BA in Liberal Studies - Thematic Studies

Earn your Bachelor degree in Liberal Arts from Union Institute & University


Program Title:	BA in Liberal Studies - Thematic Studies
Program Level:	Bachelor
School:	Union Institute & University
Program Description:	When learners have interests and questions that cross the boundaries of academic disciplines and do not fit easily into any of the other areas of concentration for the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies degree, they may work with an advisor to construct a thematic concentration. These may involve concepts, ideas and/or themes such as “freedom,” “the imagination,” “discovery in science and the arts,” or “creative expression,” which the learner wants to understand through inquiry into two or more disciplines, such as literature, art, philosophy, economics, history, political science, mathematics, and the natural sciences. In this case, the conceptual framework would necessarily involve understanding how the subject of inquiry is dealt with in each discipline, as well as knowledge of the disciplines themselves. Or the learner’s work may necessarily involve core knowledge from more than one area, such as environmental design, which would require some understanding in both environmental studies and the arts. Examples of thematic study projects created by learners and their mentors are “Uses and Abuses of Power,” “Individual Freedom and Community Responsibility,” “News in the Digital Age” and “Globalization.”