Special Programs

A number of special programs are also supported, including the American English Institute, the newly-created Middle East Studies Project, the Peach Blossom Festival of Oral Interpretation, and Theatre for Young Audiences

American English Institute

The American English Institute (AEI), at California State University, Fresno has offered a non-credit intensive English program for international students since 1972. AEI courses are designed to prepare students for academic study in a college or university in the United States. In addition, the courses prepare students for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which is required for admission to most colleges and universities in the United States. The courses also help students improve their communication skills for everyday life in an English-speaking country.

Middle East Studies Project

The Middle East Studies Project aims at strengthening and improving undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign languages at California State University, Fresno. The project will enhance the university’s foreign language offerings through the implementation of a two-year program in Persian and Arabic. It will further strengthen the university’s offerings in international studies by developing a minor in Middle East Studies. An additional Study Abroad Program in Cairo, Egypt and collaboration with regional institutions will pave the way for further development of the program in the future. The project is funded for two years by a US Department of Education Title VI-A grant to the College of Arts and Humanities.

Peach Blossom Festival of Oral Interpretation

The purpose of the Peach Blossom Festival is to expose children to oral interpretations and allow them to have a positive experience at Fresno State. The children that attend are from all areas of the Central Valley.

Theatre for Young Audiences

Each spring, Fresno State students enroll in a course to tour children's theatre productions to elementary and middle schools throughout the San Joaquin Valley. This company of student actors has been a tradition at Fresno State for over 37 years, and we have toured to more than 40 schools and over 16,000 children in a single season.

Honors Program

The College of Arts and Humanities Honors Program is designed to provide upper division students with outstanding scholarly and creative achievements the opportunity for advanced interdisciplinary studies and interaction with a community of their intellectual peers in Arts and Humanities and related disciplines. The program consists of at least 10-12 units of coursework, beginning with the Arts and Humanities Honors Seminar, AH 100H (3 units), usually taken in the second semester of the junior year. Each participating department will then provide courses or an independent study option for Honors students for the subsequent two semesters of the senior year, culminating in the student’s completion of a research/creative project. A one-unit Honors Symposium, AH 101 H, will serve as the culmination experience for students to complete, present and discuss their research/creative projects. This program will encourage students to cross traditional disciplinary boundaries through discussion with faculty and fellow students in different departments and to work closely with faculty towards the completion of a research or creative project of the student’s choice.

Criteria for Application Into the Honors Program

• Cumulative G.P.A. of 3.5 (in last 60 units).
• Completed at least one semester in residence.
• A maximum 1,000-word typed statement explaining the significance of your discipline and your own possible research/creative endeavor either in your life or in society.
• A letter of recommendation/nomination from a Fresno State faculty member who is willing to serve as your mentor/advisor for the Honors thesis/project.
• Copy of your transcript.

Criteria for Continuance and Completion of the Honors Program

• Maintain a minimum 3.5 cumulative G.P.A.
• Grade of A in AH100 H
• Grade of A in AH 101 H
• Completion of Honors Project/Thesis
• Notify instructors of courses listed in approved honors program that you are using the course to fulfill CAH Honors Program requirements and that you are expected to complete honors level work for their course.

Benefits to the Students in the Arts and Humanities Honors Program

• Graduate with Honors Cord and Medallion
• Recognition during the Arts and Humanities Convocation
• Designation of graduating with Honors in Arts and Humanities on the diploma
• Free admission to the University Lecture Series and Arts and Humanities Lecture Series and other A & H performances for the First Honors Seminar
  Optional attendance in the Smittcamp Honors Colloquium
• Honors library privileges

Academic Decathalon College Credit Program

Since 1994 the College of Arts and Humanities has served as co-host for the Fresno County Academic Decathlon. In addition to hosting the competition event at Fresno State on the first Saturday in February, the College offers a series of academic workshops to students participating in the competition through a Humanities 1T course, enabling them to earn college credit. Workshops include Art, Music, Literature, Speech, Interview, Social Sciences, Economics, Science, and the Super Quiz topic that varies annually.Each year, a dozen faculty presenters from many different departments participate and conduct the workshops. Each year this program brings over 300 of the region’s brightest and most highly motivated juniors and seniors to campus, providing them with a first-hand experience to some of our most accomplished faculty.

College Connection Program

This program is carefully designed to enable college-ready high school students to enroll in a selected list of lower division general education courses offered by the College. Courses are chosen in consultation with high school administrators in order to ensure that the courses complement the high school curriculum. Instructional staff and class times are also carefully selected to ensure a positive educational experience for the students.For more information about participating in the College Connection Program, please contact the Office of the Dean

Study Abroad

Intellectual and Artistic Exploration

The College of Arts and Humanities is committed to cultivating a multicultural and multilingual global citenzenry who are prepared for the challenges of the 21st century. In 2006, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Senate Resolution 308 designating 2006 as “The Year of Study Abroad.” SR 308 encourages students to share the values of the United States, to create goodwill for the United State around the world, and to work for a peaceful global society. Well-traveled students with a broad range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds who study abroad enhance the regional and campus communities with a more thorough understanding of society, culture, politics, and life outside the U.S.A. Study abroad is a life-changing experience!

London Semester

The London Semester has attracted more than 800 students since it began in the spring of 1984. Students can earn up to 14 units of upper-division GE credit. London makes an evocative classroom with frequent study visits to museums, historical sites (e.g., Tower of London and Parliament), art galleries as well as evenings at concerts, theatre and ballet. Overnight and day trips are planned for Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, Canterbury, Windsor and Eton, York, Cambridge and Oxford. If desired, students also have opportunities to travel to Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the European Continent during spring break and the summer.

Course Descriptions and Faculty (pdf)
Learn more about who's teaching and what courses are being offered this spring!

Application for London Semester 2008 (pdf)
Complete online and print. Admission consideration instructions are on the form.

Guanajuato, Mexico

Approximately 400 students have attended the summer program in Guanajuato, Mexico since it began in 1988. Students can earn up to 6 units of transfer credit while studying in one of Mexico’s major cultural centers. It was in Guanajuato that Hidalgo, the Father of Mexican Independence, fought and won his first battle. An important mining area during the colonial period, Guanajuato has preserved that pre-nineteenth century flavor that attracts visitors annually.As the capital of the State of Guanajuato, it has museums, a major university, and offers important cultural events such as the International Cervantes Festival. Attendance at cultural events and tours to neighboring colonial towns round out the learning experience. Geographically, Guanajuato is equidistant from Mexico’s two largest cities, Guadalajara and Mexico City. Students interested in spending a weekend in either the Capital or Guadalajara will find travel arrangements easy and inexpensive.

Thessaloniki, Greece

The latest international study program sponsored by the College of Arts and Humanities is a summer or semester at the American College of Thessaloniki, Greece. Students earn 12 units of transfer credit while studying in one of the most historic cities of the world. More than 2,300 years old, Thessaloniki was named for the sister of Alexander the Great. The modern and vibrant city of Thessaloniki exists in harmony with the old town’s traditional classical architecture, narrow streets and lovely gardens; less than an hours drive from Greece’s most beautiful beaches and a short drive to many historic sites. All courses are taught in English by qualified instructors from the College.