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LIST 501: Introduction to Liberal Studies

Area: N/A
Instructor: Dr. Howard Ebert

Course Schedule
Date: Sept. 15, 29; Oct. 13, 27; Nov. 3, 10; Dec. 1
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: TBA

Course Description
This course is intended to serve as an introduction to liberal studies and fine arts through the study of significant works from a broad spectrum of areas and disciplines within the liberal arts tradition. Primary sources are selected from a variety of disciplines and time periods; secondary sources related to these primary sources are also considered. Courses in this area emphasize both the interdisciplinary nature of liberal studies and the fact that the most significant questions confronting humankind can be addressed from a variety of intellectual perspectives.

This courses is divided into three major sections. The first section examines key themes and ideas of the Western intellectual tradition. The second unit surveys the history of the liberal arts and discusses its significance for today's world. The final unit examines the different methodologies used to address fundamental questions of existence with particular attention to interdisciplinary research.

Required Book List
  • Wilson, Edward. Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge. New York: Random House, 1998. (ISBN 0-679-76867-X)
  • Taylor, Charles. The Ethics of Authenticity. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991. (ISBN 0-674-26863-6)
  • Axelrod, Robert. The Evolution of Cooperation. New York: Basic Books, 1984. (ISBN 0-465-02121-2)
  • Snow, C.P. The Two Cultures. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. (ISBN 0-521-45730-0)
  • Nussbaum, Martha C. Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997. (ISBN 0-674-17949-8)
  • Tarnas, Richard. The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas That Have Shaped Our World View. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991. (ISBN 0-345-36809-6)