Humanities Division

CONTACT PERSON
Chair: Mary Flores, MA
e-mail: mflores@lcsc.edu
Division Office: SPH 111-A
Phone: 792-2307
Fax: 792-2324
Web: http://www.lcsc.edu/humanities

FACULTY
• Terryn Berry, MA. SPH 313 tlberry@lcsc.edu 792-2736; English
• Sean Cassidy, PhD, SPH 110 scassidy@lcsc.edu 792-2284: Communication Arts, Video Production
• Harold Crook, PhD, SPH 300B hcrook@lcsc.edu 792-2852: Linguistics, Nez Perce Language
• Claire Davis, MFA, SPH 112 cdavis@lcsc.edu 792-2050: Creative Writing, English
• Tim Doty, PhD, SPH 214 tmdoty@lcsc.edu 792-2905; Communicaton Arts
• Ray Esparsen, MFA, Art Building esparsen@lcsc.edu 792-2255: Art
• Mary Flores, MA, SPH 204 mfl ores@lcsc.edu 792-2826: Chair, Humanities; English
• Okey Goode, PhD, SPH 217 ogoode@lcsc.edu 792-2434: English
• Lawrence W. Haapanen, PhD, SPH 105 haapanen@lcsc.edu 792-2464: Communication Arts
• James Hepworth, PhD, SPH 309 hepworth@lcsc.edu 792-2336: English, Creative Writing
• Patricia Keith, PhD, SPH 215 pkeith@lcsc.edu 792-2292: English, Video Production
• Nancy Lee-Painter, MFA, SPH 208 nclee-painter@lcsc.edu 792-2345; Theatre
• Rita McAdoo, MAT, SPH 307 rmacadoo@lcsc.edu 792-2083: English
• Christopher Norden, PhD, SPH 213 cnorden@lcsc.edu 792-2445: English
• William Perconti, DMA, New Music Building bpercont@lcsc.edu 792-2334: Music
• Joseph Pergola, PhD, SPH 114 jmpergola@lcsc.edu 792-2118; Philosophy
• Jill Rossiter, MA SPH 300B jrossite@lcsc.edu 792-2079: English
• James Tarter, PhD, SPH 204-A jjtarter@lcsc.edu 792-2864: Director of Writing, English
• Roberto Wagner, MS, MAT, SPH 205 rwagner@lcsc.edu 792-2296: Spanish
• Kathie Wilcox, PhD, SPH 214 kwilcox@lcsc.edu 792-2337: Communication Arts

OVERVIEW
The Humanities Division offers a BA/BS degree in Communication Arts; a BA/BS in Business and Communication; a BA in English, English: Creative Writing, English: Publishing Ars, English: Secondary Education; a BA/BS in Interdisciplinary Studies; and a BA/BS in General Studies: Humanities. The division offers an AA in Liberal Arts or Liberal Arts: Humanities, as well as minors in Art, Communication, Creative Writing, English, Music, Nez Perce Language, Publishing Arts, Spanish, Theatre, and a certificate program in Video Production. Students in Humanities programs and courses receive a rich exposure to both theoretical and practical knowledge, preparing them for professional success as well as further education. Humanities students have many opportunities to demonstrate what they learn in the classroom to the public: through student music and theater performances, video productions, Talking River (a literary journal), speech and debate, internships in the schools, peer consulting in the Writing Center, film festivals, art showings, and regular open mic events.

The Humanities Division also provides leadership for Writing Across the Curriculum, and is deeply engaged in delivering General Education Core courses, as well as foreign and heritage language courses, Philosophy, professional preparation courses, and developmental courses. These programs and courses help students achieve their educational and professional objectives. Humanities faculty invigorate their teaching and service with their scholarly and creative endeavors, often in collaborative partnerships with students.

MAJORS AND MINORS OFFERED

MAJORS

BUSINESS and COMMUNICATION
The Business and Communication major provides graduates with the communication and business skills needed for success in a business environment. The major is designed to serve students seeking to work at the managerial level in areas with a heavy reliance on effective communication. This degree is for students planning for careers in corporate communications, marketing, public relations, sales, or any media-related business.

COMMUNICATION ARTS
Communications is an academic discipline that studies all forms of human communication and encompasses a broad range of communicative skills that are important for success in any career or activity. Graduates with a degree in Communications have entered a wide variety of occupations, including radio and television broadcasting, public relations, technical editing, sales, government and academic administration, teaching, etc., and a number have gone on to graduate and professional schools. The degree is designed to give students an understanding of communication in a variety of contexts (e.g., interpersonal, intercultural, organizational, political and mass communication) as well as prepare them to be effective, well-rounded communicators. Opportunities exist for participation in such co-curricular activities as the Communications Student Association, video production, and debate and forensics.

ENGLISH
The major in English is a versatile degree, valued in the growing segment of the job market where critical thinking, clear communication, and writing skills are a priority; for these same reasons it is also a recognized gateway to many professional graduate programs such as law school and medical school. Students who enjoy literature and are interested in growing as writers will find a major in English both an enjoyable and a marketable degree. Culminating in a senior research project developed in close consultation with one or more faculty members, the major is designed to ensure broad familiarity with major periods and genres of American, British, and International literature, and is therefore a way of studying history and human cultures as well. Sense of community is strong amongst LCSC English majors, who provide a number of services to the campus community, including staffing our campus Writing Center.

ENGLISH: SECONDARY EDUCATION
This program acquaints students with a wide array of literary works as well as thematic, critical, and cultural perspectives that will enable graduates to teach literature and writing in diverse contexts. Methods courses in teaching composition and literature enable students to integrate theory and practice in the classroom. Many English Secondary Education majors gain valuable experience as Peer Consultants in the LCSC Writing Center. Additional study in Spanish or Nez Perce language (both of which offer minors and teaching endorsements) and in creative writing enhances prospective teachers’ professional preparation.

ENGLISH: CREATIVE WRITING
This is a program with a tradition of excellence in which students have the opportunity to work with all genres of literary writing: poetry, fiction and nonfiction, from beginning classes through intermediate and advanced. Students become familiar with a wide array of writing, both published work and peer review. Classes engender critical discussion on content and the specific ways that craft can enhance or resolve problems in their work. These classes are taught in a supportive, yet constructively critical workshop format that builds the kind of community most conducive to a successful learning and writing experience. These classes are geared for a wide array of student interests: from those who are seriously pursuing a creative writing career, to those who just wish to explore creative expression. In addition to the English requirements, students are required to complete three workshops in any (or all) of the three genres, as well as an editing class in which they will work on the creative writing program’s literary magazine.

ENGLISH: PUBLISHING ARTS
This program provides students with classroom and internship/apprenticeship opportunities to integrate aesthetic and critical appreciation of literary texts and academic and creative writing skills, with publishing arts skills, including technological, design and editing skills. Through their coursework and work on staff of Talking River Publications, Publishing Arts majors have the opportunity to read creative writing manuscripts from across the nation, select the best for publication, and incorporate these selections into professionally produced journals and books. Students oversee every aspect of the production of these journals and books, from manuscript solicitation through distribution. The Publishing Arts major prepares students for careers in editing; advertising; publication art; design, and production; finance and marketing; information and print technology; public relations; website development; human resources; promotion and publicity; and purchasing and sales.

GENERAL STUDIES: HUMANITIES
The General Studies major serves a number of student’s needs: for strong liberal arts programs; for thorough pre-professional coursework; as preparation for many graduate programs. See the Academic Programs section for additional information on this major.


INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES
The Interdisciplinary Studies major permits students the opportunity to design a course of study to satisfy personal and career goals. Students interested in an academic area within the Interdisciplinary option MUST contact the division office of the discipline they intend to pursue as their primary area of study. See the Academic Dean section for additional information on this major.

SPEECH/DRAMA: SECONDARY EDUCATION
ENDORSEMENT
Students enrolled in a Secondary Education program may also opt to complete the requirements, including coursework and required Praxis II exams, for an Idaho state subject endorsement in Communication (Speech) and/or Communication (Drama).

ASSOCIATE DEGREES

ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS
A two-year program, requiring 64 credits, which allows students to explore different areas of study, complete the general education core and transfer into a 4-year baccalaureate program.

ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS: HUMANITIES
This program, requiring 64 credits, allows students to focus on the humanities for their two-year degree. The Humanities emphasis includes choices from the following areas: Art, Communication Arts, English, Music, Nez Perce, Philosophy, Spanish, or Theatre. Students focus their emphasis credits in three of these areas. Students who graduate with a two-year degree in the Humanities can market both oral and written communication skills and some may have a second language skill.

MINORS

ART
A minor in art is dedicated to promoting the development and implementation of visual literacy. We strive to cultivate analytical thinking by examining historical attitudes toward art. The art minor is an introduction to the world of fine and performing arts. In studio courses, an art minor offers students excellent technical capabilities as well as a descriptive vocabulary, concepts and theories that are universal to the study of the humanities. In conjunction with the importance of success within the humanities, an art minor offers a strong link to a continuing study of the fine arts and may spawn a career in the arts through an eventual MFA. The principles of art criticism, aesthetics, and techniques are foundations that engage independent thought.

COMMUNICATION ARTS
Communication Arts gives students the skills they need to be effective communicators in a wide range of social and professional contexts. Employers consistently rank these skills among the most important for success in any career, making the Communication Arts minor the perfect complement to any course of study. Students work with faculty advisors to choose courses that meet their career goals within the framework of a sound liberal arts education. The minor in Communication Arts also provides exciting opportunities for students to gain “hands-on” experience via internships and co-curricular activities.

CREATIVE WRITING
This minor enables students to explore and develop their creative writing skills in fiction, poetry and non-fiction.

ENGLISH
A minor in English has value to anyone seeking a deeper awareness of the interplay of thought, emotion, cultural attitudes, and artistic expression. Moreover, students who want to enhance their job opportunities as well as opportunities for advancement in any field should consider an English minor, which will help them develop skills that employers seek: strong, sophisticated thinking, writing, and speaking abilities. The English minor lays a foundation in reading, writing, and thinking that will give students a basis for active engagement in their communities and bring them personal satisfaction and pleasure.

MUSIC
The music minor provides an excellent opportunity to add an exciting dimension to your education. Consisting of two main areas—performance and academics—the music minor challenges students to become better musicians, to join others in community-music making, and to learn more about music in general. Performance includes Applied Music (private lessons) and music ensembles such as choir and jazz band. The academic side of the minor includes courses such as Conducting, Music Fundamentals and Music Survey.

POLICIES FOR FOREIGN/HERITAGE LANGUAGE MINORS
Because all lower-division courses in foreign and heritage languages are intended for nonnative speakers and because students’ levels and types of proficiency vary widely, a prerequisite for each language course above the 101 course number is the permission of the instructor. Students with proficiency apparently adequate for a given course may challenge the course for credit or enroll in a more advanced course and, upon successful completion, thereby receive credit for the course earlier in the sequence. Credit for laboratory courses may not be gained through examination or placement. Minor programs in languages aim to achieve language proficiency at the standardized level of intermediate-high as defined by the Proficiency Guidelines of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

NEZ PERCE LANGUAGE
LCSC and the Nez Perce Tribe have partnered to develop the Nez Perce Language minor. The goal of this program is for students to develop considerable fluency in Nez Perce, as well as competency in the culture. In the first year, students learn the foundations of the language and participate in cooking, root digging, and other cultural activities. In the second year, they continue their learning through reading the original Coyote stories told by the elders. This provides students with a strong foundation in the oral literature. In the third year, students are mentored one-on-one with elders to develop conversational fluency and increase their cultural knowledge. Students should note that the labs (109 and 209) must be taken each semester the first two years. Those who complete the minor may apply for certification to teach in the public schools by completing an additional class in teaching methods given in the Education Division (see advisor for qualifying classes) and by successfully completing a certification process that includes a mentorship program, and oral and written examinations.

PUBLISHING ARTS
This minor helps prepare students for careers in publishing fields by introducing them to theory and practice in the publishing arts, from writing, editing, design, and printing, to technical production, marketing, and distribution of publications.

SPANISH
This program requires 24 credits in the Spanish language; these credits can be obtained by completing the succession of Spanish courses from Beginning Spanish 101 through the 300 level. A minimum of 3 credits must be completed at LCSC. Up to 12 credits may be obtained by advanced placement, and up to 16 credits by the course challenge process (SPAN 101 through SPAN 202). At all levels of Spanish instruction in language and literature, emphasis is placed on building communication skills and developing greater cultural awareness and appreciation. The Spanish courses are designed to prepare students to enter a competitive workforce in which bilingual communication skills are becoming more and more crucial, regardless of a student’s major field of study.

THEATRE
The Theatre minor provides students with opportunities to develop an holistic understanding of the human psyche through live-story-telling on stage. Theatre classes and productions emphasize awareness and acceptance of socio-economic, racial, religious, and ethnic differences within a global society. Students who seek to take risks through developing a character, or who seek to learn how to organize, design, and/or direct a theatrical production will benefit from the Theatre minor. Because theatre encompasses many disciplines, it is an excellent way for students to enhance their education by encouraging artistic sensitivity and teaching them to work collaboratively with fellow artists.

VIDEO PRODUCTION CERTIFICATE
The video production program teaches students the fundamentals of video production. Students learn the technical aspects of operating video equipment, the processes involved in creating video projects and the theoretical principles underlying video as a medium for communication. This certificate program requires hands-on production work with digital video. All students in the program develop a portfolio and demo reel.


ASSESSMENT

COMMUNICATION ARTS
Students majoring in Communication Arts are expected to gain and demonstrate the following abilities:

1. Conduct research with originality and creativity.
2. Orally present an argument logically, succinctly, and clearly.
3. Prepare well-documented reports.
4. Write with grammatical correctness and verbal conciseness.
5. Form aesthetic/critical judgments of oral discourse.
6. Communicate effectively with other people.
7. Adapt to cultural diversity.
8. Analyze and solve complex problems.
9. Continue learning and training.

ENGLISH
Students majoring in English are expected to gain and demonstrate the following abilities:

1. Analyze and interpret texts.
2. Write effectively.
3. Speak effectively.
4. Practice both imaginative and intellectual modes of understanding.
5. Be conversant with major literary texts and movements.
6. Conduct specialized research in literature, writing, language, or cultural studies.
7. Think critically about individual and collective systems of value and belief.
8. Communicate in a second language.
9. Apply knowledge of literature, research, and writing to other disciplines.

NEZ PERCE OR SPANISH LANGUAGE
Students minoring in either the Nez Perce or Spanish language are expected to gain and demonstrate the abilities to:
1. Understand long stretches of connected discourse on familiar topics pertaining to different times and places.
2. Speak with enough skill to handle most communicative tasks and social situations.
3. Read simple connected texts on topics about which the reader has personal interest or knowledge.
4. Write with sufficient skill to meet most practical needs and limited social demands.
5. Be conversant about aspects of the cultures where the language is spoken: social and cultural institutions, customs and conventions of interpersonal communication, geography, achievements in the arts (especially literature), and current vents.

ADVISING
Advisors work with students to ensure they make satisfactory progress towards meeting degree requirements as well as their personal goals and career objectives.

CLUBS
• Alpha Psi Omega Theatre Club
• LCSC Concert Choir
• LCSC Jazz Band
• Spanish Club
• Speech and Debate
• Talking River Writers Association

PREPARATION FOR FUTURE GRADUATE STUDIES
Faculty advisors are available to help students majoring in the Humanities prepare for graduate study in these disciplines.

THEATRE AND MUSIC PROGRAMS
Theatrical productions are an important activity at LCSC, with on-campus productions each semester. All students, regardless of previous experience, are encouraged to audition. Concerts and recitals are prepared each year by the Music Department. The jazz band and choir provide performance opportunities for students with previous experience.