Perspectives

All Emerson students complete substantive studies in one field of communication or the arts. This in-depth work is balanced by a General Education Curriculum, which demands that students pursue breadth and variety in their studies, particularly in the liberal arts.

Students are given a great deal of flexibility to choose individual courses that particularly interest or challenge them to learn, and even to build clusters of courses that promise the greatest degree of integration with their professional studies. The structure of the distribution requirements guarantees that students will discover a variety of liberal arts disciplines beyond their major. Students will work closely with an advisor to maximize the educational benefits of the unique combination of courses that they choose to fulfill the requirements. Students are required to complete one course in each Perspective, but no more than one course in their major field of study may be used to satisfy these requirements.

Aesthetic Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective foster thinking, feeling, and knowing through artistic expression and analysis of the evolution of artistic forms. Choose form the following courses:

Ethics and Values Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective challenge students to articulate the foundations for their beliefs and judgments and subject these value commitments to critical analysis. Choose from the following courses:

Historical Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective foster an understanding of the context and content of societal actions and events and provide students with insight into the evolution of cultures, people, and countries over time. Choose from the following courses:

Interdisciplinary Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective integrate two or more disciplines, emphasizing connections between theory and practice, and providing a basis for understanding and appraising the role of interdisciplinary knowledge in human affairs. Students choose from any of the IN Interdisciplinary courses offered by the Institute of Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies. All freshmen and all first-year transfer students shall complete one 100-level course in the first year of study at Emerson. Upper-level transfer students shall complete one course at the 200 level or above.

Literary Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective foster a critical, intellectual, and emotional engagement with literature that stimulates reflection on how literary texts use language to communicate about fundamental human concerns. Choose from the following courses:

Scientific Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in the perspective encourage students to appreciate science as both content and process, to explore existing knowledge in particular natural or physical domains, and to identify how science pertains to their own lives. Choose from the following courses:

Social and Psychological Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective examine how human behavior is shaped by psychological and social processes and how people’s actions and thoughts reflect personal motivations as well as broader influences of groups, institutions, communities, and societies. Choose from the following courses: