The Graduate School Bulletin
Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
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Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Homepage
Admissions Information
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Faculty
Overview
Requirements for the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
Requirements for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
in Global Studies
MLS Master of Liberal Studies Courses
Faculty
Advisory Board:
Program Director
Kathleen Forbes, M.Div.
(Division of Continual Learning).
Professors
Robert Cannon, Ph.D.
Microbiology, biology of Acetobacter, a cellulose synthesizing microbe (Director of Graduate Study; Department of Biology).
Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater, Ph.D.
Composition theory and pedagogy, language and literacy, portfolio evaluation, ethnography, collaborative learning (Department of English).
Anthony N. Fragola, Master of Professional Writing
Scriptwriting, the auteur director, literature and film, film production, development of cinema (Department of Media Studies).
Mark I. Smith-Soto, Ph.D.
19th and 20th century Spanish American poetry (Department of Romance Languages).
Associate Professors
Stephen C. Danford, Ph.D.
Observational stellar astronomy (including stellar evolution, Population II abundances and variable stars in globular clusters) (Department of Physics and Astronomy).
Nancy Nelson Hodges, Ph.D.
Social psychological issues of dress, identity, and consumer behavior; epistemological and methodological components of apparel consumer research; qualitative and interpretive inquiry into dress, consumption, and human behavior; gender, education, and apparel industry employment (Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies).
Overview
The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program encourages innovative graduate studies across traditional disciplinary boundaries. It seeks to establish an intellectual community whose members, both students and faculty, are eager to employ the disciplines of the various liberal arts in ways that will enrich their understanding of themselves and of the world surrounding them. Interdisciplinary seminars, course work, and symposia are intended to nurture this intellectual community. The M.A.L.S. degree can serve to enhance career opportunities as well as provide personal enrichment. More information is available at The Graduate School or the Division of Continual Learning.
Requirements for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Global Studies
The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program offers an online program of study leading to a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Global Studies. The certificate program seeks to instill in students a solid knowledge of particular cultures, while also providing training in the analysis of global trends. Students will learn how to make connections between their knowledge of a particular part of the world and the larger trends and issues that affect all societies. Fifteen (15) semester hours must be successfully completed during a three-year period to earn the certificate. The student must satisfy the admission requirements of The Graduate School and submit a personal statement elaborating how the certificate will further their personal and professional goals.
Required Courses (9 hours)
MLS 610 Culture and Ideas: The Contemporary World (3)
MLS 620 Human Nature and Society: The Global Economy (3)
MLS 630 Scientific Reasoning: Global Perspectives in the Sciences (3)
Electives (18 hours)
In consultation with the program director, students choose 6 hours of electives from the following courses:
Subtopics for MLS 610
The Islamic World: Perceptions and Realities
Global Arts: Windows into the Hearts of Other Cultures
Current Problems in the Middle East: An Historical Perspective
The Dragon Awakes: Charting the Course of Modern China
Cultural Identities: Contemporary Non-Western Literature
Voices from Latin America: Why Don’t They Like Us?
Religion and Ecology
The Reel World: Contemporary Issues on Screen
Subtopics for MLS 620
Dangerous Minds: Understanding Terrorism
Global Human Rights
Requirements for the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
The M.A.L.S. is an interdisciplinary degree consisting of 33 hours of graduate course work. The student must satisfy the admission requirements of The Graduate School. The program requires that applicants submit a three to four page essay describing their academic background and interest in the liberal arts and the program.
Required Core Seminars (9 hours)
MLS 610 Culture and Ideas (3)
MLS 620 Human Nature and Society (3)
MLS 630 Scientific Reasoning (3)
Electives (18 hours)
In consultation with the program director, a student may choose 18 hours of 500- to 600-level electives.
Thesis Option
*MLS 699 Thesis (6)
Non-Thesis Option
6 additional hours in one of the core seminar areas
*Portfolio
* Indicates Capstone Experience options
MLS Master of Liberal Studies Courses
| 589 | Experimental Course |
| This number reserved for experimental courses. Refer to the Course Schedule for current offerings. | |
| 610 | Culture and Ideas (3:3) |
| Pr. admission to the M.A.L.S. program Artistic, literary, philosophical, or religious traditions, works of particular thinkers, and historical discourse on intellectual issues. May be repeated for credit when topic varies. | |
| 620 | Human Nature and Society (3:3) |
| Pr. admission to the M.A.L.S. program Issues concerning human nature, society, or political life through works or problems from the various social sciences. May be repeated for credit when topic varies. | |
| 630 | Scientific Reasoning (3:3) |
| Pr. admission to the M.A.L.S. program Reflections on scientific reasoning and/or investigations of particular problems to illustrate scientific reasoning. May be repeated for credit when topic varies. | |
| 650 | Independent Study (1-3) |
| Guided readings, research and individual project work on an interdisciplinary topic under direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours credit when topic varies. | |
| 699 | Thesis (1-6) |
| 711 | Experimental Course |
| This number reserved for experimental courses. Refer to the Course Schedule for current offerings. | |
| 801 | Thesis Extension (1-3) |
| 803 | Research Extension (1-3) |