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OFFICE OF THE DEAN
Music 228
Phone: (323) 343-4001
Fax : (323) 343-6440
E-mail: tallison@cslanet.calstatela.edu
Website: http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/al/
College: AL@calstatela.edu

Administrators:

Dean: Terry Allison
Associate Dean: Bryant Alexander
Fiscal/Administration: Tommy Luong

The College of Arts and Letters is committed to nurturing humanists and artists, and providing a broad liberal arts education to all CSULA students. Its eight departments, the Integrated Humanities Center (which houses the American Communities Program, The Center for the Study of Genders and Sexualities, the Center for Contemporary Poetry and Poetics, Reel Rasquache, and other humanities research programs), offer a variety of learning opportunities, including major, minor, and certificate programs, general education and elective courses, and stimulating public programs. The College’s co- and extra-curricular activities provide both the university and off-campus communities with opportunities for cultural enrichment, lifelong learning, and participation in an intellectual and artistic community that rivals the best in the nation. The College produces art exhibits; musical events, dance, film, TV, multimedia, and theatrical performances; lectures and readings by students, faculty and internationally acclaimed scholars, writers, and artists. Among the numerous student activities devoted to cultural, creative, and intellectual pursuits are The University Times, a student-run theatre called The Nest (Theatre), and the Closet of Modern Art (COMA). Dedicated to ethnic and cultural diversity, with nationally recognized faculty and programs, and with students who have garnered numerous awards, the College of Arts and Letters, has been recognized by grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts and other prestigious foundations.

Students in the College may pursue a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs that offer opportunities to study a wide range of subjects, from animation, film and TV, dance, and design to creative writing, the classics, and voice. Its eight departments are Art, Communication Studies (including separate programs in Communication Studies and Television, Film and Media Studies), English, Liberal Studies (an interdisciplinary program that is one of the most popular majors for prospective elementary school teachers and includes a blended option merging subject matter with teacher preparation coursework, as well as a general track for students seeking a rigorous course of interdisciplinary study), Modern Languages and Literatures (including separate programs in Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish), Music, Philosophy, and Theatre Arts and Dance. Students wishing to pursue a high school teaching career may prepare for the Single Subject credential through degree programs in the following departments: Art, English, Modern Languages and Literatures (for French, Japanese, Spanish), and Music. The Music department offers both the Bachelor of Art and Bachelor of Music degrees. The Master of Arts degree is offered in Art, Communication Studies, English, French, Music, Philosophy, Spanish, and Theatre Arts. Students may also choose programs leading to the Master of Fine Arts in Art, or the Master of Music degree. In addition to minor programs in all the major subjects listed above, students may also minor in, Classics (Philosophy Department), Comparative Linguistics (Liberal Studies Department), Creative Writing (English Department), and Women’s Studies (Liberal Studies Department). New joint Master of Fine Arts Degree in Television, Film and Theatre between the Department of Communication Studies and the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.

The departments in the College offer a rich menu of opportunities for nurturing and showcasing student talent and for experiencing the best in presentations by professional artists and distinguished scholars. The Fine Arts Gallery presents exhibitions of artwork by established professional artists as well as faculty and students, while the student-run exhibition space, COMA Gallery, presents rotating exhibitions of student artwork. The Music Department offers an extensive program of musical events every year, from faculty recitals and group performances to individual student recitals. There are vocal and instrumental groups for every musical inclination, from the Chamber Ensembles, Chamber Singers and International Choir to the Latin-Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band; each group performs several times a year both on and off campus. The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance offers comprehensive programs in play and dance production and children’s theatre. The University Dance Ensemble offers the opportunity for students to perform, choreograph, design costumes, design lighting, and compose sound for dance. The department also presents many productions during the year, including faculty and student-directed workshops and major productions. Through the Communication Studies Department, students may join the award-winning forensics teams or help produce the University Times, whose editors have established an outstanding record and received top awards and national scholarships. The departments of English, Modern Languages and Literatures and Communication Studies also produce literary magazines and scholarly journals for students to publish both creative and academic writing in English and other languages. The English Department is the home of the American Literature Association, a national coalition of author societies devoted to the study of American writers. Faculty members in the Department of Communication Studies edit or have edited such prestigious scholarly journals as Text and Performance Quarterly and Journal of Film and Video. A full program of distinguished speakers (sponsored by the departments of Philosophy, English, Communication Studies, and Modern Languages and Literatures) provides the entire campus community the opportunity to hear and exchange views with eminent scholars, writers, poets, and critics. The Chinese and Japanese Studies Centers are affiliated with the Modern Languages and Literatures Department and promote the study and understanding of Chinese and Japanese culture.

The College of Arts and Letters is committed to academic excellence in the arts and humanities. Through its numerous programs, the College prepares students for professional success through a liberal arts education. A broad foundation in intellectual, philosophical and cultural inquiry allows our diverse student body to undertake personal development and to achieve effective participation in a democratic society.

Nationally Accredited Programs in the College of Arts and Letters

Undergraduate Programs

Art (Department of Art): B.A. in Art  with Options in Animation, Art Education, Art History, Fashion & Textiles, Graphic Design/Visual Communication, Studio Arts; Minor in Art ; Certificate in Fashion Design , Certificate in Fashion Merchandising 

Chinese (Department of Modern Languages and Literatures): B.A in Chinese . Minor in Chinese 

Classics (Department of Philosophy): Minor 

Communication Studies (Department of Communication Studies): B.A. in Communication , General Option, Rhetoric, Organizational and Public Relations, Performance Studies, Interpersonal and Language and Social Interaction; Minor in Communication 

Comparative Linguistics (Department of Liberal Studies): Minor 

Creative Writing (Department of English): B.A. in Creative Writing , Minor in Creative Writing. 

Dance (Department of Theatre Arts and Dance): B.A. in Theatre Arts and Dance , Option in Dance

English (Department of English): B.A. in English , General Option, Creative Writing and Single-Subject Teaching Option; Minor in Creative Writing , Minor in English 

French (Department of Modern Languages and Literatures): B.A. in French , Single-Subject Matter Program; Minor in French 

Japanese (Department of Modern Languages and Literatures): B.A. in Japanese , Single-Subject Matter Program; Minor in Japanese 

Liberal Studies (Department of Liberal Studies): B.A. in Liberal Studies , General Option, Elementary Subject Matter Teacher Preparation Option, and Blended Elementary Subject Matter Teacher Preparation Option; Interdisciplinary Minor in Comparative Linguistics ; Interdisciplinary Minor in Women’s Studies 

Music (Department of Music): B.A. in Music , General Option, Teaching Option, Single-Subject Matter Program; B.Mus. in Music , with Options in Composition, Jazz Studies, Vocal Performance, Instrumental Performance, and Keyboard Performance; Minor in Music 

Philosophy (Department of Philosophy): B.A. in Philosophy , General Option, Prelaw Option; Minor in Classics ; Minor in Philosophy , General Option and Prelaw Option

Spanish (Department of Modern Languages and Literatures): B.A. in Spanish , Single Subject Matter Program; Minor in Spanish 

Television, Film and Media Studies (Department of Communication Studies): B.A. in Television, Film and Media Studies , with Options in Animation, Broadcast Journalism, and Telecommunications and Film

Theatre Arts (Department of Theatre Arts and Dance): B.A. in Theatre Arts and Dance , Theatre Arts Option; Minor is Theatre Arts and Dance 

Women’s Studies (Department of Liberal Studies): Minor 

Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Programs

Art (Department of Art): Master of Arts Degree in Art , with specializations in Art Education, Art History, Design, Studio Arts; Master of Fine Arts Degree in Art , with specializations in Design and Studio Arts

Communication Studies (Department of Communication Studies): Master of Arts Degree in Communication Studies , with Options in Telecommunications and Film, and in Speech Communication

English (Department of English): Master of Arts Degree in English , with Options in Composition, Rhetoric, and Language; in Creative Writing; and in Literature

French (Department of Modern Languages and Literatures): Master of Arts Degree in French 

Music (Department of Music): Master of Arts Degree in Music , General Option, Music Education Option, Musicology Option; Master of Music Degree , with Options in Composition, Commercial Music, Conducting,  Keyboard Performance, Vocal Performance, Instrumental Performance, Afro-Latin Music.

Philosophy (Department of Philosophy): Master of Arts Degree in Philosophy , Certificate in Teaching Critical Thinking 

Spanish (Department of Modern Languages and Literatures): Master of Arts Degree in Spanish 

Theatre Arts (Department of Theatre Arts and Dance): Master of Arts Degree in Theatre Arts 
Joint Master of Fine Arts Degree in Television, Film and Theatre  between the Department of Communication Studies and the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.

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