August 2, 2011
Dear Student,
As coordinators of Introduction to the Liberal Arts (ILA), and on behalf of the faculty who will be teaching the course this fall, let us welcome you to Monmouth College! Summer is passing quickly for all of us and very soon you will be arriving on campus, no doubt eager – and perhaps a little anxious – to start your college career.
ILA is the one course all incoming students will share this fall. As an introduction to both Monmouth College and “college” in general, it will challenge you to think carefully and clearly about some of the questions that may shape your future and the future of our world. To develop your liberal arts habits of mind, you will read texts, write both formally and informally, and discuss your ideas in class with your fellow student-scholars. This is an exciting time – as your intellectual life grows, you will begin to learn and to think in more subtle and complex ways than you’ve done before.
This year's ILA common text is The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. We will focus on readings, formal presentations (convocations), and experiences that offer us the opportunity to begin examining the central claims of the book—namely, that plants and humans have adapted to each other over time to the mutual benefit of both. To begin your life as a scholar at Monmouth College, we have posted two short essays for you to read on the Monmouth College ILA website. After you login, you will be prompted for the same username and password you use for your Monmouth College email account. For class discussion and for an early writing assignment in ILA, you are required to read these texts before attending the first class. Doing so will help you step into your role as a class discussant, and it will also help you prepare for the future life you will adopt as a student-scholar.
As you read these texts, begin considering the accompanying questions and the role of reading in contemporary society. What readings have influenced your life? How does reading connect you to the world? To help guide your reading, you will find it helpful to first read the list of study questions posted as well. Submit your answers to these questions, via the website, by Monday, August 15th. You may be asked to discuss them during the first class period. Instructors may also use these questions as the basis for writing assignments.
ILA meets for the first time from 9:00 am to noon on Monday morning, August 22rd, before other classes begin. Your Orientation Leaders will be able to help you find your way to this first meeting. Please bring Pollan’s The Botany of Desire and a printed copy of your submitted responses to the questions.
Please continue to check your schedule on Scot Central. That schedule will reflect the ILA section to which you are assigned (1-22). Alternatively, you can find your section on the ILA website. We look forward to seeing you when you journey to Monmouth College in the fall.
Sincerely,
Marlo Belschner, Associate Professor of English
Craig Vivian, Associate Professor of Education
Coordinators of ILA