College of Liberal & Creative Arts
College Administrative Offices
| Title | Officer | Office | Telephone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dean of the College | Paul Sherwin | HUM 484 | 338-1541 |
| Associate Dean | Todd Roehrman | CA 251 | 338-1471 |
| Associate Dean | Susan Shimanoff | HUM 484 | 338-1541 |
College Directory
| Department/Program | Chair/Director | Office | Telephone |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Studies | Christina Ruotolo | HUM 409 | 338-1099 |
| Anthropology | Peter Biella | SCI 377 | 338-2046 |
| Art | Gail Dawson | FA 265 | 338-2176 |
| Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts | Scott Patterson | CA 133 | 338-1787 |
| Cinema | Daniel Bernardi | FA 245 | 338-1629 |
| Classics | David Leitão | HUM 377 | 338-2068 |
| Communication Studies | Joseph Tuman | HUM 282 | 338-1597 |
| Comparative and World Literature | David Leitão | HUM 377 | 338-2068 |
| Creative Writing | Maxine Chernoff | HUM 380 | 338-1891 |
| Design and Industry | Jane Veeder | FA 121 | 338-2919 |
| English Language and Literature | Sugie Goen-Salter | HUM 289 | 338-7582 |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures | Paola Cortés-Rocca | HUM 475 | 338-1421 |
| History | Barbara Loomis | SCI 276 | 338-1604 |
| Humanities | Saul Steier | HUM 410 | 338-1830 |
| International Relations | Sanjoy Banerjee | HSS 336 | 338-2654 |
| Jewish Studies | Fred Astren | HUM 415 | 338-6075 |
| Journalism | Venise Wagner | HUM 305 | 338-1689 |
| Liberal Studies | Bruce Avery | BH 238 | 338-6927 |
| Museum Studies | Edward Luby | HUM 515 | 405-0599 |
| Music and Dance, School of | Dee Spencer | CA 140 | 338-1431 |
| Persian Studies | Mitra Ara | HUM 413 | 338-3121 |
| Philosophy | Anita Silvers | HUM 388 | 338-1596 |
| Political Science | James Martel | HSS 263 | 338-6212 |
| Religious Studies | Michael Sudduth | HUM 388 | 338-1596 |
| Technical and Professional Writing | Susan Shiminoff (Interim) | HUM 414 | 338-7025 |
| Theatre Arts | Larry Eilenberg | CA 103 | 338-1342 |
| Women and Gender Studies | Jillian Sandell | HUM 315 | 338-1388 |
Centers and Institutes
| Center/Institute | Director/ Coordinator |
Office | Telephone |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Language Institute | Katharine Sherak | HUM 101 | 338-1438 |
| Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism | Cristina Azocar | HUM 307 | 338-7434 |
| Center for Modern Greek Studies | Martha Klironomos | HUM 542 | 338-1074 |
| Dilena Takeyama Center for the Study of Japan and Japanese Culture | Jon Funabiki | HUM 539 | 338-3162 |
| English Tutoring Center | James Boyd | HUM 290 | 338-1821 |
| Morrison Chamber Music Center | Richard Festinger | CA 251 | 338-1471 |
| Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at SF State | Debra Varner | DTC | 817-4243 |
| Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability | Catherine J. Kudlick | HUM 135 | 405-3528 |
| Poetry Center and American Poetry Archives | Steve Dickison | HUM 511 | 338-3401 |
College of Liberal & Creative Arts
The College of Liberal & Creative Arts offers undergraduate degrees in the following disciplines:
Bachelor of Arts
American Studies 03131
Anthropology 22021
Art 10021
Concentrations in:
- Art Education
- Art History
- Art History and Studio Art
- Studio Art
Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts 06051
Chinese 11071
Cinema 10101
Classics 15041
Communication Studies 06011
Comparative Literature 15031
Dance 10081
Drama 10071
English 15011
Concentrations in:
- Creative Writing 15071
- English Education 15011
- Individual Major 15011
- Literature 15021
- Linguistics 15051
French 11021
German 11031
History 22051
Concentration in Honors Program
Humanities 15991
Industrial Arts 08393
International Relations 22101
Italian 11041
Japanese 11081
Journalism 06021
Concentrations in:
- Photojournalism
- Print and Online Journalism
Liberal Studies 49012
Modern Jewish Studies 15102
Music 10051
Philosophy 15091
Philosophy and Religion 15992
Political Science 22071
Spanish 11051
Technical and Professional Writing 15997
Women and Gender Studies 22990
Bachelor of Music 10041
Bachelor of Science
Industrial Design 08391
Concentrations in:
- Product Design and Development
- Industrial Technology
Visual Communication Design 06012
Undergraduate Certificates
Conflict Resolution
Technical and Professional Writing
The College of Liberal & Creative Arts offers the following graduate degrees:
Master of Arts
Anthropology 22021
Art 10021
Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts 06051
Chinese 11071
Cinema Studies 10101
Classics 15041
Communication Studies 06011
Comparative Literature 15031
Drama 10071
English
Concentrations in:
- Composition 15013
- Creative Writing 15071
- Linguistics 15051
- Literature 15021
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages 15081
French 11021
German 11031
History 22051
Humanities 15991
Industrial Arts 08393
International Relations 22101
Italian 11041
Japanese 11081
Museum Studies 49036
Music 10051
Philosophy 15091
Political Science 22071
Spanish 11051
Women and Gender Studies 22990
Master of Fine Arts
Art 10022
Cinema 10102
Creative Writing 15071
Theatre Arts
Concentration in Design/Technical Production 10072
Master of Music 10041
Graduate Certificates
Immigrant Literacies (English Department)
Jewish Community Studies (Jewish Studies Department)
Teaching of Composition (English Department)
Teaching Post-secondary Reading (English Department)
Mission and Goals
The liberal and creative arts explore the identities, ethics, aspirations, arguments and imaginations of individuals and societies through art myth, literature, language, philosophy, religion, public and private discourse, cultural artifacts and the symbolic systems by which ideas and feelings are communicated.
Disciplines in the liberal and creative arts address fundamental questions of existence, value, aesthetics and expression. What is an ethical human being? How can we balance individual freedom and civic responsibility? How do different cultures define beauty, morality, truth and other concepts? How do human beings use language and other symbolic forms to communicate and celebrate thoughts, emotions, endeavors?
The liberal and creative arts are dedicated to exploring multiple answers to these questions, to engaging the imagination and creativity, to increasing civic and global responsibility, to cultivating moral action, and to equipping people with the artistic and communication skills needed to express the best of what it means to be human.
Today's life is complex, constantly challenging. The times need women and men who can think, reason and communicate clearly; who understand moral and ethical distinctions; and who have a sense of both the continuity and the changing values of the human community.
Programs
The College of Liberal & Creative Arts consists of the departments of Art, Broadcast and Electronic Arts, Cinema, Classics, Communication Studies, Comparative and World Literature, Creative Writing, Design and Industry, English, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Humanities, Jewish Studies, Journalism, Music and Dance, Philosophy, Theatre and Women and Gender Studies; and programs in African Studies, American Studies, California Studies, Critical Social Thought, Ethical Issues in Science and Technology, European Studies, Latin American Studies, Middle East and Islamic Studies, Museum Studies, Pacific Asian Studies, Persian Studies, Religious Studies, South Asian Studies, Technical and Professional Writing and World Music and Dance. It offers the American Studies program, Global Peace Studies and a certificate in Conflict Resolution. The college also houses a number of special centers and institutes.
Students in the college work closely with a world-class faculty, comprised of working professionals and acclaimed artists and scholars who provide students with access to breaking trends and new opportunities and who frequently share their expertise with the news media on society’s most important issues.
As students examine this Bulletin, they will discover that a number of courses not only relate to one another but also cut across disciplinary and departmental lines. They can choose a major within one department; or by inquiring in the Advising Center, they can devise an individual cross-disciplinary program of study based on individual interests.
Arts Programs
The College of Liberal & Creative Arts has one of the largest and most comprehensive academic programs devoted to the creative arts in Northern California. Comprised of eight disciplines in the literary, media, performing and visual arts, the college provides unique opportunities for specialized focus, collaboration, interdisciplinary learning and multidisciplinary pursuits.
Academic programs encompass creative practice, theoretical and critical studies, fine arts, applied arts and arts education. The college supports programs that stress both original and interpretive forms of the arts, as well as those emphasizing traditional and innovative pursuits. High standards of professional accomplishment are stressed while maintaining a commitment to liberal arts curricula. A major goal is the education of students who will become significant creators, scholars, educators and facilitators in creative arts who are capable of making major contributions in our urban, national and global environment.
The college seeks to continue its long history of relationships with varied audiences, communities and professionals throughout San Francisco. A substantial portion of the college’s programs highlights the unique roles and expressions of the arts in a multicultural and diverse society. The college strives to maintain a significant contribution to the unique ways in which the creative arts can serve as primary agents in a quality liberal arts education.
For information on productions, exhibits, and symposia, refer to the Literary, Performing, Visual, and Media Arts section of this Bulletin.
Research and Special Learning Facilities
The college houses a number of special centers, institutes, facilities, and programs. Collections include: the Art Department slide collection, Marvin L. Silverman Jewish Studies Reading Room, Sutro Egyptian Collection and the Museum of Ancient Civilizations, Adán E. Treganza Anthropology Museum, American Poetry Archives and Nathan Shapira Design Archive.
Centers and institutes include: the American Language Institute, Center for the Integration and Improvement of Journalism, Center for Modern Greek Studies, Dilena Takeyama Center for the Study of Japan and Japanese Studies, Documentary Film Institute, English Tutoring Center, May Treat Morrison Chamber Music Center, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability and The Poetry Center.
Pre-law Program
No specific major is required for admission to a school of law. A usual requirement for admission is that the student must have been granted a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Some law schools, however, have alternative plans. Students should consult the catalogs of the schools of law to which they plan to apply for admission. Since law schools generally expect their students to have a broad foundation in the humanities and social sciences, selection of a major in these areas is recommended.
The College of Liberal & Creative Arts provides advising and resource materials to pre-law students majoring in one of the humanities. Please contact Professor Joseph Tuman, Communication Studies Department; Assistant Professor Carlos Montemayor, Philosophy Department; Associate Professor M. Shelley Wilcox, Philosophy Department; Associate Professor Kevin Toh, Philosophy Department; or Professor Michael Graham, Political Science Department. Pre-law students may pursue the Philosophy and Law emphasis in the Philosophy Department or, upon advisement, construct an individual interdisciplinary pre-law major. The Department of Political Science provides a similar advising service for students majoring in one of the behavioral and social sciences. Pre-law students not majoring in these departments may consult either for advising.
Pre-teaching Programs
Many students decide at some point during their undergraduate major that they would like to consider teaching in the public schools. In most cases, the requirements for the major must be adjusted to accommodate an Approved Single Subject Matter Preparation Program, those courses in a single subject that are required for entrance into teaching credential programs at this and other universities. A list of the courses required for teacher preparation in various subjects is available in department offices, as well as in the Credential Bulletin published by the Graduate College of Education.
Students considering teaching as a career are urged to contact the department’s credential adviser early in their planning, to identify the specific courses that satisfy requirements for both the major and the Subject Matter Preparation Program, and to arrange for assessment of subject-matter competency. The credential adviser will also inform them about other pre-teaching requirements that they may wish to fulfill before graduation.
Galleries, Labs, Theatres and Workshops
Creative Arts facilities throughout the college are custom-designed to meet the needs of the college’s programs. There are five performing arts auditoria, including McKenna Theatre (seats 701, with proscenium stage, orchestra pit, fly system and 35mm projection and video system), Knuth Hall (seats 322), Little Theatre (seats 253), Studio Theatre (seats 78, with thrust stage) and the Brown Bag Theatre (seats 55, black-box design). The Coppola Theatre screening room seats 146.
The Art programs include the 3,200-square-foot Fine Arts Gallery with rear projection screen, curatorial rooms and the Martin Wong Gallery. The department houses a slide library of more than 100,000 slides and a printmaking archive of 500 works.
Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts students have access to professional-grade production equipment, studios and laboratories. Work completed by students in the department is distribution-ready for Federal Communications Commission broadcast guidelines and is in continuous distribution through terrestrial broadcast, cablecast (both radio and video) and Internet delivery. KSFSmedia.net is the student-run distribution hub for all BECA student productions.
Production facilities include three high-definition, multi-camera television studios, a radio station, two music recording studios, two advanced sound-design-for-video studios and an array of field production equipment ranging from large-scale audio and multi-camera video simulcast equipment to professional-quality audio and video single-camera and electronic news gathering equipment. The BECA Department also maintains more than 75 computer workstations for audio and video production and post-production activity.
Cinema facilities include a 250-foot shooting stage, several editing and post-production labs, sound recording and mixing studios with digital editing workstations, a Foley stage, an animation studio with film and computer workstations, two computer labs, a media library, the Bill Nichols Reading Room and the Cinema Studies Center.
The Poetry Center and American Poetry Archives, housed in the Creative Writing Department, holds the nation’s largest, most comprehensive and heterogeneous collection of poetry on tape that is accessible to the public.
Design and Industry facilities include digital laboratories for graphic design, interactive media, computer-aided drafting (CAD), 3D surface and solid-modeling computer graphics and computer-aided manufacturing/rapid-prototyping.
The School of Music and Dance has dedicated large and small ensemble rehearsal spaces, three piano laboratories, a large number of practice rooms, an electronic music laboratory, and a dance studio with projection booth and foldout seating.
The Theatre Arts Department, in addition to four theatres, includes a scene and paint shop, costume shop, properties shop, lighting laboratory and sound design laboratory.
The college supervises computer laboratories used by classes.
