School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dean: Scott Jones
Chair of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security: Nancy Greenwood
Chair of Psychology: Christina Downey
Chair of History, Political Science, and Sociology: Nancy Greenwood 

Professors: Aniskiewicz, Greenwood, McGovern, Sciame-Giesecke
Associate Professors: Bradley, Calhoon, Cameron, Clark, Darr, Downey, Holcomb, Jones, McFarland, McLean, White
Assistant Professors: Alnusair, Batis, Cook, Deerly, Douglas, Heath, Keener, Sposato, Steel
Clinical Assistant Professor: Davis
Senior Lecturers: Ison, Pico-Argel, Snoddy, Stouse, Taff
Lecturers: Kaiser, Provost

Courses in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences can be taken in one graduate program - Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) - and four undergraduate departments: Humanities; Psychology; Sociology, History, and Political Science; and Criminal Justice and Homeland Security. Course descriptions and specific degree requirements for each department follow after a general discussion of the basic school curriculum and degree requirements.

The Master Arts and Liberal Studies program provides students with the opportunity to take an individualized program of graduate courses and interdisciplinary core seminars in a variety of disciplines in humanities, science, psychology, and social sciences.

The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees are four-year undergraduate degrees. Students may complete all requirements and be awarded either degree at Indiana University Kokomo. Comparable to the traditional arts and sciences degrees awarded by other colleges and universities, IU Kokomo offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in humanities, psychology, and social and behavioral sciences encompass discipline-specific degrees in English, communication arts, fine arts, new media communication, history/political science, psychology, and sociology. The unique nature and flexibility of these programs enable students to be generalists, capable of dealing with the complexities of modern society, and to focus their studies in a particular field of interest, thus preparing themselves for a specific career or graduate school objective. The Bachelor of Science degrees offered by the school offer students a deeper, more focused approach to their chosen discipline with less study in general areas. The School offers Bachelor of Science degrees in most of the areas it offers Bachelor of Arts degrees, as well as criminal justice and homeland security. The School also offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fine arts and a post-baccalaureate certificate in new media communication.

Minors in art history, communication arts, creative arts, criminal justice, English literature, English writing, film studies, history, international studies, Irish studies, leadership, new media communication, philosophy, political science, pre-law, psychology, sociology, Spanish, and women/gender studies are available. Also, students can complete minors from other schools at IU Kokomo. Please consult an advisor for additional information about all of the minors available at Indiana University Kokomo.

A SHSS student may complete all of the pre-professional requirements for entry into law school in the process of earning a Bachelor degree at IU Kokomo. Popular degrees that prepare a student for law school include Communication Arts, Criminal Justice, English, and History/Political Science. The American Bar Association offers guidelines for prospective students concerning necessary areas of preparation. Both the departments of English and History/Political Science offer pre-law concentrations and minors for interested students. (See a faculty advisor for details.)

School of Humanities and Social Sciences students who intend to continue onto graduate school can receive a solid foundation in a variety of fields, including communication arts, criminal justice, English, fine arts, history, new media communication, political science, psychology, and sociology. Students may prepare for careers in business, industry, and government service by concentrating in the humanities and social sciences and by supplementing their concentration with up to 15 credit hours of course work in business, education, or engineering technology.

Mission

 The School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Indiana University Kokomo plays a central role in the mission of this comprehensive regional campus. It is the largest of the campus’ schools and has been at the center of IU Kokomo’s academic and intellectual life since the campus’ inception. The school offers a liberal arts education that combines broad exposure to the insights and methods of the principal academic disciplines with focused study in one or more areas. It is also responsible for basic-skills courses in oral and written communication, as well as many of the courses fulfilling system school and campus general-education requirements. Because of the richness and diversity of its majors and minors students have a variety of choices when selecting programs in the school. Although the content of courses has changed over the years, the primary mission of the faculty housed in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences continues to be to foster the well-rounded development of students to enable them to take their place in society as effective citizens and lifelong learners. Simultaneously, the school provides students with opportunities to develop skills that are required for the workplace and/or for advanced study. A liberal arts education emphasizes the ability to reason clearly, to extract the essential significance of large bodies of information, to apply general principles in new contexts, to communicate effectively, and to be sensitive to human creativity and morality.

General Humanities and Social Sciences Curriculum

 Initially taking a guided selection of introductory courses, the student also develops a solid base of skills by taking courses within the humanities, social sciences, and natural and mathematical sciences. Because the uniquely flexible nature of the humanities and social sciences majors allows the student to select from a wide variety of courses, students should work closely with an academic advisor in preparing a curriculum relevant to the student’s own academic and career interests.

Additional Information

Courses

Academic Bulletins

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