COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Ken Proctor, Dean
Olufunke A. Fontenot, Associate Dean
Jason P. Huffman, Assistant Dean

INTRODUCTION

The College of Arts and Sciences houses twelve academic departments and programs encompassing a wide range of disciplines. Because the arts, sciences, humanities, social sciences and fine arts are at the heart of a liberal arts education, the College of Arts and Sciences plays a key role in a Georgia College education. The College of Arts and Sciences offers a strong interdisciplinary core curriculum and rigorous degree programs that help students gain knowledge and skills that will last a lifetime. A common goal of the core and every major is to cultivate intellectual skills in critical and creative thinking, analysis and synthesis, and perhaps most importantly, in communication.

Faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences are distinguished scholars and teachers in their fields. The faculty are actively engaged in their disciplines and dedicated to teaching. Part of good teaching is to challenge each student to achieve excellence both in the classroom and beyond. Students at Georgia College are able to participate in internships and research and service projects to further sharpen their expertise in the subject matter of various courses and degree programs. There are also valuable opportunities for international study and exchanges that allow students to broaden their understanding of the world and of themselves.

Students choosing majors in the Arts and Sciences receive a broad-based education as well as in-depth knowledge and skills in particular disciplines. Whether they go on to professional school, graduate school, or directly into employment, Arts and Sciences graduates are ideally suited for our rapidly changing world, and prepared for lifelong learning and a career of leadership and service.

SCIENCE EDUCATION CENTER

The Science Education Center (SEC) is a fundamental component of Science to Serve, an Academic Program of Distinction at Georgia College that includes a range of programs, departments, and colleges. The Center complements the University's mission to promote "lifelong curiosity" and "civic and global responsibility" through the exploration of the natural and physical sciences.  Dedicated to excellence in science teaching and learning, and to examining the role of science in education, and in public life, the SEC cultivates a community of science that embraces students, educators, researchers, and the greater world. By promoting the discovery and synthesis of scientific knowledge through professional development opportunities, course curricula, research, workshops, camps, scientific competitions, partnerships and educational activities at the local, statewide and national levels, the Center seeks to address the critical shortage of science teachers in schools and provides educational support for Georgia's present and future science teachers. Similarly, the Center offers significant opportunities for GCSU students to strengthen their science education and encourage their growing sense of civic engagement and responsibility. 

To achieve these goals, the Science Education Center works collaboratively with colleges and departments and partners closely with K12 schools, educational service agencies, and community organizations. Specifically, the Center:

• Provides opportunities for faculty to educate students on cutting-edge science and technology through courses;
• Assists faculty with projects that promote education and research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM);
• Manages the STEM Small Grants Program by coordinating faculty grantsmanship activities aimed at attracting and retaining majors in STEM disciplines as well as creating and supporting learning communities with K-12 teachers;
• Provides administrative support for scientific competitions, including the Regional Science & Engineering Fair;
• Coordinates science camps for grades 3-8, and research programs for grades 9-12 students;
• Organizes and implements science institutes and workshops for K-12 teachers; and
• Engages undergraduate students in projects that advance an understanding of their role in science.

The Georgia College Science Education Center is funded primarily through the Science Education Endowment with generous donations from the kaolin industries. Contact the Center at science@gcsu.edu and, for updated information, visit the Science Education Center's Web site at /science.

THE CENTER FOR GEORGIA STUDIES

Formally recognized by the University System Board of Regents in 1998, the Center for Georgia Studies was created to explore all aspects of Georgia. Employing a multi-disciplinary approach that is designed to bridge the gap that so commonly divides fields of knowledge, the Center encourages the study of material and intellectual culture, the built environment, and the physical environment. It embraces the professional and creative perspectives of literary scholars, musicologists, political scientists, historians, folklorists, artists, media experts, anthropologists, sociologists, and geographers to explore fully all the dimensions of the state of Georgia.

The Center offers students, educators, researchers, and the local and statewide community opportunities to examine various aspects of Georgia culture and history through public conferences and symposia, educational activities, course curricula, publications, and research.

Some of the topics and areas of interest that the Center covers are: geography, race relations, the natural and built environment, popular culture, politics, all time periods of the state's history, Georgia literature, religion, multi-culturalism, urbanization, Native American tribes, music, folk traditions, the arts, agriculture, education, social issues, rural issues, economics, governmental issues, and world issues as they relate to the state and its people.

For more information on programs in each College, please refer to their pages in this Catalog.