SAM PIKE
Staff Writer
Ask students what they associate with the Communication Division and they will tell you broadcast news, journalism or public relations. Ask them about the Fine Arts Division and they will list off majors such as acting and music. But if you ask an average Pepperdine student about the Humanities and Teacher Education Division, you will be lucky to receive an answer that moves beyond their history class or Sonia Sorrell, popular professor of Hum 111.
However, beyond the general education stereotypes, they will find a division that embraces the entire individual—a division that just might be the best-kept academic secret on campus.
Dr. Maire Mullins, chair of HUTE, says it best: “The liberal arts are the heartbeat of an institution.”
The division’s mission statement echoes Mullins’ sentiment. The statement, as posted on the Pepperdine Seaver College website, affirms the belief that an undergraduate education is a time for an individual to hone values and establish thought patterns that will guide and enhance their lives and vocations.
By cultivating intellectual independence and academic virtue, the division strives for the development of the whole person. It was this stress upon the well-developed student that prompted sophomore Rachel Knopfler to make her academic home inside the division.
“One could deem a humanities major as too broad,” Knopfler said, “but I see it as being truly educational from every perspective.”
The Humanities Division offers an eclectic and challenging array of majors that promote the pursuit of personal academic wholeness. These majors include creative writing, English, history, humanities, liberal arts, philosophy and teacher education. The division also offers minors in African-American studies, women’s studies and film studies.
Since her promotion to chair of HUTE in 2005, Mullins has been busy expanding the division. Last spring the creative writing major was transitioned from the Communication Division, and more substantial changes are in the works.
Beginning in the Fall 2007 semester, HUTE will be offering a film studies major.
“The addition of the major is a natural progression for the division,” Mullins stated, “just as the move of creative writing over from Communications was.”
The University had already been offering a variety of film classes for the minor— all it took to develop the major was the hiring of Joi Carr, a director of African-American film with a deep passion for the Los Angeles area.
Mullins continued to explain that she was eager to see the major mature with exciting possibilities for internships resulting from the school’s proximity to Hollywood and location in Malibu.
“I don’t even know what to expect,” Mullins said, “but I know it will be unique and exciting.”
Pepperdine students impatiently anticipating the new major share Mullins’ enthusiasm. Aaron Morgan, freshman and current psychology major, plans on switching over in time for next semester.
“I have an overwhelming passion for film,” Morgan said, “and I believe Pepperdine can offer a unique blend of alternative media, academic reputation and Christian perspective that is very appealing to me.”
In addition to the film major, Mullins would like to offer another intriguing area of study. In what she called a four plus one degree, undergraduates would spend four years attaining a degree in Humanities and spend an extra year earning one for business.
“We have found that employers are eager to hire students with a strong humanities training,” explained Mullins. “We just wanted to give our students the added advantage of expertise in both arenas.”
The program awaits a prosperous future if the necessary support can be raised. Ideally, funding would come from sponsoring organizations that would place graduates in internships and jobs directly out of college.
When asked what she was most proud of in her division, Mullins responded that, just as a parent cannot pick between children, so she could not choose a favorite, but she was extremely proud of the teacher education program.
The program, which offers primary and secondary teaching credentials, produces some of America’s most highly sought after teachers.
“Our graduates can go almost anywhere with a Pepperdine teaching certificate,” said Susan Giboney, assistant professor of education. “We have alumni all over the world—from Malibu to New York to Japan.”
In addition to the varied majors and minors offered by HUTE, the division provides the University with two of its most popular programs: the Great Books and Social Action and Justice Colloquiums.
The Great Books Colloquium educates students by reading and discussing the most famous and influential literary and philosophical works of the Western World. This program, which attracts nearly 20 percent of incoming students, is not just for those interested in English or philosophy, says Dr. Donald Marshall, director of Great Books.
“It’s the guy whose going to be an accountant who needs the strongest liberal arts education,” stated Marshall, “because they won’t receive it in their major field of study.”
“Great Books helped me to understand and be comfortable with beliefs that where foreign to me,” said Samantha Behymer, Great Books II student. “As a result, I now understand my own beliefs better.”
Rather than providing an individual with training in the classics, SAAJ educates an individual about humanity through hands on experience and intense moral discussions.
“SAAJ has given me a better understanding of the real world,” Allen Alvarado said, a freshman SAAJ member.
However, all the division’s majors and programs can be found at different Universities across the nation, so is there anything that sets Pepperdine’s Humanities department apart?
“What makes Pepperdine different is the type of students who attend,” said Mullins. “Their love and heart for service, and commitment to doing good in the world is evidence of our Christian perspective—it’s what makes our programs distinctly ‘Pepperdine’.”
FACT-BOX
Humanities and Teacher Education Majors
- Creative Writing
- English
- History
- Humanities
- Liberal Arts
- Philosophy
- Teacher Education
- Coming in Fall 2007: Film Studies
Minors
- African-American Studies
- Womens Studies
- Film Studies
Academic Programs
- Great Books Colloquium
- SAAJ Colloquium
- Writing Center
For further information on HUTE visit http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/humanities/
04-16-2007