Liberal Arts

Program Description

Purpose

The Liberal Arts major is designed for students who want to pursue several areas of interest in a course of study that is both flexible and practical.

This interdisciplinary program helps you develop your ability to do the following:

• communicate effectively
• read and think analytically
• evaluate problems from diverse points of view
• relate to different cultures with understanding and empathy
• respond to social challenges with innovative, ethical solutions

These skills and abilities are essential for success in graduate and professional programs and in today’s rapidly changing job market. They’ll give you the flexibility to pursue careers in a wide range of fields, from law and education to communications, management, and public service. Recent Liberal Arts graduates have earned law degrees and have found meaningful employment in business, communications, education, and the non-profit sector.

Course of Study
The Liberal Arts major builds on Cottey’s Core Curriculum, which provides a holistic education by exposing you to many fields, from wellness and creative arts to math, science, and women, gender, and sexuality studies.

Foundations. At the heart of the Liberal Arts major are courses in the arts and sciences and in the humanities, including history, languages, literature, philosophy, and religion—fields that explore what it means to be human. Through their appeal to reason, imagination, and emotion these disciplines expose you to the many ways that people in the past and in the present have sought answers to some of life’s greatest challenges. Courses in these subjects also hone your skills as an analytical reader, a responsible researcher, a problem-solver, and a clear communicator. In addition, you’ll develop proficiency at the intermediate level in a foreign language, a requirement that fosters cross-cultural understanding and gives you an added advantage in today’s global economy.

Concentrations. Complementing your breadth of learning is concentrated course work in anthropology, history, philosophy, and religion.

Connections. You’ll also take three seminars that further develop your communication, research, and problem-solving skills and that help you integrate your learning across many disciplines. The third and final seminar—the senior capstone—gives you the opportunity to design and complete your own research project on a topic of interest to you. One recent Liberal Arts graduate developed a curriculum and resource guide for legal residents to attain citizenship, while another analyzed the political and cultural significance of wearing hijab in Indonesia. Still others investigated the messaging in animated environmental films, developed a marketing plan for a local non-profit organization, and examined the consequences of privatizing foster care. The possibilities are wide open!