Welcome to the History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences Department!
The HPSS department offers a variety of liberal arts courses in the disciplines of history, philosophy, anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology. Each course offered in the department satisfies at least one of the SUNY general education subject areas that include American History, Other World Civilizations, Western Civilization, Humanities, and Social Sciences. HPSS courses offer students the opportunity to explore a range of social, cultural, economic, political, and ethical topics that span human history and cut across geographic boundaries. Faculty in the department focus on nurturing the development of each student’s critical thinking skills that will serve them well throughout their life. HPSS faculty are always available to advise students interested in majoring in one of the disciplines offered in the department and work with students interested in developing a professional career path grounded in the liberal arts.
Some notable people with liberal arts degrees:
- Steve Martin, B.A. in philosophy (Actor & comedian)
- Christy Turlington, B.A. in philosophy (Model & executive)
- Alex Trebek, B.A. in philosophy (Game show host)
- Michelle Obama, B.A. in sociology (First Lady of the U.S.)
- Dan Aykroyd, B.A. in sociology (Actor & comedian)
- Barack Obama, B.A. in political science (U.S. President)
- Aisha Turner, B.A. in political science (Actor & TV personality)
- Rachel Maddow, B.A. in political science (MSNBC TV journalist)
- Conan O’Brien, B.A. in history (Comedian and talk show host)
- Tony Danza, B.A. in history (History teacher and actor)
- Jimmy Buffet, B.A. in history (musician)
- Cory Booker, B.A. in history (U.S. senator)
- Barbara Boxer, B.A. in economics (U.S. senator)
- Austin Carr, B.A. in economics (NBA player)
- Tracy Chapman, B.A. in anthropology (singer)
- Michael Crichton, B.A. in anthropology (author)
