Departments

The mission of African American and African Studies (AAAS) as an interdisciplinary intellectual collective is centered on the study and production of knowledge of Africa and the African Diaspora, especially in the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. We feel charged with the task of providing an integrative education aimed at illuminating the experiences, lives and circumstances of peoples in Africa and its Diasporas, along with the many diasporas of Black peoples globally and transnationally. As a unit we are committed to making concrete connections between our scholarship, pedagogy, and the cause of racial and social justice.

In the studio and classroom we are dedicated to the creation and historical study of the visual arts through our undergraduate and graduate degree programs.  Centered in a learning environment that values the development of a personal vision, critical inquiry, and philosophical reflection, undergraduate and graduate students across all disciplines make daily intellectual and artistic discoveries that lead to the development of aesthetic and conceptual awareness, perceptual and creative problem-solving skills, and informed judgment.  With an exceptional student to faculty ratio, the program is a close-knit community of artists and scholars positioned alongside all the resources provided by a Big Ten setting.  Art, Art History, and Design students conduct self-directed research and creative exploration under the guidance of nationally and internationally recognized faculty members, visiting artists, scholars, and professional mentors.

The English major provides students with an excellent education that strikes an ideal balance between creativity and inquiry. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English may choose general literary studies, do a concentration in creative writing or popular culture, or get certified in secondary English education. With student-faculty interaction central to our department, we offer a highly interactive and collaborative environment to develop skills necessary for success in many different career fields. Students are trained broadly to identify, assess, and confront the types of complexities that surface in all social environments, including the workplace. Many degrees offer specific training for certain fields, but a degree in English from MSU develops critical thinking and writing, creativity, and problem solving skills that are necessary for a constantly changing world.

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Our department focuses on three areas: linguistics, cultural studies, and language learning and teaching. We are dedicated to quality teaching, research and outreach. The faculty places great emphasis on the education of students, from first-year undergraduates through advanced doctoral candidates and on active research that not only explores cutting-edge theoretical and applied issues that are also closely linked to educational goals and that engages students in the classroom. Collectively, departmental teaching and research reflect continuing concern for the local, national and global community. By the very interdisciplinary nature of the fields represented in the department, issues of how language reflects the nature of the human mind, how language is acquired, the interaction of language and culture, minority perspectives, diversity and internationalization lie at the center of our activities.

Philosophy critically examines our most basic beliefs about the world and our place in it. Inquiry in philosophy grapples with such basic questions as “Can we be sure of our beliefs?” “What are the grounds for correct judgments?” “How do we distinguish between right and wrong?” “What is a person?” “Are we free or causally determined?” “Is there a God?” Philosophy strives to develop the ability to reason, to distinguish between good and bad arguments, to navigate through a maze of questions, to clarify puzzling concepts, and to use logic in situations ruled all too often by prejudices.

Learning about religions means that you understand different cultures and develop a more global perspective. Knowledge of the world’s religious traditions is invaluable in a career that requires you to be familiar with people from other cultures and backgrounds. Religious Studies is the ideal major for those who seek a career in nonprofits and non-government organizations [NGOs], and Religious Studies is the only Department at Michigan State University to offer an official Concentration that prepares you for a career in Nonprofit Leadership.

Welcome to the Department of Romance and Classical Studies! Our department fosters the study of the human experience as expressed historically and globally in French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, and in the languages and cultural heritage of ancient Greece and Rome. We enable students to become proficient in these languages and think critically about their world.

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The purposes of this department are to offer theatrical experiences of professional caliber to the MSU student, to offer various levels of training to prepare students for careers in theatre, and to provide opportunities for many students to perform in all aspects of this art as an expansive and social outlet. It is also the intent of the department to provoke and sustain interest in the theatre as a source of truth and insight into the human condition, to preserve and investigate further historical traditions, and to present new plays that reflect the present condition of society.

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The Professional Writing (PW) major prepares students to become innovative, strategic, and expressive writers and designers who are able to work with a wide range of documents and digital environments, and in a variety of workplaces. The PW program does more than just provide students with a college degree: we prepare students to be lifelong learners who can apply what they learn in classes directly to careers in digital and technical writing, editing and publishing, managing communications, and writing for community and nonprofit organizations.