The Four Emphases

CRIME & JUSTICE STUDIES: The new Crime & Justice emphasis explores fundamental questions about justice from a humanist, interdisciplinary perspective. Rooted in history, literature and philosophy, the crime and justice emphasis prepares students for basic inquiry and advanced research into issues of justice that lie behind social policy and criminal justice, as well as broader problems of social morality and equity. This degree concentration provides excellent preparation for law school and other professional programs, for graduate school in the humanities, and for careers in law, education, public policy and criminal justice.

HUMANITIES: Traditionally, the humanities include the study of the human condition through such disciplines as literature, philosophy, and religion. 
In the Integrated Studies program, students develop a rigorous foundation in the Western humanities while also studying the human world through the lens of psychology and Native American Studies.

PSYCHOLOGY: The word “psychology” is from the Greek and means “breath”, “spirit”, and “soul.” The psychology emphasis, in going back to its roots, seeks to understand human behavior through a variety of different (and culturally diverse) ways of knowing, including the study of other disciplines. The program also engages students in modern psychology and its methods.

SELF-DESIGN: The Self-Design program was created for non-traditional students and working adults who need to take courses at night, on weekends, and online. This concentration within the BAIS program allows students to create a flexible, alternative path to graduation around their own individualized career and academic needs. The program requires students to combine more than one field or discipline and then bring those different points of view or approaches together into a meaningful whole.