June 6-7, 2024
Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA
The Colloquium fosters candid and probing discussions about the purpose of liberal education, the curriculum and practices of liberal education, and how we can intentionally design first year programs and curricula to best further the mission of liberal education. As we address these topics, we will also consider the benefits and strains to faculty and staff in administering these programs, ways to prepare students for this type of education, and cross-campus initiatives. In the spirit of Socratic inquiry, we will think together about a series of questions relevant to curriculum design:
- What is the purpose of liberal education?
- How are liberal education curricula best designed?
- What are the roles of first-year seminars in liberal education?
- What is the role of “transformative texts” in liberal education?
- How are programs sustained in a way that continues to benefit faculty and students?
- What are the benefits and strains of common curricula?
- What cross-campus initiatives best link liberal education to other areas of the student experience?
- How can we initiate and maintain programs to prepare students for the inquiry of liberal education?
- How does liberal education look post-baccalaureate?
This colloquium is by invitation only. For questions, please contact Johannes Karreth (Assistant Dean, Office of Academic Affairs, Ursinus College) at jkarreth@ursinus.edu.
This conference is funded thanks to the generous support of a Teagle Cornerstone Grant.