Liberal Arts

Peter Stambler
pstambler@uarts.edu
Dean
215-717-6262

Meghan DeLuca
mdeluca@uarts.edu
Assistant Dean
215-717-6260

Christa DiMarco
cdimarco@uarts.edu
Director of Writing
215-717-6512

In addition to the major requirements for earning a bachelor’s degree at the University of the Arts, all undergraduate students must complete approximately one-third of their studies (42 credits) in the liberal arts. This requirement reflects the University’s conviction that the liberal arts are essential for the education of artists, designers, performers, and writers.

Liberal Arts Mission Statement

The Liberal Arts Division aims:

to develop students’ powers of critical thinking and their understanding of the history and criticism of the creative arts, to introduce them to philosophic and scientific modes of thought, and to the study of human cultures and societies. In sum, we aim to refine students’ perceptions of both their inner world and their outer world and to help make them both intellectually responsible and creative. The Liberal Arts Division represents a common ground in the curriculum where students from all colleges meet. It thus offers a unique forum for artistic and academic exchanges.

Liberal Arts Division Objectives

Successful Liberal Arts students will demonstrate mastery of:

1. Critical thinking skills, including:

     A. analysis
     B. synthesis
     C. evaluation
     D. problem solving
     E. cross-disciplinary learning

2. Communication and literacy skills, including:

     A. interpretive reading
     B. written communication
     C. oral communication
     D. information literacy

3. Cultural literacy, including

    A. knowledge of cultural history
    B. the relationships among liberal arts and studio arts disciplines
    C. knowledge of disciplines and significant works in the humanities and the natural and social sciences.
   

These program objectives are linked to the liberal arts core course objectives which are listed below. Please refer to the liberal arts curriculum  for more information on the required sequence of writing courses, as all students are required to take at least two writing courses. Some students may be required to take additional writing courses (i.e. LACR 008 - English as a Second Language II , LACR 009 - Fundamentals of Composition I , and/or LACR 100 - Fundamentals of Composition II ). However, most students follow the typical writing sequence of LACR 101 - First-year Writing I  and LACR 102 - First-year Writing II . 

Liberal Arts Core Course Objectives

The Liberal Arts curriculum learning objectives are organized so students can achieve and develop them throughout their time at the University. The objectives challenge students to broaden their knowledge while developing critical thinking skills. The core courses focus on both knowledge and skills, deepening the student’s understanding while introducing them to higher order thinking skills. The core curriculum thus prepares students for the upper level Liberal Arts Electives. Please see the list of core curriculum and Period Interpretation courses below with their respective objectives. Note how each successive course builds on the objectives mastered in the preceding courses.

Note: Students should complete LACR 210 - Texts & Contexts: Perspectives on the Humanities  and LACR 22X - Scientific Inquiry Foundation Track (SIFT) , by the end of Sophomore year, before attempting the LAPI 9XX - Liberal Arts Period Interpretation - 20th Century  courses.Texts and Contexts and SIFT are available both in the fall and spring terms, so students may schedule them in either order.

For more information on the liberal arts at the University of the Arts see the Liberal Arts section and the Academic section our main website.

 LACR 008 - English as a Second Language II 

By the end of this course, successful students will:

1. Compose a thesis and support it in the body of an essay, in definite paragraphs.  
2. Apply the revision and editing process to each essay, including sentence structure (complete and correctly ordered sentences), subject-verb agreement, verb tense and verb form. 
3. Use college-level diction.
4. Demonstrate understanding of class lectures and critique content.  Analyze, question and evaluate their own work and the work of others, in discussion and in writing.
5. Read and interpret academic texts. Identify and summarize major and minor points. Locate thesis and evaluate argument and evidence in class discussion and in writing. 
6. Synthesize two-three sources and compose a research essay of 1,000-1,500 words. Apply source material through quotation, paraphrase and summary, and cite source material using MLA format (in-text citations, author introduction, and works cited page) to avoid intentional or unintentional plagiarism.

 LACR 009 - Fundamentals of Composition I 

By the end of this course, successful students will:

1. Develop critical reading and writing skills: describing, summarizing, evaluating, and interpreting.
2. Compose a thesis and support it in the body of the essay in well-structured paragraphs.
3. Analyze sources (locate the author’s thesis and evidence).
4. Apply source material through quotation, paraphrase, and summary.
5. Understand how to avoid intentional or unintentional plagiarism.
6. Access source material in the stacks of the library.
7. Recognize and edit patterns of grammatical error (sentence fragments, run-on sentences, subject-verb agreement, verb tense, punctuation, and spelling) to write clear sentences.

LACR 100 - Fundamentals of Composition II  and LACR 101 - First-year Writing I 

By the end of this course, successful students will:

1. Demonstrate the critical reading and writing skills needed to construct academic essays – describing, summarizing, analyzing, applying, and basic synthesizing.
   
2. Compose a question-based research paper (about four pages in length) and support a thesis in the body of the essay in properly structured paragraphs.

• Apply source material avoiding intentional or unintentional plagiarism through direct quotation and paraphrase and cite in MLA format (in-text citations and bibliography).
  
• Synthesize source material to support a deductive argument.

3. Assess scholarly sources (locate the author’s thesis, evaluate evidence, and weigh credibility)
4. Access source material through the library holdings: reference section, online databases, stacks, and in-library periodicals.
5. Recognize and edit patterns of grammatical error (sentence fragments, run-on sentences, subject-verb agreement, verb tense, punctuation, and spelling) to write clear sentences.  

LACR 102 - First-year Writing II  and

LACR 103 - Fundamentals of Composition III

 

By the end of this course, successful students will:

1. Employ and further develop the critical reading and writing skills introduced in 101– describing, summarizing, analyzing, applying, and synthesizing–  to compose a major research essay (about seven pages in length) and build an argument based on previous scholarship, elaborating upon an author’s argument orally and in writing.

• Conduct independent research through books, periodicals, reference works, online databases, interviews, etc. 
• Synthesize primary and secondary source material to develop a scholarly argument.
• Apply source material avoiding intentional or unintentional plagiarism through direct quotation and paraphrase and cite in MLA format (in-text citations and bibliography).
• Create an annotated bibliography with five to seven sources that illustrates the ability to access and assess various types of source material.

      2. Assess primary and secondary sources (locate author’s thesis, evaluate evidence, weigh credibility).
      3. Access source material through the library holdings: reference section, online databases, stacks, and in-library periodicals
      4. Recognize and edit patterns of grammatical error (sentence fragments, run-on sentences, subject-verb agreement, verb tense, punctuation, and spelling) to write clear sentences.  

 LACR 210 - Texts & Contexts: Perspectives on the Humanities 

  By the end of this course, successful students will:

1. Read and interpret college-level texts, demonstrating competence in these critical reading skills:

• Summarizing and paraphrasing;
• Recognizing and outlining main ideas and themes, rhetorical strategies, chains of evidence;
  
• Drawing relevant connections between and among texts;
  
• Evaluating the effectiveness of an argument, the strategy of its presentation, and the evidence produced;
  
• Describing, analyzing, and evaluating the effectiveness of artistic writing.
  

2. Demonstrate their competence in reading assigned texts through progressively sophisticated writing assignments, including summarizing, paraphrasing, interpretation, analysis, and evaluation.

3. Demonstrate competence in assessing and using secondary sources including proper MLA citations and bibliography.

4. Outline the broad development of Western Civilization and discuss key components of Classical, Renaissance, and Romantic/Modern culture.

5. Express both subjective and objective evaluations of cultural artifacts and movements in reasoned and persuasive argument in both personal and scholarly writing.

LACR 22X - Scientific Inquiry Foundation Track (SIFT) 

 By the end of this course, successful students will:

1. Demonstrate understanding of the nature of science and how scientific research is conducted.

2. Demonstrate understanding of the ethical considerations associated with scientific inquiry.

3. Demonstrate ability to approach questions or problems using a scientific perspective.

4. Demonstrate ability to analyze information and present conclusions.

LAPI 8XX - Liberal Arts Period Interpretation - Pre-20th Century  and LAPI 9XX - Liberal Arts Period Interpretation - 20th Century 

General Objectives for all Period Interpretation Courses (to which specific objectives for individual courses will be added)

By the end of this course, successful students will:

1.   Demonstrate mature skills in interpretive reading (and viewing), critical thinking, research techniques, and academic writing;
2.   Outline the social, artistic, and political forces that define the cultural history of the period the course explores;
3.   Prepare a reasoned and persuasive scholarly argument in an independent and/or group project;
4.   Use primary and secondary sources from diverse disciplines to demonstrate comprehension of cultural history.

Liberal Arts Elective Courses 

All students are also required to take Liberal Arts elective courses. For a list of Liberal Arts electives with links to course descriptions, please click on Liberal Arts Curriculum .

Students are expected to meet with their advisors regularly and are responsible for knowing and fulfilling their Liberal Arts Curriculum .

Liberal Arts Minors

The Division of Liberal Arts offers three minors. Students may apply for any of these minors by filling out a Declaration of Minor Form, which is available in the Office of the Registrar. For more information on these minors, please click on the links below or stop by the Liberal Arts Office in Terra 801. The links below explain the eligibility requirements for entry in to each minor and the courses required to complete each minor. Not all students who apply for a minor will be approved.

Creative Writing Minor 

History of Visual Arts Minor 

Philosophy and Religion Minor 

Transfer Credit Policy and Requirements

New Students:

The University of the Arts will accept, after review, transfer credits for liberal arts courses completed elsewhere provided that the coursework completed is deemed to be equivalent to University of the Arts offerings, is from an accredited college or university, and a grade of ‘C’ or better was earned. A maximum of 36 transfer credits (all students must take the LAPI 8XX - Liberal Arts Period Interpretation - Pre-20th Century course and LAPI 9XX - Liberal Arts Period Interpretation - 20th Century course at the University of the Arts) may be accepted toward liberal arts requirements. Students are required to present official transcripts of courses taken at other intstitutions, as well as course bulletins in order for evaluation of transfer credits to take place. Contact the Office of the Registrar for further information.

Enrolled Students:

Students may only transfer in 15 credits towards their Liberal Arts Curriculum once they have matriculated. Please note that students who received 15 transfer credits or more during the entrance process are ineligible to receive additional transfer credits once they have matriculated unless granted permission to do so by the Dean of Liberal Arts.

University of the Arts students who wish to take liberal arts credits at other colleges must secure prior written approval from the Dean of Liberal Arts. Such courses may not duplicate already taken for credit at the Unversity of the Arts. Additionally, except for courses in a foreign language or in American Sign Language, courses transferred in after matriculation to meet Liberal Arts elective requirements must be upper division courses at other institutions (those intended for juniors and seniors).

Credit-hour Ratio

Liberal arts credit is earned at the ratio of 1 credit per class contact hour.

University Writing Standards

The faculty  of the University have established a standard of competence for all formal papers written for liberal arts and studio courses.

1. Citations of any text used must be appropriately documented. The MLA and APA styles, as detailed in Diane Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference, are taught in
   LACR 101 - First-year Writing I
     and
   LACR 102 - First-year Writing II
    . Lack of knowledge of citation procedures will not be an acceptable explanation for plagiarism.
2. Papers must be free of consistent patterns of error in punctuation and grammar and must be spell-checked and proofread.
3. Papers must be word-processed and printed with appropriate margins. In addition, papers must be conceptually and visually divided into paragraphs as appropriate.