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College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS) is an artistic, creative, and intellectual community. It is an equitable partnership of staff, faculty, and students who are devoted to teaching, learning, and collaboration. The many fields within CAHSS provide the greatest breadth for service-learning, creative engagement, and professional opportunity within a diverse and changing society.

Hands-on Experience

Our programs and majors offer many unique opportunities to extend learning beyond the classroom including student performances, studios, laboratories, newsrooms, internships, and more. Hands-on learning enriches the student, the university, and the community, tying academic study to real-world experiences.

fours theatre students acting on a stage

Study Abroad

Studying abroad is an exciting way to enhance an undergraduate experience through exposure to different cultures, languages, and communities. Travel, explore, embrace new environments, all while making progress toward graduation.

group of traveling abroad students

Personal Attention

It’s the difference between sitting through a lesson and playing a role in creating it. Feel challenged by faculty who expand students’ worldview and supported by departments that pride themselves on personalized attention.

students sitting in a circle with a professor

Place-Based Learning Communities

Learning goes beyond the classroom at Humboldt. We learn from the environment we are in. Our Place-Based Learning Communities provide you with a tight-knit community of like minded peers before classes even start. These connections will help you navigate college life, gain confidence, succeed academically, and gain a sense of belonging within the Humboldt community.

Achievements

CAHSS Achievements

Student

Griffin Mancuso, Brad Butterfield, Dezmond Remington

Journalism & Mass Communication

The Lumberjack nabbed three national awards from the Associated Collegiate Press in November. LJ fall editor-in-chief Griffin Mancuso placed second in the nationwide best illustration category. Investigative reporter Brad Butterfield earned an honorable mention as one of the nation's Reporters of the Year. Spring 2024 co-editor Dezmond Remington won a national honorable mention for his column writing.

ACP Individual Awards honor the nation’s best collegiate journalism. There are 53 contests in eight divisions representing the best of the best from Ivy League schools to scrappy state polytechnics in Northern California.

Faculty

Dr. Sarah Jaquette Ray

Environmental Studies

Dr. Ray joined grief scholars and movement leaders Breeshia Wade, Yolanda Sealy-Ruiz, Myrtle Sodhi, Jennifer England and host Viyda Shah on the podcast, Hospicing Leadership. This episode focused on questions such as "How do leaders create a vision for hospicing grief in the midst of crisis?" You can listen here: https://www.yorku.ca/edu/unleading/podcast-episodes/hospicing-leadershi…

Faculty

Israel de Souza

Sociology

Israel de Souza has recently published a co-authored book, Moral and Intellectual Virtues in Practices: Through the Eyes of Scientists and Musicians, and a co-authored piece for the Chronicle of Higher Education, "Institutions Must Do More to Accommodate Those with Long Covid." She also wrote a policy brief for the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, based on previously funded research, entitled "Learning from Rio's Failed Pacification Initiative."

More Achievements

CAHSS Alumni Updates

Mellisa Hannum

Journalism, 2005

Mellisa graduated with a B.A. in Journalism in 2005 and Liberal Studies/Elementary Education in 1999. She volunteered at many libraries including the Arcata Branch of the Humboldt County Public Library system. After working in many library roles in Nevada County, she was hired as the Branch Librarian for Coast Community Library in Mendocino County. Mellisa is now the Library Director for Mendocino County's public libraries. She works to support the Library's mission of enriching lives through free and equitable access to materials and programs centered on education, culture, and entertainment.

Melody Walker

Music, 2008

Music alumna Melody Walker was nominated for a 2025 Grammy Award for Best American Roots song for "American Dreaming," which she wrote with country musician Sierra Ferrell. The song appears on Farrell's album "Trail of Flowers," released in early 2024. The 2025 Grammy winners will be announced on Feb. 2, 2025.

Viola Leone Cottrell Adkins

Music, 1970

V. Leone Cottrell Adkins received her Bachelors (’68) and Masters (’72) degrees in music from Humboldt State. Leone was already a professional musician having played string bass for Portland and Seattle Symphonies as well as being a highly trained opera singer when life‘s turn of events brought her to Humboldt County. At Humboldt, Leone was on staff in the Music department as accompanist and Assistant Opera Workshop Director. Between 2016 and 2019 Leone made several road trips with her daughter to California, documenting the impressive motorcycle racing career of her oldest brother, Jack W. Cottrell. 

 

 

More Alumni Updates