Interim Dean: Ruth V. Gross, Ph.D.
210 University Hall • Box 19617 • 817-272-3291

 

Mission and Philosophy

The mission of the College of Liberal Arts is to provide a learning community wherein students are provided both broad-based and specialized education and to vitalize the educational process by creating and transmitting knowledge through research, scholarship and creative activity.

The college is characterized by a diversity of intellectual styles and interests. Departments and programs cluster into social sciences, humanities and fine arts. Liberal Arts disciplines address the rich meanings of human experience and expression and liberate the imagination by producing knowledge and creating beauty.

The faculty and administration of the college address the traditional objectives of liberal arts in the University: 1) to develop the tools for analysis, appreciation and communication; for written and oral expression; for comprehension, interpretation, and analysis of textual material; for analytic reasoning and scientific method; and for appreciation of aesthetic experience; 2) to prepare students for a range of careers in academia and public and private sector organizations. (Graduates of the college contribute to the region, the state and the nation as college and university professors, elementary and secondary teachers, legal professionals, in government agencies, social services, international business and industry, media and advertising, health and recreation, and cultural and entertainment industries); and 3) to promote understanding and critical evaluation of the cultural milieu—the attitudes and ideas that shape institutions and strategies in contemporary society.

Accomplishing these objectives culminates in students reaping the creative, utilitarian and life enriching benefits of a liberal arts education.

History and Overview

The University of Texas at Arlington College of Liberal Arts acquired its first graduate degrees in 1968, with the establishment of M.A. programs in English and history. Since that time, the number of M.A. programs offered has expanded to 13. In 1974, the college established its first Ph.D. level program, Humanities. The Humanities Program was reorganized in 1997 and replaced by three new Ph.D. level programs in English (Literature and Rhetoric/Composition tracks), history (transatlantic) and linguistics.*

* The doctoral programs in English, history and linguistics are pending approval. If approved, they will become effective for fall 1998. Contact the appropriate Graduate Advisor for information.

Scholastic Activity and Research Interests of the Faculty

The faculty in the College of Liberal Arts excel in their roles as educators, creative scholars and researchers. Two faculty members have won the Academy of Distinguished Teachers Award, and three faculty are Chancellor's Teaching Award recipients. Several faculty from a variety of departments in the college also have won the University Research Achievement Award. Numerous faculty have received recognition for their published scholarship, including Pulitzer Prize nominations and the Choice magazine Outstanding Academic Book Award.

Faculty scholarly and research activities cover a range of areas represented within the 13 disciplines in the college. History faculty research interests center on transatlantic broadly defined, and research specializations of faculty include southern, western and southwestern history, frontier development, women and gender, urban and labor and public history. English faculty research strengths lie in the areas of American, British and comparative literatures; and rhetoric, composition and criticism. Linguistics faculty specialize in field linguistics. Numerous faculty throughout the college also conduct research on gender and women's issues. Anthropology faculty members recently became the first foreign archaeological team to excavate in Albania in more than 50 years.

Special Programs and Opportunities

The College of Liberal Arts provides a number of special programs and opportunities for graduate students. College lecture series and seminars, conferences, publications, academic centers, library collections and an art gallery provide a mosaic of events and resources that enrich the university community.

Lecture Series, Seminars and Conferences:
• Each fall the English Department sponsors the Hermann Lecture series, which brings scholars from UTA and other universities together for discussions and master classes on an issue of general theoretical interest.
• The Exercise, Sport and Health Studies Department presents several lecture series and seminars semi-annually, including the Anderson Sports Performance Lecture Series, the American College of Sports Medicine Lectures, the Exercise Science Seminars (weekly), and Health Fitness Instructor Workshop and Certification.
• The History Department presents the Walter Prescott Webb Memorial Lectures each March. Nationally prominent speakers make presentations on an annual topic, followed by a dinner in the University Center and a keynote address.
• Graduate students in linguistics sponsor a Linguistics Conference each year. This conference provides an opportunity for students to begin their professional careers by organizing the sessions, reviewing paper abstracts and presenting their own research.
• The Women's Studies Program organizes an annual, month-long Women's History Month Lecture Series. Exhibits and film/video presentations also are included as part of the events scheduled during the month of April. The Women's Studies Brown Bag Colloquium is another forum for scholars, primarily UTA faculty, to share their research with the University community.
• The Criminal Justice and Criminology Program sponsors a Brown Bag Lecture Series every spring semester, and students have the opportunity to receive credit for practicums.
• The Arlington Humanities Colloquium, a graduate student conference devoted to theory and practice in the humanities, is held annually in the spring. The colloquium is entirely planned and funded by graduate students. It features well-known guest speakers and attracts graduate student presenters from around the nation.

Publications:
• The Program in Linguistics publishes "Working Papers in Linguistics" and the "SIL/UTA Publications in Linguistics Series" (published in conjunction with the Summer Institute of Linguistics). These publications provide an opportunity for professional linguists and graduate students to disseminate their research findings.
• The History Department publishes an annual volume comprised of Webb Lecture Series papers.
• Individual departments/programs publish newsletters which provide news and information about and for students, faculty and alumni.

Centers:
The College of Liberal Arts houses numerous centers designed to promote scholarship, research and teaching. These centers organize conferences, lecture series and workshops and provide a conduit for making faculty expertise available to the community. College of Liberal Arts centers are listed below and described in the Facilities for Advanced Studies and Research section of this catalog.

The Southwestern Studies Center
The Women and Minorities Research and Resource Center
The International Linguistics Center
The English Language Institute
The Center for Social Research
The Center for Research and Fieldwork in Anthropology
The Center for Post-Soviet and East European Studies
The Center for Criminal Justice Research and Training
The Language Acquisition Center

Other Resources:
• In support of the history M.A. and Ph.D. programs, the UTA Library Special Collections houses the Jenkins Garrett Library of Texana and Mexican War historical material and the Cartographic History Library. In addition, Special Collections has material on U.T. Arlington's history since 1895, the history of organized labor in Texas and the Southwest, and Yucatan and Honduran archival materials.
• CRCA: The Gallery at UTA presents a full program of major exhibitions in its 4,000-square-foot gallery, including lectures, symposia, screenings and publications. CRCA's program demonstrates the complementary roles of visual and verbal literacy.
• The Department of Foreign Languages has a Language Laboratory which produces innovative software in language learning.
• The Anthropology Program offers an archaeological field school every summer where students can gain academic credit for learning and applying archaeological field methods.
• Numerous student organizations exist on campus to provide students with the opportunity to interact with peers in their disciplines. These student groups include the Gorgias Society, an interdisciplinary organization of graduate students interested in the study of Rhetoric; Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society; and Alpha Kappa Delta, the Sociology Honor Society.
• Student awards, scholarships and teaching and research assistantships are available in many College of Liberal Arts departments and programs. Each spring the History Department awards an outstanding graduate student the Wolfskill Prize, a cash award and plaque representing superior attainment in history studies. The English Language Institute, a part of the Program in Linguistics, provides graduate teaching assistantships.

Programs

The College of Liberal Arts offers the following graduate degree programs:

Anthropology, M.A.
Criminology and Criminal Justice, M.A.
English, M.A., Ph.D.*
French, M.A.
German, M.A.
History, M.A., Ph.D.*
Humanities, M.A., M.A.T.
Linguistics, M.A., Ph.D.*
Political Science, M.A.
Sociology, M.A.
Spanish, M.A.

* The doctoral programs in English, history and linguistics are pending approval. If approved, they will become effective for fall 1998. Contact the appropriate Graduate Advisor for information.

Departments