Program Overview

Major in Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts

The Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts major is a multipurpose, broad-based B.A. degree program specializing in analytical problem-solving, human and cultural knowledge, innovative thinking, and personal reflection. Our curriculum emphasizes broad intellectual understanding, informed cultural awareness, and spacious interdisciplinary perspective, resulting in a unique and personal academic experience. Students design their own individualized program of study, self-selecting courses from the humanities, social sciences, and the visual-performing arts.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

1. Think analytically and follow lines of thinking in both fact-based argumentation and problem-solving.
2. Know and utilize multiple ways of seeing for the purpose of productively living and affecting positive change in the world.
3. Write and speak clearly and persuasively in both traditional and emerging platforms.
4. Summarize and communicate information in a variety of traditional and emerging information sharing formats.
5. Practice humility, tolerance, and self-criticism and use each to further the fostering of free and flourishing communities and environments, both locally and globally.
6. Understand how to work successfully and collaboratively with a variety of disciplinary perspectives and expertise, and to use this integrative ability to get things done.
7. Empathize with others and act responsibly and collaboratively in ongoing efforts to ensure a better social, political, cultural, and environmental world.
8. Master cultural understanding and sensitivity in the context of informed citizenry, premised on responsible social, democratic, and environmental stewardship locally, nationally, and internationally.

Career Skills

Students will acquire the following career skills:

• critical thinking and problem-solving
• research, fact-based persuasion
• communication proficiency
• media | digital Information competency
• quantitative reasoning
• integrative thinking
• humanistic & cultural understanding
• interdisciplinary awareness
• creative design
• cooperative agency

Accelerated Program

The major in Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts includes an accelerated program option for students to graduate on a faster schedule. Accelerated Programs typically include 15-16 credits each fall and spring semester for three years, plus 6-9 credits over two to three summer sessions. Students who enter CSU with prior credit (AP, IB, transfer, etc.) may use applicable courses to further accelerate their graduation.

Potential Occupations

Graduates in Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts apply their education in a wide variety of careers--existing and forthcoming--and/or academic professions, including public policy, politics, healthcare, artistic production, mass media, engineering, law, city planning, business, information systems, international business, journalism, publishing, education, sales and marketing, management and administration, government, communications, museum work, entertainment, foreign service, and many others. Many also continue on to graduate or professional schools for more specialized study.

Second Field Requirement

Students in the Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts major must complete one of the following choices:

• A minor
• An interdisciplinary minor
• A second major
• 21 credits in a single language to include at least 6 upper-division credits. At least 6 upper-division credits in this choice must be completed at CSU.

Program Requirements

The program requires a total of 120 credits, with the following distribution:

• Freshman: 30 credits
  • CO 150: College Composition (GT-CO2) (3 credits)
  • SPCM 200: Public Speaking (3 credits)
  • Arts and Humanities (6 credits)
  • Biological and Physical Sciences (3 credits)
  • Historical Perspectives (3 credits)
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 credits)
  • Electives (6 credits)
• Sophomore: 30 credits
  • Additional Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences (6 credits)
  • Second Field Requirements (7 credits)
  • Biological and Physical Sciences (4 credits)
  • Electives (10 credits)
• Junior: 30 credits
  • LB 392: Junior Seminar (3 credits)
  • Additional Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences (6 credits)
  • Second Field Requirements (9 credits)
  • Upper-Division Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences (9 credits)
  • Advanced Writing (3 credits)
• Senior: 30 credits
  • LB 490: Interdisciplinary Portfolio Workshop (1 credit)
  • LB 492: Liberal Arts Capstone Seminar (3 credits)
  • Second Field Requirement (6 credits)
  • AUCC 4B Course (3 credits)
  • Upper-Division Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences (6 credits)
  • Electives (11 credits)

AUCC 4B Course List

The following courses are available to fulfill the AUCC 4B requirement:

• AMST 300/E 300: American Lives-Methods in American Studies (3 credits)
• ANTH 400/GR 400: History of Theory-Anthropology and Geography (3 credits)
• ART 310: History of American Art to 1945 (3 credits)
• ART 311: Art of West and Central Africa (3 credits)
• ART 312: Pre-Columbian Art of Mesoamerica (3 credits)
• ART 314: Gender and Feminisms in Art History (3 credits)
• ART 315: United States Art (3 credits)
• ART 316: Art of the Pacific (3 credits)
• ART 410: Greek Art (3 credits)
• ART 411: History of Medieval Art (3 credits)
• ART 412: History of Italian Renaissance Art (3 credits)
• ART 414: History of Baroque and Rococo Art (3 credits)
• ART 415: History of 19th Century European Art (3 credits)
• ART 416: History of European Art, 1900 to 1945 (3 credits)
• ART 417: Roman Art (3 credits)
• E 341: Literary Criticism and Theory (3 credits)
• ECON 306: Intermediate Microeconomics (3 credits)
• ECON 492: Seminar (3 credits)
• HIST 492: Capstone Seminar (3 credits)
• JTC 415: Communications Law (3 credits)
• JTC 456/LB 456: Documentary Film as a Liberal Art (3 credits)
• LB 455/SPCM 455: Narrative Fiction Film as a Liberal Art (3 credits)
• LFRE 492: Seminar-French Language, Literature, and Society (3 credits)
• LGEN 492: Language, Literature, and Society-General (3 credits)
• LGER 492: Seminar-German Language, Literature, and Society (3 credits)
• LSPA 492: Seminar-Spanish Language, Literature, Society (3 credits)
• MU 334: Perspectives in Early Music History (3 credits)
• MU 335: Music of the Common Practice Era (3 credits)
• PHIL 462: Capstone Seminar (3 credits)
• POLS 302: U.S. Political Parties and Elections (3 credits)
• POLS 303: Politics of Organized Interests (3 credits)
• POLS 405: Race and Ethnicity in U.S. Politics (3 credits)
• POLS 420: History of Political Thought (3 credits)
• POLS 421: Contemporary Political Theories (3 credits)
• POLS 423: American Political Theories (3 credits)
• POLS 448: Comparative Racial/Ethnic Politics (3 credits)
• POLS 449: Middle East Politics (3 credits)
• SOC 311: Sociological Research Methods (3 credits)
• SPCM 341: Evaluating Contemporary Television (3 credits)
• SPCM 342: Critical Media Studies (3 credits)
• SPCM 350: Evaluating Contemporary Film (3 credits)
• SPCM 411: Contemporary Speeches on American Issues (3 credits)
• SPCM 412: Rhetorical Criticism (3 credits)