Welcome to the College of Arts & Letters!

The College of Arts and Letters (CAL) is at the very heart of liberal arts education at San Diego State University. Its programs in the humanities and social sciences are offered through 18 academic departments and a number of interdisciplinary programs, each of which is designed to help students understand their role in society and to develop aesthetic sensibilities.

The College's highly educated, professionally active faculty seek to give students an awareness of the development of present knowledge and how to generate new knowledge. Also, in line with the University's goal of becoming an international institution, the College encourages its students to become active citizens who participate in a multi-cultural world through CAL's many study abroad programs.

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News & Events

Teaching Excellence Award

Congratulations to Dr. Edith Frampton (English and Comparative Literature), Dr. Jeff Hay (History), and Dr. Jung Min Choi (Sociology) for winning the first annual Teaching Excellence Award from the College of Arts and Letters. Teaching excellence was judged based upon the categories of: high quality teaching, engaging and motivating diverse student populations in learning and critical thinking, enrollment, and effective pedagogical techniques. The three recipients were recognized at a luncheon on May 10th.

CSU Research Competition

Congratulations to Ethan Alexander Howe, an undergraduate student in Philosophy, who received a first place award at the CSU Research Competition. Alex represented SDSU at the competition, May 4-5, 2012 in Long Beach. This system-wide competition showcased excellence in scholarly research and creative activity conducted by CSU undergraduate and graduate students in the full range of academic programs offered by the CSU. Alex was mentored by Philosophy professor, Dr. Robert Francesotti and is also this year's outstanding graduating senior.

Extraordinary Faculty Service Award

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Alida Allison, who was the unanimously-selected recipient of the College of Arts & Letters Alumni Chapter award for Extraordinary Faculty Service. Alida has contributed tirelessly to our Children's Literature program, as well as to student advising and community service.

Find out more about the Children's Literature program.

Commencement 2012

Congratulations to the 2012 graduates! College of Arts and Letter 2012 Commencement will be on Friday, May 18th at 11:00 am in Viejas Arena at the Aztec Bowl. Departments will also have individual ceremonies to acknowledge their graduates. Contact the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs for more information at (619) 594-2333.

Visit the official SDSU Commencement site.

Looking for past news stories? Please visit our Archives page.

In the Spotlight...

Francis Njubi Nesbitt is an Associate Professor in the Africana Studies Department. His research interests include international migration, conflict resolution, civil rights and antiapartheid movements. Dr. Nesbitt's most recent book was just published and is entitled, Politics of African Diasporas: Migration, Identity, and Africanity.

Learn more about Dr. Nesbitt...