Contact Information

Chair: Joanne Benschop

Office: Building OCT550, 760.795.6881

Full-Time Faculty

Joanne Benschop

Academic and Career Pathway 

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Associate in Arts Degree

Liberal Arts with an Area of Emphasis in Multicultural Studies

These interdisciplinary courses promote an appreciation of multicultural influences in contemporary society. Courses in this category encourage students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitude needed to function effectively in a pluralistic democratic society and to interact, negotiate, and communicate with people from diverse groups in order to create a civic and moral community that works for the common good.

This emphasis provides students with lower-division major preparation for disciplines within the area of study devoted to culture and society. These majors include Chicano studies, ethnic studies, foreign language, global studies, international development, peace and conflict studies, and women's studies.

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:

ADM 230	Policing in a Diverse and Multicultural Society	3
ANTH 102	Cultural Anthropology	3
or ANTH 102H	Cultural Anthropology (Honors)
ANTH 104	Native American Cultures	3
ART 159	Pre-Columbian Art	3
or ART 159H	Pre-Columbian Art (Honors)
ART 290	Landmarks of Art	3
BUS 160	International Business	3
CHLD 210	Child, Family, and Community	3
CHLD 235	Children in a Diverse Society	3
COMM 135	Gender Studies in Communication	3
COMM 215	Intercultural Communication	3
DESN 108	World Architecture	3
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)
ECON 100	Survey of Economics	3
ECON 101	Principles of Economics: MACRO	3
ECON 102	Principles of Economics: MICRO	3
EDUC 115	Foundations of Teaching as a Profession	3
ETHN 100	Introduction to Ethnic Studies	3
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 201	Intermediate French (Third Semester)	4
FREN 202	Intermediate French (Fourth Semester)	4
GEOG 102	People, Place, and Time: Introduction to Human Geography	3
GEOG 104	World Geography	3
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
GERO 101	Introduction to Aging	3
GERO 250	Intergenerational Issues	3
HIST 102	History of the Modern Middle East	3
or HIST 102H	History of the Modern Middle East (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 107	East Asian Societies	3
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 117	History of the Americas Since 1830	3
or HIST 117H	History of the Americas Since 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)
HUMN 101	Introduction to the Arts	3
or HUMN 101H	Introduction to the Arts (Honors)
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
or JAPN 101H	Elementary Japanese (First Semester) (Honors)
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
LING 110	English Language Structure and Function	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 270	World Literature to 1600	3
or LIT 270H	World Literature to 1600 (Honors)
LIT 271	World Literature Since 1600	3
MUS 112	American Popular Music	3
MUS 113	The Music of America	3
MUS 116	A Survey of World Music	3
NAIS 100	Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies	3
PACS 100	Introduction to Pacific Islander and Oceania Studies	3
PLSC 150	Introduction to International Relations	3
PSYC 125	Psychology of Women	3
PSYC/SOC 145	Psychology/Sociology of the Family	3
RELG 101	World Religions	3
or RELG 101H	World Religions (Honors)
RELG 105	Eastern Religions	3
SOC 105	Introduction to Justice Studies	3
SOC 120	Introduction to Women's Studies	3
SOC 130	Introduction to Gender Studies	3
SOC 140	Introduction to LGBT Studies	3
SOC/ETHN 207	Race and Ethnic Relations	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