Mission Statement
The liberal arts major is cross-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary. It integrates the significant ways of looking at reality developed in the Western world — arts and letters, theology, mathematics, physical sciences, and social sciences — in the quest for truth, justice, and beauty.
Program Learning Outcomes
The goal of the liberal arts major is to produce creative and resourceful thinkers who are:
- Capable of intellectual, spiritual, moral vigor; critical and creative thought; and coherent and persuasive communication of ideas.
- Knowledgeable about and sensitive to their own and others; social, cultural, historical and religious perspectives.
- Aware of the physical world in which they live.
- Capable of translating their education into the civic sensibilities needed to serve in church and society.
- Capable of pursuing a deeper study of a particular discipline or topic that spans the disciplines.
Entry into the Major
Students should declare liberal arts as their intended major as early in their college career as possible by filing the Declaration of Major/Change of Advisor form with the registrar. The student’s advisor should be from the area of the student’s concentration, and must be approved by the director of the liberal arts major. Application for formal acceptance into the major, however, must be made through the student’s advisor at the end of the sophomore year. Students must also have a GPA of 2.0 or above.
Core Requirements
- A distribution of three- and four-hundred level courses in the following areas:
- Social Studies (2 courses)
- Arts and Humanities (3 courses)
- History (1 course)
- Science/Math (2 courses)
- At least one concentration
- HIST490 Introduction to Historical Research and Writing and HIST493 Senior Seminar I
Concentrations
Integral to the liberal arts major are concentrations. The concentrations serve as a focal point for the major, adding disciplinary depth. A student may not have both a concentration and a minor in the same area. RELG489 International Study Tour may apply as an upper division elective for some concentrations, subject to approval by the director of the liberal arts major on an individual basis.
The concentration in ancient and classical studies requires:
All of:
- ARTS105 Art History I Prehistory to the Gothic Period or THTR101 Introduction to Theatre
- ENGL201 Survey of Greek Classical Literature
- HIST111 Ancient Medieval Europe
- PHIL202 Introduction to Philosophy
- RELG224 History of Israel
- Two semesters of one ancient language: Hebrew, Greek, or Latin.
At least two of:
- PHIL330 History of Western Philosophy I
- PHIL450 Philosophical Readings
- RELG300 History of Christian Thought I: Post-Apostolic Fathers to Chalcedon
- RELG325 Psalms and Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament
At least one of:
For additional history studies, see the Ancient and Medieval Studies concentration, the the History concentration, or the History Major.
The concentration in ancient and medieval studies requires:
All of:
- HIST111 Ancient Medieval Europe
- THTR310 Theatre History and Literature I
- ENGL201 Survey of Greek Classical Literature or ENGL203 Ages of British Literature
One of:
- GREK304 Advanced Greek: Plato’s Symposium
- HIST385 Western Legal Traditions
- PHIL330 History of Western Philosophy I
- PHIL450 Philosophical Readings
- RELG325 Psalms and Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament
For additional history studies, see the Ancient and Classical Studies concentration, the the History concentration, or the History Major.
The concentration in art history requires:
All of:
- ARTS105 Art History I Prehistory to the Gothic Period
- ARTS106 Art History II Renaissance to Realism
- ARTS107 Art History III Modernism
- ARTS344 American Art History
- ARTS450 Art Theory and Criticism
- HIST111 Ancient Medieval Europe or HIST122 Modern World Civilizations
One of:
For additional studies in the history of art, see the Art History Minor.
The concentration in biology requires:
All of:
Electives (18 credits minimum; no more than 2 SCIE courses):
- BIOL203 Botany and Lab
- BIOL215 Invertebrate Zoology and Lab
- BIOL216 Vertebrate Zoology and Lab
- BIOL221 Human Anatomy and Lab
- BIOL222 Human Physiology and Lab
- BIOL340 Genetics and Lab
- BIOL350 Cell Biology and Lab
- BIOL352 Immunology
- BIOL360 Microbiology and Lab
- BIOL370 Ecology and Lab
- BIOL480 Topics in Biology
- BIOL490 Introduction to Human Gross Anatomy and Lab
- BIOL498 Biology Independent Research
- BIOL499 Biology Internship
- CHEM323 General Biochemistry and Lab
- HLTH470 Introduction to Diseases and Disorders
- PHED350 Kinesiology
- PHED450 Exercise Physiology and Lab
- SCIE320 History and Philosophy of Science
- SCIE330 Ethics in Science
- SCIE340 Environmental Issues
For additional studies in biology, see the Biology Major.
The concentration in communication requires:
At least two of:
- COMM318 Small Group Communication
- COMM320 Language Thought and Meaning
- COMM325 Processes of Criticism
- COMM340 Rhetorical Traditions
- COMM370 Organizational Communication
- SOCL320 Research Methods in Social Sciences
Two additional communication (COMM) courses, one of which may be from the 200-level.
For additional studies in communication, see the Communication Major.
The concentration in English requires:
- ENGL200 Literary Analysis
- ENGL321 Shakespeare
- ENGL350 Literary Theory
- ENGL205 Introduction to Fiction or ENGL230 Introduction to Contemporary Literature
- ENGL210 College Writing II or ENGL213 Creative Writing
- ENGL331 Early American Authors or ENGL332 Modern American Authors
- COMM320 Language Thought and Meaning or ENGL320 The English Language
One of:
- ENGL322 British Literature: 17th and 18th Centuries
- ENGL323 British Literature: Romantics & Victorians
- ENGL324 British Literature: Later Romantics and Victorians
For additional English studies, see the English Major.
The concentration in history requires:
Two of:
At least three upper division (300 or 400 level) history (HIST) courses.
At least one one of:
- ARTS344 American Art History
- MUSC341 Music of the Renaissance and Baroque
- MUSC342 Music of the Baroque and Classic Era
- MUSC343 Music of the 19th Century
- MUSC344 Music of the 20th Century
- PHIL330 History of Western Philosophy I
- PHIL331 History of Western Philosophy II
- RELG360 History of the Christian Church
- SCIE320 History and Philosophy of Science
For additional studies in history, see the History Major.
The concentration in mathematics requires:
- MATH120 Introduction to Statistics
- MATH151 Calculus I
- MATH152 Calculus II
- MATH295 Foundations of Abstract Mathematics
For additional mathematics studies, see the Mathematics Major.
The concentration in medieval studies requires:
Three of:
- ARTS105 Art History I Prehistory to the Gothic Period or THTR101 Introduction to Theatre
- ENGL203 Ages of British Literature
- HIST111 Ancient Medieval Europe
- LATN101 Introduction to Latin I and LATN102 Introduction to Latin II
- PHIL202 Introduction to Philosophy
At least two of:
- HIST333 Medieval Europe
- HIST340 Renaissance and Reformation Eras
- HIST385 Western Legal Traditions
- THTR310 Theatre History and Literature I
At least one of:
- PHIL330 History of Western Philosophy I
- PHIL450 Philosophical Readings
- RELG300 History of Christian Thought I: Post-Apostolic Fathers to Chalcedon
For additional medieval studies, see the History Major.
The concentration in music requires:
Three of:
- MUSC111 Music Theory I
- MUSC112 Music Theory II
- MUSC121 Music History I
- MUSC122 Music History II
- MUSC211 Music Theory III
- MUSC212 Music Theory IV
Two of:
- MUSC303 Music Communication and Technology
- MUSC335 Music Theatre
- MUSC340 Survey of World Dance
- MUSC341 Music of the Renaissance and Baroque
- MUSC342 Music of the Baroque and Classic Era
- MUSC343 Music of the 19th Century
- MUSC344 Music of the 20th Century
- MUSC417 Counterpoint and Composition
- MUSC418 Analysis and Composition
- MUSC435 Opera and Lyric Theatre
- MUSC440 World Music
All of:
- Two credits of applied music (private lessons)
- Two credits of ensemble music
For additional studies in music, see the Music Major.
The concentration in the natural sciences requires:
Group 1
- CHEM107 General, Organic and Biochemistry and Lab or CHEM113 General Chemistry I and Lab
- CHEM114 General Chemistry II and Lab
Group 2
- PHYS151 College Physics I and Lab
- PHYS152 College Physics II and Lab or PHYS213 General Physics I and Lab
- PHYS214 General Physics II and Lab
Group 3
Group 4
Three of:
- SCIE320 History and Philosophy of Science
- SCIE330 Ethics in Science
- SCIE340 Environmental Issues
- SCIE350 Technology in Society
For additional studies in the natural sciences, see our Biochemistry, Biology, and Chemistry majors.
The concentration in philosophy requires 21 credits, distributed as follows:
Nine lower division credits:
At least one of the following:
- PHIL330 History of Western Philosophy I
- PHIL331 History of Western Philosophy II
- PHIL450 Philosophical Readings
Up to three of the following philosophy-related courses, with no more than two courses from the same department (i.e., course prefix):
- COMM320 Language Thought and Meaning
- COMM325 Processes of Criticism
- COMM340 Rhetorical Traditions
- COMM385 Law and Ethics in Media
- ENGL350 Literary Theory
- RELG300 History of Christian Thought I: Post-Apostolic Fathers to Chalcedon
- RELG301 History of Christian Thought II: Chalcedon to 15th Century
- RELG302 History of Christian Thought III: Enlightenment, Modern, Post Modern
- RELG330 Christian Social Thought
- RELG360 History of the Christian Church
- RELG420 The Rhetoric of Religion
- SCIE320 History and Philosophy of Science
- SCIE330 Ethics in Science
- THTR420 Dramatic Theory and Criticism
The concentration in psychology requires:
- PSYC110 General Psychology
- PSYC120 Human Growth and Development
- PSYC475 History and Systems of Psychology
- SOCL320 Research Methods in Social Sciences
- Two additional upper division psychology (PSYC) courses (6 credits).
For more psychology studies, see our Psychology Major.
The concentration in religious studies requires:
- Completion of the lower-division religious studies requirement (8 credits)
- A total of five upper-division religious studies courses (15 credits)
Two of the following may be substituted for one of the above religious studies courses:
For more religious studies, see our Religion Major.
The concentration in sociology requires:
- SOCL101 Introduction to Sociology
- Five additional courses from the sociology electives, four of which must be upper division courses 15 cr.
For additional sociology studies, see the Sociology Minor.
The concentration in Spanish requires:
All of:
- SPAN203 Intermediate Spanish I
- SPAN204 Intermediate Spanish II
- SPAN305 Conversation and Literature I
- SPAN306 Conversation and Literature II
One of:
For additional Spanish studies, see the Spanish Minor.
The concentration in studio art requires the following courses.
All of:
Core art history – three of the following:
- ARTS105 Art History I Prehistory to the Gothic Period
- ARTS106 Art History II Renaissance to Realism
- ARTS107 Art History III Modernism
- ARTS240 Masterpieces of the Western Tradition
One of the following emphases:
Ceramics emphasis
Drawing emphasis
- ARTS210 Drawing II
- ARTS211 Life Drawing I
- ARTS311 Life Drawing II
- ARTS312 Digital Illustration/Concept Art I
Graphic Arts emphasis
- ARTS230 Graphic Design I:Tools, Methodology, and Vocabulary
- ARTS330 Graphic Design II: Graphic Design Studio
- ARTS332 Graphic Design IV: Design forMultimedia
Painting emphasis
- ARTS114 Painting I: Watercolor and Ink
- ARTS214 Painting II: Still Life
- ARTS314 Painting III: Figure Painting
Photography emphasis
- ARTS113 Photography I and Lab
- ARTS213 Photography II and Lab
- ARTS313 Photography III Analog Photography
- ARTS413 Photography IV Experimental
Sculpture emphasis
Optional:
For additional studio art studies, see the Studio Art Major.
The concentration in theatre requires:
All of:
- THTR101 Introduction to Theatre
- THTR102 Acting I
- THTR210 Directing I or THTR215 Fundamentals of Stagecraft & Design
Three of:
- THTR310 Theatre History and Literature I
- THTR311 Theatre History and Literature II
- THTR330 Period Style
- THTR420 Dramatic Theory and Criticism
- Two credits of 100-level practicum
- Two credits of 300-level practicum
For additional theatre studies, see the Theatre Major.
Next Steps
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