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Department of Liberal Arts
A student seeking to become a truly educated person needs a broad and deep exposure to the humanities and the social sciences. These studies, which are concerned not merely with information but with values, are critical to the student's total personal development. This implies not only intellectual and social development, but also maturity in assessing the values essential to a sound philosophy of life.
Liberal Arts Majors
The Department of Liberal Arts offers degrees in English, Global
Studies, History, Philosophy, Psychology,
and Sociology.
Structured Minors in Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts structured minors are available in English, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, Spanish for the Professions, and Written Communication.
Non-Degree Programs in Liberal Arts
Several academic areas in the Liberal Arts Department enhance other degree programs and provide a balanced liberal education for D’Youville students. These include fine arts, foreign languages, political science and religious studies. Since all students must enroll in 57 credit hours of core subjects, a diverse offering of courses in the humanities and the social sciences is available to achieve this requirement.
Liberal arts courses comprise 12 of the 18 core curriculum courses required at D’Youville. There are eight humanities courses and four social sciences courses. These include:
- Fine Arts - Courses including both studio classes and history of art classes, such as a class on Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture in which students are exposed to three local designs of this famed American architect.
- Foreign Languages - Courses in Spanish, French, and German enable students to learn more about other Western cultures and often spark an interest to study abroad.
- Political Science - These courses showcase the activity of the democratic system through a voting registration campaign on campus and a model United Nations both on campus and at Harvard University.
- Religious Studies - Courses that open students to a variety of religious themes taught on basic Judeo-Christian texts.
D’Youville College graduates value their liberal arts courses and experiences and often write to relate how much they have come to realize their importance in the art of living.
Complete details and requirements for these programs are listed in the courses of instruction section of the undergraduate catalog. Students within the department must maintain a minimum 2.00 grade point average in courses taken at D’Youville in their major subject area.