Program Description

The Liberal Studies Major (50 semester credit hours) consists of the following elements:

1. Four core courses (12 advanced hours)
• CAS 300 Introduction to Liberal Studies
• CAS 310 Methods of Discovery
• CAS 320 Theories of Interdisciplinary Study
• CAS 400 Liberal Studies Senior Seminar
2. Concentration in one subject area (20 hours with at least 12 advanced hours) – existing courses
3. Related or complementary field (12 hours with at least 6 advanced hours) – existing courses
4. Language Study (6 hours)* - existing courses
5. Electives sufficient to complete 120 hours required for the degree including 6 advanced hours. Students may select electives from any subject area, but recommended electives that fulfill the objectives of the Liberal Studies degree include courses from (1) the International Studies Program, (2) the research-based honors program, (3) an internship program, or (4) additional capstone courses.

*Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree will take 6 additional hours for a total of 12 hours of language study; these hours will be applied to the electives category.

Prefix and Number	Required Courses	Semester Hours
CAS 300	Introduction to Liberal Studies*	3
CAS 310	Methods of Discovery*	3
CAS 320	Theories of Interdisciplinary Study*	3
CAS 400	Senior Seminar*	3
	Language Study**	6
	Concentration Area	20
	Related or Complementary Field	12

** Students who choose a Bachelor of Arts Option will take 6 additional hours of language study for a total of 12 hours (applies to elective courses)

Liberal Studies Degree Guide

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Concentration Description

Students may choose to satisfy their primary concentration (20 hours) and their complimentary field (12 hours) by taking courses in one of the following four interdisciplinary program options:

• Popular Culture Studies

  Focuses on the many ways in which mass culture and media both reflect and inform our daily lives. The courses that make up this interdisciplinary concentration examine the ways we work, define leisure, and become consumers. They cover a wide variety of topics such as movies, television, sports, music, comics, magazines, museums, folk art, memorabilia and collecting, celebratory events, as well as the cultural ramifications of technology and advertising. Students are encouraged to engage these popular subject matters not only within their personal lives, but in light of cultural and political contexts as well.

• Global and Multicultural Issues

  Emphasizes the diverse ways of looking at world cultures today. Its courses reflect the varying ways we understand communal and individual identity through the lens of race, ethnicity, gender, economics, politics, and culture, both in the United States and abroad. Students in this concentration are not only encouraged to enroll in courses that approach scholarship in a global context, but are also provided with an opportunity to apply that knowledge in a hands-on manner through practicum and field studies.

• Ways of Seeing and Knowing

  Designed to enable the individual to look upon the world from multiple perspectives so as to appreciate its richness and diversity. We may be limited to our own two eyes in perceiving the world (our egocentric predicament), but by exploring other ways of seeing and knowing, we can break out of our culturally-determined egocentric, ethnocentric and aristocentric limitations to understand and appreciate the world in all its complexity.

• Child and Family Studies

  Encourages investigation into the many facets of contemporary domestic living. Courses offered within this area explore such topics as home and family welfare, parental dynamics, community involvement, and childhood development.

Creating an Interdisciplinary Study Plan within Liberal Studies

In satisfying either the primary or complimentary concentrations, students may also choose from courses within our more traditional departments:

• Agricultural Science
• Art
• Biological and Environmental Sciences
• Chemistry
• Computer Science and Information Systems
• Design Communications
• Environmental Science
• History
• Literature and Languages
• Mass Media, Communications, and Theater
• Mathematics
• Music
• Physics
• Political Science
• Sociology and Criminal Justice

For their complimentary fields (12 hours) students may also choose from courses within the College of Business and Technology or the College of Education and Human Services