Program Overview

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Introduction to the Liberal Studies Program

The Liberal Studies Program (LSP) is a common curriculum taken by all students enrolled in the traditional undergraduate colleges at DePaul University. The program is designed to enhance writing abilities, mathematical and technological proficiencies, and critical and creative thinking skills, while broadening students' knowledge base beyond their chosen major.

Overview of the Liberal Studies Program

The LSP is composed of two primary components: the Common Core and the Learning Domains. The Common Core consists of a series of classes taken sequentially by students as they progress towards their degree. The Learning Domains are six distinct areas of study that reflect a conventional liberal arts and sciences curriculum.

Common Core Requirements

The Common Core requirements include:

• A Chicago Quarter (CQ) course, which introduces students to the city and its communities
• First-year Writing, which instructs students in different conventions of writing and how to analyze readings
• The Focal Point Seminar, which emphasizes different forms of writing, oral communication skills, and seminar behavior
• A two-course sequence in Quantitative Reasoning and Technology Literacy (QRTL I & II), designed to develop quantitative reasoning and critical thinking skills
• A Seminar on Multiculturalism in the U.S., which draws students into key debates about multiculturalism and encourages critical thinking and reflection
• An Experiential Learning course, which can take the form of laboratory or field research, studying abroad, engaging in community service, or completing an internship
• The Senior Capstone, which enables students to synthesize the methods and knowledge learned in their major field of study courses into a final project

Learning Domains

The six Learning Domains are:

1. Arts and Literature
2. Historical Inquiry
3. Philosophical Inquiry
4. Religious Dimensions
5. Scientific Inquiry
6. Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry

These Domains reflect a conventional liberal arts and sciences curriculum, yet are not based in any one discipline. Students have great latitude in selecting, experiencing, and applying the many types of intellectual inquiry taking place in a modern university.

Liberal Studies Program Essential Learning Outcomes

The LSP has six learning goals, which are:

1. Mastery of Content
2. Intellectual and Creative Skills
3. Personal and Social Responsibility
4. Intercultural and Global Understanding
5. Integration of Learning
6. Preparation for Career and Beyond

These goals provide students with an integrative and intellectually challenging education, facilitating success as students and as life-long learners. The LSP supports the student's academic major with learning across disciplines – both in and beyond the classroom.

Goal 1: Mastery of Content

This goal embraces the breadth and depth of ideas, theories, approaches, and information which DePaul students encounter through and beyond their studies. Outcomes include:

• General knowledge of cultures, religions, science, the arts, history, and computational reasoning
• Specialized knowledge and skills from within a specific discipline or field

Goal 2: Intellectual and Creative Skills

This goal articulates specific skills that comprise the ability to think critically and imaginatively, formulate one's own understanding, and effectively communicate ideas. Outcomes include:

• Systematically accessing, analyzing, and evaluating information and ideas from multiple sources
• Solving quantitative problems
• Creating and supporting arguments using a variety of approaches
• Using existing knowledge to generate and synthesize ideas in original ways
• Communicating clearly in speech and writing

Goal 3: Personal and Social Responsibility

This goal honors the notion that knowledge reflects and contributes to the values of individuals and communities. Outcomes include:

• Articulating one's own and others' beliefs about what it means to be human and to create a just society
• Articulating what is entailed in becoming a self-directed ethical decision-maker and living a life of personal integrity
• Evaluating ethical issues from multiple perspectives and employing those considerations to chart coherent and justifiable courses of action
• Benefiting communities through socially responsible engagement and leadership

Goal 4: Intercultural and Global Understanding

This goal speaks to the likelihood that, in our diverse and increasingly interdependent world, the future depends on individuals being able to learn from each other and make the best use of finite resources. Outcomes include:

• Respect for and learning from the perspectives of others different from oneself
• Knowledge of global interconnectedness and interdependencies
• Knowledge to become a steward of global resources for a sustainable future

Goal 5: Integration of Learning

This goal emphasizes the importance of considering relationships among individual experiences of learning to make meaning of one's education in all its variety. Outcomes include:

• Relating learning – curricular and co-curricular – to multiple fields and realms of experience
• Making connections among ideas and experiences in order to synthesize and transfer learning to daily practice
• Designing, developing, and executing a significant intellectual project

Goal 6: Preparation for Career and Beyond

This final learning goal builds on all the rest and calls on students to be ready to apply their knowledge and skills to the changing world that awaits them. Outcomes include:

• Setting goals for future work that are the result of realistic self-appraisal and reflection
• Articulating skills and knowledge and representing oneself to external audiences
• Working toward goals independently and in collaboration with others
• Employing technology to create, communicate, and synthesize ideas
• Setting priorities and allocating resources
• Applying strategies for a practice of life-long learning

The Liberal Studies Program at DePaul University provides students with a comprehensive and integrated education, preparing them for success in their chosen fields and as engaged global citizens.