studies deal with such questions as:

• What roles do unions play in affecting the well-being of workers and of society more generally? How and why have those roles changed over the course of economic development in the United States and elsewhere?
• How do changes in the global economy affect work and workers?
• In the history of the United States and other countries, how have workers’ rights changed over time? How have broad political and economic developments affected those rights?
• What opportunities and challenges do workers face as racial, gender, and ethnic diversity changes in the labor force?
• What are effective methods of worker organizing and of collective bargaining by unions? How are organizing and the practices of unions affected by changes in the larger society?

By focusing on these sorts of questions, the UMass Boston Labor Studies Program prepares students to provide critical analysis of historical controversies and to think strategically about social, political, and economic change. The program provides students with a strong foundations for a variety of occupations, and also prepares students to be active participants in their own labor and community organizations.

UMass Boston's MBA is a streamlined 12-course, AACSB-accredited, immersive business program. focused on equipping you with the knowledge and skills you need to succeed as a business leader. The program is designed for professionals who want to gain a deeper understanding of the ever-changing business world to advance their career, change careers, or start their own business. Explore foundational business theories, gain experience with emerging technologies, and develop your analytical skills.

The English major invites students to engage in the study of literature, composition, language, and film. English majors learn how to write well, read critically, develop research skills, and work hands-on in digital environments. The English major allows students to create print, visual, and digital texts across a range of genres including poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

Through a diverse range of course offerings, the English major develops a student’s abilities to engage with the world while also cultivating a variety skills, including:

• Analytical writing
• Critical interpretation
• Original inquiry and research
• The ability to develop, discuss, and debate complex ideas

Program Highlights

• Choose to explore an area of concentration: Creative Writing, Professional and New Media Writing, or Race, Ethnicity, and Literature.
• Choose to pursue initial teaching licensure in the English Teaching program.
• Work side-by-side with professors and fellow students in small, discussion-based classes on a diverse range of topics.
• Participate in extracurricular activities, ranging from the Sigma Tau Delta Honors Society to the Literary Theory Reading Group.
• Be prepared to enter the workforce, with a one-credit mini-course on “English 457: Careers in English and Preparing for the Job Market.”
• Engage with a dynamic and accomplished faculty. The English Department hosts vibrant events—such as guest speakers, creative writing readings, and contests—that are free and open to the UMass Boston community.
• Participate in The Watermark, a journal of literature and artwork created by UMass Boston students.

UMass Boston's MBA is a streamlined 12-course, AACSB-accredited, immersive business program. focused on equipping you with the knowledge and skills you need to succeed as a business leader. The program is designed for professionals who want to gain a deeper understanding of the ever-changing business world to advance their career, change careers, or start their own business. Explore foundational business theories, gain experience with emerging technologies, and develop your analytical skills.

The field of Latin American and Iberian studies explores the languages, literatures, and histories of Spain, Portugal, Latin America and the Caribbean. Insight into these cultures trains students to think critically from different perspectives—an important skill in a world where communication and understanding across boundaries is essential. Latin American and Iberian studies graduates are prepared for careers in international affairs, government, education and many other fields.

Upon completion of the Major in Latin American and Iberian Studies, students will be able to:

• Communicate proficiently, using all four skills (i.e. speaking, listening, reading and writing), in academic, professional, and everyday settings in the language that is required by their selected track.1
• Conduct and disseminate academic research both orally and in writing in the language that is required by their selected track.
• Identify and analyze cultural representations of the languages, cultures and societies of the Latin American and Iberian world, both their own and those produced by others, in accordance with academic standards.
• Document data and formulate concrete research questions in order to conduct academic research at undergraduate level.
• Recognize and utilize appropriate methodologies in order to explicitly outline a research plan to conduct academic research at undergraduate level.
• Produce scholarly work in dialogue with academic fields such as anthropology, history, and geography at undergraduate level.
• Apply pre-professional translation skills to a variety of documents in both directions, Spanish to English and English to Spanish.2
• Assess a variety of theoretical approaches to Translation Studies in order to adopt adequate methodologies for the translation of a variety of documents.

As part of the Department of Performing Arts, the Theatre Arts Program explores diverse forms including the classics, contemporary drama, comedy, film, and musical theatre. Studies include training in acting; scenic, costume, and lighting design; directing; theatre history; and playwriting. The Theatre Arts major is for active participants who are ready to apply theory to practice via live performance, production work, undergraduate research, and theatre conferences.

• We train our students in state-of-the-art facilities, exposing them to current technology, quality equipment, and contemporary approaches.
• In classes and productions, we follow industry standards, preparing our students with one-on-one mentoring, group collaboration, and peer mentorship to succeed in a highly competitive field.
• We provide curricula that take our students from theory to practicum, and from applied production work to internships.
• We promote undergraduate research that allows our students to participate in regional and national conferences such as KCACTF and USITT.

The field of Africana Studies documents and disseminates a specialized body of knowledge about Africa, the Caribbean and especially the United States. We focus on the experiences of the African Diasporas – the global dispersion of peoples of African descent – its history, literature, culture, society, and contributions worldwide. Students are prepared for careers relevant to the development of the African world community and to the rectification of global social ills created by individual and institutional racism.  Students approach the field and subject matter from a rigorous curriculum rooted in the social and cultural history of Peoples of Africa and the Africa Diaspora, and designed to provide practical solutions to challenges facing them from both a local and global context.

A full range of business courses and concentrations is offered through the Management major, which prepares students for specific management responsibilities, and results in a bachelor of science degree from the College of Management (CM) at UMass Boston. The program is built on a solid foundation in the arts and humanities achieved by completing CM's general education requirements while also being immersed into business theory and practice.

Learning Goals
As part of its program to maintain accreditation with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the College of Management faculty has formally adopted learning goals for each of its degree programs and periodically conducts assessments for each learning objective to identify opportunities for curriculum improvement.

The learning goals for the bachelor of science in management (BSM) program are for students to:

• Demonstrate proficiency in oral and written communication skills.
• Develop critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills.
• Demonstrate sound ethical reasoning skills.
• Integrate understanding of issues concerning diversity and globalization in business.

Information Systems and Business Analytics Concentration
Information and data analytics technologies are transforming all aspects of business. Students who concentrate in Information Systems and Business Analytics (ISBA) can acquire the knowledge and skills needed to take a leading role in these innovative fields. The curriculum of the ISBA concentration covers the topics in business analytics and its information systems foundation.

UMass Boston's computer science master's program thoroughly prepares students for a professional career in software development. This established and innovative program stresses the integration of theoretical knowledge with practical applications. Our Computer Science MS graduates are in high demand with major tech sector employers and startups.

A BS in physics will prepare you for demanding scientific research in any of the following areas of inquiry: non-linear optics and photonics, which can relate to laser eye protection; biomedical imaging; quantum dynamics; semiconductors; and even biological applications such as the acoustics of whale sonar.