Transformative engagements
through the arts and letters

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About

CAL is a leader in the arts and letters in the Philippines.

It is committed to upholding humanistic ideals in the midst of technological advancement, promoting arts and letters as instruments of liberation and empowerment, and inculcating values that promote a nationalistic culture.

The College is home to the following departments: Department of Art Studies (DAS); Department of English and Comparative Literature (DECL); Department of European Languages (DEL); Departmento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas (DFPP); and the Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts (DSCTA); CAL also houses the LIKHAAN: Institute of Creative Writing (ICW); Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (Dulaang UP), the Vargas Museum, and a number of student organizations such as the Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino (KONTRA GAPI) and the UP Singing Ambassadors.

CAL boasts an exceptional assembly of faculty members who are distinguished authorities, thought leaders, researchers, practitioners, and

award-winning academics.

CAL Mission

to achieve academic integrity and excellence in teaching, research, and creative work;
to cultivate creative, critical, and innovative modes of thinking capable of addressing contemporary issues; and
to enrich the life of the Filipino through relevant educational programs designed with a sense of shared humanity.

History

The University of the Philippines College of Arts and Letters (CAL) in Diliman, Quezon City was established in 1983, as a result of a three-way split of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) for reasons of administrative efficiency. It originated from the College of Philosophy, Science, and Letters established in UP in 1910. A year later, it was renamed the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It offered degrees in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences and serviced the General Education Program.

By 1976, this college had grown to such an extent that it was becoming increasingly difficult to administer and maintain. On 30 September 1976, a Reorganization Plan led to the creation of three divisions: Humanities, Science, and Social Sciences and Philosophy. The immediate precursor of CAL, the Division of Humanities, consisted of five Departments under an Associate Dean. These Departments – Art Studies, English and Comparative Literature, European Languages, Filipino and Philippine Literature, and Speech Communication and Theatre Arts – form the academic core of the College as it stands today.

Oral interpretation performance of Speech and Drama majors at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero lobby
(Consuelo V. Fonacier’s Archival Materials, UP Main Library, undated)

The Department of English and Comparative Literature (DECL) is the oldest department of CAL. Founded in 1910 as the Department of English, it became the Department of English and Comparative Literature in 1957 when comparative literature courses were added to the curriculum. The Department of European Languages (DEL), also founded in 1910, has its roots in several departments. Later, the Department of French and German merged to form the Department of Modern Languages, while the Departments of Spanish and Latin merged into the Department of Spanish. All these were eventually unified under the single unit that is now the DEL. Today, it has added other European languages, namely Italian, Portuguese, and Russian to its curricular offerings.

Siyam na Diwata ng Sining (Nine Muses) by National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva.

Photo Source: Ryan Songalia, Rappler, Aftermath of the FC fire, April 1, 2016)

In 1959, two new departments tracing their origin to the DECL were established as independent units – the Department of Speech and Drama and the Department of Humanities. The first, now known as the Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts (DSCTA), prepares students for careers in the various fields of communication and develops their expertise in performance and other areas of theatre production. The second was renamed the Department of Art Studies in 1989. The department focuses on the study of the various expressions of culture and the arts in the form of two-dimensional arts, three-dimensional arts, architecture, film, and performing arts, employing cross-disciplinal perspectives from art history, art theory, and criticism. The Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature, the youngest among the departments of CAL, was established in 1966. It aims to

develop the Filipino language and other Philippine languages and undertake research on the different ethno-linguistic groups and their literary traditions. Its ultimate goal is a truly relevant, pro-Filipino, and nationalist education.

Today, CAL maintains its leadership in arts and letters in the Philippines as it fulfils its basic functions of instruction, research, and extension work.