Liberal Studies at CSU East Bay
The Liberal Studies Program at ÍÑ¿ã°É Bay aims to provide a rich liberal arts educational experience through selected courses from a wide range of academic disciplines, while at the same time allowing students to select a field for in-depth study of their own interest. The broad-based, interdisciplinary nature of Liberal Studies provides a solid, well-rounded undergraduate educational experience, integrating knowledge from arts and humanities, social science, and natural sciences, with analytical and communication skills well suited for many careers and professions.
The major consists of a common core and a choice from three concentrations designed to meet diverse student interests and needs. Students can choose concentrations in:
Program Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with a B.A. in Liberal Studies from ÍÑ¿ã°É Bay will be able to:
- demonstrate solid understanding of major contemporary global issues about individuals, society, and nature, by integrating interdisciplinary knowledge of humanity, social science, and natural science, with more in depth understanding of one specialized subject area or discipline;
- apply methods of different disciplines to critically thinking about these issues;
- communicate ideas clearly and persuasively in speech and writing;
- work with others in teams collaboratively and productively, showing sensitivity and respect for others, and readiness to learn from others;
- demonstrate commitment to promoting social justice, diversity, democratic values, and sustainable environment.
Liberal Studies Courses
LBST 201: Introduction to Liberal Studies
Units: 3
Introduction to the liberal arts educational approach, and application of interdisciplinary perspective to selected contemporary issues. Emphasis on information, reasoning, and evidence in written and/or visual presentations.
Student Learning Outcomes
- show preliminary appreciation of the concept and importance of a well-rounded liberal arts education;
- show emerging foundational knowledge and understanding of interdisciplinary perspectives (humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences) on one or two contemporary issues of global scale;
- present the issue in question from interdisciplinary perspectives with reasonable articulation of the issue, past attempts to address the issue, and remaining problems, with reasonable evidence and valid reasoning;
- present the above in both speech and writing, supplemented by relevant visual and quantitative information; and
- engage in team work on a course project within a small group
LBST 223: Education for Liberation
Units: 3This lower division, interdisciplinary course focuses on how teachers and students can help create a more fair and just society. The class focuses on institutional challenges, educational policies, social problems and solutions in and through K-12 education as it relates to the intersections of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability. The class provides students an opportunity to learn critical theories and practices that lead to liberatory forms of education. Crosslisted as ES 223. This course meets the CSU Ethnic Studies (Area F) requirement.
Student Learning Outcomes
- analyze educational policies and practices;
- articulate theories of social change in education;
- apply praxis models to address educational issues; and
- discuss the intersection of ethnic studies and education.
Area F Learning Outcomes
- Using a comparative or focused approach, explain and analyze core concepts such as racialization, racism, white supremacy, racial capitalism, critical race theory, intersectionality, women of color feminisms, queer of color theory, (counter)hegemony, eurocentrism, self-determination, food justice in communities of color, environmental justice, liberation, decolonization, genocide, sovereignty, indigeneity, imperialism, settler colonialism, antiBlackness, or anti-racism as analyzed in Native American/American Indian/Indigenous Studies, Chicana/o/x or Latina/o/x Studies, African American/Black/Africana/African Descended/Descendent of Enslaved African Studies, Asian/Pacific Islander/Middle Eastern/South Asian (APIMESA) American Studies.
- Critically analyze the Black feminist concept of intersectionality and the intersection of race, class, and gender with other axes of oppression including sexuality, sexual violence, religion/spirituality, national origin, immigration and citizenship status, ability, Indigenous sovereignty, language, and/or age as they apply to African American/Black/African diasporic/African Descended/Descendant of Enslaved African, Chicana/o/x or Latina/o/x, Asian/Pacific Islander/Middle Eastern/South Asian (APIMESA) American, and/or Native American/American Indian/Indigenous communities.
- Critically review how struggle, resistance, rematriation, social justice activism, solidarity, abolition, and liberation, as experienced, enacted, and studied by American Indians/Native Americans/Indigenous people, African Americans/Black people/African diasporic/African Descended/Descendant of Enslaved Africans, Asian/Pacific Islanders/Middle Eastern/South Asian (APIMESA) Americans and/or Latinas/os/xs or Chicanos/as/xs are relevant to current and structural issues such as communal, national, international, and transnational politics as for example, in health disparities, educational inequities, immigration policies, reparations, settler-colonialism, language policies, media depictions of ethnic/racial groups, racial and sexual violence, prison industrial complex, community development, gentrification, and/or other ethnic politics.
LBST 499: Liberal Studies Senior Seminar
Units: 3
Capstone course for Liberal Studies majors in their final year. Take this course in your senior year and not earlier. Emphasis on interdisciplinary analysis of a significant contemporary issue. Written and/or web-based presentation of research and/or community engagement activities, and student learning outcomes portfolio.
Student Learning Outcomes
- show solid foundational knowledge and understanding of interdisciplinary perspectives (humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences) on one contemporary issue of global scale;
- present the issue in question from interdisciplinary perspectives with clear articulation of the issue, past attempts to address the issue, and remaining problems, with solid evidence and clear reasoning;
- perceive and express personal and societal values and ethical orientations regarding the issue, present the above clearly in both speech and writing, supplemented with relevant visual and quantitative information;
- engage in team work on a course project within a small group, showing ability to listen and adopt comments and suggestions from others; and
- develop a personal portfolio showing accomplishments of the Liberal Studies Program SLOs.