Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies

Welcome

The Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies is a center for innovative teaching and scholarship that promote the interdisciplinary study of the liberal arts at Emerson College.

The liberal arts curriculum here at Emerson College is designed to impart general knowledge and foster intellectual curiosity. Interdisciplinary studies are designed to allow individualized investigations around a theme, significant problem, or topic by studying two or more of these areas in connection to each other. One of the important goals of the Institute is to integrate the study of the Liberal Arts with the educational experience in the major programs offered in the School of the Arts and the School of Communication.

In 2007 a study called College Learning for the New Global Century conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities surveyed senior-level employers and recent college graduates about their views of college learning in the global economy. A majority of both employers and graduates think college should place more emphasis on global issues, critical thinking, analytical reasoning, written and oral communication skills, and a sense of integrity and ethics. Expectedly, this what all of our programs here at Emerson are designed to offer you.

"A liberal education is the best and most powerful preparation for career success." - AAC&U, 2007

To be a liberally educated person is a commitment to intellectual honesty, diverse perspectives and opinions, and social and civic responsibility.

At its core, the educational experience at Emerson is built on freedom of expression, diversity of experience, cultural awareness, integrity, civility, and the responsibility of ethical choice.

These are Emerson’s values. You will find these values imbedded in the fabric of Emerson’s culture, reflected in its diverse curriculum, and practiced by its faculty, staff, and students.

Through engagement with these values you will begin to find the answers to the fundamental questions of your lives. I wish all of you success and fulfillment here at Emerson College.

Richard Zauft
Interim Dean for Liberal Arts
richard_zauft@emerson.edu