College of Humanities and Social Sciences

As the foundational college of Grand Canyon University, the College of Liberal Arts offers degrees ranging from English Literature to Criminal Justice.

Jerry Tuttle commuted to the home office on Tuesday, May 18, and the trip was about 2,000 miles one way. Tuttle, 60, of New Jersey, is an online math teacher for GCU. He planned a stop in Phoenix as part of a business trip to Los Angeles so that he could tour GCU’s ground campus. He specifically requested that he have an opportunity for his photo to be taken with Thunder, the Antelopes’ mascot. “I wanted to come and see if there really is a campus,” Tuttle said jokingly. “I’ve always wanted to do this. Unfortunately, I picked a time when the students aren’t here.” Tuttle made the most of it, stopping at the campus bookstore to buy a GCU polo shirt, meeting administrators and visiting about the classes he is teaching. “People have been amazingly friendly to me,” he said. “They’re surprised I’m here. For a big university, the campus is small and intimate.” < Tuttle grew up in New York City and works as an actuary in a building overlooking Ground Zero in Manhattan. He has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Queens College and a master’s degree in applied mathematics from the University of Virginia. He began […]

Ismael Posadas, an online graduate student from Tucson, has received the J. Edgar Hoover Memorial Scholarship presented to GCU by the Former Agents of the FBI Foundation.

GCU will be implementing a progressive approach to the use of APA writing style for the benefit of all students. Lower-division courses will use a modified set of APA requirements called “GCU Style” that enables students to focus their attention on content development and proper citations. Upper-division courses will incorporate additional elements to support the more advanced work that is reflective of the discipline and will generally follow the 5th edition of APA style, eventually transitioning to the 6th. Upper division English courses will use MLA style.  Both the APA and MLA manuals have recently updated. GCU will be transitioning its resources to the new materials in Fall of 2010. Until then, GCU will be using: APA 5th edition MLA 6th edition GCU has provided students and faculty with electronic resources for these styles in the Student Success Center tab of ANGEL. Purchase of the APA or MLA manuals is optional. However, students in the doctoral programs and students entering the graduate Nursing programs as of 2010 will need the level of detail presented in the APA manual and should purchase the 6th edition. These programs will be using the 6th edition immediately. For reference, the tutorials and templates available […]

COLA English and writing instructor Kristi Perkins grew up serving others. In grade school, when she was short on humans to serve, her parents noted she brought home every injured animal she could find. She would feed and nurse all the wounded birds, bunnies, dogs and cats back to health. The urge continued through college, where she proposed projects that involved large-scale homeless housing plans and other “enormous efforts to save the world,” she says. “I was a bit of a dreamer,” says Kristi. “But I was always directed toward making the world better and helping others in the process. I believe that serving others is the most natural thing about me and it feels more like instinct than work or effort.” Kristi also found that she had a gift and a love for writing. Kristi earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature at Arizona State University before returning for a master’s in English with a specialization in Rhetoric and Composition. Today, Kristi most frequently teaches English 101 and 102, at GCU, as well as developmental writing courses. She recently began teach UNV 101, the new University Success course, which is aimed at providing new GCU students with the writing […]

In answer to student demand and a growing interest in criminal justice, Grand Canyon University (GCU) will begin offering a master of science degree in the subject beginning in spring 2010. “Criminal justice is one of our more popular programs for incoming students, and has been a growing area of interest over the past decade,” said GCU Dean of College of Liberal Arts Lisa St. Louis. “A master’s program enables us to offer our students – many whom are working professionals wishing to advance their career and education – a way to do this through rich online curricula.” Like many higher education institutions, Grand Canyon University has seen a tremendous increase of students enrolling in its criminal justice programs – likely due to the growing popularity of network programs such as “Law and Order” and “CSI” as well as the growth of public safety and homeland security sectors. Many of GCU’s online classes utilize supplemental learning tools such as 3D models, simulations, flash movies and audio lecture recordings lending to a fresh, visually appealing online learning environment. “It’s a very interesting professional pursuit – and an advanced degree in criminal justice can help those who are in government or public […]

A few years ago, GCU had a major in Martial Arts. Dr. Jim Helfers taught a few courses, including one on traditional Okinawan weapons. Today he sticks with literature and humanities courses. That range in itself is a testament to what a good liberal arts education can do for a person. Dr. Helfers graduated from college with intentions to become a journalist. Working to break into newspapers in San Francisco, he ended up working as a technical writer. “All of my coworkers were checking off their calendars for vacation and retirement,” he says. “I could do the work, but it was not exciting work.” Inspiration for a change came from Harper’s magazine. After another day of technical writing, Dr. Helfers sat down to a story about a group of scholars translating the works of philosopher Thomas Aquinas. The project was decades in the making. “I was reading this and thinking, ‘This is exactly what I want to do,’” says Dr. Helfers. “I applied to graduate school and was accepted at the University of Michigan. That is how I got into teaching.” Dr. Helfers came to Arizona in 1990 as an instructor at ASU. In 1992, he responded to an opening […]