Globalization.
Along with worldwide access to information has come the internationalization
of every aspect of life. The products we buy, the entertainment
we enjoy, and even the values we hold can come from anywhere in
the world. The educated person must therefore be at home in
many different cultures.
Rapid Change.
In this kind of world, change will be the norm rather than the exception.
The educated person must be adaptable, ready to change jobs and
even careers if the need arises. Being trained for a particular
job - however much in demand that job may be at the time you graduate
- will not serve you well over a lifetime. What you need are
skills that are transferable from one job to another, abilities
that will allow you to adapt to changing circumstances.
Liberal Education.
The best education for the twenty-first century is an education
which focuses on developing those abilities which enable you to
think for yourself. The classical meaning of a "liberal education"
is one that liberates students' minds from the constraints of ignorance
and prejudice, activates their innate capacity for knowing and judging,
and gives them a larger vision of the world in which they live.
By focusing on the abilities which give a person greater independence
of mind and an enlarged sense of responsibility, we are reaffirming
the original purpose of a liberal education. We have reconceived
these abilities to fit the needs of the present day, while retaining
their central place in the Millsaps education.
Every course you take in the core
curriculum will affect your thinking in some important way.
These courses will enhance your capacity to deal with complex
ideas and to communicate those ideas to others. They will
empower you to be a more independent thinker, a more self-aware
and self-directed learner. The core curriculum will also open up
possibilities you may not have previously considered. It may even
influence your choice of a major. Yet whatever major you choose,
you will be better prepared for having completed the core.
Most of the Millsaps core is concentrated
in the first two years so you can develop the skills that you will
need to succeed in your major. The final piece of the core, however,
is reserved for the senior year. You will take a course in your
last year that relates the work of your major to the goals of a
liberal education. It may be the senior seminar in your major or
an interdisciplinary course specifically designed for this purpose,
but either way you will be challenged to reflect upon your Millsaps
education and to integrate what you have learned throughout your
college years. You will see how your education has prepared you
for life in the twenty-first century.
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Page: Liberal Arts Abilities
