Ofer Harel, Ph.D., Dean
Evelyn Tribble, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Humanities and Undergraduate Affairs
Mansour Ndiaye, Ph.D., Assistant Dean and Executive Director of CLAS Academic Services
As the largest school or college at the University, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the hub of learning and research at UConn. Through critical research and inquiry, creative education and mentorship, and ethical social engagement, we empower all members of the UConn community to discover their agency and do meaningful work in the world. CLAS degree programs create and develop knowledge across the humanities, social sciences, life sciences, and physical sciences. Our students graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary to think independently, engage local and global communities as active and responsible citizens, and learn for a lifetime.
The college offers a variety of undergraduate programs leading to either a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. Students pursuing either degree will be exposed to a range of academic traditions, learning environments, and opportunities to develop skills that will enrich their lives as both citizens and professionals. By building a diverse foundation of knowledge, a rich understanding of how the world works, and the ability to communicate across boundaries, CLAS graduates emerge from the college prepared to make positive change in the world.
Alternative Areas of Study
Asian and Asian American Studies Institute
The Asian and Asian American Studies Institute is a multidisciplinary research and teaching program. Comprised of the humanities, social sciences, and the arts, the Institute’s research output and course offerings engage Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas as sets of shifting historical, geographic, and geopolitical zone of interaction, struggle, and cooperation.
The institute fosters intellectual endeavors that concern the broad historical and contemporary experiences of people of Asian descent in Asia and in different parts of the world, inclusive of North and South Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Australia.
The Institute offers courses and the description of a minor in Asian American Studies is listed in the “Minors” section of this Catalog.
For further information, contact the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute, Beach Hall, Room 416, (860) 486-4751 or visit their website at asianamerican.uconn.edu.
Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies
Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies (CLCS) is for students who like literature but do not wish to major in English or in a single language offered by the Department of Literatures, Cultures and Languages. It is an individualized major in Literature itself. The program draws on all departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and works in conjunction with European Studies, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Medieval Studies, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Center for Contemporary African Studies, the Center for Asian Studies and the School of Fine Arts, Film Studies, Mideast Studies and Judaic Studies.
For further information, contact the Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies Program, Oak Hall, Room252 or AUST, Room 135; clcs.uconn@gmail.com or visit their website at languages.uconn.edu/programs/clcs.
El Instituto: Institute of Latina/o Caribbean and Latin American Studies
El Instituto is an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary program that advances the research and undergraduate and graduate teaching of Latina/o, Caribbean, Puerto Rican, and Latin American Studies. El Instituto faculty are engaged in regional, national, and international academic exchanges and scholarship that enhance the understanding of global diasporic issues, social justice, critical thinking, and historical inequalities affecting the Latina/o, Caribbean, and Latin American experience.
Offering degrees grounded in both traditional disciplinary and interdisciplinary methodologies, El Instituto is at the forefront of new ways of thinking about hemispheric Latina/o disaporas, U.S. Latina/os, Latin American and Caribbean societies and U.S./Latin American relations related to coloniality, race, migration, education, media, economics, health, cultural studies and human rights. The institute, located on the second floor of the Ryan Building provides a central place for research, scholarship, and academic programs uniting over 60 scholars at the University of Connecticut. It also offers linkages to local, regional, national and hemispheric academic communities and areas of investigation with a historical research focus on the life of Latino and Puerto Rican communities in New England.
Courses are offered under Latino and Latin American Studies (LLAS) and the descriptions of minors in Latin American Studies and Latino Studies are listed in the “Minors” section of this Catalog.
For further information contact, 860-486-5508, elinstituto@uconn.edu or visit their website at elin.uconn.edu.
Judaic Studies
The Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life at the University of Connecticut in Storrs is housed in the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. The threefold purpose of the Center is to foster academic study and research in Judaic Studies, offer undergraduate and graduate courses for academic concentration and enrichment as well as training for service in the community by providing a Judaic Studies component, and provide resources for continuing education in Judaic Studies and related areas of scholarly inquiry.
Courses in Hebrew and Judaic Studies are listed under Hebrew and Judaic Studies (HEJS) as well as History (HIST) and Sociology (SOCI). Students may major in Judaic Studies through the College of Liberal Arts. The description of a minor in Judaic Studies is listed in the “Minors” section of this Catalog.
For further information, contact the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, Unit 1205, Dodd Center, (860) 486-2271 or visit their website at judaicstudies.uconn.edu.
Law
Please refer to the “Student Resources” section of this Catalog for information about pre-law advising.
Medicine and Dentistry
Students planning for a career in medicine or dentistry need a rigorous and broad education in the liberal arts and sciences, as well as a strong record of academic achievement. Guidance in the structuring of academic programs, including selection of a major, should be done in consultation with advisors from the Pre-medical/Pre-dental Advising office.
For further information about admission to schools of medicine, dentistry, and other health-related disciplines, contact the advisors. Please visit their websites at premed.uconn.edu/advisor-profiles and premed.uconn.edu/advising-appointments.
Medieval Studies Program
Faculty in the Departments of Art and Art History; English; History; Literatures, Cultures and Languages; and Music offer courses with an interdisciplinary approach to provide education to students of the Middle Ages.
In addition to graduate degrees, the program offers a minor for undergraduate students. The description of a minor in Medieval Studies is listed in the “Minors” section of this Catalog.
For additional information, contact the Medieval Studies Program, 215 Glenbrook Road, Unit 4025; uconn.medieval.studies@gmail.com or visit their website at medievalstudies.uconn.edu.
Admission Requirements
The college requires 16 high school units including:
- Four years of English
- Three years of mathematics, with four preferred
- Two years of a single foreign language, with three preferred
- Two years of a laboratory science
- Two years of social science
The Transfer Admissions Office reviews credits from other institutions. Unless exempted by the Dean or the Assistant Vice Provost, students shall take all of their course work at the University during the last two semesters.
Bachelor’s Degree Requirements
To graduate a student must:
- earn a minimum of 120 credits.
- earn at least 45 credits numbered 2000 or above.
- meet the CLAS additional Topic of Inquiry requirements.
- meet the CLAS Skill Area requirements.
- have an overall grade point average of at least 2.0 and a grade point average of at least 2.0 in the courses presented in satisfaction of major requirements.
Field of Concentration
Only courses taken at the University of Connecticut meet the requirement. Students may not use Pass/Fail courses to meet these requirements. Exceptions are made by the dean of the college.
- Major and related groups. The field of concentration includes both the major and related groups; it must total at least 36 credits, all numbered 2000 or above. At least 24 credits in one department, or with the permission of the head of the student’s major department, in two related departments, make up the major group. At least 12 credits in courses closely related to the student’s major, but outside the major department, make up the related group. Students must earn an overall grade point average of at least 2.0 and a grade point average of at least 2.0 in the courses presented in satisfaction of major requirements.
- Double Major Program. Students may earn a double major by selecting two majors within the College. A minimum of 48 credits without overlap is required to earn both majors. Therefore, students may not be able to double major if the two majors they choose require the same courses and prevent them from earning 48 credits without overlap. Acceptance into the Double Major program requires the Dean’s approval. Students shall choose one of the two majors as their primary major and shall receive one degree appropriate to that major. (Note: students cannot choose one major from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a second from another school or college. This combination is only possible through the Additional Degree program, explained in the “Academic Regulations” section of this Catalog).
Plan of Study
Students shall file with the department of their major, after approval by their major academic advisor, a tentative plan of study on a form provided by the advisor. Students must file the tentative plan of study by the beginning of advance registration in their fifth semester.
Students shall file a final plan of study with the Registrar by the end of the fourth week of the semester in which they expect to graduate. The advisor and the department head shall approve the final plan of study.
Students completing a double major must file a plan of study for each major.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
As well as satisfying all University Common Curriculum* requirements, students must also satisfy the following requirements for a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. To determine whether a given major can lead to the B.A., the B.S., or both, consult the descriptions of majors.
Foreign Languages
All students must have either
- passed a third-year high school-level course in a single foreign language,
- high school work and an added year of intermediate level college courses, or
- two years of a single foreign language through the intermediate level in college.
Expository Writing
All students must take ENGL 1007 Seminar and Studio in Writing and Multimodal Composition, ENGL 1010 Seminar in Academic Writing or ENGL 1011 Seminar in Writing through Literature, and two W courses with at least one such course approved for use in the major field of study at the 2000 level or above. No student who has not passed the writing component of W courses may pass the course.
Quantitative Reasoning
Three Q courses, at least one of which must be in Mathematics or Statistics. Students should contact the Q-advising contours, accessible on-line, and their advisers to determine the adequacy of their preparedness for specific Q-courses. Q courses may be used to satisfy other degree requirements.
Additional Common Curriculum Requirements
Beyond the University’s Common Curriculum Topics of Inquiry Requirements, all CLAS students must additionally complete:
- 3 credits of coursework in TOI 2, Cultural Dimensions of Human Experiences.
- 3 credits of coursework in TOI 3, Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice.
- 3 credits of coursework in TOI 5, Individual Values and Social Institutions.
- 3 credits of coursework in TOI 6, Science and Empirical Inquiry. At least one TOI 6 course must have a lab (L) designation.
CLAS Skill Areas
All students must complete at least 3 credits of coursework in two of the three CLAS skill areas (6 credits total) listed below. This coursework must come from at least two different subject codes and may also be used to meet other degree requirements.
Communication and Dialogue
Course List (Per Attribute)
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| AMST 1201 | Introduction to American Studies | 3 |
| ANTH 1006 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 3050 | Anthropology of Jews and Jewishness | 3 |
| ANTH 3050W | Anthropology of Jews and Jewishness | 3 |
| ANTH 3250 | Cognitive Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 3405 | Religion and Mind | 3 |
| ANTH 3420 | Archaeology of Psychoactive Substances | 3 |
| ARTH 3580 | Image as Witness: Testimony, Witness, Confession | 3 |
| ARTH 3580W | Image as Witness: Testimony, Witness, Confession | 3 |
| CHIN 3230W | Language and Identity in Greater China | 3 |
| CLCS 1102 | World Literature II | 3 |
| CLCS 2201 | Intercultural Competency Towards Global Perspectives | 3 |
| COMM 1000 | The Process of Communication | 3 |
| COMM 2200 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 1201 | Introduction to American Studies | 3 |
| ENGL 2013W | Introduction to Writing Studies | 3 |
| ENGL 2020W | Technical Writing and Design | 3 |
| ENGL 2701 | Creative Writing I | 3 |
| ENGL 3715E | Nature Writing Workshop | 3 |
| ERTH 2050W | Communicating Earth and Environmental Science | 3 |
| FREN 3235 | Paris at Midnight: Modernity, Minorities, and Exiles | 3 |
| GERM 3234 | Building Language Skills Through Culture II | 3 |
| HDFS 1060 | Close Relationships Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| HEJS 3050 | Anthropology of Jews and Jewishness | 3 |
| HEJS 3050W | Anthropology of Jews and Jewishness | 3 |
| HIST 1503 | Introduction to American Studies | 3 |
| HRTS 3580 | Image as Witness: Testimony, Witness, Confession | 3 |
| HRTS 3580W | Image as Witness: Testimony, Witness, Confession | 3 |
| JOUR 2000W | Newswriting I | 3 |
| JOUR 2001W | Newswriting II | 3 |
| JOUR 2065 | Mobile Journalism | 3 |
| JOUR 3035 | Podcasting | 3 |
| LING 1020 | Language and Environment | 3 |
| LING 2850 | Introduction to Sociolinguistics of the Deaf Community | 3 |
| LING 3610W | Language and Culture | 3 |
| MARN 2801WE | Marine Sciences and Society | 3 |
| PHIL 1102 | Philosophy and Logic | 3 |
| PHIL 1106 | Non-western and Comparative Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 1109 | Global Existentialism | 3 |
| PP 1001 | Introduction to Public Policy | 3 |
| SLHS 1150 | Introduction to Communication Disorders | 3 |
| SLHS 1150W | Introduction to Communication Disorders | 3 |
| URBN 2600 | Work and Economic Justice | 3 |
| WGSS 2204 | Feminisms and the Arts | 3 |
Information, Digital, and Media Literacy
Course List (Per Attribute)
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| ANTH 1001W | Anthropology Through Film | 3 |
| ANTH 3705 | Paleoanthropology | 3 |
| ARAB 3772 | Arabs and Muslims in Art and Literature: Representations, Stereotypes, and Modern Identities | 3 |
| CAMS 3244 | Ancient Fictions | 3 |
| CLCS 1101 | World Literature I | 3 |
| CLCS 2010 | Media Literacy and Data Ethics | 3 |
| COMM 2300 | Effects of Mass Media | 3 |
| COMM 2600 | Media in the Information Age | 3 |
| DMD 2610 | Introduction to Digital Humanities | 3 |
| DMD 2620 | Human Development, Digital Media, and Technology | 3 |
| ENGL 2610 | Introduction to Digital Humanities | 3 |
| ENGL 2614 | Writing with Algorithms | 3 |
| GEOG 1300E | Climate, Weather, and the Environment | 3 |
| GEOG 3400 | Climate and Weather | 3 |
| HDFS 2620 | Human Development, Digital Media, and Technology | 3 |
| HIST 2100 | The Historian's Craft | 3 |
| HIST 2100W | The Historian's Craft | 3 |
| HIST 2102 | Introduction to Digital Humanities | 3 |
| HRTS 2110 | Global Press Freedom: Journalism, Human Rights, and Democracy | 3 |
| ILCS 1168 | Italian Literature into Film | 3 |
| ILCS 3260W | Italian Cinema | 3 |
| ILCS 3268WE | Views of the Environment from Italy | 3 |
| JOUR 1100 | News Literacy for the Digital Age | 3 |
| JOUR 2110 | Global Press Freedom: Journalism, Human Rights, and Democracy | 3 |
| JOUR 3030 | Multiplatform Editing | 3 |
| MARN 4002 | Science and the Coastal Environment | 3 |
| PHIL 3202 | Data Ethics | 3 |
| SPAN 3250 | Film in Spain and Latin America | 3 |
| WGSS 3253W | Gender Representations in U.S. Popular Culture | 3 |
| WGSS 3369 | Gender, Justice, and Hashtags | 3 |
Leadership and Ethics
Course List (Per Attribute)
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| AFRA 3320 | Race, Culture, and Reproductive Health | 3 |
| AMST 3267W | Race and the Scientific Imagination | 3 |
| ANTH 3300 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 3320 | Race, Culture, and Reproductive Health | 3 |
| COMM 2100 | Professional Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 3267W | Race and the Scientific Imagination | 3 |
| ENGL 3629 | Holocaust Memoir | 3 |
| ENGL 3631 | Literature, Culture, and Humanitarianism | 3 |
| ENGL 3631W | Literature, Culture, and Humanitarianism | 3 |
| ERTH 2300E | The Energy Transition | 3 |
| GERM 1175 | Human Rights and German Culture | 3 |
| HEJS 3629 | Holocaust Memoir | 3 |
| HRTS 1007 | Introduction to Human Rights | 3 |
| HRTS 2170W | Bioethics and Human Rights in Cross-Cultural Perspective | 3 |
| HRTS 3219W | Topics in Philosophy and Human Rights | 3 |
| HRTS 3220W | Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights | 3 |
| HRTS 3631 | Literature, Culture, and Humanitarianism | 3 |
| HRTS 3631W | Literature, Culture, and Humanitarianism | 3 |
| JOUR 3020 | Media Law | 3 |
| PHIL 1101 | Problems of Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 1104 | Philosophy and Social Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 1107 | Philosophy and Gender | 3 |
| PHIL 1108E | Environmental Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 1175 | Ethical Issues in Health Care | 3 |
| PHIL 2170W | Bioethics and Human Rights in Cross-Cultural Perspective | 3 |
| PHIL 2215 | Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 2215W | Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 2217 | Social and Political Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 3212E | Philosophy and Global Climate Change | 3 |
| PHIL 3216E | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 3218 | Feminist Theory | 3 |
| PHIL 3219W | Topics in Philosophy and Human Rights | 3 |
| PHIL 3220W | Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights | 3 |
| PHIL 3226 | Philosophy of Law | 3 |
| PP 3020W | Cases in Public Policy | 3 |
| URBN 1600 | Cities of Imagination | 3 |
| WGSS 3218 | Feminist Theory | 3 |
| WGSS 3269W | Gender, Sexuality, and Social Movements | 3 |
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Math and Science Sequences
All of the following
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| 8-10 |
| Fundamentals of General Chemistry I
and Fundamentals of General Chemistry II
and Fundamentals of General Chemistry III | |
| General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry II | |
| Honors General Chemistry I
and Honors General Chemistry II | |
| 8-12 |
| Calculus I
and Calculus II | |
| Advanced Calculus I
and Advanced Calculus II | |
| 4 |
| Principles of Biology I | |
| Principles of Biology II | |
| Introduction to Botany | |
| 8 |
| General Physics I
and General Physics II | |
| General Physics with Calculus I
and General Physics with Calculus II | |
| Physics for Engineers I
and Physics for Engineers II | |
| Fundamentals of Physics I
and Fundamentals of Physics II | |
| Total Credits | 28-34 |
Internships
Many departments and programs in the College offer experiential learning in the form of internships, also called “field study” or “practicum.” The College recognizes the important role that internships play in our curriculum but also requires that standards for internships be met so that student interns receive the intended educational benefits. Thus the following restrictions apply: No credit may be given retroactively for internship work undertaken without being properly enrolled in the internship course in advance. A student may count no more than fifteen internship credits towards a bachelor’s degree in CLAS and each credit for internship work must entail at least forty-two hours of work per semester or term. The required number of hours of work must be stated clearly in the learning contract or work plan for the internship signed by both the instructor of record and the internship supervisor. Additional departmental restrictions may also apply.
