| Ranging from traditional areas that have been at the heart of a liberal arts education for thousands of years (such as Classics, History, and Philosophy) to programs that are redefining the university in the 21st Century (such as Media Arts and Technology and Film Studies) the arts and humanities at UCSB represent both the past and the future. The Division of Humanities and Fine Arts includes a broad spectrum of languages and literatures, as well as the performing and visual arts. Our departments and interdisciplinary programs focus on the intellectual, historical, and artistic traditions of cultures throughout the world and the modes of expressions and representation that have given them voice and form. Building on this foundation, the arts and humanities are responding to the cultural changes that must be engaged in the university and in a global society of the 21st century.
Established in 1992, the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts is the largest of the three divisions of the College of Letters and Science. It includes twenty-two departments and programs that offer twenty-nine undergraduate degrees and twenty-eight graduate degrees. Collaborative research projects, departmental centers, and interdepartmental programs and consortia promote interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship that bring together students and faculty across the university. Internationally-recognized scholars and artists advance their fields with innovative research, publications, and creative activity that both preserve our traditions and map new fields of study. Graduate students receive rigorous professional training that prepares them for careers in academia, the arts, public and cultural institutions, and related fields. Our programs prepare undergraduates for a wide variety of careers and advanced study while giving them the knowledge and the skills of critical thinking, communication, and expression that will allow them to participate in society as informed and engaged citizens.
At the beginning of the 21st century, what has been called “the information age” threatens to overwhelm us to the point that it eclipses knowledge. If “information literacy” and “cultural literacy” can’t be taken for granted, neither can basic literacy. It is more important than ever that students have skills of critical analysis and interpretation, as well as the historical perspective to make sense of change. As we come to terms with internationalism and globalization both at home and in the world at large, the stakes of learning about the traditions and beliefs of others (and of teaching others about our varied traditions and beliefs) are high. Our ability to understand both difference and identity will be crucial. Global challenges, as well as our increasing cultural diversity at home, necessitate the knowledge of the past and the comparative methods of interpretation that the humanities can teach us. We need students, scholars, artists, and citizens who understand the languages, beliefs, and values that define both self and other in the modern world.
Through scholarship, teaching, and public programs, the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts creates a space in which these needs can be understood and addressed. The knowledge, understanding, and modes of inquiry and expression represented by the arts and humanities can help us to make sense of the past, come to terms with the present, and shape the future.
—David Marshall, Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts
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