College of Humanities and Fine Arts
The College of Humanities includes the departments of English, philosophy, history, political science, languages, Visual and Preforming Arts. It provides quality education leading to intellectual growth and professional success. Majors and/or minors are offered in each area of humanities.
The English program develops fluency in the use of English through critical, creative, and technical writing. The departmental curriculum is designed to meet a variety of interests: literature, creative writing, linguistics, rhetoric, cultural studies, mythology, and professional writing. The study of English prepares students for careers in teaching, publishing, arts, journalism, technical writing, business, law, and government.
Philosophy involves critical and reflective thinking about beliefs, values, and modes of knowledge. Our program offers courses for students of all disciplines in such areas as critical thinking, ethics, art and aesthetics, and philosophy of science.
History and political science form an academic unit serving the undergraduate and graduate student body with a wide range of courses and possibilities for study. Historical and political understanding and awareness are perceived as one of the chief attributes of a functional and involved citizen of the United States. This program trains students to work in appropriate fields utilizing historical and political skills and knowledge. The program is committed to preserving, interpreting, and promoting the unique multicultural heritage of the region.
The success of the university depends upon an appreciation of the region’s cultural and linguistics identities. New Mexico Highlands University’s undergraduate program in languages and literature is committed to developing broadly literate students educated in analytical and critical thought and promoting a wide understanding of the liberal arts and sciences. Because of its location and student population, Highlands recognizes the importance of language and culture in the local and global community.
The Department of Visual and Performing Arts , VPA, trains students in the technical skills, the theoretical underpinnings and the sociocultural context for the disciplines represented by the academic programs. VPA develops students’ skills in Media Arts, Music and Fine Art.
Departments
ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY |
HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE |
LANGUAGES AND CULTURE |
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTSResources and FacilitiesThe College of Humanities is located in Douglas Hall, a newly renovated building that houses classrooms, the Writing Center, the Language Learning Center, and offices for faculty and graduate assistants in the humanities.
The English program provides the services of the Writing Center to students in all university courses as well as in English composition courses. The facility offers individual tutoring and small group work. Teaching assistants in the English M.A. program begin learning tutoring pedagogy while working at the Writing Center during their first semester.
The English program houses Picayune Literary Magazine, which publishes poetry, fiction, and essays in English. Students earn credit for their work in the production of the journal. The department also sponsors a chapter of the international English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta. The sociocultural richness of Northern New Mexico provides one context for historical and political studies at New Mexico Highlands University. Las Vegas is one of the outstanding historical communities in the Southwest, making it a living laboratory for studies in regional history and historical preservation. The programs capitalize on the university’s proximity to Santa Fe, the state capitol, in offering contacts with state policymakers and research opportunities to both faculty and students in the New Mexico State Archives and State Library.
Research in local history and politics is based in the area’s old Hispanic villages, 19th century towns, Fort Union and Pecos National Monuments, local churches, and schools. Genealogical and archival studies are conducted through the university library’s resources in local journals, the Arrott collection of regional military materials, and microfilms of major county and church records. The history discipline sponsors a chapter of the national honor society in history, Phi Alpha Theta.
Students of language at Highlands hear Spanish spoken in the community and on campus every day. The university’s location in Northern New Mexico, where 70 percent of the population is Hispanic, offers a richly varied setting for studies in local, regional, and international culture and languages. The program offers beginning and intermediate courses in Spanish language to students across campus. Spanish is the language of instruction, except when noted otherwise in course descriptions. The Spanish major emphasizes skills and knowledge in Spanish language, literary analysis and appreciation, international and cultural contexts, and applied course work in written and oral communication.
Introductory and intermediate-level courses are offered in American Sign Language and other languages to meet the demand for exposure to the important languages of the world.
The program’s Language Learning Center (LLC) is equipped with computers, recorders, and a large media collection of audiovisual programs and recordings. Thomas C. Donnelly Library has more than 5,000 titles in Spanish culture and literature, with especially rich holdings in the Golden Age of Spanish literature. International studies are enhanced by the university’s International Students’ Club, and language students participate in an active Spanish Club.