2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Liberal Studies, BA
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 Return to: All Undergraduate Programs
Sven Arvidson, PhD, Director
Objectives
Liberal Studies is the interdisciplinary study of the liberal arts and sciences, and it links reflective cognition and community engagement in a way that cultivates humanity.
The integrative study of the humanities, social sciences, and sciences has long been recognized as the finest preparation for a challenging world. The Liberal Studies program is designed for students with initiative, thoughtfulness, and curiosity who want to use their skills and knowledge to make a contribution to society.
The bachelor of arts in liberal studies allows maximum flexibility in course choice, supported by strategic major courses. Students work closely with professors and advisors, focusing their plan of study through project-centered work on complex, real-world problems of personal interest. Coursework is an exciting intellectual and social experience. Each student establishes a portfolio of accomplishments as they proceed to senior year, and Liberal Studies houses the Seattle University Consortium of Interdisciplinary Scholars, representing all schools and colleges on campus, to mentor student projects. Majors can take advantage of leadership seminars, youth tutoring, and K-8 teaching preparation courses taught in a local elementary school, as well as our undergraduate publishing program.
Businesses and communities need creative problem-solvers, leaders and integrative thinkers. Marketable knowledge and skills come from being trained as an interdisciplinarian: project-management, effective communication, teamwork, leadership, strategic thinking, creativity and enterprise. Every major gains work experience in the community through the Seattle University Center for Service and Community Engagement. Recent graduates are pursuing M.A.’s and Ph.D.’s, teaching K-8 in the U.S. and Europe, working in major tech companies, non-profits, communications, business management, medical fields, counseling, law enforcement, and other professions. See employment listing of recent graduates on our program website.
Because its flexibility allows students to complete “endorsements” to prepare for Master’s in Teaching programs, the Liberal Studies program is also recommended for students who plan to teach at the elementary level. Specific courses are recommended by the College of Education, and students planning to become teachers should inform the College of Education as soon as possible. See the Liberal Studies program website and the Pre-Education advising section of the College of Arts and Sciences website.
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Requirements
In order to earn the bachelor of arts degree with a major in liberal studies, students must complete a minimum of 180 credits with a cumulative and major/program grade point average of 2.00, including the following: I. Core Curriculum Requirements
Module I: Engaging Academic Inquiry
Module II: Exploring the Self and Others
Module III: Engaging the World
II. College of Arts and Sciences Requirements
- Modern Languages 1150, 1250, 1350, or equivalent (15)
NOTE:
All students with a major in the College of Arts and Sciences must demonstrate competency through the level of 1350 in a language other than English. This competency is ordinarily achieved by successful completion of the three-course sequence: 1150, 1250, and 1350. Because these courses are a college requirement, no course in the sequence may be taken on a pass/fail, correspondence, or audit basis. Placement into other than the beginning course of the sequence is achieved by acceptable performance on the Modern Language Competency Examination. See the Modern Languages Department for details on the examinations. Courses used to satisfy the College of Arts and Sciences modern language requirement may not be used to fulfill major requirements. Choose one of the following two courses:
III. Major Requirements
60 credits in liberal studies, including: - LBST 2300 - Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Liberal Studies
- LBST 3000 - Leadership for Community Engagement
- LBST 3200 - Special Topics: Interdisciplinary Project
- LBST 3300 - Methods of Interdisciplinary Research
- LBST 4900 - Senior Synthesis/Project
- Humanities (3000-4000-level) (see course descriptions ) (15)
English, film studies, fine arts, language, history, liberal studies, philosophy, religious studies, women and gender studies, some Asian studies, and UCOR 3410, 3420, 3430, 3440, including five credits in composition/writing - Social Sciences (3000-4000-level) (see course descriptions ) (10)
Anthropology, communications, criminal justice, economics, international studies, nonprofit leadership, political science, psychology, public affairs, sociology, social work, some Asian studies, some addiction studies and UCOR 3610, 3620, 3630, 3640 - Natural Science Elective (5)
- Math, Statistics, Computer Graphics, or Computer Science Elective (5)
NOTE:
- 40 credits must be taken at 3000–4000-level (see course descriptions ); 25 of these must be taken at Seattle University.
- No more than 15 credits from this major will be counted towards any minor.
- A UCOR course cannot count for both Core and the major.
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