Liberal Studies

Courses in this block will increase students’ knowledge about the natural world and involve students in application of knowledge derived from scientific inquiry to address human needs through technological advancements.  Courses in this block also address the impact of technology on the human condition and the natural world.

Students will learn to employ the logic and techniques of scientific inquiry and thereby develop:

• an understanding of a variety of physical and biological phenomena through the application of the scientific method
• an understanding of the basis and limits of contemporary scientific knowledge
• greater familiarity with important theories, concepts, and taxonomies that are central to the various science disciplines
• the major dimensions of variation in contemporary human experience. 

These are courses that engage students in the study of the patterns that characterize the history of human communities, the relationships between the psychological, social, cultural and political components of human communities, and the dynamics of human behavior in varied contexts. 

These courses enhance student understanding of:

• how different empirical and theoretical strategies are employed to study human behavior and social, political, and cultural systems
• the dynamic relationships between human communities and their ecological context
• the systemic components and dynamics of contemporary human societies, relationships between human societies and the global community
• the major dimensions of variation in contemporary human experience. 

Courses in this block involve students in the study of the human condition through philosophical inquiry and analysis of the various forms of creative expression.

These courses help students develop an understanding of:

• the relationship between context and human creative expression
• major conceptual frameworks utilized to make sense of the creative arts
• how human experience and values are expressed through creative endeavors

Students will also develop their capacities for:

• analysis and ethical reasoning
• an understanding of the multiple facets of the human condition

Courses in this block enhance students' understanding of different cultures of the world through the study of language, literature, religion, and artistic creations or other disciplines.

These courses provide students with:

• an experience of diverse cultures (different from their own)
• an analytic framework that facilitates awareness of how cultures vary and shape human experience

Students will also:

• become more familiar with cultures of the world
• develop an appreciation for the unique features and perspectives of varied cultural traditions