table of forensics awards

Communication Studies, Ethnic Studies & World Languages

Expand your voice and perspective with Butte College’s Communication, Ethnic Studies, and World Languages programs. From public speaking and media studies to multicultural education and Spanish language fluency, our courses prepare you for success in a diverse and connected world.

Programs

Program Name
Goal
Length
Flexibility
AA-T AA

Goal

Transfer or Career

Length

2 years

Flexibility

  • Main Campus
  • Online
AA-T

Associate Degree for Transfer in Communication Studies 2.0

The Associate in Arts in Communication Studies 2.0 for Transfer (AA-T) is designed for students planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies at a CSU campus. This degree guarantees admission to the CSU system, though not to a specific campus or major. Students transferring to a CSU that accepts this degree will be required to complete no more than 60 additional units after transfer to earn a bachelor’s degree. This option may not be the best pathway for students intending to transfer to a particular CSU campus or to a non-CSU institution.

AA

Associate Degree in Communication Studies

This program meets the lower-division major preparation for Communication Studies at CSU, Chico. Students gain essential skills that are highly valued across professions, as effective communication is consistently cited as the top skill in demand in today’s workplace. The program emphasizes oral and written communication, critical thinking, interpersonal communication, gender and communication, intercultural awareness and sensitivity, and effective group interaction, providing a strong foundation for success in a wide range of careers.

Flexibility

The programs in this cluster offer strong flexibility for online learners, with all required Communication Studies coursework available online. If you prefer to study in person, Main Campus provides most of your major courses, though you may need to supplement with online or other locations to complete all requirements.

How this flexibility note was generated

⚠ AI-generated content can be wrong. This note was produced by Claude (Anthropic) by synthesizing the individual program flexibility statements in this cluster. Verify against the per-program reports before relying on it.
You are synthesizing a single cluster-level flexibility statement for a community college academic cluster (a group of related programs that share a department-page accordion).

CLUSTER
  Title: Communication Studies
  Programs in cluster: 2

PER-PROGRAM STATEMENTS
  • Communication Studies 2.0 (AA-T Degree):
      You can complete all of your required Communication Studies coursework reliably online, which gives you flexibility to study from anywhere with an internet connection. If you prefer to attend in person, Main Campus has most of what you need, but you'll want to pair it with online or another location to cover any gaps in the schedule.
  • Communication Studies (AA Degree):
      You can complete all your required Communication Studies coursework at Main Campus. If you prefer to study elsewhere, you can take most of your major courses Online, but you'll need to add some courses at Main Campus or another location to finish all requirements. Your general education requirements have flexibility across any of Butte's centers or online.

WHAT TO WRITE
  Write 2 to 3 sentences that summarize the AVAILABILITY STORY shared by these programs. Most programs in a cluster will have similar availability — name the common pattern. Note distinct outliers ONLY if a program's availability story differs in a way that affects student decisions (e.g., one program is online-only, others are not).

  - Plain, student-facing language.
  - Refer to "the programs in this cluster" or "these programs" — don't list each program by name unless an outlier needs calling out.
  - If all programs share the same flexibility story, write one unified statement.
  - Do NOT list percentages, term codes, or jargon.
  - Lead with the most flexible/strongest availability and follow with caveats.
  - Refer to locations ONLY by official center names (Main Campus, Chico Center, Glenn Center, Skyway Center, Cosmetology Center, Online). NEVER use a city or town name — no Oroville, no Willows, and never "Chico" as a city. Write "at the Chico Center", never "in Chico" — even if a per-program statement below used a city name, do not repeat it.

OUTPUT
  Return ONLY the statement text. No preamble, no quotation marks, no markdown.
AA

Goal

Career or Transfer

Length

2 years

Flexibility

  • Online
AA

Associate Degree in Multicultural and Gender Studies

The Associate in Arts in Multicultural and Gender Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach to cultural analysis within and across groups in the United States, with emphasis on the role of class, race, and gender in shaping cultural identities. The program highlights critical thinking, collaborative learning, activism, and advocacy, providing skills applicable to many careers. Graduates are prepared for opportunities in management, health and community services, public administration, government services, insurance, sales, and personnel fields, as well as in industry, higher education, nonprofit work, and public policy.

Flexibility

You can complete all the required courses for this degree online, so you have flexibility in where you physically need to be. If you prefer to study at a physical location, Main Campus and the Chico Center each offer some of the required courses, though you'd need to combine either of those with online sections to finish all your major requirements. Either way, your general education requirements can be completed at any of our centers or online.

How this flexibility note was generated

⚠ AI-generated content can be wrong. This note was produced by Claude (Anthropic) by synthesizing the individual program flexibility statements in this cluster. Verify against the per-program reports before relying on it.
You are writing a brief, student-facing flexibility note for a Butte College program. Imagine you are a counselor sitting across from the student. The student is trying to decide WHERE they will physically have to be to finish this degree.

PROGRAM
  Title: Multicultural and Gender Studies
  Award: AA Degree

LOCATIONS
  - Main Campus — Butte's main campus.
  - Chico Center — general center; many transfer-degree courses run there.
  - Glenn Center — satellite center.
  - Skyway Center — the dedicated home of the Auto Technology and
    Industrial / Power Pathway programs.
  - Cosmetology Center — the dedicated home of the Cosmetology and
    Barbering programs.
  - Online means a student can take it from anywhere with internet.
  - Dual Enrollment sections are taught at participating high schools
    across the region (NOT at Butte's centers). Coverage varies by HS.

LOCATION NAMING — HARD RULE
  Refer to locations ONLY by the official names exactly as listed above
  (Main Campus, Chico Center, Glenn Center, Skyway Center, Cosmetology
  Center, Online). NEVER mention a city or town name — no Oroville, no
  Willows, no Paradise, and never "Chico" as a city — not even
  alongside a center name. Students read a city name as the town
  itself, and Butte's campuses don't sit where the names suggest (Main
  Campus is not "in Oroville" in any practical sense). Write "at the
  Chico Center", never "in Chico". Write "at Main Campus", never "in
  Oroville".

RELIABLE REQUIRED-COURSE OFFERINGS BY LOCATION (last two academic years)
A required course counts as "reliably offered" at a location only if it
showed a REGULAR PATTERN — at least one section in BOTH window falls or
in BOTH window springs. A one-off section doesn't count: the student
can't bank on it coming back. For Select-N slots (e.g. "Select two"),
the slot is reliably satisfied at a location only when ≥N of its
options are reliably offered there.

  Main Campus:    Partial  (3 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Chico Center:   Partial  (2 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Glenn Center:   Partial  (1 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Online:         Yes      (6 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)

WHAT EACH STATUS MEANS
  - "Yes"     — every required slot has reliable coverage at this location. A student can plan to take their major coursework here.
  - "Partial" — SOME required slots are reliably covered here, but not all. A student who wants to attend mostly at this location will have to combine it with another location or with Online for the gaps.
  - "GE only" — NO required slots are reliably covered here. The student can complete GE breadth here, but for the major's required courses they'll have to go elsewhere.

GROUND TRUTHS YOU MUST RESPECT
  - For Associate degrees, GE breadth requirements can be completed at ANY Butte center or online. That's a given for every Associate program — you don't have to belabor it, but you may briefly mention it when the student's location story for required courses is unfavorable.
  - When a Skyway-Center or Cosmetology-Center program shows "Yes" at its specialized center, LEAD with that — those programs are housed there by design, and the student should plan on being at that center (not Main Campus) for the bulk of their major coursework.
  - Don't tell a student to come to Main Campus when the program's specialized center has full reliable coverage. Main might still be useful for GE; the major work is at the specialized center.
  - "GE only" is NOT "Partial". Don't soften it. Say plainly the program's required coursework isn't taught there.
  - Online is a real option for some programs, but ONLY when its column is "Yes". Don't promise online completion based on "Partial".
  - Dual Enrollment coverage is an aggregate across participating high schools — at any single HS the available courses are typically far fewer. If you mention dual enrollment, mention that "what's offered at your high school will vary."
  - Even "Yes" is "has been reliably available recently" — future schedules can shift. The student should still meet with a counselor.

WHAT TO WRITE
  Two to three short, plain sentences in second person ("you can…", "you'll need to…"). Lead with where the major's required coursework actually runs reliably — that's what determines where the student has to be. Be honest, not promotional.

  - Do NOT list percentages or course counts.
  - Do NOT promise future schedules.
  - Do NOT use the words "completability", "completable", "AY", or "primary location".
  - Do NOT call a "GE only" location a place to "complete the program" — they can't.

OUTPUT
  Return ONLY the statement text. No preamble, no quotation marks, no markdown headers.
AA-T

Goal

Transfer

Length

2 years

Flexibility

  • Online
AA-T

Associate Degree for Transfer in Spanish

The Associate in Arts in Spanish for Transfer (AA-T) is designed for students who plan to complete a bachelor’s degree in Spanish at a CSU campus. This degree guarantees admission to the CSU system, though not to a particular campus or major. Students transferring to a CSU campus that accepts this degree will be required to complete no more than 60 additional units after transfer to earn a bachelor’s degree. This option may not be the best pathway for students intending to transfer to a specific CSU campus or to a university outside the CSU system.

Flexibility

You can complete all your required Spanish coursework online, which gives you flexibility to study from anywhere with internet access. If you prefer to attend in person, you'll need to combine Main Campus or the Chico Center with online sections, since neither location offers the full range of required courses on its own. General education requirements can be completed at any of our centers or online, so you have options there as well.

How this flexibility note was generated

⚠ AI-generated content can be wrong. This note was produced by Claude (Anthropic) by synthesizing the individual program flexibility statements in this cluster. Verify against the per-program reports before relying on it.
You are writing a brief, student-facing flexibility note for a Butte College program. Imagine you are a counselor sitting across from the student. The student is trying to decide WHERE they will physically have to be to finish this degree.

PROGRAM
  Title: Spanish
  Award: AA-T Degree

LOCATIONS
  - Main Campus — Butte's main campus.
  - Chico Center — general center; many transfer-degree courses run there.
  - Glenn Center — satellite center.
  - Skyway Center — the dedicated home of the Auto Technology and
    Industrial / Power Pathway programs.
  - Cosmetology Center — the dedicated home of the Cosmetology and
    Barbering programs.
  - Online means a student can take it from anywhere with internet.
  - Dual Enrollment sections are taught at participating high schools
    across the region (NOT at Butte's centers). Coverage varies by HS.

LOCATION NAMING — HARD RULE
  Refer to locations ONLY by the official names exactly as listed above
  (Main Campus, Chico Center, Glenn Center, Skyway Center, Cosmetology
  Center, Online). NEVER mention a city or town name — no Oroville, no
  Willows, no Paradise, and never "Chico" as a city — not even
  alongside a center name. Students read a city name as the town
  itself, and Butte's campuses don't sit where the names suggest (Main
  Campus is not "in Oroville" in any practical sense). Write "at the
  Chico Center", never "in Chico". Write "at Main Campus", never "in
  Oroville".

RELIABLE REQUIRED-COURSE OFFERINGS BY LOCATION (last two academic years)
A required course counts as "reliably offered" at a location only if it
showed a REGULAR PATTERN — at least one section in BOTH window falls or
in BOTH window springs. A one-off section doesn't count: the student
can't bank on it coming back. For Select-N slots (e.g. "Select two"),
the slot is reliably satisfied at a location only when ≥N of its
options are reliably offered there.

  Main Campus:    Partial  (3 of 5 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Chico Center:   Partial  (2 of 5 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Glenn Center:   Partial  (1 of 5 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Online:         Yes      (5 of 5 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Dual Enrollment:       Partial  (2 of 5)  ← specialized center

WHAT EACH STATUS MEANS
  - "Yes"     — every required slot has reliable coverage at this location. A student can plan to take their major coursework here.
  - "Partial" — SOME required slots are reliably covered here, but not all. A student who wants to attend mostly at this location will have to combine it with another location or with Online for the gaps.
  - "GE only" — NO required slots are reliably covered here. The student can complete GE breadth here, but for the major's required courses they'll have to go elsewhere.

GROUND TRUTHS YOU MUST RESPECT
  - For Associate degrees, GE breadth requirements can be completed at ANY Butte center or online. That's a given for every Associate program — you don't have to belabor it, but you may briefly mention it when the student's location story for required courses is unfavorable.
  - When a Skyway-Center or Cosmetology-Center program shows "Yes" at its specialized center, LEAD with that — those programs are housed there by design, and the student should plan on being at that center (not Main Campus) for the bulk of their major coursework.
  - Don't tell a student to come to Main Campus when the program's specialized center has full reliable coverage. Main might still be useful for GE; the major work is at the specialized center.
  - "GE only" is NOT "Partial". Don't soften it. Say plainly the program's required coursework isn't taught there.
  - Online is a real option for some programs, but ONLY when its column is "Yes". Don't promise online completion based on "Partial".
  - Dual Enrollment coverage is an aggregate across participating high schools — at any single HS the available courses are typically far fewer. If you mention dual enrollment, mention that "what's offered at your high school will vary."
  - Even "Yes" is "has been reliably available recently" — future schedules can shift. The student should still meet with a counselor.

WHAT TO WRITE
  Two to three short, plain sentences in second person ("you can…", "you'll need to…"). Lead with where the major's required coursework actually runs reliably — that's what determines where the student has to be. Be honest, not promotional.

  - Do NOT list percentages or course counts.
  - Do NOT promise future schedules.
  - Do NOT use the words "completability", "completable", "AY", or "primary location".
  - Do NOT call a "GE only" location a place to "complete the program" — they can't.

OUTPUT
  Return ONLY the statement text. No preamble, no quotation marks, no markdown headers.
Department Communication Studies, Ethnic Studies and World Languages

Full Time Faculty

Deborah McCabe

Communication Studies Instructor

Laura Rapozo-Davis

Communication Studies Instructor

Shannan Troxel

Communication Studies Instructor

Angela Ohland

Communication Studies Instructor

Tom Grothe

Communication Studies Instructor

April Kelly

Communication Studies Instructor

Stephen Ban

Communication Studies Instructor

Amber Noel-Camacho

Ethnic Studies Instructor

Alonzo Campos

Ethnic Studies Instructor

Isidoro Guzman

Ethnic Studies Instructor

Iris Ramirez

Ethnic Studies Instructor

Teresa Carrasco

Ethnic Studies Instructor

Justin Wentzell

Spanish Instructor

Associate Faculty

Bascal Davenport

American Sign Language Instructor

Adelaide Harth

American Sign Language Instructor

Lisa Williams

Sign Language Instructor

Amber Kangal

American Sign Language Instructor

Gretel Wymore

Communication Studies Instructor

Brett Butler

Communication Studies Instructor

Roseanna Galindo

Communication Studies Instructor

Katharina Teixeira

Communication Studies Instructor

Sue Peterson

Communication Studies Instructor

Patrick Hull

Communication Studies Instructor

Kristina Sanville

Communication Studies Instructor

Amy Oelrichs

Communication Studies Instructor

Nandi Crosby

Sociology Instructor

Kerstin Grothe

Learning Resource Specialist

Mayu Lindblad

English as a Second Language Instruct

Huiyuan Tan

Japanese Instructor

Sanae Nagai

Japanese Instructor

Lauren Wilson

Sociology Instructor

Guy Bordoli

Spanish Instructor

Gema Haraughty

Spanish Instructor

Australia Duran-Roach

Spanish Instructor

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Department Communication Studies, Ethnic Studies and World Languages