Liberal Studies This Week

Okay, I’ll say it – wouldn’t the Liberal Studies program be a lot simpler if we just provided students with a list of courses that fit each of the eight Boyer categories? I know you’ve all thought it so let’s consider it for a moment, or more specifically, let’s consider how we might create these lists.

A professor can control the content they include in their lectures but they can’t control how that content will be received, rejected, weighted, or expanded upon by their students. Each member of class will read the same texts (hopefully), participate in the same discussions, write the same papers, take the same tests but this doesn’t mean that each member will walk away with the same learning experience. As individuals, they will bring their unique backgrounds to the learning process and their backgrounds will color what they learn.

For example, let’s take Annette’s Women Centered Literature course. On which Boyer list should we include it? Language? That makes sense. Art? Certainly. Literature uses metaphor to discuss complicated issues. Identity? Well, this wouldn’t be true for me, personally, but it might be for others so why not include it on this list too. Institutions? That may not be an obvious choice but the reading list may introduce someone to a feminist point of view that challenges their understanding of society.

So, if pressed, I might include Annette’s course on four Boyer lists. Would this mean that everyone could use Annette’s courses in the same way? Should I be able to use Annette’s courses to cover Identity if I enroll in the LIS program? It’s on the list. Right?

(If you don't know the pop culture reference in the title of this post, start with The Treasure of Sierra Madre and then see the updated version in Blazing Saddles.)