Courses

The School of Liberal Education offers two courses specially designed to introduce students to Liberal Education, and to help them with their transition to university studies.

Liberal Education 1000: Knowledge in Liberal Education

Not sure what to take at University? Start your university education off right with Liberal Education 1000, a course that offers a general introduction to the academic study of knowledge. What is knowledge? How can we know something? How reliable is our knowledge? What is different between knowledge and belief? How is knowledge created, evaluated and used in different disciplines? The lectures provide a critical examination of knowledge across the disciplines of Science, Social Science, Fine Arts and Humanities. The weekly tutorials offer small group discussions, to develop and practice your own critical thinking and evaluation skills. In the weekly lab you will learn and practice various "good student" skills, such as study skills, summarizing readings, editing essays, and using the Library databases to do research. These skills will help you in all your university courses!

Liberal Education 1500: The First Year Experience: Mapping our Communities

This course uses mapping as a metaphor to help students with the transition to university life. Students will map the physical campus and the resources available to help them succeed; learn about the campus and local communities, traditions and history; reflect on their own goals, skills and social networks; and listen to the University's best professors talk about how knowledge and information are mapped or organized in their disciplines.

Additionally, the School of Liberal Education offers courses such as:

Liberal Education 2000:  Identity and Liberal Education

What is identity? How is it shaped? Who are you? How do any of us understand who we are? These are some of the questions that form the theme of this course. Through academic examinations of identity from across the disciplines and in-class discussions the concept of identity is carefully and critically considered and discussed. Students will explore the many ways identity shapes relationships between people and impacts our social, political, and economic lives.

Liberal Education 3010: Liberal Education (Series)

Liberal Education 3010 offers a critical examination of significant contemporary themes from a multidisciplinary and integrative perspective. It includes the broad integration of the Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Fine Arts. Content varies from year to year. Offerings may include, for example: Genocide, Food, Activism, Land, Progress, or Friendship and Family.