Saint Michael’s College Statement of Mission affirms the commitment of the College to provide a liberal education in light of the Catholic faith and its tradition. This commitment influences all activities of the College especially its curriculum. Our curriculum is designed to develop virtue and good character in our students, as well as to develop their mental capacities. By including the teaching of Christian ideals and the teaching of the Gospel in the curriculum, the College carries out the tradition of liberal education which has always sought the formation, not only of the intelligent person, but of the good person.

The Saint Michael’s College Liberal Studies Curriculum reflects the mission statement of the College and is consistent with the desire to develop a community of persons striving for personal fulfillment and dedicated to the pursuit of justice for the common good.

The Liberal Studies Curriculum is based on four basic principles.

1. Enhancement of Citizenship
   

   The Liberal Studies courses should prepare students at Saint Michael’s to be responsible citizens in the larger community. Civic excellence requires students to become aware of the civic humanist traditions of the West, as well as the traditions of other cultures. The Saint Michael’s curriculum must empower its women and men to participate constructively in society and its institutions. Citizens of the twenty-first century will be called upon to meet the challenges of an increasingly integrated global community.

2. Appreciation and Cultivation of the Arts and Sciences

   
   Students should develop an understanding and appreciation of the intrinsic value of the liberal arts and sciences. The Liberal Studies courses should promote a respect for the learning process, including an awareness of the various requirements of scholarship in religious studies, philosophy, natural science, mathematics, social science, humanities, and fine arts.

3. Critical Thinking and Communication

   
   The Liberal Studies courses should promote the ability to think critically and to communicate thoughts in a clear and persuasive fashion. Both critical thinking and communication are necessary for the exercise of responsible citizenship, and both are needed to appreciate and participate in the dialogues that occur within the liberal arts, sciences, and fine arts. Critical thinking and communication are not exclusively the province of any particular course or discipline, and they are stressed in all courses in the Saint Michael’s curriculum.

4. The Integration of Human Knowledge

   
   The Liberal Studies courses should establish a foundation of integral values that will help the women and men of Saint Michael’s investigate, evaluate, and respect life in all its diverse manifestations, and assist them in making the personal decisions they will confront throughout their lives. An effort towards integration is expressed in a variety of ways: notably through the structure and arrangement of the Liberal Studies courses, the development of interdisciplinary courses, and the experience of common learning in Liberal Studies courses.

Coordination of Liberal Studies Courses

All Saint Michael’s students are encouraged to discuss with their advisors the Liberal Studies courses which best fit their academic interests. Students should select courses with attention to the intellectual connections inherent in these offerings, and should consider carefully the issues and disciplines that they intend to study. Listed below are two sets of coordinated courses that offer an integrated approach to some liberal studies requirements. These interdisciplinary groupings illustrate how courses can be combined with a specific academic focus.

Peace and Justice

The following courses provide a basis for examination of social justice in the United States:

FS 153 Peace and Justice Seminar: The Search for Genuine Community
HI 103 US History Since 1865 [LSR: Historical Studies]
PO 101 Introduction to Politics [LSR: Social Sciences]
EC 101 Principles of Economics (Macroeconomics) [LSR: Social Sciences]
PH 205 Philosophy of Society [LSR: Philosophy]
RS 236 Christian Social Ethics [LSR: Religious Studies]

Christian Humanism

These courses offer a foundation for the study of the Christian Humanist tradition:

HU 101 Ancient and Medieval Civilization [LSR: Historical Studies/ Literary Studies/ Culture and Civilization]
HU 102 Modern Civilization [LSR: Historical Studies/ Literary Studies/ Culture and Civilization]
PH 103 Introduction to Philosophy [LSR: Philosophy]
PH 201 Philosophy of Human Being [LSR: Philosophy]
RS 130 Varieties of Christianity [LSR: Religious Studies]
RS 224 Understandings of God [LSR: Religious Studies]

Writing Proficiency Requirement

All students at Saint Michael’s College must demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly in written English. The College defines the level of writing proficiency necessary to graduate as the ability to formulate a thesis statement and to validate it in a clear, well-organized essay. This requirement is ordinarily met by demonstration during the first-year seminar. All students at the College take two writing-intensive courses which are intended to develop critical thinking and compositional skills: the first-year seminar and a writing-intensive course in the major. For further information contact Joan Wagner, coordinator, at 802-654-2844.

Second Language Requirement

All students are required to achieve the low-intermediate level of a second-language in order to graduate from the College. 

Fullfillment of this second language requirement may be demonstrated by: 

Students who opt for a) or b) will be asked to take an online language placement test at home early in the summer. Then, during a summer registration day, students will take the written portion of this language placement test.  Further information on the second language requirement is available from the program’s coordinator, Hideko Furukawa, at 802-654-2760.