School of Arts Majors

School of Arts Majors

Our educational mission in the School of Arts is to prepare students not only to work but also to live with integrity and meaning. Through the arts, humanities, social sciences, and education, students are encouraged to develop a zest for intellectual challenges, a love of beauty, an awareness of their own culture and moral convictions, an understanding of self, empathy and compassion for others, an appreciation of cultural diversity, and a sense of their relationship with and responsibility to a larger community. These goals are sought within an atmosphere of free inquiry, dialogue, and interfaith concern.

The School of Arts is the heart of the educational experience at Christian Brothers University. Through courses taken in the School of Arts, majors from all four Schools develop broad general knowledge in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. They develop skills in different forms of inquiry, abstract logical thinking, and critical analysis. Studies in the School of Arts provide an array of opportunities for students to enhance their abilities to think, read, write, and speak while cultivating historical, ethical, religious, literary, and social scientific consciousness.

In choosing a major within the School of Arts, students join a particular intellectual community of learners and take part in its special way of exploring the world and the self, thereby preparing for a wide variety of educational and professional choices. All School of Arts majors take a variety of courses from across departmental disciplines selected for the purpose of providing breadth, depth, and richness to their educational experience.

All of the courses needed to obtain a degree in each major are specified within the course requirement presentations that follow.

The six departments which compose the School of Arts are:

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES which includes study in Psychology and Sociology. The department offers a B.A. degree in both Applied Psychology and Psychology and minors in Behavioral Sciences, Criminal Justice, Engineering Psychology, Gerontology, Psychology, and Sociology;

EDUCATION which includes undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate programs leading to licensure by the Tennessee Department of Education at both elementary and secondary levels. In conjunction with academic departments in the School of Arts and in the School of Sciences, the Department of Education prepares undergraduate students earning BS or BA degrees in a number of areas to meet teacher licensure requirements (See Page 54 for details);

FINE ARTS AND SPEECH which includes study in Art, Music, Speech, and Theatre. The department offers courses under the following headings: Art, Music, Speech, and Theater;

HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE which offers a major in History and minors in History, Political Science, and American Studies;

LITERATURE AND LANGUAGES which offers majors and minors in English, a major in English for Corporate Communications and Management, and minors in foreign language;

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY which offers courses under the headings of Humanities, Philosophy, and Religious Studies, and a program in Peace Studies. The Religion and Philosophy major combines core courses in Philosophy and Religious Studies.

The course of studies for each of the degrees offered within the School is designed to provide the student with opportunities to choose courses outside of his or her major either from among the many courses provided by the School of Arts or from among those provided by the other Schools. A faculty advisor is assigned to each student to assist in selecting courses and in shaping the total academic experience.