Liberal Arts - Area of Emphasis for Social and Behavioral Science AA Degree
The Social and Behavioral Science area of emphasis allows students to take courses that prepare them for possible majors within the fields of criminology, business, economics, geography, psychology, history, sociology, political science, and related disciplines. The student is provided the opportunity to learn a variety of theories and perspectives, behavioral and sociological concepts, historical context with respect to particular times, places, events and significant figures, production and distribution analysis, and American and comparative government. This area of emphasis prepares students for baccalaureate majors including but not limited to: Chicano studies, child development, criminology, economics, geography, history, mass communication and journalism, political science, psychology, and sociology and social work.
Upon completion of the social and behavioral science program, the student will be able to:
- Understand the global significance of past political, cultural, and economic issues and how they have impacted contemporary events.
- Recognize will analyze and differentiate between different economic solutions to social issues.
- Demonstrate an understanding of how physical systems affect human systems and of how human actions affect physical systems.
- State different types of governments and explain their historical developments and political processes within a given country.
- Identify different theories on personality development.
- Recognize the various types of sources used within the social science discipline, including primary and secondary sources.
- Analyze the legitimacy and validity of the various sources used within the social science discipline, including discerning facts from opinions, biases, the validity of data collection, and public opinion polls
Students must fulfill the following requirements to qualify for an associate degree:
- Complete the Associate Degree requirements
- Complete major course requirements as specified in the catalog with a C or better
- Complete electives to reach a total of 60 degree applicable units
- Maintain a grade point average of 2.00 overall
- Complete the English and math competency requirements with a C or better
Required Courses (Select at least 18 units from the following courses. Courses must be selected from two or more disciplines listed below:
| Course # | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AGBUS 040 | Introductory Agricultural Economics | 3 |
| AOJ 001 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| AOJ 029 | Criminology | 3 |
| BUS 020 | Introduction to Business | 3 |
| CD 002 | Teaching in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| CD 005 | Child Development | 3 |
| CD 010 | Child, Family and Society | 3 |
| CRPSCI 019 | California Water | 3 |
| ECON 001A | Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 001B | Microeconomics | 3 |
| GEOG 002 | World Regional Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 003 | Cultural Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 018 | Geography of California | 3 |
| HIST 004A | Western Civilization to 1700 | 3 |
| HIST 004B | Western Civilization From 1700 | 3 |
| HIST 017A | History of the U.S. 1492-1877 | 3 |
| HIST 017B | History of the U.S. 1865-Present | 3 |
| HIST 020 | World History I | 3 |
| HIST 032 | Cultural History of the Chicano | 3 |
| HIST 044 | Women's Roles in United States History | 3 |
| ** PE-029 | Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology | 3 |
| POLSCI 001 | American Government | 3 |
| POLSCI 002 | Comparative Government | 3 |
| POLSCI 004 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| POLSCI 005 | Introduction to Political Theory | 3 |
| POLSCI 010 | Modern Politics | 3 |
| POLSCI 020 | Legal and Judicial Reasoning | 3 |
| PSYCH 001 | Introductory Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 002 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 003 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 004 | Personal Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 005 | Biological Psychology | 3 |
| ** PSYCH-029 | Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology | 3 |
| SOC 001 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| SOC 002 | Critical Thinking and Social Problems | 3 |
| SOC 003 | Marriage and Family Relations | 3 |
| SW 020 | Introduction to Social Welfare | 3 |
| Total | 18 |
**PSYCH 29 and PE 29 are cross-listed as the same class