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Sociocultural Studies

Understand the world through a new lens with Butte College’s Sociocultural Studies programs. Whether you're exploring anthropology, polical science, or history, our courses foster critical thinking and cultural awareness for a range of career paths.

Programs

Goal
Length
Flexibility
AA-T

Goal

Transfer

Length

2 years

Flexibility

  • Online
AA-T

Associate Degree for Transfer in History

The Associate in Arts in History for Transfer (AA-T in History) is designed for students planning to complete a Bachelor’s degree in History or a related major at a CSU campus. History is the study of how societies develop and change over time; through the analysis of historical materials, students learn to interpret the past and construct collective memory. This degree provides foundational knowledge in U.S. and World History, introduces students to historical inquiry, and includes three of the five core courses required in the CSU, Chico history major, along with courses approved for CSU GE. Students completing this degree are guaranteed admission to the CSU system, though not to a particular campus or major, and will be required to complete no more than 60 units after transfer.

Flexibility

You can complete all of your required History coursework online, so you have the flexibility to finish this degree from anywhere with internet access. If you prefer to study on campus, you'll need to combine Main Campus or the Chico Center with online courses, since neither location alone covers 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: History
  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  (4 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Chico Center:   Partial  (3 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Glenn Center:   Partial  (2 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Online:         Yes      (6 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Dual Enrollment:       Partial  (1 of 6)  ← 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.
AA-T

Goal

Transfer

Length

2 years

Flexibility

AA-T

Associate Degree for Transfer in Political Science

The Associate in Arts in Political Science for Transfer (AA-T in Political Science) creates a transfer pathway for students who plan to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at a California State University. With the completion of this degree, students will gain both foundational knowledge and practical skills necessary for advanced study. Students completing an AA-T are guaranteed admission to the CSU system, though not to a particular campus or major, and will be required to complete no more than 60 units after transfer. Political Science majors often transfer to CSU or UC campuses, with many pursuing law school preparation or careers in local government, legislative work, non-profits, civil service, and related fields.

Flexibility

You'll need to combine Online with either Main Campus or the Chico Center to reliably complete your required coursework for this degree, since no single location offers all of them. Your general education requirements can be completed at any of our centers or online, so you have flexibility there while you're filling in the gaps for your major courses.

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: Political Science
  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  (2 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:         Partial  (4 of 5 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 Anthropology

The Associate in Arts in Anthropology for Transfer (AA-T in Anthropology) creates a transfer pathway for students who plan to complete a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology at a California State University. This degree provides foundational knowledge in the four subfields of anthropology—physical, archaeological, linguistic, and cultural—introducing students to culture as the central concept for understanding human behavior and preparing them with critical and creative thinking, research methods, and global perspectives. Students completing an AA-T are guaranteed admission to the CSU system, though not to a particular campus or major, and will be required to complete no more than 60 units after transfer. Anthropology graduates are prepared for careers in education, research, medicine, business, non-profits, and public service, with opportunities ranging from international research with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to industry positions with corporations such as Intel or cultural resource management with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Flexibility

You can complete all your required Anthropology coursework online, which gives you full flexibility in where you study. 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 every required course on its own. Your general education requirements can be completed at any of our centers or online, so you have options there too.

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: Anthropology
  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  (5 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Chico Center:   Partial  (4 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Glenn Center:   Partial  (3 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Online:         Yes      (6 of 6 required slots reliably satisfiable here)
  Dual Enrollment:       Partial  (2 of 6)  ← 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 Sociocultural Studies
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Full Time Faculty

Melody Struthers's Photo

Melody Struthers

Anthropology Instructor
Christine Trolinger's Photo

Christine Trolinger

History Instructor
Dillon Carroll's Photo

Dillon Carroll

History Instructor
Charles Turner's Photo

Charles Turner

History Instructor
Cynthia Bynoe's Photo

Cynthia Bynoe

Political Science Instructor

Associate Faculty

Miriam Roeder's Photo

Miriam Roeder

Anthropology Instructor
Tanya Kieselbach's Photo

Tanya Kieselbach

Anthropology Instructor
Michael Pilakowski's Photo

Michael Pilakowski

Anthropology Instructor
Lisa Westwood's Photo

Lisa Westwood

Anthropology Instructor
Ashlyn Weaver's Photo

Ashlyn Weaver

Anthropology Instructor
Susan Frawley's Photo

Susan Frawley

Anthropology Instructor
Alicia Trider's Photo

Alicia Trider

History Instructor
Lukas Sandro's Photo

Lukas Sandro

History Instructor
Drew Traulsen's Photo

Drew Traulsen

History Instructor
Bruce Smith-Peters's Photo

Bruce Smith-Peters

History Instructor
John Martin's Photo

John Martin

History Instructor
Heidi Anderson's Photo

Heidi Anderson

History Instructor
Desislava Pedeva-Fazlic's Photo

Desislava Pedeva-Fazlic

History Instructor
Joseph Krulder's Photo

Joseph Krulder

History Instructor
Paul Frederici's Photo

Paul Frederici

Political Science Instructor
Carly Hines's Photo

Carly Hines

Political Science Instructor
Nathan Steffen's Photo

Nathan Steffen

Political Science Instructor
Daniel Thompson's Photo

Daniel Thompson

Political Science Instructor
John Hames's Photo

John Hames

Political Science Instructor
Yvette Zuniga's Photo

Yvette Zuniga

Political Science Instructor
Kathryn Sylvia's Photo

Kathryn Sylvia

Political Science Instructor

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Department Sociocultural Studies
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