Liberal Studies Home

IUP Home

There are three basic academic goals for the Liberal Studies part of your education, and you should make them your own. Your education will be more focused and rewarding if you have clear goals in mind.

Goal 1. Acquire the intellectual skills and ways of thinking that will help you learn and use knowledge effectively.

Critical thinking—having the ability to ask good questions, to reason logically and abstractly, to analyze something critically, to synthesize parts into wholes, and to make decisions.

Literacy—being able to write, read, speak, and listen effectively.

Understanding numerical data—being able to use and evaluate arguments based upon numbers.

Historical consciousness—comprehending how the past influences the present.

Scientific inquiry—understanding the methods which scientists use to investigate our world.

Values—recognizing ethical concerns and being able to apply ethical perceptions responsibly.

Aesthetic sensitivity—being able to appreciate and experience the fine arts.

Goal 2. Acquire as much knowledge and understanding of the world around you as you possibly can. Of course, you can’t expect to learn everything at once, and you will want to continue learning as long as you live. But you will probably never again have such an unencumbered opportunity to learn about the world around you, and it would be a shame to let this slip away half used.

If you want to be a well-educated person, you must know something about the culture in which we live, its origins and development from antiquity to the present. Our culture is incredibly diverse, and a full understanding would include a grasp of the major trends in society, religion, philosophy, the arts, literature, politics and law, economics, and science and technology, as well as a knowledge of chronology and geography and a comprehension of the roles of women and men and of racial and ethnic subcultures.

It is equally important that you become familiar with at least one culture that is different from your own. Our own culture, after all, has benefited by its interaction with others, and we live in a progressively smaller world in which contacts between cultures promise to become more frequent. You also will understand our own culture better after you’ve made an effort to understand another.

Goal 3. Acquire an understanding of your physical as well as your intellectual nature. You will want to live a healthy life, and this means you need to understand and begin to practice ways to promote wellness.

Liberal Studies at IUP involves a minimum of 48 credits of study (the number of credits may rise slightly, depending on your major and/or the choices you make). The program is arranged in nine categories, and you must complete studies in each. Although in some categories a course is specified for all students, in most instances there is a list of approved courses from which you can select. Sometimes, depending on your major, certain choices are required or recommended by colleges or departments. Your adviser will provide a convenient checklist which will make it easy to record your progress.

Learning Skills. Writing and using numbers are important foundations for education, and Liberal Studies requires work in each.

You must complete two composition courses: College Writing, which you should take during your first year, and Research Writing, which you should not take until you are at least a sophomore.

You are also required to complete at least one mathematics course (some majors require more); your adviser will help you select one that is appropriate.

Humanities. Three courses in the humanities will help you to understand the heritage of Western civilization in all its richness and diversity. This is your opportunity to meet some of the world’s greatest thinkers and writers and to place your own time in historical perspective. You will have a chance to think deeply about enduring, fundamental issues—like justice or equality or love—which men and women have continually struggled to understand better.

You must have one course in each of three areas: literature, philosophy, or religious studies, and history. One of these courses, History: The Modern Era, is designed especially for first-year students.

Being able to express yourself in writing may be the most important skill which you can have. It will be essential for career advancement after you graduate, and it will improve your learning—and hence your grades—while you are in college. One of the best ways to understand something is to write about it, because writing is really a concentrated form of thinking.

You should expect to be doing some writing in nearly every course you take. But writing is so important that we want to be sure you select some courses that are designed especially to help you develop and practice your writing. Like any other skill, this one will grow stronger the more you use it. The two English composition courses provide a good foundation.

In addition to these, you must include among your other courses at least two that are designated as “writing-intensive.” These are courses that put an emphasis on writing and use it to help you learn the subject. One of the two must be in your major.

Again, your adviser can be very helpful. Ordinarily, you will take some of your Liberal Studies courses each year; you should think of Liberal Studies and your major as parallel parts of your education. This doesn’t mean that each semester you will be doing half of each. The pattern can vary considerably depending on the major you choose, but most students spend more time at the beginning on Liberal Studies and more time later on their majors.

Some courses—like the first composition course, the core history course, and the fine arts course—are planned with first-year students in mind. The interdisciplinary synthesis course is specifically designed to be taken during one of your final three semesters. Your adviser will help you arrange a sequence which meets your needs.

Who can answer my questions?
Your adviser is always the first person to go to for advice. If this person doesn’t know the answer, he or she will know where to find it.

Virtually every night of the week, IUP hosts visiting speakers and performers, and these provide invaluable opportunities for you to enhance your education. There are national political leaders, professors from other universities and other nations, novelists, poets, scientists, and journalists. You can add to that dozens of films, theater performances, music and dance recitals, and art exhibits each semester.

Because there is always more than any one person could possibly attend, you will have to make choices. Keep your eye open for posters and other announcements; your professors will often recommend events, too. Try setting a goal for yourself. Perhaps it could be to attend at least one event a week, or so many a semester. Or, perhaps you could subscribe to a theater series one semester and a music recital series the next. The important thing is to open yourself to as many new ideas and experiences as possible.