School of the Arts, Communication and Global Studies

The School of the Arts, Communication and Global Studies offers synergistic degree programs in the Arts, Communication, English, Humanities, History, Political Science, Global Studies and Hospitality Management.

Our degree programs in Arts and Humanities are rooted in the liberal arts tradition that teaches and expresses the human experience through sounds, images, and words. Faculty members of the department are supportive and demanding mentors whose first priority is to help students discover their intellectual and creative potential. Our programs promote both a creative and cultural awareness within the College and an interactive educational and cultural link between the College and the community. With 13 majors and 21 minors, the department has a wide variety of opportunities for students to become prepared for a life worth living. From Fine Arts to Spanish, Music to Religion, Medical Humanities to Graphic Design, we are where creativity and scholarship join forces. Our programs are excellent pre-professional preparation for a variety of positions in theatre, art, music, publishing, law, commerce, as well as local, state, and federal service. At the same time, we also provide good preparation for students who wish to pursue graduate studies. The department sponsors a number of cultural events in support of the College’s cultural offerings. These events include gallery exhibits, concerts, a Film Series, a Lecture Series, plays, and musicals.

The Department of Communication and Writing is home to the Mass Communication, Professional Writing and Technical Communication and Writing degree programs and the Creative Writing minor. The department also hosts the student-run literary journal, The York Review, which publishes creative fiction and non-fiction by student writers. Many majors also write or edit for The Spartan, York College’s student-run campus newspaper. Pursuing a major in one of our programs provides students with an opportunity for real-world, hands-on learning for careers requiring analytical, presentational, and communication skills. The programs are excellent pre-professional preparation for a variety of positions in television, radio, technical writing and non-profit writing, and publishing as well as careers in local, state and federal service. The programs also provide good preparation for students who wish to pursue graduate studies. The department sponsors the annual Writer-in-Residence workshop and event as well as the Visiting Writer series, which brings local and regional writers and poets to campus to meet students and share their work.

Our History and Political Science programs offer baccalaureate degrees in History, Intelligence Analysis, Political Science, and International Relations. Our programs are committed to scholarly and teaching excellence in order to prepare students for success in a wide variety of careers in government, public history, education, law, lobbying, public service, advocacy, journalism, business, management, and administration as well as for graduate and professional study in many areas, including law school. The School also offers minors in African and African American Studies, American History, World History, Geography, Legal Studies, Political Science, Public Administration, Intelligence Analysis and International Studies. The students in our programs develop a global perspective that brings together the past and the present in order to understand the complexity, diversity, and interrelatedness of the world. A wide variety of extracurricular activities and programs are sponsored including a student journal, Past and Present, which showcases student writing and research, chapters of national honor societies in History (Phi Alpha Theta), Political Science (Pi Sigma Alpha), and Geography (Gamma Theta Upsilon) and many opportunities for independent research and internships in a variety of settings. Students may also compete for a variety of awards to support independent research and to recognize academic excellence.

Our Hospitality Management baccalaureate degree program is designed to prepare students for a wide range of management careers in the world’s largest business which includes but is not limited to global tourism, lodging management, transportation, food and beverage management, and event planning. Students graduating with a major in Hospitality Management possess a solid background in general business skills, leadership, economics, human resources, and the legal environment of business. They will have the expertise needed to provide excellent customer service grounded in best professional and ethical practices while building their skill-set leading to their own individual success. Based upon their desired area of career choice, students will have the opportunity to use both hospitality electives and free electives to enrich their education, drawing upon courses in the arts, writing, communication/public relations, entrepreneurship, event planning, marketing, languages, history political science and global studies. Our Hospitality Management students will also have the opportunity to participate in study and work abroad programs. The Hospitality Program relies upon not only classroom learning, but also experiential learning that is guided by both on site and faculty supervisors. For this reason, a carefully sequenced set of courses have been developed that first prepare students for the mandatory summer’s work experiences over summers 1, 2, and 3 and then use those experiences for reflective learning during the following academic year. Hospitality Management students participate in a wide variety of extracurricular activities including the Campus Activity Board, the Hospitality Society and (Eta Sigma Delta), the International Hospitality Management Honor Society.