The Art Department offers an integrated program of study in theory and practice exploring the power of visual communication for personal expression and public interaction. The department provides students with the means to pursue this exploration through courses that provide the practical hands-on learning skills for art production in a variety of media within the contexts of critical thinking and broad-based social perspectives.

The art program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is composed of courses in drawing, animation, painting, photography, sculpture, print media, intermedia, critical theory, media art, public art, environmental art, and social practice art. The Baskin visual arts studios provide world-class facilities for art production in these areas. The Art Department is committed to pursuing a continuing dialogue about what constitutes basic preparation in the arts while offering students experience in established practices, new genres, and new technologies.

The Art Department teaches diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as essential to an art education through creativity, innovation, and problem-solving that is inclusive of a diversity of voices, perspectives and experiences. DEI is woven throughout our curriculum to deepen the educational experience and broaden the artistic environment preparing students for creative participation in a multicultural world. The Art Department fosters a community ethos and environment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion among all faculty, staff and students. The department embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion and anti-racism as core values by actively opposing all forms of discrimination.

The bachelor of arts degree prepares students for dynamic careers within the visual arts. As a graduate from the program, students go on to pursue careers as professional practicing artists, as well as in arts education, arts management, art direction, social design, web design, photography, social practice and environmental art, curation and consulting, multimedia, illustration, animation, among other arts-related fields. Many of our students continue to study art and professional practices in graduate and post-graduate programs.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who earn a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Art will gain the skills, knowledge, and understanding that will enable them to:

✔ Demonstrate proficiency in a range of techniques and media;

✔ Demonstrate the ability to imagine, create and resolve a work of art incorporating research with an awareness of contemporary and historical practices, approaches and cultural perspectives;

✔ Demonstrate the ability to discuss and revise their own and other students’ artistic process and production based on a foundation in forms and ideas with a knowledge of diversity through multiple historical and contemporary contexts, cultural perspectives and approaches;

✔ Demonstrate the ability to communicate in writing analysis of a work of art using vocabulary that reflects a foundational knowledge in the diversity of forms and ideas encompassing multiple historical and contemporary contexts, cultural perspectives and approaches.

Art & Design: Games + Playable Media (AGPM) values a joyful and rigorous critical discourse in order to build new imaginaries of climate, gender, racial, and disability justice.

Our program is a community of artists that believe in the power of games as an artistic medium for transforming how we experience agency in a world fragmented by capitalism, colonialism, and systemic oppression. We critique art and games that capitalize on systemically toxic player culture, industrial standards that homogenize our approach to storytelling, and exploitative technologies that continue to oppress. Students build toward a multidisciplinary arts practice situated within the broader landscape of contemporary art, media art, performance, and/or social practice.

Our approach to games as a contemporary art practice foregrounds the importance of designing more thoughtful, nuanced, and radical systems for participation that cross medium, positionality, and forms of cultural expression. We support work that self-reflexively acknowledges its context, community, and the ethics that underlie its intention. We work to co-create spaces for thoughtful and transformative play to cultivate the embodied experience of connection, collectivity, and co-liberation in action. Students learn to create projects that are accountable to communities beyond the institution and are guided by a decolonial, intersectional and antiracist framework.

The AGPM major focuses on the following areas of study—students interested in the major should expect courses and curriculum centered around these topics:

- Digital and non-digital games as art, activism and social practice

- Feminist, anti-racist, LGBTQ games, art and media

- Participatory or performance-based games such as role playing games, urban/site-specific games and theater games

- Interactive art, performance art, and new media art

- Exhibition methods for games in traditional art spaces and public spaces

The Art & Design: Games + Playable Media (AGPM) Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree at the University of California, Santa Cruz, focuses on the creation of novel game systems, spaces, and configurations that can produce broad ranges of player experiences, for a wide variety of purposes.

Students in the AGPM major learn to understand game design as an art in and of itself, positioned within the context of a number of more disciplinary approaches. Furthermore, students understand game design as a practice of creation, within a much larger and deeper social and historical context.

Program Learning Outcomes

✔ Aesthetics. Students demonstrate understanding of aesthetic fundamentals through sustained and intentional application of a range of visual arts and design practices, both physical and digital.

✔ Designing Experiences. Students critically engage with audience feedback to iterate and revise an interactive project in a way that preserves the artist’s creative and political goals.

✔ Games as Art. With a foundation in existing artworks, students design, develop, and create a series of interactive artworks.

✔ Games as Activism. Students develop a creative practice, and critical study, of games and interactive media by generating critiques of game systems through a lens of power and oppression, and utilizing these critiques in their artwork.

✔ Play as a Radical Endeavor. Students explore and create a series of playful experiments towards expressive goals that embrace risk and build upon failure. Students analyze play as a vehicle for disruption, resistance, and joy.

✔ Sense of Self As Artist. Students begin to establish and explore their unique sense of artistic identity and areas of intention and interest, demonstrated via a portfolio of artwork and written work, exhibition, or performance, that expands definitions of games, interactive art, and play.

Physics seeks to discover the fundamental regularities or “laws” that govern our universe and to apply these laws to explain the behavior of fundamental and complex systems. The department offers majors in physics, physics (astrophysics), and applied physics. Physics major students have an option to complete the Quantum Information Science concentration, while applied physics students are offered the Computational Physics concentration. The applied physics major is good preparation not only for industrial careers but also for graduate studies.

For more information about the physics program requirements, please see the program description in the General Catalog.

Program Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes summarize the most important knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that students are expected to develop over the course of their studies. The program learning outcomes communicate the faculty’s expectations to students, provide a framework for faculty evaluation of the curriculum based on empirical data, and help improve and measure the impact of implemented changes. Students graduating with a B.S. in Applied Physics will demonstrate:

✔ Ability to solve problems using concepts in classical and quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics and electromagnetism.

✔ Proficiency in mathematics and the mathematical concepts needed for a proper understanding of physics.

✔ Ability to take measurements in a physics laboratory and analyze the measurements to draw valid conclusions.

✔ Ability to communicate scientific content effectively, both orally and in writing.

Applied mathematics is a field of research specializing in the development and application of analytical and numerical tools and techniques toward the solution of complex quantitative problems in science and engineering. A Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Applied Mathematics prepares graduates for careers in the industry (usually in research and development) or academia (either in teaching and/or in research at university or governmental laboratories or agencies). It can be a terminal degree, or prepare students for graduate school in applied mathematics or related fields.

The applied mathematics major at the University of California, Santa Cruz, provides students with a holistic training in mathematical modeling. The core of the degree program includes six courses that introduce modern analytical (and semi-analytical) techniques as well as general aspects of scientific computing. Students gain further depth or breadth by taking three (or more) electives among a large list of upper-division or graduate courses offered by applied mathematics faculty or in related subject areas. Finally, students learn to apply the techniques and tools learned through two capstone courses that focus on modeling “real- life” quantitative problems in science and engineering. In these courses, students also learn additional skills such as mathematical abstraction, critical thinking, and disciplinary communication.

The major has been designed to allow students to easily pursue an additional minor or major in an area of applications of mathematics (such as physics, astrophysics, Earth sciences, computer sciences, computer engineering, electrical engineering), and/or to pursue the 4+1 pathway into the Master of Science (M.S.) degree program in Scientific Computing and Applied Mathematics also offered by the Department of Applied Mathematics.

Program Learning Outcomes

Recipients of a B.S. degree in applied mathematics at UC Santa Cruz are expected to have the following skills and experiences:

✔ To be able to take a real-life science or engineering problem, and create a mathematical model for it, under the supervision of a professor.

- To be competent with a number of analytical methods for the solution of linear algebra problems, as well as ordinary and partial differential equations.

✔ To be competent with constructing numerical algorithms for the solution of linear algebra problems and ordinary differential equations.

✔ To be competent in at least two scientific computing languages such as: Fortran, C, Python, R, Matlab, etc. and to be familiar with other computational elements such as Unix-type operating systems, the use of compilers, professional scientific computing libraries, efficient IO algorithms, data visualization tools, etc.

✔ To be able to analyze critically the results from the model obtained, and identify when the model is inappropriate.

✔ To be able to communicate clearly and coherently with professionals (orally and/or in writing), in order to: (1) understand what is needed of the mathematical model prior to the investigation; and (2) report on the results of the model after the investigation.

Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to understand how languages are learned (first and second language acquisition), how more than one language is represented and accessed in the mind of the individual (bilingualism), the ways in which language and society intersect (sociolinguistics), how people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds interact (intercultural communication), and methods and principles of language teaching (pedagogy).

The major in applied linguistics and multilingualism is designed for students who wish to pursue the study of a particular language (e.g., Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish), and at the same time, gain an in-depth understanding of language use in bilingual and multilingual settings. Coursework for the major presupposes some familiarity with theoretical linguistics, and thus majors are required to take three foundational courses offered in the Linguistics Department (LING 50; LING 100 or LING 101; LING 111 or LING 112) in addition to APLX 80, the introductory course to applied linguistics. Since applied linguistics is integrally connected to other disciplines such as cognitive and developmental psychology, education, anthropology, and sociology, students have the option of taking some elective courses in these areas. Finally, majors are encouraged to pursue the study of more than one language in order to reflect on and enhance their understanding of the process of second language acquisition.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates from the applied linguistics and multilingualism studies bachelor of arts program should:

✔ Demonstrate proficiency in a second language. Students who successfully complete the applied linguistics and multilingualism major will reach an Intermediate-high level of proficiency in their second language (L2) as described in the scale of the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). This is similar to the B2 level on the Common European Framework of Reference. Speakers who complete additional course work through study abroad (an aspect of the major that is very much encouraged) may reach the advanced level in their L2.

✔ Be able to analyze critically the contexts and processes of (second and other) language acquisition. Students will develop an in-depth understanding of processes of and issues relating to the acquisition of more than one language, bilingualism and multilingualism, including social, psycholinguistic and metalinguistic aspects of these processes.

✔ Be able to analyze critically the contexts and uses of language in society. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of social aspects of bilingualism and multilingualism, and issues of language in social contexts. Students will also develop an understanding of how different disciplines work together to make sense of human communication in multilingual contexts.

✔ Demonstrate research skills appropriate for the field of applied linguistics, such as collecting and analyzing data. Students will develop the receptive and productive skills necessary for becoming members of this community of practice. Specifically, they will develop the disciplinary skills to summarize, interpret and critique both quantitative and qualitative research studies in applied linguistics. Through this process, students will develop the ability to engage in independent reading of scientific texts and research articles, to design basic research projects as well as to collect, analyze, and write about applied linguistic data.

✔ Demonstrate effective written and oral communication appropriate for the discipline of applied linguistics. Students will learn how to review and report on relevant applied linguistic research critically, using discipline-appropriate conventions in written and oral presentations (i.e., expected content, organization, register, and language).

The anthropology bachelor of arts (B.A.) incorporates the three anthropological subfields of anthropological archaeology, cultural anthropology, and biological anthropology, while providing undergraduates with a solid grounding in theory and methods.

Students do not declare an emphasis or concentration within the anthropology major. All students therefore are general anthropology majors and complete the same requirements. However, students can choose to take additional courses in a specific area of anthropology while completing the upper-division anthropology electives required for the major, or by choosing to take courses above and beyond what is required for the major.

Program Learning Outcomes

A student who graduates with a B.A. in anthropology has the following knowledge and skills.

✔ Core Concepts in Anthropology
The student demonstrates understanding of the core concepts in three primary subfields of anthropology: cultural anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology.

✔ Knowledge of Cultural Differences
The student demonstrates knowledge of cultural variation and the diversity of perspectives, practices, and beliefs found within each culture and across cultures.

✔ Integration of Subfields
The student integrates cultural, biological, and archaeological perspectives on human bodies, behavior, materialities, and institutions.

✔ Written Communication
The student demonstrates the ability to write clearly by formulating well-organized arguments that are grounded in supporting evidence while countering evidence that contradicts the student's claims.

✔ Oral Communication
The student is able to organize ideas and information and articulate them effectively.

✔ Research and Analytical Skills
The student demonstrates knowledge of the basic steps involved in scholarly research, including locating and critically evaluating scholarly and other information sources relevant to the chosen topic. The student can recognize and demonstrate a basic understanding of research methods used in the various subfields of anthropology, including—but not limited to— participant observation, thick description, laboratory and field analysis, and interviewing.

✔ Understanding of Long-Term Changes in Human Behavior and Conditions in Deep Time
The student has a grasp of long-term changes in the conditions that have shaped humans and the environments they inhabit.

The agroecology major provides ecological concepts that can be applied to the development of sustainable agricultural systems. Students will develop their understanding of social, political, and economic aspects of agriculture . Students will also engage in hands-on experiences, and obtain skills in research, fieldwork, production, and communication in order to achieve multiple sustainability goals in complex, social-ecological food systems.

The agroecology major does not have any concentrations offered. Students interested in the available concentrations should pursue the environmental studies bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a B.A. degree in agroecology will be able to:

✔ Analyze the problems faced in agriculture and food systems by identifying the societal (historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and ethical) agents and structures that contribute to environmental change. (Social science competency)

✔ Describe the structure and functioning of major physical and ecological components of earth’s systems, including agricultural systems. (Natural science competency)

✔ Access and assess complex literature and review specific topics in agroecology and sustainable food systems, and evaluate the usefulness and limitations of individual methods. (Analytical thinking)

✔ Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills. (Communication skills)

✔ Demonstrate an introductory level of competence in horticulture or agronomy or aquaculture. (Production skills)

If you transferred into CSUMB as an AA-T-certified student in Communication Studies, you must complete the following courses for your bachelor’s degree in Humanities & Communication at CSUMB. If you are unsure about your transfer status, please talk to an advisor.

All HCOM students must complete one approved research or theory intensive course, indicated as (RTI) in the course lists below; additional RTI courses are indicated in the Concentrations.

Students may not double count an HCOM core course and a concentration course, nor may they double count a concentration course for a required area within the major core.

The Communication Design B.S. helps you to develop skills in visual design, web design, game design and interactive media to fulfill the needs of these industries. You’ll gain a broad-based understanding of current technologies and applications along with knowledge of design, communication, and management skills.

Program Learning Outcomes

✔ MLO 1: Professional Communication

Demonstrate the ability to understand, analyze, and evaluate information, ideas, and insights from multiple perspectives through written, oral, visual, and electronic means of communication, and explain its significance at an advanced collegiate level. More specifically, graduates should be able to:

1. Receive information, ideas, and arguments through active listening and effective reading skills;
2. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences through college level writing;
3. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences through well-organized, precise, and effective oral presentations.

✔ MLO 2: User-centered Design

Demonstrate the systematic application of design principles, tools, user-centered design methodology and processes to develop complex systems that facilitate meaningful interactions. More specifically, graduates should be able to:

1. Apply knowledge of design history, communication theories, and aesthetic principles to solve design problems;
2. Analyze a problem and identify, define, and implement appropriate solutions;
3. Design, implement, and evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of a design project to meet desired needs.

✔ MLO 3: Computing and Programming

Apply computer programming concepts, tools, and skills to solve communication design problems. More specifically, graduates should be able to:

1. Identify right tools and programming solutions to address design problems;
2. Design, develop, implement, and evaluate a technology infused design project to meet desired needs.

✔ MLO 4: Professional Ethos

Demonstrate professionalism through team work, punctuality, integrity, reliability, and commitment to ethical action through rigorous evaluation from multiple perspectives. More specifically, graduates should be able to:

1. Function effectively on teams with diverse individuals from diverse backgrounds to accomplish a common goal;
2. Analyze the local and global impact of computing and design on individuals, organizations, community, society, and the world;
3. Understand and apply professional, ethical, legal, security, and social responsibilities in the service of community, society, and world.

✔ MLO 5: Application and Synthesis

Apply core communication design knowledge, theories, methods, and practices to address new and complex real-world challenges and opportunities. More specifically, graduates should be able to:

1. Apply design and development principles, tools, and methods in communication design in the construction of design of varying complexity in a way that demonstrates comprehension of the tradeoffs involved in design choices.

The CHHS major provides you with the essential knowledge, skills and abilities needed to become a future leader in health and social service organizations. It also prepares you for entry into graduate programs in public health, social work, public administration, nonprofit management, and related allied health and social service professions.

You will master the theory and practice of inter-agency collaboration; acquire proficiency in the use of electronic technologies; and develop sound critical-thinking, communication and analytical skills. You will also build a foundation of values and ethics, and cultural competence needed for serving client populations and communities whose backgrounds differ from your own.

Program Learning Outcomes

✔ MLO 1: Collaboration and Ethical Leadership

Apply the principles of collaboration, ethics, and leadership to work with colleagues and diverse communities to establish shared values and vision to achieve mutual goals.

✔ MLO 2: Equity and Social Justice

Apply principles of cultural awareness and an understanding of social identities to promote diversity, equity, and social justice in health and human services.

✔ MLO 3: Integrated and Disciplinary Knowledge of Health and Human Services

Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental principles of the interrelationships between health and human services fields, organizations, and systems. Apply specialized knowledge and skills in a selected disciplinary area.

✔ MLO 4: Policy, Politics, and Public Action

Demonstrate an understanding of health and social problems and apply the skills needed to identify, describe, and critically analyze public policies. Synthesize evidence to evaluate alternative strategies to promote equitable public action.

✔ MLO 5: Professional Communication

Critically analyze the organizational and cultural contexts of communication, and demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate complex ideas to diverse audiences in a variety of professional settings.

✔ MLO 6: Professional Development and Application

Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for growth and development as a health and human services professional through self-awareness, personal reflection, and self-correcting behavior. Commit to lifelong learning and the application of best practices to advance the fields.

✔ MLO 7: Research Methods and Information Literacy

Apply appropriate research methodologies to gather and evaluate different types of evidence to critically analyze public problems in the health and human services fields.