IP101 Liberal Arts: Principles and Praxis

Module leader: Dr Elizabeth Chant

Core module

Non-assessed

10 weeks | 10 discussion hours

Not available to students outside the School for Cross-faculty Studies

Moodle Platform

Consider this:

Most 18 year-olds "have passed the age when a compulsory external discipline is useful. A well-instructed youth of eighteen can select for himself a better course of study than any college faculty, or any wise man who does not know him and his ancestors and his previous life, can possibly select for him". (Charles Eliot, Harvard University President, 1885).

Liberal Education is timely. Its emphasis on individualism and freedom of choice coincide with the spirit of our time. Let's explore what it means for us, on this degree course, and how it will empower us to choose our own path through education so that it's meaningful, personal and relevant.

Principal Aims

This set of interactive discussions aims to introduce you to Liberal Arts Education and its history. You'll be introduced to Liberal Arts thinking and how it differs from traditional discipline-based thinking. The lectures are structured around areas of intellectual debate.

Principal Learning Outcomes

By the end of the 10-week period you'll be expected to have learned:

The key principles that inform a Liberal Arts Education;
A brief history of Liberal Arts Education;
The key debates that guide Liberal Arts thinking;
The theoretical benefits of a Liberal Arts Education; and
The practical benefits of a Liberal Arts Education.

Outline Syllabus Reading List

Emerson, R.W. 1841. "Self-Reliance"

Hunter, Gordon and Feisal Mohamed, eds. 2016. A New Deal for the Humanities: Liberal Arts and the Future of Public Higher Education.

"The Regina Beach Manifesto": A Policy for the Liberal Arts. 1963.

Roche, Mark William. 2010. Why Choose the Liberal Arts?

Schein, Edgar H. 2013. Humble Inquiry

Ulloa Chaves, Christopher A. 2014. Liberal Arts and Sciences: Thinking Critically, Creatively, and Ethically .

Zakaria, Fareed. 2015. In Defense of a Liberal Education

Additional Reading Opportunities

Kimball, B.A. 2010. The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Documentary History

Peterson, P.M. 2012. "Liberal Arts Education in the Undergraduate Curriculum" in Confronting Challenges to the Liberal Arts Curriculum.

Schmidt, G.P. 1957. The Liberal Arts College: A chapter in American cultural history.

Sloan, D. "Harmony, Chaos, and Consensus: The American College Curriculum" in Teachers College Record 73 (Dec. 1971): 221-51

Veysey, L. 1973. "Stability and Experiment in American Undergraduate Curriculum" in Content and Context: Essays on College Education, ed. Carl Kaysen.

Visual Materials

Apple, "Think Different" Advertising Campaign (1997)

Additional material will be added to this list before the start of Term 1. Check back regularly!

Employability Skills

Through this module, you will develop different skills that are sought by employers which will support your professional development. We have highlighted this to enable you to identify and reflect on the skills you have acquired and apply them throughout your professional journey including during the recruitment process whether this is in a CV/application form or at an interview.

Oral communication: Regular opportunities in class to discuss and debate ideas presented. Chances to make informed decisions about information and share, as well as learning how to take spoken feedback.
Teamwork: Many sessions are built around group activities where collaborative solutions are required for set problems. Groups debate issues and work to understand opposing collective positions.
Self-awareness: The module is built around developing students’ understanding of what a liberal arts education is and how that affects their personal ambitions. It encourages students to take a broad view of the subject and prompts them to understand where their own interests fit into the wider perspective of liberal arts discourse.

Please note: Module availability and staffing may change year on year depending on availability and other operational factors. The School for Cross-faculty Studies makes no guarantee that any modules will be offered in a particular year, or that they will necessarily be taught by the staff listed on these pages.