Program: Liberal Studies B.A./B.S. - Texas A&M University-Commerce

(120 semester hours)

Required Courses in the Major (12 sh)

LibS 300
LibS 310
LibS 320
LibS 400

Language Requirement (6-12 sh)

Two courses (6 semester hours) in foreign language or equivalent are required for a BS in Liberal Studies. Four courses (12 semester hours) in foreign language or equivalent are required for a BA in Liberal Studies.

Concentration and Complementary Field Requirements (32 sh)

Concentration in one subject area (20 semester hours with at least 12 advanced hours) taken from existing courses, and studies in a Complementary Field (12 semester hours with at least 6 advanced hours) taken from existing courses. An individualized degree plan in both the Concentration and the Complementary Field areas will be developed by the student in consultation with the Liberal Studies advisor.

Other Requirements

Enough elective courses must be taken (with at least 6 advanced semester hours) to complete, along with University Studies courses, 120 hours required for the degree.

The Concentration and Complementary Fields

Students select a Concentration (at least 20 semester hours) in either one of the four interdisciplinary fields (Child and Family Studies, Global and Multicultural Issues, Popular Culture Studies, and Ways of Seeing and Knowing) or one of the traditional disciplines represented by the College of Arts and Sciences. Students may also select courses for the Complementary Field (at least 12 semester hours) from either the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Technology, or the College of Education and Human Services. Courses available from these colleges are listed in the current Undergraduate Catalog.

Liberal Studies Interdisciplinary Fields

Liberal Studies students may focus their Concentration (20 hours) and/or Complimentary Field (12 hours) coursework in one of the more traditional disciplines within the College of Arts and Sciences, or they can choose to work in one of the four interdisciplinary concentrations:

Child and Family Studies

The Child and Family Studies concentration encourages investigation into the many facets of contemporary domestic living. This area of investigation explores such topics as home and family welfare, parental dynamics, community involvement, and childhood development.

Courses for this concentration include:

Global and Multicultural Issues

The Global and Multicultural Issues concentration emphasizes the diverse ways of looking at world cultures today. Its courses reflect the varying ways we understand communal and individual identity through the lens of race, ethnicity, gender, economics, politics, and culture, both in the United States and abroad. Students in this concentration are not only encouraged to enroll in courses that approach scholarship in a global context, but are also provided with an opportunity to apply that knowledge in a handson manner through practicum and field studies.

Popular Culture Studies

Popular Culture Studies focuses on the many ways in which mass culture and media both reflect and inform our daily lives. The courses that make up this interdisciplinary concentration examine the ways we work, define leisure, and become consumers. They cover a wide variety of topics such as movies, television, sports, music, comics, magazines, museums, folk art, memorabilia and collecting, celebratory events, as well as the cultural ramifications of technology and advertising. Students are encouraged to engage these popular subject matters not only within their personal lives, but in light of cultural and political contexts as well.

Courses for this concentration include:

Ways of Seeing and Knowing

The Ways of Seeing and Knowing concentration is designed to enable the individual to look upon the world from multiple perspectives so as to appreciate its richness and diversity. We may be limited to our own two eyes in perceiving the world (our egocentric predicament), but by exploring ways of seeing and knowing, we can break out of our culturally-determined egocentric, ethnocentric, and aristocentric limitations to understand and appreciate the world in all its complexity.