College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr. Julia Langdal-Sittu teaches psychology in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and has fun doing so. She makes it interesting and relatable for students by sharing her love of superheroes and having them do interesting exercises, such as the one that had her standing on a chair in GCBC and reciting a speech from “The Lord of the Rings” to the crowded room. And there’s more: She and her husband go on an annual excursion that is above and beyond, and she gets her kicks out of an aggressive exercise that she finds “exhilarating.”

Photos by Elizabeth Tinajero GCU News Bureau Graduates of the Colleges of Education, Fine Arts and Production, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Theology were honored Saturday morning at GCU Arena.   

Students expressed gratitude for GCU’s willingness to stage an in-person Commencement ceremony Saturday. They were further impressed by President Brian Mueller’s announcement that the University wants to hire them if they need a job. “I think it just demonstrates the heart that he has and GCU has for their students,” Elementary Education graduate Jade Lander said.

Nearly 5,000 ground students decided to stay home this semester and study online because of the pandemic. But like the faculty members who also chose to work from home, they were able to use the LoudCloud learning management system and video conferencing/messaging apps such as Zoom and Loom to make it an effective learning environment.

She’s a so-called Dreamer who as an immigrant child who had to watch her father endure violence. But Karla Islas didn’t just dream. She found a way to attend GCU and then used a trait that got her this far — persistence — to land a fellowship that could help her get into law school. Her story is a lesson in determination.

Vince Frazier, Assistant Professor of Mathematics for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, says he’s easily bored. He combats that tendency by diving into multiple mathematical disciplines and also with his car hobby, which has a serious amount of horsepower. Find out why the models he shared with some of his former students got their imaginations to really take off.

“I can’t even put into words the impact this will have for some of our families,” Westwood Elementary School Assistant Principal Paige Bodam said at Wednesday’s USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program distribution. It was the second of two distribution events to families in need hosted by GCU and CityServe, which partnered to deliver more than 2,000 food boxes prepared by Shamrock Farms.

When you think about helping the homeless population, serving soup or handing out water may feel good. But three GCU students tackled a project that required much more commitment. Led by Director of Social Work Dr. Kathleen Downey, Emma Czajkowski, Chloe Ehrke and Daylan Kiss have worked for a year to identify resources for Andre House in Phoenix that can help the homeless population long into the future.

Denise Krupp was shocked by what was happening during the pandemic. People were drinking more and dying more of drug overdoses. Isolation is one of the causes the College of Humanities and Social Sciences instructor will discuss in today’s virtual lecture, part of the student club Canyon Counselors Mental Health Week programs. The discussion begins at 1 p.m.

The Master of Social Work program at GCU achieved an important milestone by earning candidacy status toward accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education. Dr. Kathleen Downey, who led the effort, said it’s important for students currently in the program, who will be able to sit for licensing exams when accreditation is complete.