Welcome to the Division of Communications & Languages! Our division, one of the largest at Rio Hondo College, is comprised of six academic departments:
- English & Literature
- English as a New Language (ENLA)
- Languages (including Chinese, French, Japanese, Spanish, & American Sign Language)
- Mass Communications (including Journalism, Radio, & Mass Media)
- Reading & Effective Study Methods
- Speech (including Forensics)
In addition, our division administers two campus-wide educational programs: the Learning Assistance Center, which provides paraprofessional and peer tutoring services for Rio Hondo students in various academic disciplines, and Study Abroad, which promotes cultural awareness and fluency in global citizenship among students and faculty at our college by facilitating opportunities to learn and teach in foreign locations.
Our division offers more than a hundred courses that provide a foundation for students pursuing their transfer and career/technical educational goals. Many of our division’s courses fulfill general education transfer requirements included among the CSU GE Breadth Course Requirements (in Areas A and C2) and Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, or IGETC (in Areas 1, 3, and 5).
Our courses are delivered primarily in traditional on-campus formats but increasingly in alternative delivery formats that include: online, hybrid, lab, short-term, late-start, off-site, cooperative work experience, directed study, and “Fast Track Accelerated Learning Community” formats. We offer on-site courses on the Rio Hondo campus, at the South Whittier Educational Center (SWEC), and the El Monte Educational Center (EMEC).
Since many of our curricular offerings require lab co-requisites, our division operates three computerized lab facilities for students enrolled in these courses: Writing Center, Reading Lab, and Language Lab, in addition to the LAC, which is open to students in disciplines across campus. We also maintain production facilities for our Journalism program, which oversees the publication of the campus newspaper El Paisano and campus magazine La Cima. We also provide a squad room for our co-curricular Forensics Speech & Debate Team.
At present, we offer the following degrees and certificates in our division:
- Associate of Arts-Transfer in Communication Studies
- Associate of Arts in English and Literature
- Associate of Arts-Transfer in English
- Associate of Arts-Transfer in Journalism
- Associate of Science/Certificate of Achievement in Mass Communications with a Mass Media specialization
- Associate of Science/Certificate of Achievement in Mass Communications with a Print Media specialization
- Associate of Arts-Transfer in Spanish
Courses in our division are currently taught by 38 full-time faculty members and 70+ adjunct faculty members. Our division employs 10 classified staff members, including 8 who oversee lab operations in the LRC and 2 who provide administrative support in the division office. The number of peer tutors working in the LAC and student workers in our labs and offices varies from semester to semester, ranging from 35-50 per term. In all, the Communications & Languages Team consists of 150-170 individuals who comprise a highly diverse but collaborative instructional team.
We look forward to serving you in your search for educational offerings in Communications & Languages at Rio Hondo College!
