Department of Liberal Studies

Bachelor of Arts
in Liberal Studies

Liberal Studies is a pre-professional Subject Matter Preparation Program leading to enrollment in a Multiple Subject Credential Program (MSCP).

Liberal Studies majors may be admitted to the credential program prior to completing their bachelor degrees. Units in the credential program can be applied as upper-division elective credit toward satisfying the 120-unit requirement for graduation.

Note: Please check with the Department of Liberal Studies for current information. The University will make changes to the program leading to the credential whenever revisions are required by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC).

Coordinating with the Multiple Subject Credential Program
At this time, Liberal Studies is the only major at CSU Stanislaus offering an approved Subject Matter Preparation Program leading to a Multiple Subject Credential Program (MSCP). Students who do not complete the Liberal Studies major will be required to take and pass the CSET for entry into the MSCP. Liberal Studies majors who enter the MSCP without the California Subject Examination for Teachers: Multiple Subjects (CSET) must pass CSET as a condition of advancement to student teaching.

Currently, admission to the CSU Stanislaus MSCP requires either a 2.67 overall grade point average or a 2.75 grade point average in the last 60 units. Additional details and information pertaining to entrance into the credential program is available in the College of Education section of the Graduate catalog, and at the Teacher Education Department office. Students should consult with the MSCP Coordinator for changes in the precise requirements for admission to the credential program.

Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies

Students who entered under the 2002-2003 catalog or later must complete the curriculum listed below. It differs from that found in catalogs of previous years.

Requirements

1. General Education
   Complete the General Education Breadth Requirements (GE) for the Bachelor of Arts degree (51 units minimum) and a minimum of 120 semester units for graduation. Grades of a C–, credit, or better are required.
2. Subject Matter Preparation Program Requirements
   The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing requires Liberal Studies majors to complete an approved course in each of the following subjects with a grade of C–, credit, or better. Requirements may be met in GE, in the major, or in additional coursework. Review the Liberal Studies Advising and Articulation Guides for approved courses. Guides are available in the Department and on the Department website.
   Subject Matter Requirements include:
   - Oral Communication
   - Composition
   - Critical Thinking
   - Introduction to Earth Science (including Astronomy)
   - Chemistry
   - Physics
   - Physical Science Lab
   - Biological Science
   - Biological Science Lab
   - MATH 1030
   - MATH 1040
   - Art
   - Music
   - Theatre
   - Two activity, performance, or studio courses in two different disciplines (Art, Music, Theatre)
   - Children’s Literature
   - Philosophy or Humanities Survey
   - US History (Exploration through 1877)
   - American Government
   - World History (Ancient and Medieval)
   - Geography
   - California History
   - Computer Science
3. Pre/co-requisites to the Major (9 units):
   LIBS 1000/1004 Beginning Field Experience, 3 units or
   LIBS 1010/1014 Beginning Field Experience Examination, 3 units
   LIBS 2000/2004 Intermediate Field Experience, 3 units or
   LIBS 2010/2014 Intermediate Experience Examination, 3 units
   Human Development, 3 units
   NURS 1040 Human Development Over the Life Span, 3 units or
   PSYC/CDEV 3140 Human Development I: Childhood, 3 units

The Major (28 units excluding concentration)
Major and concentration courses require letter grades of C– or better.

1. Development and Assessment
   Complete all of the following required courses:
   LIBS 3000 Community and Diversity (WP), 4 units
   PHED 3400 Elementary Physical Education, 3 units
   LIBS 4960 Senior Seminar, 3 units
2. Second Language Acquisition (3 units)
   Complete one of the following:
   ENGL 4800 Second Language Acquisition, 3 units, or
   COMM 4800 First and Second Language Acquisition, 3 units
   (Credit will not be given for both ENGL 4800 and COMM 4800 in the LIBS Major.)
3. Multicultural Perspectives (3 units)
   Complete one of the following required courses:
   COMM 4160 Intercultural Communication, 3 units
   ENGL 3940 Multicultural American Literature, 3 units
   ETHS 4200 The Minority Experience, 3 units
   GEND 4100 Gender and Education, 3 units
   ETHS/GEND 4350 Multiculturalism: From Bias to Reality, 3 units
   HIST 3720 United States Ethnic and Immigrant Past, 3 units
   PSCI 3810 Multicultural Community Building and Conflict Resolution, 3 units
   SOCL 3250 Social Issues in Cross-Cultural Perspective, 3 units
   SOCL 4010 Race and Ethnic Relations, 3 units
4. Integrative Inquiry (12 units)
   Complete one inquiry course in each of these subject matter areas:
   1. Area A: Social Inquiry (3 units)
      ANTH 3020 Travelers in Time: Perspectives of the Past on the Present, 3 units
      CDEV 3030 Cognitive Development in School Settings, 3 units
      CJ 3800 Crime Prevention and Schools, 3 units
      ECON 4700 Contemporary Economic Issues, 3 units
      ECON 4750 The California Economy, 3 units
      ETHS 4040 Minority Family, Communities, and Schools, 3 units
      ETHS 4250 California Ethnic Experience, 3 units
      GEOG 3350 Geography of the Great Central Valley, 3 units
      HIST 4010 Practicing Public History, 3 units
      HIST 4720 Modern Atlantic Slavery, 3 units
      SOCL 3700 Sociology of Education, 3 units
   2. Area B: Scientific/Mathematical Inquiry (3 units)
      BIOL 4020 Biology for Decision Making, 3 units
      BIOL 4610 Elements of Environmental Science, 3 units
      CHEM 3090 Chemistry in the Elementary School Classroom, 3 units
      GEOL 3650 Geohazards: The Geological Science of Natural Disasters,
      3 units
      MATH 3040 Insights from Mathematics, 3 units
      PHYS 3200 Heat, Light, and Sound, 3 units
   3. Area C: Humanistic Inquiry (3 units)
      COMM 3400 Oral Interpretation of Children’s Literature, 3 units
      COMM 4020 Communication in the Classroom, 3 units
      ENGL 3009 Writing for Teachers (WP), 3 units
      PHIL 3700 Concepts of Race and Identity in Philosophical Perspective, 3 units
      PHIL 3750 Concepts of Home in Philosophical Perspective, 3 units
      PHIL 3850 Information and Community, 3 units
      PHIL 4420 Philosophy and Education, 3 units
      PHIL 4800 Nature Revisited: Environmental Issues on Philosophical Perspective, 3 units
   4. Area D: Artistic Inquiry (3 units)
      ART 3030 Intermediate Drawing, 3 units
      ART 3820 A Visual Approach to Learning and Teaching, 3 units
      ART 3830 Visual Art and Ecology, 3 units
      ART 3840 The Missions of California, 3 units
      ART 3841 Universal Concepts in Art, 3 units
      ART 3842 Children’s Art and Modernism, 3 units
      ART 4870 World Crafts, 3 units
      MUS 3341 Music for the Classroom Teacher, 3 units
      MUS 3420 Music and the Arts, 3 units
      THEA 4020 Performance for Children, 4 units
5. Concentration (18-22 units)
   A concentration is required. Twelve of the 18-22 units must be upper-division and approved by a concentration adviser. While concentration units may cross count with lower-division General Education and the Liberal Studies major, no concentration units may cross count with upper-division General Education. Twelve units may not cross count with lower-division General Education or major courses. Concentration courses require letter grades of C- or better.

Approved Concentrations: Anthropology English Applied Philosophy Ethnic Studies Art Exceptional Children and Youth Bilingual/Crosscultural: Geography Southeast Asian History Bilingual/Crosscultural: Mathematics Spanish Music Biological Sciences Physical Education Chemistry Physics and Physical Sciences Child Development Sociology Civics Spanish Communication Studies Teaching English to Speakers of Earth Sciences Other Languages (TESOL) Economics Theatre

Concentration curriculum follows the Liberal Studies course descriptions that follow. A list of Liberal Studies Concentration Advisers is available in the Liberal Studies Department and on the Department website.

Learning Objectives
Liberal Studies graduates:

• Make explicit connections between California K-8 Content Standards and Subject Matter knowledge in Liberal Studies major coursework.
• Demonstrate integrative thinking through the development of projects that connect and integrate discipline knowledge across subject matter areas.
• Demonstrate integrative thinking through the development of projects that connect and integrate discipline knowledge across subject matter areas.
• Demonstrate sensitivity to the diverse cultural, linguistic, and learning abilities of students, and understanding of a variety of teaching strategies to effectively teach all learners.
• Demonstrate effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills in a variety of communication contexts.
• Demonstrate critical thinking in analysis and evaluation of research topics relevant to teaching and learning in California public schools.
• Demonstrate educational technologies relevant to teaching and learning.

Click here for Course Descriptions

Click here for Liberal Studies Concentrations