Contact Information

Chair: Joanne Benschop

Office: Building OCT550, 760.795.6881

Full-Time Faculty

Joanne Benschop

Academic and Career Pathway 

Languages, Communication, and Humanities

Associate in Arts Degree

Liberal Arts with an Area of Emphasis in Arts and Humanities

These courses emphasize the study of cultural literacy, humanistic activities, and the artistic expression of human beings. Students evaluate and interpret the ways in which people through the ages in different cultures have responded to themselves and the world around them in artistic and cultural creation. Students also learn to value aesthetic understanding and to incorporate these concepts when constructing value judgments.

This area of emphasis prepares students for a variety of majors within the humanities discipline, including creative writing, English, humanities and art, linguistics, literature and writing studies, museum studies, religious studies, and philosophy. It also provides lower-division preparation for a wide range of majors within the communication studies discipline.

Graduation Requirements

• Complete a minimum of 60 degree-applicable units of credit (including major and general education courses).
• Complete all courses required in the major with a “C” or “P” or better.
• Complete a general education pattern of courses (see Associate Degrees).
• Obtain a minimum GPA of 2.0.
• Complete a minimum of 12 units in residence at MiraCosta College.

Select a minimum of 18 units from the following:
ART 100	Drawing and Composition	3
ART 101	Design and Color	3
ART 103	3D Design	3
ART 157	Art Orientation	3
ART 158	Traditional Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas	3
ART 159	Pre-Columbian Art	3
or ART 159H	Pre-Columbian Art (Honors)
ART 201	Objects and Ideas in Contemporary Art	3
ART 234	Kinetic Art	3
ART 244	Digital Media for the Visual Artist	3
ART 254	Understanding and Appreciating the Photographic Image	3
ART 258	Ancient to Gothic Art	3
ART 259	History of Renaissance to Modern Art	3
ART 260	History of Modern Art	3
or ART 260H	History of Modern Art (Honors)
ART 290	Landmarks of Art	3
COMM 101	Public Speaking	3
COMM 106	Group Communication	3
COMM 111	Narrative Performance	3
COMM 120	Principles of Human Communication	3
COMM 150	Communication, Culture, and Leadership	3
COMM 207	Interpersonal Communication	3
COMM 212	Argumentation	3
COMM 215	Intercultural Communication	3
COMM 220	Introduction to Mass Communication	3
DESN 107	History of Western Architecture-A Sustainable Perspective	3
DESN 108	World Architecture	3
DNCE 100	Dance Appreciation	3
or DNCE 100H	Dance Appreciation (Honors)
DNCE 101	Dance History	3
or DNCE 101H	Dance History (Honors)
DNCE 104	Dance on Film	3
or DNCE 104H	Dance on Film (Honors)
DNCE 105	Dance Cultures of the World	3
or DNCE 105H	Dance Cultures of the World (Honors)
DRAM 105	Introduction to Theatre	3
DRAM 130	Acting I	3
DRAM 134	Introduction to Performance	3
DRAM 222	Introduction to Black Theater	3
ENGL 100	Composition and Reading	4
or ENGL 100H	Composition and Reading (Honors)
ENGL 201	Critical Thinking, Composition, and Literature	4
or ENGL 201H	Critical Thinking, Composition, and Literature (Honors)
ENGL 202	Critical Thinking and Composition	4
or ENGL 202H	Critical Thinking and Composition (Honors)
FILM 101	Introduction to Film	3
or FILM 101H	Introduction to Film (Honors)
FILM 106	Study of Cinematic Adaptation	3
FILM 111	Film History I: 1880-1948	3
or FILM 111H	Film History I: 1880-1948 (Honors)
FILM 112	Film History II: 1948-Present	3
or FILM 112H	Film History II: 1948-Present (Honors)
FILM 211	Identity and Film: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality	3
or FILM 211H	Identity and Film: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality (Honors)
FILM 212	Women and Film: Representation and Impact	3
or FILM 212H	Women and Film: Representation and Impact (Honors)
FREN 101	Elementary French (First Semester)	4
FREN 102	Elementary French (Second Semester)	4
FREN 121	Introduction to French Culture	3
FREN 201	Intermediate French (Third Semester)	4
FREN 202	Intermediate French (Fourth Semester)	4
GRMN 101	Elementary German (First Semester)	4
GRMN 102	Elementary German (Second Semester)	4
GRMN 121	Introduction to German Culture	3
GRMN 201	Intermediate German (Third Semester)	4
HIST 100	World History to 1500	3
or HIST 100H	World History to 1500 (Honors)
HIST 101	World History Since 1500	3
or HIST 101H	World History Since 1500 (Honors)
HIST 103	Early European History and Culture	3
or HIST 103H	Early European History and Culture (Honors)
HIST 104	Modern European History and Culture	3
or HIST 104H	Modern European History and Culture (Honors)
HIST 110	United States History to 1877	3
or HIST 110H	United States History to 1877 (Honors)
HIST 111	United States History Since 1877	3
or HIST 111H	United States History Since 1877 (Honors)
HIST 115	Women in American History	3
or HIST 115H	Women in American History (Honors)
HIST 116	History of the Americas to 1830	3
or HIST 116H	History of the Americas to 1830 (Honors)
HIST 141	Mexican American History Through 1877	3
or HIST 141H	Mexican American History Through 1877 (Honors)
HIST 142	Mexican American History Since 1877	3
or HIST 142H	Mexican American History Since 1877 (Honors)
HIST 145	African American History to 1877	3
or HIST 145H	African American History to 1877 (Honors)
HIST 146	African American History Since 1877	3
or HIST 146H	African American History Since 1877 (Honors)
HIST 165	California History	3
HUMN 101	Introduction to the Arts	3
or HUMN 101H	Introduction to the Arts (Honors)
HUMN 201	Cultural Eras in the Humanities: Prehistory to 1600	3
HUMN 202	Humanities of the Western World: The Renaissance to the Twentieth Century	3
HUMN 205	Women in Western Art and Literature	3
ITAL 101	Elementary Italian (First Semester)	4
ITAL 102	Elementary Italian (Second Semester)	4
ITAL 121	Introduction to Italian Culture	3
ITAL 201	Intermediate Italian (Third Semester)	4
ITAL 202	Intermediate Italian (Fourth Semester)	4
JAPN 101	Elementary Japanese (First Semester)	4
JAPN 102	Elementary Japanese (Second Semester)	4
JAPN 121	Introduction to Japanese Culture	3
JAPN 123	Japanese Anime and Manga	3
or JAPN 123H	Japanese Anime and Manga (Honors)
JAPN 201	Intermediate Japanese (Third Semester)	4
JAPN 202	Intermediate Japanese (Fourth Semester)	4
JAPN 210	Intermediate Conversation I and Reading	3
LIT 100	Introduction to Chicano Chicana Literature	3
LIT 101	Introduction to Asian American Literature	3
LIT 120	Introduction to Literature	3
LIT 122	Introduction to African American Literature	3
LIT 250	American Literature: First Contact Through the Civil War	3
or LIT 250H	American Literature: First Contact Through the Civil War (Honors)
LIT 251	American Literature: Mid-1800s to the Present	3
or LIT 251H	American Literature: Mid-1800s to the Present (Honors)
LIT 260	English Literature Through the 18th Century	3
or LIT 260H	English Literature Through the 18th Century (Honors)
LIT 261	English Literature: Romantic to Contemporary	3
or LIT 261H	English Literature: Romantic to Contemporary (Honors)
LIT 265	Shakespeare Studies	3
or LIT 265H	Shakespeare Studies (Honors)
LIT 270	World Literature to 1600	3
or LIT 270H	World Literature to 1600 (Honors)
LIT 271	World Literature Since 1600	3
MAT 105	History of Graphic Design	3
MUS 100	Introduction to Music Theory	3
MUS 112	American Popular Music	3
MUS 113	The Music of America	3
MUS 114	History of Rock and Roll	3
MUS 115	History of Classical Music	3
MUS 116	A Survey of World Music	3
MUS 119	Jazz History	3
or MUS 119H	Jazz History (Honors)
PHIL 100	Critical Thinking and Writing	3
PHIL 101	Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality	3
or PHIL 101H	Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality (Honors)
PHIL 102	Contemporary Moral Problems	3
PHIL 221	Philosophy of Religion	3
READ 100	Critical Reading and Thinking	3
RELG 101	World Religions	3
or RELG 101H	World Religions (Honors)
RELG 103	Religion in America	3
RELG 105	Eastern Religions	3
SOC/CCS 232	Critical Issues in Chicana and Latina Studies	3
SPAN 101	Elementary Spanish (First Semester)	4
SPAN 102	Elementary Spanish (Second Semester)	4
SPAN 201	Intermediate Spanish (Third Semester)	4
SPAN 202	Intermediate Spanish (Fourth Semester)	4
SPAN 205	Hispanic Film, Literature, and Composition	3
SPAN 221	Spanish for Native Speakers	4
SPAN 222	Spanish for Native Speakers II	4