Liberal Arts & Sciences
The major requires students to take three disciplinary concentrations in the form of minors or in the case of academic department in which a minor does not exist a student under the direction of an advisor can choose 18 hours from that academic department as one of the three concentrations. The three disciplinary concentrations offer students curricular flexibility and an opportunity to explore a broad background. The capstone component provides students an opportunity to integrate the three areas of knowledge in the form of an independent study.
Students majoring in liberal arts and sciences must choose a lead advisor from one of the three concentrations being pursued. The lead advisor will coordinate the selection of the three areas with other academic departments and approve the major plan. The lead advisor will be the instructor for PREP 499. The academic dean will give final approval to the comprehensive plan.
A Student’s Liberal Arts & Sciences Major Story
Sally completed a degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences with minors in Political Science, Leadership Studies, and Sustainability Studies. She was also a member of the service-learning team, Leadership Southwestern.
Sally started college with openness to activism, advocacy, and social justice. She explored a variety of opportunities to get a taste of what her passions might require of her in terms of foundation knowledge and leadership skills. She pursued leadership projects that promoted living in a more sustainable world. She studied abroad in Spain and Peru, which helped her broaden her worldview. She spent a semester in an internship with The Washington Experience and Sierra Club Legislative Office, which put her in the midst of policy discussions at the federal level.
Sally’s capstone course for her major required her to integrate her three areas of concentration, which were political science, leadership, and sustainability. She designed an active learning experience related to a bill addressing renewable tax energy credits, which was before the Kansas state legislature. She is gathered information, followed the bill’s path, she participated with a grass roots local organization protesting the latest pipeline construction through a lobbying effort at the nations’ capital, and helped build local awareness for citizens to contribute their voice.
