The term liberal artshas long beenconnected with education.In colleges, there are liberal arts programs starting at the associate degree leveland continuing all the way up to the graduate level.“Liberal” has many connotations, butwhat are liberal arts?How did they get their name,and why are they considered important in education?
First, let’s look at the origins of the term “liberal arts,”whichis believed to havefirst appeared in a workwrittenby Greek scholar Cicero (106 B.C.-43 B.C.)andultimately publishedasDeInventione(“invention” or “discovery”)in1470 A.D.According toMerriam-Webster, the roots of the modern usage of liberal arts “can be traced to the Latin word liber, meaning‘free, unrestricted.’Our language took the term from the Latin liberalesartes, which described the education given to freeman and members of the upper classes, and involved training in the mind (grammar, logic, geometry, etc.).”
According to the late literary scholar and philologist Ernst RobertCurtius, the liberal arts are so named because they are “the studies whose purpose is not to make money. They are called ‘liberal’ because they are worthy of a free man.”To clarify, slavery was common in the Greco-Roman world, where these ideasfirsttook root.
Philosopher and linguistWilhelm von Humboldtmade a strong connection betweenbroad liberal arts knowledge andemploymentwhen hewrote:
“There are undeniably certain kinds of knowledge that must be of a general nature and, more importantly, a certain cultivation of the mind and character that nobody can afford to be without.[…]If this basis is laid through schooling, vocational skills are easily acquired later on, and a person is always free to move from one occupation to another, as so often happens in life.”
Britannicaexplains that “in modern colleges and universities the liberal arts include the study of literature, languages, philosophy, history, mathematics, and science as the basis of a general, or liberal, education.” Further, itdescribes a liberal arts curriculumas a “study of three main branches of knowledge: the humanities, the physical and biological sciences and mathematics, and the social sciences.”
The Seven Liberal Arts
From the Middle Ages onward,the liberal arts constituted the core of secular education. The liberal arts were made up of the quadrivium—arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, and music—and the trivium—grammar, logic, and rhetoric.The quadrivium artsweresaid topertain to the mind,while the trivium arts pertainedto matter.Together, these formedthe seven liberal arts, whichwereconsidered essential fields of study.Formal education hassincecombined some of these into a single subject and added new subjects along the way.
Liberal Arts SubjectsasPart of aHumanities Degree
A good liberal arts education provides a solid foundation for a variety of important and rewarding careers, with broad skills thatcan add value tovirtuallyany role. A Bachelor of Artsin Humanitiesencapsulates what aliberal arts education is all about.Humanities is a multidisciplinary major that includes history, philosophy, religion, literature, languages, social sciences (such as sociology,psychology, and anthropology), and the performing and visual arts.This degreeincludes all the required core general education subjects of most degree programs, such as English, math, and life and physical sciences and incorporates culture(art, drama, music, humanities)as a key part of its curriculum.
Earning a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities Online
The online Bachelor of Arts in Humanities program atThe University of Texas Permian Basin can help you developa variety of skills that will benefit you in your professional life and beyond, including:
- Communication
- Criticalthinking
- Empirical andquantitativereasoning
- Personalresponsibility
- Socialresponsibility
- Teamwork
At UT Permian Basin,we offer animmersive, affordable online BA in humanities programthatgives you a greater amount offlexibilitythan manyotheravailableprograms.Youdon’t haveto adheretoafullyprearranged path, but instead can follow your own path.Our online BA inhumanities program enablesyou to chooseup to two concentrations(atotal of 24 credithours of specialized coursework)that align with your personal areas of interest, including:
- Art
- Communication
- English
- Spanish
- History
- Music
Someother universitydegree programs combine one major and one minor, but this doesn’t providethe same experience.UTPermian Basinfaculty advisorsworkwith you tocreateanindividualized plan of studybased onamultidisciplinarytheme,set of problems, specialization,period, or perspective.
Benefits of Online Learning at UT Permian Basin
Ouronline BA in humanities program is presentedin a100% online, asynchronous format that enablesyou tocomplete courseworkat your own pace,atanyconvenienttime of day, from any locationwhereinternet accessis available.If you have career and/orfamily responsibilities tomanagewhile you’re earning your BA degree, you’ll find this flexibility invaluable.
Our programhassix start datesper year,sothere’snever a long wait to start your program once you’re admitted.These advantagesenable you to complete your degree on an accelerated schedule.Programcoursesaretaught by the samedistinguishedfaculty who teachon-campusat UT Permian Basin.Upon successfulcompletionof the program, you’ll receive the samerespectedBachelor ofArtsdegree that campus-based students receive, and your diploma will notindicatethat it was earned online.
Experience the value ofa liberal arts educationfor yourselfwith UTPermian Basin’sonline Bachelor of Arts in Humanities program.
Sources:
https://archive.org/details/europeanliteratu0000curt/page/36/mode/2up
https://bighistory.de/Education/
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/seven-liberal-arts
https://www.memoriapress.com/articles/what-are-the-liberal-arts/
