THE DEAN'S MUSINGS
Those of us committed to liberal arts education seem to be fighting an uphill battle in communicating the true nature of the liberal arts. Perhaps the first task is to disabuse the public of misconceptions.
Originally there were seven liberal arts, divided into two sections known by their Latin names, the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music) and the trivium (logic, grammar, and rhetoric). These areas of inquiry were considered appropriate for a free person (Latin: liber) in contrast to manual skills that were appropriate for slaves.
Obviously, things have changed over the centuries. Other disciplines were added to the list, and some of the traditional ones slipped away or were subsumed in the newer areas. During this century, many referred to the liberal arts as certain disciplines that were considered "traditional" as opposed to those areas that are associated with particular careers. In addition, colleges that referred to themselves as "liberal arts colleges" developed general education programs that consisted of a menu of courses in those traditional disciplines. We are familiar with them: English, History, Philosophy, Economics, Mathematics, Science, etc.
It is interesting to note that at the beginning of the twentieth century Harvard did not recognize Chemistry as a proper discipline for a true university; it was considered a "trade" skill. In recent decades scholars have recognized that to limit "the liberal arts" to a list of specific disciplines would not be adequate. Knowledge was changing too quickly, and disciplines did not separate into neat, mutually exclusive "silos." Therefore, the language in higher education is shifting from "the liberal arts" to "liberal education." We no longer speak of a static collection of knowledge to be memorized but a way of approaching the world--or, more accurately, several ways of approaching the world.
Liberal education involves different ways of analyzing questions or problems and developing answers or solutions. Each question or problem may lend itself to a particular method of analysis: scientific (natural and social), humanistic, artistic, empirical, philosophical. We must learn these different methods and gain the ability to discern their appropriate applications. In complex cases, several methods must be applied in order to achieve the best possible solution or answer. The liberally educated individual will have the tools to perform such a complex analysis.
In one sense there is no such thing as "a liberal arts major" because no single discipline can encompass the depth and breadth of the true liberal arts--or using the new terminology, a liberal education. In another sense every major at Maryville College is a liberal arts major because every student--whether a history major or a business major, a religion major or a sign language interpreting major--is receiving the liberal education necessary to perform the complex analyses required in the modern world.
What are the liberal arts NOT? The liberal arts are NOT discreet bodies of particular knowledge that are limited to only certain areas of life. They are NOT ethereal musings that have nothing to do with the "real world" where people must get jobs and live their lives. The liberal arts constitute the foundation of all disciplines and the thinking skills that we as individuals and as a world community must have in order to survive.
Originally there were seven liberal arts, divided into two sections known by their Latin names, the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music) and the trivium (logic, grammar, and rhetoric). These areas of inquiry were considered appropriate for a free person (Latin: liber) in contrast to manual skills that were appropriate for slaves.
Obviously, things have changed over the centuries. Other disciplines were added to the list, and some of the traditional ones slipped away or were subsumed in the newer areas. During this century, many referred to the liberal arts as certain disciplines that were considered "traditional" as opposed to those areas that are associated with particular careers. In addition, colleges that referred to themselves as "liberal arts colleges" developed general education programs that consisted of a menu of courses in those traditional disciplines. We are familiar with them: English, History, Philosophy, Economics, Mathematics, Science, etc.
It is interesting to note that at the beginning of the twentieth century Harvard did not recognize Chemistry as a proper discipline for a true university; it was considered a "trade" skill. In recent decades scholars have recognized that to limit "the liberal arts" to a list of specific disciplines would not be adequate. Knowledge was changing too quickly, and disciplines did not separate into neat, mutually exclusive "silos." Therefore, the language in higher education is shifting from "the liberal arts" to "liberal education." We no longer speak of a static collection of knowledge to be memorized but a way of approaching the world--or, more accurately, several ways of approaching the world.
Liberal education involves different ways of analyzing questions or problems and developing answers or solutions. Each question or problem may lend itself to a particular method of analysis: scientific (natural and social), humanistic, artistic, empirical, philosophical. We must learn these different methods and gain the ability to discern their appropriate applications. In complex cases, several methods must be applied in order to achieve the best possible solution or answer. The liberally educated individual will have the tools to perform such a complex analysis.
In one sense there is no such thing as "a liberal arts major" because no single discipline can encompass the depth and breadth of the true liberal arts--or using the new terminology, a liberal education. In another sense every major at Maryville College is a liberal arts major because every student--whether a history major or a business major, a religion major or a sign language interpreting major--is receiving the liberal education necessary to perform the complex analyses required in the modern world.
What are the liberal arts NOT? The liberal arts are NOT discreet bodies of particular knowledge that are limited to only certain areas of life. They are NOT ethereal musings that have nothing to do with the "real world" where people must get jobs and live their lives. The liberal arts constitute the foundation of all disciplines and the thinking skills that we as individuals and as a world community must have in order to survive.
Jeff Fager
Vice President and Dean of the College
Vice President and Dean of the College
