What is the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program?
The MALS Program is for college graduates who want focus in their search for intellectual enrichment.

What are the degree requirements?
Flexibility in planning individual student programs and an intensity of intellectual experience are the hallmarks of the MALS Program. The program requires:

· Two core courses (6 credits). These required seminars, designed and taught exclusively for MALS students, take a broad interdisciplinary approach to pursuing knowledge.
· Six elective courses (18 credits). MALS offers electives from the various disciplines within the College of Arts & Science. The student may tailor their program to their own interests by selecting from the MALS electives or, after consulting with the program director, may choose from another academic department a graduate level course deemed acceptable to the MALS Program. In some instances a three-credit Special Problems course may be arranged with the guidance of the program director.
· Master’s Thesis or  Project (6 credits). This is the capstone of the program, integrating your interests and course work. You work closely with a faculty advisor on a project approved by the program director and the MALS Advisory Committee to produce either a traditional thesis or a project.

What are some of the courses that are offered?
MALS’ 30 credit hour program is made up of two core courses (6 credits), 6 elective courses (18 credits) and a six-credit final project. The courses and related information are set out below; however, remember to check the University Registration Booklet each semester to verify which courses are being offered.

I. Core Courses 6 Credits:
A variety of required seminars are offered each with a broad interdisciplinary approach to knowledge.

MALS600 | Nature and Human Nature | 3 credits
This course will explore how we have explained to ourselves both what we are and what the world is. Ranging from Aristotle to the present, nature and human nature will be examined by exploring human beings as social creatures living organisms knowledge seekers and as evolved creatures.

MALS613 | The Latin American Experience | 3 credits
This course will examine the recurring issues and problems in Latin America. The conflict between church and state, nationalism and a place in world affairs. The tension between individual and society, and the influence of the United States. Readings will come from Anthropology, Literature, History and Political Science.

MALS619 | The Scientist in Society | 3 credits
Scientific research is directly influenced by the society in which it is conducted. In addition to financial limitations, constraints are imposed by societal norms of what are acceptable topics and procedures for research. The responsibilities and rights of the scientist with respect to these pressures will be examined.

MALS622 | Interpreting the Past | 3 credits
This course considers the different perspectives that can be applied to learning about the past.

MALS624 | Intro to Graduate Research & Writing in Liberal Studies | 3 credits
This course will focus on developing research and writing skills by concentrating on one issue, such as the family, the environment, or education. Students will be taught to narrow the focus of a topic, create an arguable thesis, gather source information, evaluate the source of information, organize a logical argument, incorporate source information into the argument, and revise and refine into a finished paper.

MALS625 | Film and American Society | 3 credits
This course uses major motion pictures to explore how Hollywood dealt with critical historical events: the Cold War, McCarthyism, the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, Watergate, and the modern Presidency.

MALS626 | Studies in 20th Century American Literature | 3 credits
This course will examine narrative and thematic concerns in American fiction written after World War II and also before World War II. The fiction will be explored against a background of cultural, philosophical, and literary trends.

MALS660 | On Becoming Human | 3 credits
This course will deal with the biological and cultural evolution of humans and will focus on how we are similar to and different from our closest primate relatives.

II. Elective Courses 18 Credits:
MALS elective courses are specifically designed for students in the Program. You must check the University's Registration Book for current semester course offerings. Here is a sample of the elective courses:

MALS611 | Documentary: Journalism and Film | 3 credits
This course will look at non-fiction social reporting from the Victorian era to the present. Some of the authors examined will be Dickens, Chekov, Jack London, and, especially, George Orwell as well as Tom Wolfe, Gay Talese and John McPhee.

MALS616 | On the Nature of Good & Evil: Inquiries in Literature, Psychology, & Religion | 3 credits
This course will focus on literary works dealing with the definition of good and evil in Judeo-Christian culture.

MALS620 | The Use of Science in Public Discourse | 3 credits
This course will examine important questions of general interest to both individuals and to governmental bodies that depend heavily on scientific information.

MALS621| The Impacts of European Contact on Native Americans | 3 credits
This course considers how the arrival of the first Europeans in North America affected the indigenous Native Americans.