Liberal Studies (MALS)

Core Seminar (4 credits):

The core seminar is the first step in the MALS journey. Each core seminar draws widely from different disciplines focused on a particular subject – for example, “The Heritage of Hope,” or “Changing Values in Western Civilization.” Students develop the skills of active listening, interdisciplinary thinking and research, critical writing, and substantive discourse. Upon successful completion of the core seminar, and with faculty recommendation, new students are advanced to degree candidacy. The student then pursues a series of seven or eight courses. One of these is a course on the essay. The student further selects two multidisciplinary seminars and four or five electives. The student works toward a final capstone project, either in the form of a synthesis (four electives) or proseminar (five electives).

• GLS 8000 - MALS Core

The Essay (4 credits):

We believe, to quote Donald Murray, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and poet, that “writing is the fundamental tool of the intellectual life.” All MALS students take a course on the essay, which will instruct them on the techniques of writing the critical and personal essays. This course will help to prepare students for their final capstone project and will provide a vehicle to carry the ideas and values they explore in GLS outside the academy and into the real world.

• GLS 8010 - The Essay

Multidisciplinary Seminars (8 credits):

To ensure a core emphasis on the integration of knowledge across disciplines, students will take at least two courses from a select list of multidisciplinary seminars. Each of these courses will explore a subject(s) or theme(s) through the lenses of at least three disciplines in the liberal arts.

• GLS 8011-8299 Multidisciplinary Seminars (8 credits)

Electives (16 for Synthesis Option/20 credits for Proseminar Option):

MALS electives focus upon complex inter- disciplinary fields and issues. Students choose their elective courses from the following threads:

• Individual and Society: Explores fundamental issues of self and society, the public and private realms, drawing upon works in the humanities and in the social and physical sciences. Students think deeply about the complex nature of humans in their environments.
• Literature and the Arts: Looks at literature and the arts as reflections of the creative process and its relationship to Graduate School of Liberal Studies the larger world. Sometimes the relationships between and among disciplines are straightforward, as when poems inspired by works of visual art are studied together. At other times the connections are subtle, as when a theme is transformed by contact with various media and art forms.
• Spirituality and Religious Life: Spirituality and religious life, as a thread in the liberal arts, embodies our practice of interdisciplinary investigation. Many subjects, from poetry and music, to anthropology and biology, cosmology, quantum physics, and psychology contribute to theological and spiritual exploration of life’s great mysteries, including questions of meaning and faith, morality, the role of the human, and the nature of the Divine. Courses from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities are open to MALS and MFA students.
• Literary Publishing: Course offerings in the history and basics of book, magazine, and electronic publishing are offered, as are courses in editing and those that explore some of the ethical and practical challenges facing publishers today. Students also may take an intensive internship with a book or magazine publisher.

• GLS 8011-8299

Mid-Point Advising:

After four or five courses, students meet with their advisor to chart the rest of the journey toward the degree. Student and advisor also explore possible topics for the final Capstone project, and prepare a timeline for completion.

Capstone (10 credits):

The capstone is the most tangible end product of the MALS program. In this final phase, focused discussion and extended research are brought to bear on the student’s chosen area of investigation. The capstone may be a synthesis, a longer work (approximately eighty pages or more) of either critical research and analysis, or a mixture of critical and creative work. Or, the capstone may be a proseminar essay, a shorter, more scholarly paper (approximately thirty-forty pages) exploring a chosen issue.

• Synthesis Option GLS 8495 (6 credits)
• Proseminar Option GLS 8496 (4 credits)