Liberal Arts
The Liberal Arts AA Degree is designed for students who wish a broad knowledge of liberal arts and sciences plus additional coursework in an “Area of Emphasis”. This area of emphasis would be an ideal choice for students planning on transferring to the California State University or University of California as the student can satisfy their general education requirements, plus focus on transferable course work that relates to majors at CSU or UC. Please consult with a counselor for specific information regarding your intended major at the specific colleges/university of your choice.
- Choose either option CSUGE or IGETC for the General Education pattern related to your educational goal.
- Complete requirements in Computer Literacy and Ethnic Studies (see catalog for details).
- Complete 18-21 units in one “Area of Emphasis” from those outlined below. (NOTE: Courses in the “area of emphasis” may also be counted toward a GE area; those with an (*) are listed in more than one area but may not be counted in more than one area.)
- All courses listed below transfer to CSU. Many courses are also transferable to UC. Refer toASSIST.org for transfer details or see a counselor for additional details.
LIBERAL ARTS AA DEGREE
| General Education CSUGE/IGETC: | 37-39 |
| (Minimum units necessary to meet CSUGE/IGETC Certification requirements) | |
| Areas of Emphasis: 18-21 | |
| o 18-21 units required from one Area of Emphasis listed below. | |
| Areas of emphasis include: | |
| o (1) Arts and Humanities* | |
| o (2) Cross-Cultural Studies. * | |
| o Courses selected can be used to also fulfill GE areas. | |
| o All courses below transfer to CSU. Many courses are also transferable to UC. | |
| *Also see the separate AA degrees offered in Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences at Merritt College. | |
| Electives and Other Requirements | 0-5 |
| (Computer Literacy, Ethnic Studies): | |
| (NOTE: Electives and other requirements may be necessary to total 60 overall units required for the Associate Degree.) | |
| Total Required Units: | 60 |
These courses emphasize the study of cultural, literary, humanistic activities and artistic expression of human beings. Students will evaluate and interpret the ways in which people through the ages in different cultures have responded to themselves and the world around them in artistic and cultural creation. Students will also learn to value aesthetic understanding and incorporate these concepts when constructing value judgments. Courses from Anthropology, Art, Dance, Ethnic Studies, English and Foreign Languages, Humanities, Music, Philosophy, and Theatre Arts are acceptable. Major emphasis is put on the Arts and artistic expression of human beings in this pattern.
The AA degree in Liberal Arts with Emphasis in Arts and Humanities will prepare students for majors at four-year institutions in language arts, humanities, fine arts or music, among others.
The AA Degree in Liberal Arts with Emphasis in Arts and Humanities will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the Degree course requirements and the General Education requirements. Since the following degree courses appear on the General Education Course List, they may be used to meet both the degree and the General Education requirements, provided that the total is 37 or more units. A course may be used one time for the degree and one time only for the General Education requirements, even though the course may be listed in several category areas.
Degree Requirements:
| Dept/No. | Title | Units |
| Group 1: Arts | ||
| Select a minimum of 9 units from at least two disciplines from the following: | ||
| ART: | 1, 4, 9, 12, 15* | |
| ASAME: | 1 | |
| DANCE: | 1 | |
| MUSIC: | 9, 10, 11, 15A*, 19 | |
| THART: | 10, 11, 30 | 9 |
| NOTE: Courses appearing in bold print are offered by Laney College. | ||
| Group 2: Humanities | ||
| Select a minimum of 9 units from at least three disciplines from the following: | ||
| AFRAM: | 25*, 27*, 39, 41*, 42*, 43*, 45* | |
| ANTHR: | 7*, 8* | |
| ASAME: | 30* | |
| CHIN: | 1, 2 | |
| ENGL: | 1B*, 10A*, 10B*, 17A*, 30A*, 30B*, 32A*, 32B*, 38*, 43* | |
| HUMAN: | 2 | |
| LANHT: | 55 | |
| M/LAT: | 28*, 30A*, 30B* | |
| PHIL: | 1, 2, 10 | |
| SPAN: | 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 22A, 22B, 31A, 31B, 38, 40 | 9 |
| Total Required Units: | 18 | |
NOTE: At least 12 units of the 60 units required for the Associate Degree must be completed at Merritt College.
ARTS WITH EMPHASIS IN CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES
These courses emphasize the perspective, concepts, theories and methodologies typically found in the vast variety of disciplines that comprise study in the Social and Behavioral Sciences with particular emphasis on an understanding of cross-cultural interactions between peoples of difference cultures. Students will study about themselves and others as members of a larger society.
Topics of discussion will stimulate critical thinking about ways people have acted in response to their and other societies and will allow students to evaluate how societies and social subgroups operate. Courses from Anthropology, Art, Child Development, Communication and English, Environmental Management, Ethnic Studies, Geography, Human Services, Music, Psychology, Spanish, and Sociology are acceptable. The AA degree in Liberal Arts with Emphasis in Cross-Cultural Studies will prepare students for majors at four-year institutions in the social sciences such as anthropology, sociology, or ethnic or cultural studies, among others.
The AA Degree in Liberal Arts with Emphasis in Cross-Cultural Studies will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the Degree course requirements and the General Education requirements. Since the following degree courses appear on the General Education Course List, they may be used to meet both the degree and the General Education requirements, provided that the total is 37 or more units. A course may be used one time for the degree and one time only for the General Education requirements, even though the course may be listed in several category areas.
Degree Requirements:
| Dept/No. | Title | Units |
| Core Requirements: | ||
| AFRAM 19 | Racism in the United States (3) | |
| or | ||
| M/LAT 6 | Racism in the United States (3) | |
| or | ||
| ASAME 19 | Racism in the United States (3) | |
| or | ||
| NATAM 19 | Racism in the United States (3) | 3 |
| ANTHR 3 | Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| COMM 6 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| Total Core Requirements: | 9 | |
| Select one course from each group listed below for a minimum of 12 units: | ||
| Group 1: Women and Gender | ||
| Select one course for a minimum of 3 units from the following: | ||
| ANTHR 16 | Sex and Society (3) | |
| COMM 10 | Gender and Communication (3) | |
| PSYCH 12 | Human Sexuality (3) | |
| SOC 3 | Sociology of Woman (3) | 3 |
| Group 2: Race and Ethnicity | ||
| Select one course for a minimum of 3 units from the following: | ||
| AFRAM 13 | Ethnic Perceptions in the Mass Media (3) | |
| AFRAM 16 | Administration of Criminal Justice and Minority Communities (3) | |
| AFRAM 38 | Environmental Racism and Justice (3) | |
| or | ||
| ENVMT 12 | Environmental Racism and Justice (3) | |
| ANTHR 5 | American Indian History and Culture (3) | |
| COMM 13 | Ethnic Perceptions in the Mass Media (3) | |
| COSER 29 | Working with Diverse Populations (3) | |
| HUSV 53 | Diversity in Human Services (3) | |
| POSCI 5 | American Politics and Minority Groups (3) | |
| SOC 2 | Social Problems (3) | |
| SOC 5 | Minority Groups (3) | 3 |
| Group 3: Regional and National Identities | ||
| Select one course for a minimum of 3 units from the following: | ||
| AFRAM 5 | The African American Family in the United States (3) | |
| AFRAM 12 | Psychology of African-Americans (3) | |
| AFRAM 27 | Afro-Caribbean History, Politics and Culture (3) | |
| AFRAM 30 | African-American History: Africa to 1865 (3) | |
| AFRAM 31 | African-American History: 1865-1945 (3) | |
| AFRAM 32 | African-American History: 1945 to Present (3-4) | |
| ANTHR 13 | Urban Anthropology (3) | |
| ASAME 32 | Asian-American Psychology (3) | |
| ASAME 45A | Asian-American History to 1945 (3) | |
| ASAME 45B | Asian-American History from 1945 to the Present (3) | |
| GEOG 2 | Cultural Geography (3) | |
| M/LAT 12 | United States Relations with Mexico and Latin America (3) | |
| M/LAT 19 | History of the Mexican-American (3) | |
| M/LAT 23 | Introduction to Psychology of the Mexican-American (3) | |
| PSYCH 6 | Social Psychology (3) | |
| SPAN 40 | Hispanic Civilization and Culture (3) | 3 |
| Group 4: Cultural Expressions | ||
| Select one course for a minimum of 3 units from the following: | ||
| AFRAM 33 | The Roots of African-American Culture (3) | |
| AFRAM 39 | Black World Films (3) | |
| AFRAM 41 | African-American Writers (Fiction) (3) | |
| AFRAM 42 | African-American Writers (Non-Fiction) (3) | |
| AFRAM 43 | African-American Writers (Poetry) (3) | |
| ANTHR 8 | Anthropology through Film: Ethno-graphic Studies (3) | |
| ASAME 1 | Art and Culture of Asia (3) | |
| ASAME 30 | Asians and Asian-Americans through Films (3) | |
| ENGL 38 | Lift Every Voice: Race, Class and Gender in the U.S. (3) | |
| M/LAT 28 | Survey of Third World through Films (3) | |
| M/LAT 30A | Survey of Latin-American Films (3) | |
| M/LAT 30B | Survey of Latin-American Films (3) | |
| MUSIC 9 | World Music (3) | |
| MUSIC 11 | American Vernacular Music (3) | |
| MUSIC 15A | Jazz, Blues and Popular Music in the American Culture (3) | |
| SPAN 38 | Latin American Literature (3) | 3 |
| Total Required Units: | 21 | |
If you plan to transfer to the California State University system (CSU) or the University of California system (UC), you are encouraged to pursue a Certificate of Achievement in Liberal Arts. You should consult with a counselor to develop your own program of study.
UC or CSU Transfer
You are encouraged to pursue this certificate if you want to apply to transfer to either the University of California system or the California State University system and want to fulfill lower-division general education requirements by completing the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC). You will select courses that fulfill the IGETC requirements (with a grade of “C” or better in each course), to total 37 transferable semester units (with an overall GPA of 2.0). Upon completion of these requirements you will file both a “Petition for a Certificate of Achievement” and a “Request for General Education or IGETC Certification” with the Admissions and Records Office.