Liberal Education Goal Statement

Education liberates the mind, freeing it from the constraints of unexamined convention and habit. Our faculty envisions a liberating education that develops students’ skills, knowledge, and perspectives in many contexts, empowering them to critically evaluate and appreciate the full range of human experience.

The program of liberal education at The College of Saint Rose is intended to achieve this goal through a broad introduction to knowledge and ways of thinking in the arts, humanities, behavioral and physical sciences and mathematics. Students work individually and collaboratively to achieve proficiency in written and oral communication, critical thinking, and information literacy in challenging courses that involve problem-based inquiry and analysis of diverse points of view. Our students learn how to be environmentally knowledgeable and socially responsible citizens who make ethical decisions based on mutual respect. Students gain a global perspective through knowledge of other cultures and engagement with the diversity in our own society, including our local urban community. We envision that this process will lead our students to integrate their learning and reflect on how their liberal education enriches their lives and enhances their role in society.

Approved by the Faculty, January 31, 2008

If an approved Liberal Education course is required in the major, that course may satisfy the corresponding Liberal Education requirement. Liberal Education courses are characterized in part by attention to such skills as writing, critical thinking and information literacy.

Liberal Education requirements may vary with the major. Students majoring in Accounting, Business Administration, Childhood Education, Special Education/Childhood Education or Communication Sciences and Disorders should consult the sections below for specific requirements in Liberal Education.

Courses which fulfill designated areas of the Liberal Education requirement are identified under the course descriptions found in that section of the catalog. They are designated L01 to L12.