Anthropology
The study of anthropology promotes an understanding of self and all humankind by exploring the human condition at all times and in all places. In the modern world in which every society depends upon other societies, ignorance of the goals, values, and ways of life of others may become a fear leading to discrimination and racism in the community or to war and oppression between nations. The challenges of desert life for the Australian Aborigine and the problems of contemporary ghetto existence are of equal interest to the anthropologist, and courses in these topics and world ethnography are offered by the Anthropology Department. Human physical and cultural evolution, the distribution and significance of cultural differences, the history and ecology of specific areas, and the role of language in culture are treated in courses in physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology and prehistory, and linguistics.
Child Development
The Department of Child Development at CSUSB houses two undergraduate programs (Early Childhood Development and Child and Adolescent Development) and one graduate program. Roughly 600 students are served by ten full-time and three part-time faculty. The programs offer first-rate, state-of-the-art classroom instruction, as well as opportunities to apprentice with faculty mentors in a wide variety of research areas and community-based professional activities. The rich experiences of the Department of Child Development enable students to gain access to rewarding professional careers and exposure to high-quality programs that prepare students to work with individuals across the childhood period in a variety of professional settings.
Economics
Economics is the study of how individuals and societies organize the production and distribution of goods and services. This involves a historical understanding of how our economy has developed and how people in various groups (according to gender, race, and class) have been affected by it. One of the tools economics provides is the ability to analyze the possible costs and benefits of competing alternatives. It provides a framework through which difficult choices can be analyzed, whether an individual should go to college now or later, or whether a firm should invest its money in more machines or offer a bonus to its labor force, or whether a government should spend money on schools or military hardware.
Training in economics provides excellent preparation for careers in industry, government, and many professions including law, education, public administration, and management.
Ethnic Studies
Ethnic Studies at CSUSB invites students who are inspired to take on the critical study of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, disability and citizenship to examine all systems and structures of oppression. Our BA consists of distinct theoretical and methodological approaches that have shaped the field of Ethnic Studies including Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, Queer of Color Critique, Settler Colonialism and Transnational Feminisms. Students who major in Ethnic Studies will analyze the power dynamics at play in structuring white supremacy, heteropatriarchy and class oppression through the centering of historically racialized groups in the United States. Ethnic Studies at CSUSB is comprised of educators, students and staff who are dedicated to creating supportive and nurturing academic environments for all majors and minors. By majoring in Ethnic Studies, students are prepared for a range of opportunities at CSUSB, including interdisciplinary and collaborative research, study abroad and internships on campus and in our surrounding communities. Moreover, students will be prepared to pursue a wide variety of fields after graduation, including organizing and activism, public policy, medicine, social work, secondary and college-level educational work, law and government. Majors are also well-situated for graduate studies in a number of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities.
Geography and Environmental Studies
The Environmental Studies program is designed for students who desire either to focus on a study of the environment as part of a broader liberal arts curriculum or to prepare for an environmentally related career or graduate school. Professional opportunities for graduates include a wide range of positions in public agencies responsible for developing and enforcing environmental controls, and in business, industry and nonprofit organizations, which need qualified individuals to communicate environmental information and to assist in compliance with environmental regulations. Additional opportunities are available in conjunction with other programs of study, such as environmental law, environmental health, education, and public administration.
Geography is concerned with the spatial variations and interrelationships between the natural and cultural features of the earth. Geographers study the earth primarily as the home of human beings. As an approach to knowledge, geography forms an interdisciplinary bridge between the physical and cultural worlds, examining both humans and their environment. As a synthesizing discipline, geography is an especially attractive major for liberal arts and science students. Its body of theory and methodologies provides an analytic technique applicable to a wide range of questions. For students planning to terminate their formal education with a bachelor's degree, it also provides both the regional and world perspective required of responsible citizens. For the same reasons, geography is especially valuable for those who plan to do graduate work. Geography offers job opportunities in teaching, business, government, armed forces, conservation and water resources, planning and market research, geographic information systems (GIS), and international organizations.
History
The History Department has developed a major that can be completed by taking one of three tracks: Track A (designed for students wishing to be history teachers), Track B (designed for students interested in any of the other fields open to History majors), and Track C (designed to provide skills and training in historical methodologies for public and oral history professionals in museums, archives, libraries, historic houses and such). Each track includes courses that provide surveys of United States and world history, and an introduction to the nature of historical study. To meet the remainder of the requirements for Track A, students are required to take a number of other courses in history and from among the other social science fields. To meet the remainder of the requirements for Track B, students are required to choose from a wide spectrum of courses in an area of concentration.
Political Science
The major in political science is designed for students who desire a liberal arts program with an emphasis on politics, government, and public policy; plan a career in government service or public administration; seek training for positions in foreign service agencies of the United States government, international organizations, or corporations; intend to study law; wish to prepare for teaching in the public schools; or intend to work for advanced degrees in political science in preparation for college or university teaching or for government service. The department offers courses in the following fields: American Government and politics, Comparative politics, International relations, Political theory, Public law.
Psychology
The Psychology Department offers two undergraduate majors – Psychology and Human Development. The general objectives of the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology are to present the scientific and professional aspects of psychology to the undergraduate majoring in this field and to provide service courses as electives for students throughout the university. Psychology majors may plan to apply the knowledge and skills provided by a broad psychology background to many employment opportunities which do not require graduate training. Within the Psychology B.A. degree, the department offers formal concentrations in Biological Psychology and Industrial/Organizational Psychology. The primary objective of the Bachelor of Arts in Human Development is to provide a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to human growth and development in preparation for service, research, and teaching careers. The Psychology Department also offers course work leading to the Master of Arts in General Experimental Psychology (Psychological Science) and Child Development or the Master of Science in Clinical/Counseling Psychology or Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Students intending to enroll in our master’s degree programs or another graduate school will find the undergraduate program provides an excellent base for entry into graduate training.
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
A system of criminal justice must meet the needs of each citizen as well as the needs of complex social, economic, and governmental institutions. The Bachelor of Arts degree program in criminal justice was developed with these needs in mind and is appropriate for both career--bound pre-service students, and in-service personnel in law enforcement, probation, parole, corrections, social service agencies, and related areas. In addition, the program is designed to provide students with an appropriate academic background for continuing their graduate studies in criminal justice, criminology, or other areas such as law. The criminal justice major is an interdisciplinary program with enough flexibility to permit students to pursue their own interests.
School of Social Work
The School of Social Work offers classes leading to the Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) and Bachelor of Arts in Social Work. (B.A.S.W). These degree programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (C.S.W.E.).
The M.S.W. prepares advanced social work practitioners to intervene at the micro (individuals, families, and groups) and macro (organizations and communities) levels of practice within a chosen specialization. The B.A.S.W. prepares baccalaureate students for generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities encountering problems related to personal or social circumstance.
Sociology
The Sociology major offers a balanced program of study for students interested in pursuing graduate study or in the practical application of sociology. The curriculum is designed to expose the student to the scope and methods of sociology and to provide a broad educational background for understanding the structure and functioning of modern society.