What is ALPs?
Are you frustrated because you want to take more of those fun art, literature, or philosophy classes but don’t because it isn't part of your major? Minor in ALPs!
With an ALPs minor, you'll leave Oregon Tech with the critical thinking and communication abilities required to be a global citizen and lifelong learner. You'll also have a much better grasp on the "soft skills" (critical thinking, written and spoken communication, ethical reasoning, teamwork, intercultural fluency) that employers seek than the average Oregon Tech student. If you want to develop these skills through a highly customizable minor with courses designed to parallel your major classes while also being valuable and enjoyable in their own right, then ALPs is for you!
ALPs Program Description
The ALPs minor may be completed by students from any major and is especially recommended to students who want an opportunity to take a secondary focus in the Humanities during their time at Oregon Tech. This secondary focus will give them an opportunity to further explore their passions in the fields of Arts, Literature, and Philosophy while receiving official recognition of their newly-acquired expertise. The minor will give students the ability to take more Humanities classes that are relevant to their major program and their future career goals while instilling in them the knowledge and values associated with a traditional liberal arts education.
18 credits are required to complete the minor. Those credits can be earned by taking any combination of courses that have the following prefixes: ART, HUM, LIT, MUS, PHIL, SPAN, or other qualifying Humanities courses. 12 of the 18 credits must be earned from courses that are upper division (i.e., 300-level or higher). Transfer students must earn at least 9 of the credits at Oregon Tech to qualify.
Courses that Count Toward the ALPs Minor:
Documents
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Questions? Contact an ALPs Advisor
Ben has been teaching Literature and Humanities courses as part of Oregon Tech's Humanities and Social Sciences department since 2013. His courses cover a wide variety of subjects under the larger umbrella of "The Humanities," but recently his focus has been on the environmental humanities in particular: he currently offers courses in American Nature Writing and Climate Fiction Literature and Film (among all the others). He was promoted to full Professor in 2023 and went on a research sabbatical during the 2023-2024 academic year to begin work on a new book project, which combines personal nonfiction and academic argumentation to advocate for a more holistic conception of the natural world's place in our lives. These days, he is continuing work on the book in hopes of turning it into a formal proposal to publishers. He is also collaborating with the AIRE Center to introduce a humanistic perspective to what is already an interdisciplinary endeavor.
Outside of work, Ben spends as much time hiking and sleeping on the ground as possible. He also loves going on lots of hikes, walks, and road trips throughout the West with his wife and two heelers. When he's recovering from all of the outdoor activities, he loves reading fiction and non-fiction, playing pretentious, artsy video games, writing songs, playing the guitar, and listening to jam bands. Somewhere in there, he occasionally sleeps.
Dr. Thomas Kivatinos received his Doctor of Philosophy in 2017 from the City University of New York Graduate Center and has taught at several colleges across the United States before taking his position at OIT in 2023. At Oregon Tech, he teaches a wide variety of courses across the area of Philosophy, as well as courses in History and general Humanities. Dr. Kivatinos serves as Program Director of Humanities and Social Sciences, and acts as one of the coordinators for the ALPs (Arts, Literature, and Philosophy) minor and the Ethics certificate.
Dr. Madden has his Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire in American History, a master's degree from University of Vermont and a bachelor's degree from UC Davis. He is the author of a book on the history of Alaska as well as numerous articles on Alaska Natives.
Dr. Madden is a former History Professor at Western Washington University, Sheldon Jackson College, and Linfield College. Currently, he is the General Education coordinator for Oregon Tech’s Portland-Metro campus and is member of Oregon Tech’s Social Science faculty. He teaches Globalization and the PNW, Introduction to Film, US History Survey courses and Pacific Northwest History. He recently had an encyclopedia entry on the Oregon Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program published.
Dr. Madden's interests outside of work include fly fishing and birding.
Dr. Neupert earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1999. He has conducted archaeological, ethnoarchaeological, and applied ethnographic fieldwork in the western U.S., the Philippines, and the Netherlands. His interests include traditional pottery production, urban planning, and ethnographic filmmaking. At Oregon Tech he teaches introductory course on archaeology, cultural anthropology, and film, along with courses on globalization and the built environment.
Dr. Rohwer earned his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri in 2012. He then went on to be the Postdoctoral Fellow for the Mizzou Advantage One Health/One Medicine Initiative at the University of Missouri, where he researched the ethics of cognitive enhancement and developed a new course on that topic. Dr. Rohwer specializes in philosophy of science, applied ethics, and epistemology. He has developed many new philosophy courses for the students at Oregon Tech—including philosophy of science courses, logic courses and courses in applied ethics. Dr. Rohwer is the faculty advisor for Oregon Tech’s Philosophy Club.
Dr. Rohwer is currently working on research projects in environmental ethics, bioethics, and, of course, the philosophy of science. He has published in Philosophy of Science, Synthese, and The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. When he is not working, Dr. Rohwer loves to explore the abundant natural beauty of the Klamath Falls area with his family.