Dean: Ethan Gologor 718 270 4987 office 718 270 4828 fax egolog@mec.cuny.edu
Office: B-1032C
Executive Associate: Julie Augustin 718 270-4987 jaugustin@mec.cuny.edu
Office: B-1032A
Departments and Chairpersons English: Tonya Hegamin 718 270 4846 thegamin@mec.cuny.edu
Office: B-1015Y
World Languages and Cultures: Sheldon Huggins 718 270 6247 shuggins@mec.cuny.edu
Office: B-2032N
Mass Communications, Creative & Performing Arts & Speech: Clinton Crawford 718 270 5140 crawford@mec.cuny.edu
Office: B-1007P
Philosophy & Religious Studies: Vivaldi Jean-Marie 718 270 5037 vjean-marie@mec.cuny.edu
Office: B-1007N
Psychology: Maudrey-Beverly Lashley 718 270 4995 mlashley@mec.cuny.edu
Office: B-1032E
Social & Behavioral Sciences: Maria DeLongoria 718 270 4850 mdelongoria@mec.cuny.edu
Office: B-1032R
Social Work: Edward Hernandez 718 270 4838 ehernandez@mec.cuny.edu
Office: B-B1015-0
General Information
The liberal arts have a rich history and remain a foundation of basic and applied education. “Liberal” implies a “broad stroke” (as she applied a liberal amount of icing to her chocolate cake) as well as as promoting freedom (“liberate”) in both thought and action. It is the opposite not simply of “conservative” (in the well-used political sense) but primarily of “restrictive” or “parochial” and it is because of this meaning that many, particularly those who wish not to venture beyond familiar borders, are afraid of it. It is our hope that the School, while respecting the past, will facilitate all constituents’ stretching the envelope and thinking outside of the box, the basic themes of creative growth.
Mission
The School’s mission is consistent with that of the College, a commitment to the belief that a liberal education is essential for further intellectual development, be it formal or as part of the community of man. It also emphasizes a commitment to hearing voices that historically either have not been heard or have been rarely allowed to be raised above a whisper. The faculty, each of whom is a specialist in his or her own right, nevertheless does not overspecialize but believes that disciplines cross borders. Our School of the Arts also includes the Social Sciences. While we are housed in the Inner City, our reach extends around the globe, literally and intellectually. Faculty and students come from six continents. The objectives of our courses and degree programs, as will be seen in the following pages, are limitless.
Programs of Study
The School offers two Associates of Arts degrees, one in English and one in Liberal Arts. There are six Baccalaureate degrees offered: Psychology, Social Work, Fine Arts, English, Religious Studies and Liberal Studies, with a concentration in History, Geography or Political Science. Course work in other areas, such as Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, World Languages, Music and Dance can also be found in the ensuing descriptions of their Departments.
Experiential Learning
For some time now, but particularly in recent years, the field of education, the University as whole and our College in particular has emphasized the importance of learning from experience. Many courses now include such learning as part of their objectives. Our school has been in the forefront of the effort to grant credit toward the degree for such learning since it recognizes that life’s lessons are often more valued and remembered than those in the classroom. We learn by doing, in other words, by participating, not just by listening, however learned the voice we’re hearing. The School of Liberal Arts has endorsed this principal to the extent of recognizing learning that may have taken place before the student’s enrollment. Individual evaluation of a student’s application for such credit will occur once a student is enrolled and prepares the appropriate articulation, analysis and documentation of such learning. Such awarding of these credits-and they can also be submitted on the basis of work, for example, that took place in religious Institutions or counted toward an International Baccalaureate or took place in quasi-professional workshops, provided that an equivalence to our College’s classroom offerings can be established-can significantly reduce the actual time spent at the College, provided enough room is left for the College’s requirements.
