Overview of the Week:
In previous weeks, you learned about two of St. Catherine’s educational missions: Catholic and women. In this week, you will be introduced to the third: liberal arts. While St. Catherine’s has always offered degrees in professional programs (such as health care, business, education, library science, social work, etc.), these degrees have a very firm footing in the liberal arts. St. Catherine’s also offers degrees in traditional liberal arts disciplines (such as psychology and English). Here, you will read more about the particular emphases and values of the liberal arts..
When we immerse ourselves in the liberal arts, we immerse ourselves in questions about and opportunities for living a meaningful life with empathy and understanding for others. For many of us, an important part of our lives is our work; this week, you will explore the idea of vocation – and how your chosen vocation may be enhanced by the liberal arts. You will continue building strength in synthesis writing, and will learn to apply critical reading questions to all that you read. This week focuses on asking key questions.
We will address the following course outcomes this week:
Introduction to Learning Video:
In previous weeks, you learned about two of St. Catherine’s educational missions: Catholic and women. In this week, you will be introduced to the third: liberal arts. While St. Catherine’s has always offered degrees in professional programs (such as health care, business, education, library science, social work, etc.), these degrees have a very firm footing in the liberal arts. St. Catherine’s also offers degrees in traditional liberal arts disciplines (such as psychology and English). Here, you will read more about the particular emphases and values of the liberal arts..
When we immerse ourselves in the liberal arts, we immerse ourselves in questions about and opportunities for living a meaningful life with empathy and understanding for others. For many of us, an important part of our lives is our work; this week, you will explore the idea of vocation – and how your chosen vocation may be enhanced by the liberal arts. You will continue building strength in synthesis writing, and will learn to apply critical reading questions to all that you read. This week focuses on asking key questions.
We will address the following course outcomes this week:
- Apply excellent critical thinking, critical reading and scholarly writing skills (including excellence in sentence level fluency, organization, voice and audience)
Introduction to Learning Video:
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Critically Read, Watch and Annotate:
Critical Thinking Questions:
Write:
How will you use liberal arts learning in your vocation?
The format of this four paragraph essay will be as follows:
1. A brief introductory paragraph. Your final sentence in your introductory paragraph must be a strong thesis. When you have been asked to respond to a question for an essay or an exam, you can often turn that question into the beginning of your thesis. Here, you might start your thesis by writing:
I will use the liberal arts in my vocation through…
2. RTW body paragraph: Write a paragraph defining and describing the liberal arts. Use three sources for this paragraph—you should research one new source defining the liberal arts and use two sources from this module. This should be an 11 sentence RTW paragraph with a topic sentence, 3 CERs and a concluding sentence.
3. RTW body paragraph: Use this paragraph to relate liberal arts learning to your vocation in life and/or work. Use at least two sources from this module as evidence in this paragraph (i.e., you may use one source twice.) This should be an 11 sentence RTW paragraph with a topic sentence, 3 CERs and a concluding sentence.
4. A brief concluding paragraph. Restate your thesis in new and interesting ways given your body paragraphs.
At this point in the course, you should know the basic APA rules in your APA Guide. Provide proper APA in-text citations and references.
Post:
Critically Read, Watch and Annotate:
- Questions essential to Reading in the Liberal Arts
- An Application of Liberal Arts Perspectives
- Script for the "Application of Liberal Arts Perspectives" video
- This definition of "liberal arts": "The liberal arts are a set of academic disciplines that include the sciences and the humanities. When you study a liberal arts curriculum, you don't have to have one specific career goal, although you might. Instead, you'll assemble a broad foundation of knowledge that can be used in a wide spectrum of careers. You'll learn to think critically, examine the world around you, communicate effectively and adjust to changing situations."--Learn.org
- This definition of "vocation": “a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career” - Dictionary.com
- Parker Palmer on “Listening to Life” (Chapter 1, pages 1-8) from Let Your Life Speak; Listening for the Voice of Vocation.
- Amy Tan, "Mother Tongue"
- Alan Silva on “Lessons in the Liberal Arts”
- Ramesh Ponnuru on “The Big Threat on Campus”
Critical Thinking Questions:
- What does Alan Silva hope to accomplish in his Opening Celebration address to students, “Lessons in the Liberal Arts”? In other words, what is his purpose?
- What do you see as the value of the liberal arts?
- Tan, Silva and Palmer, implicitly and explicitly, emphasize the importance of liberal arts learning to ask key questions. What do we wish to learn? Who do we wish to be? What is our true life? What are we meant to do? Who are we meant to be? How are the liberal arts integral to understanding the dimensions of our lives? Respond to this question: What are your key questions at this point in your life?
Write:
- An RTW Synthesis Essay (a synthesis essay connects multiple sources to address a main idea). The question that you will respond to in this essay is:
How will you use liberal arts learning in your vocation?
The format of this four paragraph essay will be as follows:
1. A brief introductory paragraph. Your final sentence in your introductory paragraph must be a strong thesis. When you have been asked to respond to a question for an essay or an exam, you can often turn that question into the beginning of your thesis. Here, you might start your thesis by writing:
I will use the liberal arts in my vocation through…
2. RTW body paragraph: Write a paragraph defining and describing the liberal arts. Use three sources for this paragraph—you should research one new source defining the liberal arts and use two sources from this module. This should be an 11 sentence RTW paragraph with a topic sentence, 3 CERs and a concluding sentence.
3. RTW body paragraph: Use this paragraph to relate liberal arts learning to your vocation in life and/or work. Use at least two sources from this module as evidence in this paragraph (i.e., you may use one source twice.) This should be an 11 sentence RTW paragraph with a topic sentence, 3 CERs and a concluding sentence.
4. A brief concluding paragraph. Restate your thesis in new and interesting ways given your body paragraphs.
At this point in the course, you should know the basic APA rules in your APA Guide. Provide proper APA in-text citations and references.
Post:
- Your RTW Synthesis Essay under Week 5 Assignments
- Your 6-10 sentence response to Critical Thinking Question #3 on the Discussion Board and respond to two of your classmates with posts of 4-8 sentences
