Program Codes:
LATHE.AA
Associate in Arts Degree
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This program provides graduates a foundation for lifelong intellectual development and college transfer following associate’s degree completion. A Liberal Arts degree also develops a set of critical thinking skills students may use over the course of their professional careers.
Below are required courses for program completion.
Through a variety of writing projects requiring competence in clear, correct, and effective English, students use inferential and critical skills in the process of composing documented essays. Extensive reading materials serve as structural models and as the bases for discussion and for the writing of essays involving response, analysis, and synthesis.
RDG-011 may be taken as a co-requisite if not previously completed with a grade of "C" or better.
A grade of “C” or better in ENG-121
Introduction to the theory and practice of public address; the study of representative public addresses and the preparation and delivery of short speeches.
The development of clear, logical and effective speech communication is the goal of this basic discussion and debate course. The focus will be on reasoned decision making with the context of a free society. Topics will draw upon social values, personal responsibility and/or ethical behavior. Speech presentations will include large group discussions, panel discussions and debates that emphasize the ability to work in a team environment.
Take one of the two-course sequences below. Must take both courses in the chosen sequence.
The historical development of Western civilization from ancient times to approximately 1715 A.D. Emphasis is on the social, economic, political and cultural forces that helped to shape the West, beginning with the early Mediterranean civilizations and following through to the subsequent rise of European civilization.
Europe and the world since 1715. Emphasis is on the emerging nation-state political system, the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century, and intellectual history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the rise of totalitarianism in the twentieth century and the world balance of power since 1914.
Historical importance of the Puritan heritage, the American Revolution, the Constitution, Jacksonian democracy, Manifest Destiny and the Civil War to understand pre-Civil War America.
Historical importance of Reconstruction, the rise of big business, the Progressive Movement, the World Wars, the New Deal and the Cold War. Understanding American institutions and values from the Civil War to the present.
Choose one course designated in the course descriptions as General Education Humanities (GE HUM). Choose two modern language courses in sequence from either: CHN, FRE, GER, HIN, ITA or SPA. For students who completed at least two years of high school study in one modern language, their level of language will be determined by a placement test (excluding SPA-242).
Students must take 12-15 credits in General Education Mathematics, Science, and Technology courses. Choose one or two science courses (GE MST), one or two math courses (GE MST) and one technology course, in consultation with an academic advisor. For the technology elective, choose either CSC-105 or CSC-106.
Choose courses designated in the course descriptions as General Education Social Science (GE SS).
Choose one course designated in the course descriptions as General Education Diversity (GE DIV).
Choose one course from the following areas: AFS, AGD, ART, ASL, BIO, CHM, CHN, CJU, COM, COR, CPT, DAN, DMA, EDU, ENG, FRE, FSC, GER, GLS, HCS, HED, HIN, HIS, IDC, ITA, JOU, LNC, MAD, MAT, MUS, PCP, PED, PHI, PHY, POL, POS, PSY, SCI, SOC, SPA, SPE, SSD and THE.
Physical/Health Education Elective
A theatre course in the basic physical elements of theatre stagecraft with particular emphasis on set construction. Practical application of theoretical knowledge in the theatre shop and college productions. Required of Theatre majors. Attendance at professional and college productions is required.
A theatre course in the elements of play production including design concepts, two dimensional working drawings and scale model building and lighting techniques. Practical application of theoretical knowledge in the theatre shop and college productions. Required of Theatre majors. Attendance at professional and college productions is required.
Provides fundamental movement skills and body awareness in modern dance, basic training at the elementary level of ballet technique, introduction to a cross section of jazz technique, movement styles and rhythms, theory and practical application in the principles of dance forms. Additional focus will be on the ethnicity (African roots) in jazz, modern dance as the American dance form and ballet based on European (French, Russian, Italian) techniques. Emphasizes placement, strength, flexibility, coordination, musicality within the different dance idioms; the exploration of space, time and energy as the raw materials in dance; the specific vocabulary relating to the different dance techniques and the creative experience of short movement patterns.
Designed to inform the student about dance as a performing art, through the critical evaluations of the various dance styles. An examination of dance in world cultures will also be included; especially the cross-cultural contribution of dance. Discusses the role and collaboration of performers/ dancers, choreographers, artistic advisors, composers, technicians and the audience. Includes lectures, lecture-demos, discussions, selected readings, films, video tapes, slides, live performances and experimental dance/ movement sessions. Attendance at recommended dance performances is required. Written reports are required.
Provides development in Modern Dance through theory and practical application. Emphasizes the practice of composition skills, clarity of movement, initiation, body articulation and dynamics of performance. Focuses on the development of small group work and solos, including form and structure. Attendance is required at two professional dance productions. Written reports must be submitted.
The theory and practice of effective oral reading. Materials include selections in poetry, prose and drama. The appreciation of literary forms through individual oral performance and choral readings. Development of effective voice and articulation.
An investigation of the on-stage and backstage elements of contemporary theatre, film and television. Emphasis on the collaboration of performers, writers, directors, designers and technicians and the role of the audience. Attendance at professional and college productions is required.
A study of theatre as an art form with an emphasis on production practices in the Golden Ages of theatre: Greek, Roman, Medieval, Renaissance and Restoration. Representative plays, theatres, acting, staging and design styles are explored. Required of theatre majors, open to all students. Attendance at performances required.
A study of the development of twentieth century theatre art from Realism to New Theatre eclectic styles. The background and evolution of Realism, Expressionism, Theatre of the Absurd and current theatre movements are explored. Required of theatre majors, open to all students. Attendance at performances required.
Basic techniques of theatrical communication. Pantomime and improvisational exercises for perception and self-awareness. Use of the voice and body to interpret emotion and project characterization. Practical application through learning to approach the performing of scenes. Attendance at performances required.
Further development of the basic techniques of theatrical communication. Learning to externalize through stage movement. Scene study to utilize clues in the script to fulfill the author's or director's intent. Study of the director-actor-audience relationship. Practical application through rehearsal and performance of one-act plays. Attendance at performances required.
Contact Name: Annie Hogan, department chair
Contact Phone: 732.906.2589
Contact Email: ahogan@middlesexcc.edu
Department Web:https://www.middlesexcc.edu/vpma/
A Liberal Arts education helps students develop strong and ordered minds as they explore the world’s collected wisdom in literature, history, mathematics, science, philosophy and the arts. It teaches them to recognize and construct arguments, to appreciate diverse cultures and perspectives, and to have a sense of scholarship about the lives and events that have gone before. Liberal Arts emphasis on language helps students broaden their cultural perspective and become more aware of their own identity. Courses comprising a Liberal Arts education at Middlesex County College are the core of all liberal arts programs at the bachelor’s level. Students may select the general degree, the most flexible of all our Liberal Arts programs, or one of the many specialized options.
Algebra I is a prerequisite for all majors. Competency in Algebra I may be verified with a passing score on the College’s placement test or by completion of the appropriate course. Students must also have a grade of “C” or better in one year of high school laboratory science.
Once students complete required developmental coursework (if any), the degree can be completed in two years of full-time study. Students may shorten the amount of degree completion time by taking courses in the summer and winter sessions.