The Introduction to the Liberal Arts (ILA) is the course that presents you with multiple disciplinary opportunities to interact with ideas and topics of study. As we supply you with the tools and perspectives necessary to understand the complexity of the world, we expect that you will begin using these skills to analyze and evaluate previous understandings of the phenomena around us as well as beginning the work of creating new ideas, solving problems, and pushing the boundary of knowledge further than where you first encountered it. Historically, Liberal Arts colleges have adhered to a mission and vision of education that is reflected in the following passage:
- Rather than emphasizing a specific course of study or professional training, liberal arts colleges aim to expose students to a wide breadth of courses in the humanities and both physical and social sciences. Although the curriculum varies from college to college, a student's coursework at a liberal arts school would include many or all of the following subjects: history, philosophy, religion, literature, physical sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics), social sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology, economics, politics), the arts (e.g., theater, music, art), languages, and mathematics.
During the 19th century, higher education went through an "identity crisis" unsure of what constituted the best education for an independent and developing society. The crisis led to calls for change in higher education:
- Appropriate curriculum for these colleges became widely debated in the early part of the nineteenth century. As science and technology became more prevalent and began to shape the world, American society called upon its colleges to provide coursework that suited the new era. In reply to these demands, Yale President Jeremiah Day organized a committee to address the aforementioned debates. The resultant document The Yale Report of 1828 called for ‘breadth in curriculum as the writers of the document doubted ‘whether the powers of the mind can be developed, in their fairest proportions, by studying languages alone, or mathematics alone, or natural or political science alone’ (p. 173). The document further states that ‘the course of instruction which is given to undergraduates in the college is not designed to include professional studies. Our object is not to teach what is peculiar to any one of the professions; but to lay the foundation which is common to them all’ (p.173). Since its publication, The Yale Report of 1828 has become the classic argument for a liberal education and liberal arts colleges in the United States.
As you embark on your academic journey at Monmouth College we want to welcome you and lay out the expectations of this first course in your college career. The goals of ILA are to make you a consummate reader, an accomplished writer, and a keen thinker. Practically speaking, this means that you will need to spend time reading, thinking, and writing as you begin constructing the knowledge required to comprehend the world rationally, aesthetically, and holistically. On average, devoting fifteen hours each week outside of class to ILA should allow you the time needed to read critically; draft, edit, and revise papers; and think. Furthermore, we expect you will be able to:
- Annotate the texts your read, citing specific passages to support in-class discussions and arguments; reflect on your reading experiences; and be able to analyze and accurately relate the content of your reading to others.
- Listen to others and engage both critically and sympathetically with the substance of their argument or points.
- Use writing as a tool to enhance and refine your ability to think about and through ideas.
- Begin to see the connections between the arts, sciences, and humanities in your understanding and learning.
College will be difficult but exhilarating if done with passion and serious intent. But that is what learning was meant to be.