BA in Arts and Humanities

Total credits necessary for the degree: 120.

Prerequisite Courses (13-14 credits)

* Students must achieve a grade of C or better in these classes.

^#Both classes are required as part of the Lewiston Common Core.

Program Requirements (24 credits)

     * May be met by taking HUM 125 French Language and Maine Society, HUM 307 Creative Nonfiction, HUM 350 Cultural Fieldwork, HUM 360 Franco-American Community and Archival Work, HUM 370 Literacy Studies, or HUM 498 Independent Study that is specially designed to meet this requirement.

Interdisciplinary Courses (12 credits)

     Students will select four interdisciplinary courses - 12 credits

• These courses are listed under Course Descriptions and marked with **

Electives (15 credits)

All of these courses must be at the 300-400 level, unless approved by two faculty members.

Students must obtain their advisor's approval before taking any course without the HUM prefix if they want the course to count toward the major.

No more than four courses (12 credits) lacking the HUM prefix can be taken for credit within the major unless written approval is obtained from at least two faculty members.

Lewiston Common Core (42 or 43 credits)*

¹ LCC 130 is not required for Natural and Applied Sciences majors.

² LCC 123 is required for entering students with less than 24 credits while LCC 345 is required only of students who were not required to take LCC 123.

³ Requirement may be met with this pending cluster of courses, or any USM Core Cluster, or with any USM minor or double major.

* Descriptions of LCC classes may be found in the introductory portion of the Lewiston-Auburn College section of this catalog.

General Electives (17-18 credits)

Arts and Humanities students may choose to use their general and major electives to sample other disciplines or to focus on a particular area of interest... writing, research, history ... or they may choose to declare one of the minors or concentrations in the Arts and Humanities or other disciplines. General electives, for example, may be used to pursue a concentration in counseling, early childhood studies, or information systems.

One of the greatest strengths of the Arts and Humanities degree is the flexibility and range of options that it offers.

Certification and Degree Completions

Secondary Teacher Certification in the Arts and Humanities

This major is jointly offered with the secondary teacher certification program at USM's Lewiston-Auburn College. Students may elect a concentration in one of three areas: English, social studies, or combined English and social studies. Each concentration requires a sequence of courses, which may be viewed in the secondary teacher certification program section in this catalog. This allows a student to graduate in four years with an arts and humanities degree, as well as secondary teacher certification. For more information, contact Jim Bradley at (207) 753-6618.

Liberal Studies–Degree Completion (45 credits)

Some students may choose this track, which is designed to assist transfer students and those with professional training or life experiences to achieve their degree. Depending on transcripts and other forms of accreditation, courses and experiences will be assessed for transfer into the major. Entry into this track requires prior approval by the arts and humanities faculty.

Co-curricular Activity Options

Many co-curricular activities are available for students in this major as well as all students at USM:

The Learning Workshop

A lively tutoring center staffed by a director, peer tutors, and professional tutors. Peer tutors receive training in tutoring pedagogy, have multiple opportunities to observe tutoring sessions, and begin supervised tutoring as they work toward their College Reading and Learning Association certification. Experience as a writing peer tutor is particularly valuable for future teachers, writers and editors.

The Literati

A student group that meets throughout the semester to encourage a creative community and develop the writing talents of its members. Each semester, the members of the Literati sponsor Café Night, an open microphone event of original readings (typically poetry and fiction), short film, and song. The Literati members also publish Sneakers, Stilettos and Steeltoes, the student literary magazine. Student editors solicit submissions, consult with writers, design layout, negotiate printing contracts and develop marketing materials.

The Franco-American Collection

The oldest and largest facility in Maine devoted to Franco-American culture and history, as well as one of the three largest in the United States. It is home to a wide variety of letters, diaries, oral histories, newspapers, scrap-books, maps, audio-recordings, photographs, books, academic papers, and much more from the Androscoggin Valley, other parts of Maine, and around North America. Students are invited to participate in the Collection's many programs, which include international conferences, cultural events, stage performances, music festivals, poetry readings and other activities.

The International Students of Lewiston-Auburn (ISOLA)

A multicultural and international university-community group that promotes ethnic experience in the United States and global engagement. ISOLA sponsors a wide range of seminars, social gatherings, workshops, publications and other vehicles for exchange.