HUMANITIES - Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between humanities and fine arts? Humanities refers to the name of the entire division and the fine arts and English departments are two components of the humanities division.     
   
2. What programs are considered fine arts? art, music, commercial entertainment, communication studies, performance studies, philosophy, and Spanish
3. Why are fine arts classes required for my degree program when the classes don't have anything to do with it? The fine arts classes are part of the general education requirements for any degree.  The purpose is to introduce the student to a dimension outside his/her focus.  Talents and interest may surface after exposure to areas outside one's focus which might help prevent job burnout later in the career track.
4. What are the fine arts electives for general transfer majors? Students may choose from Art 1030, Music 1030, Philosophy 1030, Philosophy 2030, and Theater 1030. 
5. May I take other art, music, or speech courses such as guitar, acting, or painting and use them for humanities elective? No.  Applied courses such as guitar, voice, piano, or any hands-on art courses do not provide broad exposure to the field.  Transfer credits must be a survey course. 
6. What if I already have a humanities/fine arts course at a previous institution such as mythology or a class entitled Humanities? You must supply to your advisor a copy of the your transcript, a copy of the course description from that institution's catalog, and any additional explanatory material such as syllabus.  It is your responsibility to obtain these materials.  Your advisor must complete a Request for Course Waiver/Substitution form and forward it to Dr. Marvin Austin, Division Chair.  He will forward the form for approval to the appropriate office and you will be notified by the Admissions and Records office as to whether or not it has been approved.  
7. What are the differences in communications studies, performance studies, and mass communications? Communications studies generally refers to the area of speech.  Performance studies is the name of the theater/drama department and mass communications refers to classes that focus on journalism, media writing, and broadcasting. 
8. What is the best way to find out more information about a specific program in the humanities division?  Each area of degree study has a designated web page that outlines programs and the faculty members to contact.  Click on the program link to the left. 

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