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Santa Barbara: Departments

Sociology
Before the Santa Barbara campus became a part of the University, the antecedent state colleges had offered a few courses in sociology within the social science department dating from 1921; a major developed in 1940-41.

After 1944 and during the period when the Santa Barbara campus was conceived as a small liberal arts college, a general Department of Social Sciences continued. But in 1958, when Santa Barbara was given its new mission, the combined department began the process of separation into its constituent disciplines. By 1963-64, sociology had become a separate department with a faculty of eight members with Charles B. Spaulding as its chairman. The new department inherited a research laboratory obtained in 1961 and a 1962 authorization to offer a program leading to the master's degree.

In the fall of 1964, David Gold became chairman of the department, the first candidates for the Ph.D. degree were accepted, and a training grant was received from the National Institute of Mental Health.

The spring semester of 1965 found the department with 422 undergraduate majors and 28 graduate students. In the fall of that year, the department had 21 faculty members (a few of them part-time), 39 approved undergraduate courses, and 14 graduate courses. It had granted five master's degrees.

While the early emphasis in the graduate program was in the areas of social psychology, deviant behavior, and methodology, the expanded faculty of 1965-66 made possible a much wider selection of fields for graduate work. One of the newer developments was a cooperative venture by the Departments of Sociology and Mathematics to explore social structure through the use of general systems theory and mathematical models. source

Spanish and Portugese
Spanish was first foreign language introduced into curriculum of the Santa Barbara State Teachers College in 1921, with Miss Mattie Ramelli as the instructor. Two Spanish literature courses were added the following year and the study of a foreign language became a requirement for the A.B. degree in certain areas. A second language instructor was added in 1931, when a minor in Spanish was established. The offerings increased gradually and a major in Spanish was introduced in 1945, after Santa Barbara College became a part of the University.

A Spanish department separate from foreign languages was created in 1961. Samuel A. Wofsy, a member of the faculty since 1946, was the first chairman of the new department (1961-62). The M.A. degree program in Spanish was initiated the same year. Manuel Alvar, philologist and catedrático, came to direct the six graduate courses offered during the following two years.

Winston A. Reynolds was the second chairman of the department (1962-65), serving also (until 1964) as chairman of the interdepartmental Hispanic Civilization Committee. Portuguese was added to the departmental curriculum in 1963 and a modern Spanish language laboratory was opened in May, 1963. Nine graduate students obtained the M.A. degree in the period 1961-65. From a beginning in 1961 of nine faculty members (full-time equivalent), 16 courses, 75 majors, and six graduate students, the Spanish department expanded to a total of 29 faculty members, 34 courses, approximately 200 majors and 30 graduate students at the beginning of the fall semester, 1965. source

Speech and Drama
When Santa Barbara became a state normal school in 1919, courses under the direction of Egbert Ray Nichols became available as follows: Reading and Expression, Modern Drama, and Dramatics. With the coming of William Ashworth in 1920, English I (Reading Aloud), Shakespeare, and Elements of Public Speaking were added. Ashworth initiated a vigorous play production program which has remained characteristic of this campus.

Shortly after the school achieved state college status (1935), speech offerings expanded rapidly. With the coming of Frederick W. Hile (1937) and Charles W. Redding (1938), basic courses in all areas of speech were listed, a total of 51 academic units being available. Redding laid the base for a strong continuing forensics program. A speech major was authorized in 1940-41; and in 1941-42, credentials in speech arts and in the correction of speech defects. Sixty-nine semester units were listed in 1941-42. Directly after the war years, under University direction, speech gained departmental status and was officially listed in the 1947-48 catalogue. John C. Snidecor was the first chairman.

When the University moved to the present campus in 1954, the department was provided with its own temporary laboratory theatre which made it possible to strengthen the offerings in the area of drama. Five full-time faculty members increased to 12 by 1964. By 1960-61, majors were available in rhetoric, drama, and speech and hearing, with limited graduate work authorized. In 1964-65, 157 academic units were available, 34 of these in graduate work leading to the M.A. degree.

In the fall of 1964, the department moved into a new Speech and Drama Building with extensive and modern theatre and laboratory facilities. Academic growth and developing special interests dictated a division into two departments in 1965, the Department of Dramatic Arts (Theodore W. Hatlen, chairman) and the Department of Speech (Rollin W. Quimby, chairman).

By the mid-1960's, the dramatic art department made use of its new facilities by inaugurating a summer repertory program of three plays being given 31 performances. In addition to playing an important part in the campus cultural life, a number of dramatic productions toured other campuses of University, and on two occasions Santa Barbara productions were invited to tour the Orient.

In its new facility, the speech department had equipment for research in speech pathology and audiology and services a limited of speech handicapped children and adults as part of its research and training program. For many years the department was host to the annual California High Debate Tournament.

Enrollment for both departments: graduate, 23; undergraduate, 130. source

Speech and Hearing Sciences
There is no history currently available for this department.

Statistics and Applied Probability
There is no history currently available for this department.

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Last updated 06/18/04.