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A Major Centennial Challenge
for LAU: Integrating the Liberal Arts Into Professional
Curricula
Neither the cause of the Liberal Arts nor that of student market
readiness is served well by keeping the two separate and apart. There
might have been a time when a separation of this sort was tenable, but
such a time is long gone. It was swept away by a strong confluence of
factors during and in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. The
influence of digital technology, the unprecedented high levels of
uncertainty, sharp economic fluctuations, and the existence of multiple
doomsday scenarios are among them. Perhaps, however, the most potent
single factor is the fact that higher education today must come to terms
with the challenge of preparing students for jobs and roles that do not
yet exist. The future is unfolding at a pace we have real difficulty
keeping up with.
The increasingly short and specialized information life cycle makes it
imperative to produce university graduates who are capable of recharging
and self-renewal continuously and on short notice. While there have been
several attempts to respond to this epic challenge, none have had the
appeal and the efficacy of integrating the Liberal Arts into specialized
professional curricula.
From Cohabitation to Integration: A
Centennial Challenge
Ever since its emergence in the 19th century (some would argue earlier),
the Liberal Arts model has been the hallmark of American-style higher
education. It was adopted on a near-universal scale by US- and
US-inspired institutions of higher learning. LAU has always been true to
this model and one of its early adopters and major proponents. This was
our core curriculum up to the 1970s when the institution went coed but
continued to be mostly an undergraduate college.
The challenge of preserving our Liberal Arts flavor started to become
apparent with the transformation of LAU in the 1990s and continued to
grow thereafter. A major driver of this challenge was the appearance of
professional schools, starting with business and moving on to
engineering, pharmacy, architecture and design, medicine and then
nursing. With the establishment of each of these schools over a time
span of nearly two decades, we came face to face with the key question
of how to give professional training its due without undercutting our
commitment to the Liberal Arts.
It was a vexing question that required imagination and pedagogical
expertise. It represents a challenge that belongs to the category of
permanently unfinished business. It is rather an ongoing journey of
discovery, innovation and continuous improvement within a changing
context. At this point, it represents one of the key challenges facing
LAU in its second century following a hundred years during which the
classical approach to the Liberal Arts reigned supreme. Digital
transformation is a major game-changer in this regard.
Understanding the Challenge
To offer a Liberal Arts curriculum independently as a cluster of courses
required of and open to all university students is certainly doable and
has been the practice for a long time. That, of course, does not take
away from the fact that certain majors have rich Liberal Arts content,
particularly in the humanities and social sciences. Both models are
relatively straightforward.
The problem with both models, however, is two-fold: sluggish demand for
Liberal Arts majors faced by almost all universities, and the trend away
from having too many required courses outside the immediate major.
The Task Ahead
With this in mind, the task ahead is to find creative ways for embedding
Liberal Arts content in the curricula of professional schools across the
spectrum. An effort of this kind can go in parallel to another effort
for introducing digital competencies across the board. This is likely to
be a daunting task that requires imagination, innovation, and expertise
with each of the schools working with a Liberal Arts team. This might
well proceed simultaneously with a parallel effort focusing on digital
competencies particularly the sweeping ramifications of data sciences
and open AI for each of the professional areas.
Agreeing on Content
It would be naïve to assume that what makes Liberal Arts today can be a
straightforward matter that is easily agreed upon. There is ample room
for variations, disagreements and different schools of thought. In the
interest of simplifying an inherently complex issue, we will divide
Liberal Arts into three main components:
A.
Inculcation of Core Values
These include, inter alia, the following:
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Ethics-based personal responsibility
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Tolerance, diversity and inclusion
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Environmental sustainability
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Respect for the truth
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Personal and professional integrity
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Commitment to human rights
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Gender equality
B. Key
Content Trends
Again, a selective itemized listing:
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History of science
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History of intellect
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Seminal books and great debates
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Selected literacy and scientific works
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Models of man and society
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Mainstream political and economic theories
These are by no means the only concepts or contents one can think of.
All that is being suggested here is an attempt to keep the Liberal Arts
as a vital force in our curriculum and establish their relevance to
present and future higher education. More than ever, the dazzling change
we are going through and some of the risks associated with AI and
robotics require a new emphasis on human individuality and moral
judgment.
C. Related
Awareness Issues
This category includes exposure to and familiarity with contemporary
issues and challenges critical to the modern world. On this list would
be such items as:
Such awareness issues are now a legitimate part of the Liberal Arts as
they relate to the cultivation of an open mind, a well-rounded person,
and an educated individual.
The Challenge of Integration
Whichever path we follow for the needed integration is bound to be
challenging and have far-reaching implications. It will require
considerable time and energy on the part of many in the Liberal Arts and
in professional schools. What matters is taking the first steps on a
transformational journey to a future that has already started. For LAU,
this is a must for our second century to start on the right footing.
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