Liberal Arts Education is meant to liberate student thinking & creativity through transdisciplinary curriculum & practical awareness of the world helping students to apply and test their knowledge and discover realities for their enlivenment & social progress. The idea is good, but practising the curriculum faces a lot of challenges. Schools that attempt to give liberal arts end up introducing a shallow mix of multiple subjects and not achieving the desired results. Here, I discuss how can we design a better liberal arts programme.

1. Liberal Arts:
An education which opens up minds and options
Liberal Arts:
An education which opens up minds and options
Madhu Prabakaran

2. ““A liberal arts education should offer
expansive educational grounding in
all kinds of human enquiry from
humanities to pure science and
technology.
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3. The Fundamental Premise:The Fundamental Premise:
The learner should have a choice of determining her
field of expertise while pursuing her studies.
It is a bottom up- integrated – learning system

4. Bouquets of KnowledgeBouquets of Knowledge
Intellect
Science/Technology/Mathematics
Aesthetics
Art/Fine Arts/Photography/Drama
/Film/ theatre/ Painting
Art of Life
Yoga/Physical
Health/Sports/Spirituality
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Critical / Design Thinking
Philosophy/Logic/Methodology/Rh
etoric/ Reasoning/ argumentation
techniques
Humanities and Social Sciences
Psychology/ Sociology/Politics
Economics/ Anthropology/ History
Skills and Attitudes
Communication/Negotiation/Ethics
/Academic Writing

5. TriviumTrivium
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6. 6

7. The Super Seven (Art of Life)The Super Seven (Art of Life)
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8. 8

9. Ancient Indian Liberal ArtsAncient Indian Liberal Arts
▰ Para Vidya
▰ Meaning of Life,
Darshana, Dharma,
Philosophy
▰ APara Vidya
▰ Logic, Rhetoric, Geometry,
Astronomy
▰ Livelihood skills, Artisanship
▰ Administration, governance
& leadership
▰ Language & Numerical skills
▰ Martial Arts & Health
Sciences, Alchemy
▰ Predictive Sciences
▰ Rasa Vidya
(Aesthetics)
▰ Music
▰ Dance forms
▰ Narrative Astetics
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10. Ancient Curriculum as per
Mundaka Upanishad
(Part I, Sections 1, 2)
Ancient Curriculum as per
Mundaka Upanishad
(Part I, Sections 1, 2)
▰ Apara Vidya (for
worldly mastery):
▰ Vedas
▰ Linguistics, Grammar,
etymology, metrics,
Rhetoric's, logic
▰ Astrology, Geometry
▰ Para Vidya: (for removing
nescience)
▰ Imperishable wisdom
(Akshara jnana)
▰ Truth Discovery
(Satyakama)
▰ Austerity (Shraddha)
▰ Should be taught by a
teachers of:
▰ Expertise &
▰ Integrity
▰ Established in Virtue
& truth
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11. BouquetBouquet

12. Overall approach to modern
liberal arts curriculum
Overall approach to modern
liberal arts curriculum
Assess and Improve: Writing
Skills, IT literacy, reasoning, logic
and interpretation skills,
quantitative skills and data
analysis.
Reflective coursework to identify
students academic and
professional capabilities.Emphasis
on skills like writing, oral
communication, database
research methods, critical
thinking and time management. To
be done with a faculty mentor and
a peer mentor.
Optionally it can begin with:
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13. Generic Foundational
Courses for Liberal Arts
Generic Foundational
Courses for Liberal Arts
Foreign Language and
Culture
Writing Intensive
Seminars
Modules on Physical and
Natural Sciences
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Diversities of Indian Society
and Culture: History,
Institutions and
Contemporary Social
Problems on gender, caste,
class etc
National and International
History and Political
Economy
Modules on Natural History
and Ecological Sensitivity

14. 14
●Foundational Courses (±10 % of total credits)( Spread throughout from First 2 terms)
●Major (±40 % of total credits)( (Concentrated from III term onwards intensified
towards III year terms)
●Minor (±20 % of total credits) (Concentrated from III term onwards)
●Elective (±10% of total credits)(Spread from term 2 onwards)
●Co-Curricular (±20% of total credits- Spread from beginning incrementally-
internships, immersion, discovery etc)
Course Structure

15. Phases: From Generic Courses to Informed
Choice
Phases: From Generic Courses to Informed
Choice
● Terms I, II & III: (From all Bouquets Introductory) + Immersions &
Discovery Programs & Internship
● Terms IV, V & VI (From all Bouquets Methodological Gradually leading
to core papers, electives) academic writing + engaging practically in
their field of liking- deepening involvement + internships
● Terms VII, VIII & IX ( Gradually more concentration on their core & sub
streams of interests) Concurrent projects, experiential learning +
internships
● Terms X, XI & XII (Optional?) Advanced courses, Praxis Intervention-
Accelerated Peer learning , symposiums, Seminars, Research projects
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16. Suggested transdisciplinary
Courses
Suggested transdisciplinary
Courses
▰ Writing: expository
writing, the
presentation of
argument, and the
elements of research
to equip you with
communication skills
essential to every
field.
▰ Cultural Foundations:
literature, art history,
and music, spiritual
streams, life as lived by
different sections of
people, diversity,
tolerance
▰ Social Foundations:
philosophy, religion,
political and social
theory, and history, Life
in rural- urban- coastal-
tribal situations,
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17. ▰ Natural Sciences:
Advanced introduction to
Biology, physics,
astronomy, chemistry,
technology etc,
As they have interface
with social sciences
▰ Policy Studies:
Health, sports, water,
energy, education,
ecology, international
relations, financial,
economic policy options
etc
▰ Biography studies
Biography of significant
individuals, achievers
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18. 18
• Let us take Psychology Major & Media Minor for example (for total of 160 credits)
• ±40% of the total credits will be allocated to Psychology Proper: 64 Credits
• ±20% of the total credits will be going to Media studies: 32 Credits
• 10+% of the total credits will be allocated for Writing Skills, IT Literacy, Data
Management, Quantitative Skills, basic political economy, diversity ethics etc: 16
Credits
• ± 10% of total credits for electives. Electives should be from all 6 bouquets of
knowledge streams (excluding Major/ Minor choice): 16 Credits
• ± 20% of credits should be allocated for Discovery, immersion, research, internship,
concurrent learning: 32 Credits
Example: Psychology Major/Media
Studies Minor

19. ““ Gradual expansion into:
Economics, Anthropology, International Studies,
Politics, Sociology, History, Geology,
Communication, Public Policy, Social Work,
Education, Philosophy, Religion, Statistics, Film &
theatre, Performing arts, Music, Criminology,
Justice & Jurisprudence, Environmental studies,
Biology, Mathematics etc.
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20. Programme StructureProgramme Structure
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Curriculum
CORE Choice of Study
ElectiveMajor/MinorCo CurricularFoundational Courses

21. While Liberal Arts fits for
Humanities & social
Sciences, STEM approach
could be tried for science,
engineering, & technology
streams
While Liberal Arts fits for
Humanities & social
Sciences, STEM approach
could be tried for science,
engineering, & technology
streams
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Technology
Engineering
Science
LAMathematics

22. ▰ Both STEM & Liberal
Arts are cohesive,
learner cantered
learning paradigms.
▰ Both helps students
to overcome opinion
pollution through
careful learning
▰ Both helps students
to have multiple
career options

23. Integrating STEM with
Liberal Arts
Integrating STEM with
Liberal Arts
▰ STEM curriculum integrates—
science, technology, engineering
and mathematics — in an
interdisciplinary and applied
approach.
▰ STEM should have liberal arts
approach in its co-curricular &
foundational course design
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24. ▰ STEM curriculum
should have
humanities, social
sciences&
philosophy
foundations
▰ Liberal Arts
curriculum should
have Science,
Mathematics,
Statistics
foundations

25. A Transformational Education should have
greater co-curricular, self learning components &
time/ resources allocated for that
A Transformational Education should have
greater co-curricular, self learning components &
time/ resources allocated for that
▰ A trimester
system with one
term of internship
is good, but not
sufficient.
▰ Within the
curriculum we need
to accommodate
discovery programs,
deep immersions,
concurrent projects
and praxis
intervention
components
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26. Pedagogy: (Assessment should
be linked to pedagogy)
Pedagogy: (Assessment should
be linked to pedagogy)
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Mentoring/Immersion
Programmes/Praxis
Intervention/Concurre
nt Learning3
Close Reading
Workshops/Academic
Writing/Research
Projects/ experiments
2
Immersions/Internshi
ps/Discovery Program
1

27. ““▰Greater social & political sensibility
should be infused in engineering,
technology, science curriculum and
greater sense of science &
quantitative aptitudes should be
infused with humanities and social
sciences
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28. Course Outcomes (should be
streamlined with mission &
vision)
Course Outcomes (should be
streamlined with mission &
vision)
Multiple and Parallel
Career Options
Critical/Design Thinking Networking/Collaboration
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Negotiating/Communicating Responsible/Ethical Entrepreneurial/Self-Starter

29. Integrated Knowledge
Engineering
Mathematics
TechnologyScience
Huma
nities
Spirituality

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• The Programme Outcome should determine the course progress and evaluation
criteria
• It should not be just a mix of two disciplines. The approach should be guiding
students into self-made career options
• The programme should open up students towards higher education anywhere
in the world, or career option in trans-disciplinary fields, however not excluding
disciplinary fields

31. Bottom Up AcademicsBottom Up Academics
▰ Link Student
Aspiration & Field
requirement into
learning objective-
That should be the
learning outcome
▰ Link learning
outcome to course
design & pedagogy
▰ Link pedagogy to
assessment
▰ Get vision mission
statement closer to
student & field
requirement
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32. Thank YouThank You
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