Liberal Studies (LBST)

In this course students examine global issues in the context of education and educational institutions. Students will address critical questions such as: What does it mean to be an aware and responsible local and global citizen and how can education promote such? How can education become a more powerful vehicle for promoting greater peace, justice, and equity in our world? Throughout the course each student does in-depth research on a topic of relevance and interest and produces and presents a thesis paper at the end of the course. Theses may relate, for example, to issues such as global conflict, economic integration, governance, technology, security and privacy, biodiversity/environmental awareness/climate change, or resource management, as well as the ways in which these issues overlap and are interrelated. The focus is on how our educational institutions prepare students to understand, critically evaluate, and act on these and other complex issues both in the immediate, local context, as well as in the larger global context of an increasingly interconnected world, where disparities of many types continue to grow. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections. Permission of Program Director required.