Humanities
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Humanities Department
509-574-4881
Humanities Department
The humanities are academic disciplines that study human culture, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, and having a significant historical element, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences. The humanities include ancient and modern languages, literature, philosophy, religion, and visual and performing arts such as music and theatre.
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Academic Options
The Department of Visual Arts (DoVA) regards art as an essential product of culture. Faculty are sensitive to the plurality of ideas and approaches inherent to its creation and strive to foster a critical awareness of process, content, and history. Instruction is in fundamental skills, while stressing the relevance and function of art regarding culture and the human experience.
Students considering the visual arts as a major or minor at a four-year transfer academy or university, or those pursuing a standard Associate in Arts degree with a visual arts emphasis, should consult with art faculty about planning their curriculum here at YVC. Students pursuing a degree in Art should follow a program leading to the Associate in Arts degree (AA-DTA) and then transfer to a college or university that offers art as a major.
Art Appreciation is not a recommended course for students planning to transfer to an Art program.
Students, please note: To ensure that your degree requirements for graduation have been met, you need to review the degree planning guide with an advisor or counselor.
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
Today’s methods of communicating information through speaking, print, and electronic media require developing proficiency in the traditional skills of verbal, written, and visual presentations as well as exploring new techniques and new media. Courses are designed for majors and for all wishing to improve their personal and professional communication skills or to gain personal enhancement. These skills are consistently listed as those thought by employers to be among the most important qualities for hiring and success in advancement and promotion.
Students pursuing a degree in Communications should follow a program leading to the Associate in Arts degree (AA-DTA) and then transfer to a college or university that offers Communications as a major.
Students, please note: To ensure that your degree requirements for graduation have been met, you need to review the degree planning guide with an advisor or counselor.
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
Drama courses are designed for theatre majors and non-majors alike. Courses focus on performance, production, and general appreciation of theatre as a major fine art and as a major channel of cultural communication. Three main stage productions from a range of genres, including musicals, the classics, and experimental theatre, are prepared and performed each year. There are also opportunities for faculty-mentored, student-directed productions in our “black box” theatre. The program meets the proposed accreditation standards of the American Theatre Association. The department is an active member of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.
Students choosing to pursue a degree in Drama should follow a program leading to the Associate in Arts degree (AA-DTA) and then transfer to a college or university that offers Drama as a major.
Students, please note: To ensure that your degree requirements for graduation have been met, you need to review the degree planning guide with an advisor or counselor.
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
The goal of our ASL courses is to enable students to interact successfully with native signers and to relate language behavior to real-world situations. The regular academic courses meet daily. It is advisable to begin the ASL 100-level sequence Fall quarter. That will enable completion of a full-year program in ASL in fulfillment of the requirement at many four-year colleges or universities. Students pursuing a degree in American Sign Language should follow a program leading to the Associate in Arts degree (AA-DTA) and then transfer to a college or university that offers American Sign Language as a major.
Students choosing to pursue a degree in Spanish should follow a program leading to the Associate in Arts degree (AA-DTA) and then transfer to a college or university that offers Spanish as a major. All Spanish courses are offered at both campuses each academic year.
English Language Learning (ELL)
The goal of the English Language Learning (ELL) courses is to enable the students to interact successfully with native speakers and to relate language behavior to real-world situations. The regular academic courses meet on a daily basis. It is advisable although not required that the student begin the ELL 90 sequences in the fall quarter and thereby complete a one-year program in ELL.
Spanish
The goal of all of our Spanish courses is to enable students to interact successfully with native speakers and to relate language behavior to real-world situations. We also hope to encourage and nurture a strong cultural pride and awareness of the Hispanic world. Students pursuing a major or a minor in Spanish are strongly encouraged to consult with Spanish faculty about planning their course of study here at YVC.
Students, please note: To ensure that your degree requirements for graduation have been met, you need to review the degree planning guide with an advisor or counselor.
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
The Department of Music provides students with academic courses and performing opportunities in vocal and instrumental music and opportunities for private lessons. The YVC Jazz Ensemble is the flagship instrumental group with additional small ensembles focusing on a variety of styles including jazz, classical chamber music, salsa, tango, and rock. The YVC Concert Choir, Community Choir, and Chamber Singers have traveled throughout the state and possess a tradition of artistic quality and breadth of style.
The department offers courses ranging from Music Appreciation and History of Jazz to Music of the World and History of Rock and Roll. These courses, along with courses for beginning piano, beginning guitar, and music fundamentals, are designed for students who have an interest in music as non-majors. Non-majors are also encouraged to participate in the performing ensembles.
Students pursuing a degree in Music should follow a program leading to the Associate in Arts degree (AA-DTA) and then transfer to a college or university that offers Music as a major.
Students, please note: To ensure that your degree requirements for graduation have been met, you need to review the degree planning guide with an advisor or counselor.
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
Course offerings in philosophy are intended for transfer students and for those wanting personal enrichment. Courses stress the cultivation of personal and interpersonal expression of ideas through critical and constructive reading, writing, listening, speaking, and observing. The program also organizes film and discussion events, conference attendance, participation in essay competitions, and community involvement.
Students pursuing a degree in Philosophy should follow a program leading to the Associate in Arts degree (AA-DTA) and then transfer to a college or university that offers Philosophy as a major.
Students, please note: To ensure that your degree requirements for graduation have been met, you need to review the degree planning guide with an advisor or counselor.
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
Academic Programs
Today's methods of communicating information through speaking, print, and electronic media require developing proficiency in the traditional skills of verbal, written, and visual presentations as well as exploring new techniques and new media.
Courses are designed for majors and for all wishing to improve their personal and professional communication skills or to gain personal enhancement. These skills are consistently listed as those thought by employers to be among the most important qualities for hiring and success in advancement and promotion.
Students choosing to pursue a degree in Communications should follow a program leading to the Associate in Arts degree (AADTA) and then transfer to a college or university that offers communications as a major.
CCN Courses (Common Course Numbering)
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
Drama
Drama is a two-year program designed for theater majors and non-majors alike. Emphasis is divided between the literature of the theater and production. Three full-length productions are prepared and performed each year.
The program meets the proposed accreditation standards of the American Theater Association. Drama Transfer Program students should follow requirements of the Associate of Arts Degree under faculty advisement.
Offering classic theater performances as well as classes for personal enrichment or a career path is the mission of the Yakima Valley College Drama/Theater Department. Theater reflects life, and whatever the YVC Theater department can do to reflect life is our goal.
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
Careers
Graduates with a degree in drama find careers in an incredibly wide range of fields. many careers are directly connected to the performing arts, including acting, directing, writing, set design, costume development, lighting and sound coordination, make-up artists or teaching.
Drama majors also find careers in the business aspects of the field. Such jobs as producing events, managing theaters, and advertising and promoting productions are examples of the possibilities.
A few of the many web sites that provide more information about the many aspects of drama are listed below:
YVC Playmasters
YVC Playmasters produces two or three full-length productions each year. Additionally, Playmasters supports the development and implementation of student-created theatre pieces; provides internship opportunities for qualified students in areas such as directing, playwriting, and stage management; participates in a range of community outreach efforts; and supports the work of visiting theatre artists.
YVC Playmasters is an active member of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Northwest Drama Conference and is affiliated with the American Theatre Association.
American Sign Language
The goal of American Sign Language (ASL) courses is to enable the students to interact successfully with native signers and to relate language behavior to real-world situations. The regular academic courses meet on a daily basis.
It is advisable to begin the ASL 101 sequences in the fall quarter and thereby complete a one-year program in ASL in fulfillment of the requirement at many four-year colleges or universities.
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
English Language Learning (ELL)
The goal of the English Language Learning (ELL)courses is to enable the students to interact successfully with native speakers and to relate language behavior to real-world situations. The regular academic courses meet on a daily basis. It is advisable although not required that the student begin the ELL 90 sequences in the fall quarter and thereby complete a one-year program in ELL.
Spanish
The goal of Spanish courses is to enable students to interact successfully with native speakers and to relate language behavior to real-world situations. The regular academic courses meet on a daily basis. The conversation courses differ from the academic courses primarily in breadth. They are usually taught in the Spanish101 or 201 sequences in the fall quarter and thereby complete a one-year program in Spanish in fulfillment of the requirement at many four-year college universities.
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
Course Placement
Students may generally be placed in these Spanish courses as outlined by the following: SPAN 101: No Spanish to one year of high school Spanish SPAN 102: Two or more years of high school Spanish SPAN 103: Three or more years of high school Spanish SPAN 201: Four or more years of high school Spanish NOTE: The above Spanish courses are not open to native speakers of Spanish (Heritage Speakers). Courses for native speakers include SPAN 231, 232, & 233 (see Spanish for Heritage Speakers below).
Spanish for Heritage Speakers (SHL)
Spanish for Heritage Learners (SHL) courses (SPAN 231, 232 & 233)are targeted to Spanish Speakers who wish to refine and preserve the Spanish they inherited. The courses offer Spanish-speaking students the opportunity to study Spanish formally in an academic setting, in the same way English-speaking students study English in a college setting.
Course Placement
Students who are raised in a home where Spanish is spoken and who possess receptive (comprehension) and productive (speaking) skills in the language can take these courses. These students may be immigrants with limited literacy due to limited schooling or first- or second-generation heritage speakers who are bilingual in Spanish and English, with limited literacy skills in Spanish. Students may be required to take a placement test given by the instructor to determine their language level. Students may be placed in these SHL courses in no particular order.
Music
The Department of Music provides students with academic courses and performing opportunities in vocal and instrumental music as well as opportunities for private lessons. The department offers course ranging from Music Appreciation and History of Jazz to Music of the World and History of Rock and Roll. These courses, along with courses for beginning piano, beginning guitar, and music fundamentals, are designed for students who have an interest in music as non-majors. Non-majors are also encouraged to participate in the performing ensembles.
Students choosing to pursue a degree in Music should follow a program leading to the Associate in Arts degree (AA-DTA) and then transfer to a college or university that offers Music as a major.
CCN Courses (Common Course Numbering)
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
Performing Ensembles
Students are encouraged to participate in one of YVC’s performing ensembles. The award-winning YVC Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combos have become known throughout the Pacific Northwest region for their quality. The YVC Concert Choir, Community Choir, and Chamber Singers have traveled throughout the state and possess a tradition of artistic quality and breadth of styles.
View the YVC Music YouTube Playlist
Careers
- Primary and secondary music educators, college music educators, private music studio teacher
- Administrative positions with foundations and educational agencies, church affiliated music positions, studio musician, commercial arranger, composer.
- Piano accompanist, music business careers in retail, recording and artistic promotion, music research positions at state, regional, and national institutions.
Philosophy
Philosophy has been divided into several traditional areas: Metaphysics concerns the nature of "reality" and existence; Epistemology explores the nature, source, and limits of knowledge; Ethics studies the nature of right and wrong, duty and moral obligation and; Logic helps us determine the difference between correct and incorrect reasoning.
At Yakima Valley College, our courses focus on helping students develop a number of abilities that promote an understanding of Philosophy; the ability to analyze; the ability to organize, assess and compare claims; the ability to read and listen with care and discernment; and the ability to articulate in both written and oral forms what one thinks and why.
CCN Courses (Common Course Numbering)
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
Careers
The vast majority of people with advanced degrees in Philosophy work in the field of education, as teachers, lecturers, and writers.
Philosophy majors also work in many other fields, as well as in academic positions outside teaching. Some of the more common areas in which Philosophy majors work are as follows: business, creative writing, editing, education, film making, illustration, fine art painting, law, technical writing.
Studio Arts and Photography
Art is both a mirror to and a shaper of the individual, society, and culture. Art is a fundamental human experience and behavior that crosses all boundaries. The YVC Department of Visual Arts (DoVA) fosters an awareness of the making of art, the interpretation of art, the development of art across cultures and time, and the relevance of art to daily experience.
Students are exposed to the vocabulary and craft of art through the department’s various classes. Stress is given to the development of technical skills, the communication of concepts, and expression of ideas within traditional and contemporary issues, techniques, and technologies.
The faculty in the Department of Visual Arts is committed to developing the skills and talents of the students in their classes, and to place art within the social arena of the community. All full and part-time faculty are practicing, producing, and exhibiting artists.
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
The information above reflects the 2024-2025 course catalog and is subject to change. Please check with your advisor for the most up to date information.
Careers
- Painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking, environmental art, architecture, interdisciplinary, arts jeweler.
- Graphic arts, illustration, fashion illustration, typography, fabric design, clothing design, landscape design, architecture, interior design.
- Cartooning, web design, animation, primary, secondary, and post-secondary education, adult education, art therapy.
- Museum studies, gallery owner, arts coordinator, art historian, art appraiser, art criticism, art consultant, courtroom artist.
Annual Exhibit
The Department of Visual Arts prepares and exhibits work from its studio classes each
year in the YVC Larson Gallery.
The exhibit runs the last four weeks of Spring Quarter.
All students completing studio classes are encouraged to participate. New work from
the art faculty is also included.
Department Contacts
| Name | Job Title | Phone | Office Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel Dorn | Art Instructor | rdorn@yvcc.edu | 509.574.4844 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 170 |
| Kayo Nakamura | Art Instructor | knakamura@yvcc.edu | 509.834.4503 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 172 |
| Chris Otten | Art Instructor | cotten@yvcc.edu | 509.834.4539 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 162 |
| Name | Job Title | Phone | Office Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Erickson | Speech/Communications | derickson@yvcc.edu | 509.574.4831 | Online |
| Dave McReynolds | Communication Studies | dmcreynolds@yvcc.edu | 509.574.6800 x3188 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 168 |
| Tony Schmidt | Communication Studies | aschmidt@yvcc.edu | 509.574.4604 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 166 |
| Laura Yolo | Communication Studies | lyolo@yvcc.edu | N/A | Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 164 |
| Sandra Villarreal | Communications Studies Instructor | svillarreal@yvcc.edu | 509.882.7058 | Grandview Main Building Building 56, Room 110C |
| Name | Job Title | Phone | Office Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alicia Bickley | Drama Instructor | abickley@yvcc.edu | 509.574.4837 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 181 |
| Ray Pritchard | Basic Stagecraft Drama | rpritchard@yvcc.edu | 509.834.4554 | Kendall Hall Building 12, Room 125 |
| Name | Job Title | Phone | Office Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melinda Chiprez | Spanish Instructor | mchiprez@yvcc.edu | 509.882.7025 | Grandview Campus Main Building Building 56, Room 103 |
| John Cyr | American Sign Language Instructor | jcyr@yvcc.edu | 509.574.4810 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 156 |
| Peter Monahan | Spanish Instructor | pmonahan@yvcc.edu | 509.574.4814 | Yakima Campus Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 160 |
| Luis Bello-Zarallo | Spanish Instructor | lbello-zarallo@yvcc.edu | 509.574.4826 | Yakima Campus Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 158 |
| Name | Job Title | Phone | Office Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Norwood | Music Instructor | jnorwood@yvcc.edu | 509.574.4836 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 12, Room 119 |
| Steven Slusher | Music Instructor | sslusher@yvcc.edu | 509.574.4835 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 12, Room 112 |
| Jeffrey Smith | Music Instructor | JeffreySmith@yvcc.edu | 509.574.6800 x5801 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 12, Room 119 |
| Name | Job Title | Phone | Office Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Gooch | Philosophy Instructor | jgooch@yvcc.edu | 509.574.4933 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 167 |
| Matthew Owen | Philosophy Instructor | mowen@yvcc.edu | 509.574.4828 | Palmer Martin Hall Building 20, Room 159 |