Liberal Studies

Faculty
Description
Major Requirements
Course Descriptions

Faculty

Cynthia Chance, Assistant Professor of Philosophy & Associate Dean
Liberal Studies courses are taught by professors with interdisciplinary expertise from different disciplines. 

Description 

The Liberal Studies program provides an interdisciplinary approach to academic learning that has grown in popularity and influence over the last hundred years as the Academy has matured to embrace a view of human knowledge as integrated, related to experience and inseparable into fundamentally different spheres. Pursuit of the BA in Liberal Studies provides students with the opportunity to attain skills and knowledge at the intersection of different academic disciplines in an integrated, coherent program of study. Liberal studies students develop well trained minds while honing critical thinking and writing skills. Liberal Studies students also enjoy the flexibility to choose focal areas according to their interests and experience. An undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies prepares students for many post-degree paths including employment in the helping professions, human resources, public relations, public policy, and government related fields as well as post graduate degrees in these areas or in Liberal Studies, Law and business.

An excellent degree completion program for students with transfer credits, Trinity's Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies allows students to specialize in one concentration area or to create an individualized degree program by choosing two areas of concentration ranging from Business Administration to the Humanities.

Major Requirements

The BA in Liberal Studies requires 42 credit hours, which includes two required seminars and major coursework in up to two concentration areas (with at least 15 credit hours in each concentration area, and the remainder of the 42 hours in another concentration area or special concentration electives).

Required Courses: (6 credits)

• Integrating Seminar: taken at the start of major coursework
  LST 301: Identity: Integrating Experience

• Senior Seminar: taken at the completion of major coursework
  LST 401: Transforming Education into Action

Concentration Areas within the major

Majors can take up to two concentrations with at least 15 credit hours in one concentration.

• Business Administration (15 credit hours available)
• Human Resources ( between 15 and 36 credit hours available)*
• Communication*
• Humanities*
• Information Systems*

Required Concentration Courses within the major (choose up to two concentrations):

Business Administration Concentration: The business administration concentration introduces the field of business and develops the conceptual, analytical, functional, interpersonal, and communication skills that are essential for success in an increasingly complex and global business environment. Students develop the ability to assess and analyze complex situations, determine the relative importance of internal and external variables affecting organizational objectives and think through problem solving strategies. The BADM concentration is useful to students seeking graduate study or advancement in business.

*LST 111/Econ 111 Fundamentals of Economics
*LST 212 Fundamentals of Accounting
* BADM 101 Introduction to Business
BADM 231 Theory and Practice of Marketing
BADM 251Management and Leadership Development

Human Resource Management Concentration : The Human Resources concentration introduces this growing field, a specialized blend of management and organizational behavior, psychology, and sociology. Grounded in the recognition that human capital is a key component of an organization's competitive advantage, emphasis is placed on developing a broad Human Resource perspective, as well as familiarity with the technical aspects of the field. Human Resources study prepares individuals to assume positions in the HR profession within business, government, and nonprofit organizations.

BADM 371 HR Management
BADM 373 Organizational Behavior
* ADMN 673 Key Legal Issues in Human Resource Management
COM 315 Management Communication
PSYC 315 Psychology of Group Behavior

Communication Concentration: The Communication concentration introduces the scientific and artistic basis of communication with emphasis on interpersonal interaction and human relationships, organizational and institutional communication, public discourse and mass communication. The communication concentration is recommended for students pursuing employment and graduate study in areas that require demonstrated abilities in oral communication and written communication in different contexts.

COM 201 Interpersonal Communication

COM 265 Introduction to Mass Communication

COM 290 Public Speaking

COM 383 Journalism

COM 488 Senior Seminar in Communication

Humanities Concentration The Humanities concentration introduces students to Philosophy, Art, English, History, and Theology and Religious studies. Study of the Humanities encourages deep reflection on life, and helps students make sense of personal and work experiences as they are situated within the larger context of the meaning of human existence. The Humanities concentration is recommended for students interested in graduate study in humanities-related fields, law school, and employment in fields requiring analytical thinking, writing, and communication skills such as business, government and public service.

LST 100 Humanity and Culture

FNAR 101 or 102 History of Art I or II

PHIL 365 Ethics II

ENG 271 Literature of the African Diaspora

LST 400 Senior Seminar in the Humanities

Information Systems and Technology Concentration : The Information Systems and Technology concentration introduces students to this growing field. Students studying information systems and technology develop the skills and knowledge necessary to function in roles such as project managers, network engineers, and system administrators.

ISYS 141 Introduction to Programming

ISYS 201 Computer Applications in Business

ISYS 211 Information Systems in Organizations

ISYS 221 Information Systems 1: Hardware

ISYS 222 Information Technology II: System Software

Concentration Elective Courses-

HR Management Concentration Electives :

WST 463 Women and leadership

BADM 375 Intro to organizational development

COM 325 Intercultural Communication

BADM 251 Management & leadership development

SOCY 241 Work & Occupations

SOCY 311 Research methods for social scientists

SOCY 341 Women, men, and complex organizations

BADM 243 Information systems in organizations

PSYC 261 Psychology of gender roles

Communication Concentration Electives :

COM 250 Public Relations

COM 315 Management Communication

COM 325 Intercultural Communication

COM 370 Publicity and Media Relations

COM 375 Communication and Conflict

COM 380 The Role of Media in Society

COM 385 Organizational Communication

COM 388 Gender and Communication

COM 391 Applied Communication Directed Internship

COM 420 Mass Media Law

Humanities Concentration Electives:

ENG World Literature*

ENG 267 Multicultural US Literature

PHIL Modern Philosophy

HST 255 Contemporary History of the Third World

HST 309 World War II in World History

FNAR 249 Music in World Culture

FNAR 321 Women in Art

HST 339 African American History

PHIL 455 Seminar in Existentialism

Information Systems and Technology Concentration Electives :

ISYS 231 Computer Networks

ISYS 311 Database Management Systems

ISYS 331 Internet Concepts and Architecture

ISYS 351 Electronic Business

ISYS 361 Information Systems Security

ISYS 431 Network Design and Implementation

ISYS 499 Senior Seminar: Information Systems Analysis and Design

Course Descriptions 

As an interdisciplinary degree, Liberal Studies includes coursework in many academic disciplines. Descriptions of courses designed for the program with LST designation follow, all other courses in the Liberal Studies degree program can be found in the catalogue listed by their disciplinary pre-fix.

*LST 301: "Identity: Integrating Experience"
The integrating seminar, which students should take at the start of major coursework, engages students in reflection on the academic value of their own life experiences through a close study of challenging interdisciplinary material. The course hones critical thinking and writing skills while preparing students to apply for experiential learning credits through the development of an experiential learning portfolio. The seminar also consolidates foundational preparation of the Core and prepares students for increasingly demanding major coursework. Students who complete the LST 301 seminar will be prepared and eligible to apply for Experiential Learning (TELL) credits.

*LST 401: Transforming Education into Action
The capstone seminar provides an intellectual experience that allows students to integrate their concentration coursework and to build a bridge from coursework to the next life goal, whether that is graduate or professional school or a new professional challenge. Part of the product of the capstone seminar will be a portfolio of writing and reflection on each student's academic and life journey that can be shared with employers or used as the basis for graduate school admissions essays

LST 100 Humanity and Culture
The Introductory Seminar in the Humanities Concentration fosters an appreciation of the diversity among world cultures as well as the commonalities of human experience as reflected in cultural expression in art, language, and principles of conduct.

LST 400 Senior Seminar in the Humanities
The Senior Seminar in the Humanities provides students with a capstone experience. Through analysis of texts and their own writing students focus on a project that demonstrates how work in the Humanities enlarges the meaning of human existence. Student is expected to retain a portfolio of their work in the Humanities concentration for use in this seminar.

*LST 111/ ECON 111 Fundamentals of Economics
Designed as an overview of economics for non-business majors, students review the essential theories in macroeconomics and microeconomics through lectures, case studies, team exercises, and problem sets, learning how economists apply economic analysis in dealing with a variety of everyday problems.   Students study markets and firms, the allocation of resources for the economy as a whole, and the linkages between world economies.

* LST 212 Fundamentals of Accounting
Accounting is the language that is used to communicate financial information about an organization to those who wish to use that information to make optimal decisions.   The external users of financial information are investors, lenders, and government regulatory agencies such as the federal, state, and local tax administration.  They use the output of the financial accounting system, namely, the income statement and the balance sheet.  The internal users of accounting information, the managers, need information about the relationship between expenses, volume of sales, and profit in order to manage revenues and costs efficiently.  They depend on accurate and timely information that is generated by the managerial accounting system within the firm.  This course provides an overview of these two important branches of accounting.  

LST 498 Independent Study in Liberal Studies

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