Liberal Arts, Associate of Arts
(93 credits)
The Liberal Arts Department offers an enriching two-year program consisting of studies in a variety of academic fields including Social Science, Humanities, Communications, Native American Studies, and Fine Arts. Upon graduating with this degree, a student is better prepared with skills, knowledge, and perspectives needed to successfully enter the work force or transfer into a bachelor’s degree program for further studies.
The Liberal Arts faculty believes that a good education empowers people, and that empowered individuals promote positive social change. We provide opportunities for our students to acquire academic skills paired with increased self-awareness. The department offers a variety of courses designed to create well-rounded learners and communicators, while sparking imagination, creativity, and curiosity. The faculty is also strongly committed to integrating Native American history, culture, and viewpoints into all classes and to providing tools for students to enhance and strengthen their Native American communities today and in the future. Liberal Arts majors graduate with a better understanding of themselves, their communities, and the world.
Career Opportunities
For graduates looking to immediately enter the workforce, the Liberal Arts A.A. degree provides marketable skills for entry-level job opportunities in a wide range of fields. Liberal Arts graduates possess skills desirable to employers including: effective written and oral communication; analytical thinking and reasoning; understanding of people, cultures, and societies; trainability, and flexibility.
Employment opportunities exist across the spectrum: public / private sector, government, and non-profit organizations. Specific job descriptions, opportunities, and wages vary due to location and career area of interest. Positions above entry level may require further on the job training, certifications, or education.
Common career areas: marketing, public relations, management, advertising, media, journalism, communications, public service, administrative support, museum work, historical preservation, and law.
For graduates looking to continue their education, the Liberal Arts A.A. degree provides the academic background and skills to successfully transfer into a more specified area of interest. The Liberal Arts program allows students to explore a wide range of fields, allowing for the exploration of personal interests, while completing general education requirements to transfer into a bachelor degree program.
Common areas of further study: education, communications, English, humanities (art, literature, music, philosophy), history, political science, public relations, historical preservation, law, business, social science, and psychology.
Liberal Arts Degree
The two year Liberal Arts degree program provides students with a broad-based, solid foundation of skills and knowledge in a wide range of areas. The two-year course plan focuses on many areas of study, which expose students to a wide variety of topics and fields. This may provide useful insight to students who are unsure about choosing a specific field of study or future career path. The Liberal Arts A.A. degree is designed to prepare students for entry into the workforce and/or the pursuit of further educational opportunities.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Liberal Arts Program, students will be able to:
- Practice effective written and verbal communication skills through the creation of essays, reports, and oral presentations.
- Reflect understanding of the connection of people and place to language, ideas, and culture.
- Utilize critical thinking skills to analyze and synthesize ideas and information from a variety of sources with one’s own ideas to create well thought out discussions, arguments, and ideas in written and oral work.
- Demonstrate recognition of differing American Indian values and traditions, and respect for various tribal cultures through the integration of Native American cultural perspectives into coursework.
- Apply knowledge of the Liberal Arts to real-world situations, in meaningful ways, across multiple settings and conditions.
Curriculum
Fall (First Year)
| ANTH101 | Introduction to Anthropology | 5 |
| ENGL103 | Creative Writing I | 3 |
| IDST101 | SKC Seminar | 3 |
| NASD101 | History of Indians in the United States | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Winter (First Year)
| ENGL101 | English Composition I | 3 |
| HMNT101 | Introduction to Humanities | 3 |
| MATH 103 | Contemporary Math | 5 |
| OR | |
| MATH100 | College Algebra | 5 |
| ELECTIVE | Native American Studies General Education Open | 3 |
| ELECTIVE | History Option - Choice of any course from history list below. | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 17 |
Take any of the following courses (any combination of two required).
Spring (First Year)
Take any of the following courses (any combination of two required).
Fall (Second Year)
NASD 210 counts as Native American Studies General Education open elective.
Winter (Second Year)
| ENGL210 | World Literature | 3 |
| HMNT310 | Advanced Studies in Humanities | 3 |
| | |
| SCLG110 | Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
| OR | |
| PSYC230 | Developmental Psychology | 5 |
| ELECTIVE | Native American Studies General Education Open | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
Spring (Second Year)
Total Credit Hours: 93