ABOUT

• About the program

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About the Program

The Liberal Studies (LIS) degree program at UIS allows students to design the upper division portion of a bachelor’s degree to meet their unique educational interests and goals.

Liberal Studies Mission Statement

The Liberal Studies Program is designed to help students develop and plan a course of study that enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skills, inspires living as an engaged and responsible citizen, instills a habit of considering the ethics and consequences of actions, and brings familiarity with a broad and integrated core of knowledge.

Goals for Students

UIS Liberal Studies Program Faculty developed the following goals that governments, corporations, the private sector, and academia value.

• Learn the tenets of critical thinking, of communicating, and of reconciling disparate points of view and making decisions together.

• Be engaged citizens who will fulfill their obligation to work in their communities in ways that sustain a democratic and representative form of government that protects citizens' rights and freedoms.

• Be responsible contributors to life who evaluate the consequences of actions, maintain high ethical standards in employment and personal lives, seek ways to open paths to personal and social development, and work in personal and public relationships to create sustainable and harmonious relationships.

• Deepen their understanding and awareness of the world through study of language, art, heritage, institutions, nature, work, identity, and applied skills (tools).

• Learn to integrate learning into a coherent and unified whole, deepen self understanding, and improve problem-solving skills.

Adopted at INO/LIS program meeting 3/7/07

"The independence of online learning is one of the things that made things go well. I never really cared for the huge over filled lecture hall experience of attending onsite classes. I found it much easier to get prompt responses to questions and feedback from instructors via online learning. I also feel like there is a lot more class participation as postings are mandatory. In a lecture hall you need only show up to get credit without really contributing anything useful to the class. The discussions or comments from classmates often helped put information into perspective or gave me a deeper understanding of the material."

Yolande Wilburn 2007