Adult Degree Completion Program in Literary and Intercultural Studies (BA)
Literary and Intercultural Studies nurtures the mind and spirit through a study of global cultures, joining the truth of the human experience to the beauty of art. Our goal is to prepare you to succeed in whatever direction you choose and, more important, to set the foundation for a deeply fulfilled life rich with intellectual wonder, compassion, and creativity.
Core requirements focus on cultural literacy and literary criticism. You can choose to concentrate your elective studies in literature or to broaden your intellectual horizons through a range of courses in various humanities fields such as art history, creative writing, cultural studies, gender studies, history, music, philosophy, and religion. Our degree plan lets you further tailor the major to your interests and future goals through four different tracks. The broadest track, Liberal Arts, continues an interdisciplinary investigation of culture across humanistic fields. The MA track allows for an accelerated path to a Master’s in Humanities degree. The Teacher Preparation track provides access to courses in the teaching credential program, reducing the number of credential units needed post BA. Finally, the Creative Writing track offers training in multiple genres of writing, providing multiple pathways to becoming a writer.
In this program, you will undertake a capstone project on a topic of your choosing. Largely, these projects result from an extended research-based inquiry. Formats vary and may include academic writing, films, websites, photo-journalistic essays and more, depending on the student’s training in a particular modality. We welcome projects with a civic engagement component. Creative writing students will devise original work within a chosen genre such as a collection of poems, a novella, historical fiction and others.
Program Learning Outcomes
The student should demonstrate the ability to:
- Critically analyze texts in a cultural context in order to facilitate inquiry into the enduring questions of humankind.
- Understand multiple cultural perspectives and employ knowledge of cultural diversity to assess and evaluate worldviews.
- Synthesize and contextualize (inter-)disciplinary knowledge and apply to a sustained research inquiry.
Requirements
All upper division. No transfer courses permitted.
Student selects four units from the
Global Literatures course list or from the
Literatures of the Americas course list. Student also selects four units from the
Critical Theory course list.
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
Electives in the Major
Student selects upper division courses from Art History, Education, Humanities and Cultural Studies, History, Music, Philosophy, Religion, Language, or relevant humanities discipline.
| Upper Division Elective | 4.00 units |
| Upper Division Elective | 4.00 units |
Concentrations
Student selects either a concentration or a track. Concentrations include Creative Writing and Teacher Preparation. Tracks include Liberal Arts or early progression to the Master of Arts in Humanities program.
Creative Writing Concentration
Student selects Creative Writing electives including at least two creative writing courses. The third course may be a literature course. One lower division transfer course in creative writing or literature allowed.
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Upper Division Elective | 4.00 units |
| Upper Division Elective | 4.00 units |
Teacher Preparation Concentration
Teacher Preparation track students may choose to take courses in the teaching credential program. One lower division transfer course in literature or history allowed.
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Upper Division Elective | 4.00 units |
| Upper Division Elective | 4.00 units |
Liberal Arts Track
Student selects 12 units of coursework offered in Art History, Education, Humanities and Cultural Studies, History, Music, Philosophy, Religion, Language, or relevant humanities discipline. One lower division transfer course in any of these disciplines allowed.
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Upper Division Elective | 4.00 units |
| Upper Division Elective | 4.00 units |
4+1 Master of Arts in Humanities Track
A student with 16 units of upper division coursework and a 3.5 GPA may apply for early progression to the MA in Humanities, applying up to 12 units of graduate coursework to the BA and reducing the number of units required to complete the MA after completion of the BA.
Capstone
Total Credit Hours: 40