Curriculum

The College of Liberal Studies (CLS) is the only one among the 15 schools in SNU that offers students the freedom of choosing any mojor they want across arts and science disciplines (except for a few professional programs), regardless of their educational backgrounds. The choices span over 60 majors, but for students whose interests are not represented by an existing field of study, an option of creating a self-designed major is available as well. CLS also provides a series of interdisciplinary courses and seminars uniquely designed to help students explore various disciplines.

Selected Topics Seminar 1

This seminar offers lectures and discussions on selected topics by a team of faculty members to assist students in formulating comprehensive perspectives for an integrated analysis of the topics, encompassing the fields of liberal arts and sciences. The purpose of this seminar is to mae students familiar with the diverse approaches and methods of different disciplines.

Selected Topics Seminar 2

This seminar offers students an experience of reading and writing on selected major topics of different disciplines. The course goal is to develop creative thinking through group discussions of the reading materials, as well as developing research questions, and formulating possible answers. The instructor will provide an intensive guidance for improving students’ writing skills by commenting on a series of students’ essays on assigned topics.

Selected Topics Seminar 3

This seminar includes readings, lectures and discussions in English or another foreign language on selected topics of different disciplines.

Selected Topics Seminar 4

This seminar encourages students to explore in depth a major topic, while learning in a practical way the essentials of research methodology. It aims to develop students’ creativity and research skills by offering a chance to plan and perform one’s own research project under the guidance of an instructor.

Classics Seminar 1

This course is designed for third- and fourth-year students who major in various disciplines, and aims to nurture the students’ ability of critical thinking and problem solving through reading and discussion of ancient and modern Western classics in humanities, social sciences, natural philosophy, and natural sciences. While reading and discussing the classics together with students who have different academic backgrounds, the students have a chance not only to improve their knowledge of the classics, but also to encounter different perspectives and approaches from other disciplines which they are not familiar with. Moreover, while crossing disciplinary boundaries in the discussion with other students, the students may have a chance to explore the fundamental issues raised in the classics from various perspectives, and to improve their capability of creative, inter-disciplinary thinking. Finally, while reading and discussing the classics, the students may develop their own questions, and to solve these questions in their own way.

Classics Seminar 2

This course, which is consecutive to Classics Seminar 1, is designed for third- and fourth-year students who major in various disciplines, and aims to enhance the students’ ability of critical thinking and problem solving through reading and discussion of 19th and 20th century Western classics in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Contrary to Classics Seminar 1, which focuses on the ancient and modern Western classics, this course focuses on 19th and 20th century Western classics, which have a closer relationship with contemporary society, and thereby aims to provide students with an opportunity to reflect on their own life and reality. While reading and discussing the classics together, the students may understand other students’ perspectives, arguments, and interpretations in order to improve their capability of creative reading, logical/critical thinking, and presentatio Finally, while doing a team project with other students, the students may also develop social and communicatio skills.

Individual Course Design 1

This course is designed to enable students to review the history of modern universities and different academic disciplines, and their approaches in order to help them identify or develop their own major, and understand what it means to major in a field of study at university in the 21st century. Lectures and workshops will be organized to help the students understand the historic formation and development of university and higher education in the East and West, the changes in role and function of university, the past, present and future of major disciplines and their branches. It will also focus on the dynamics of fusion, composition, and integration of fields of knowledge, so that they can make informed choices and designs regarding their fields of study and career paths.

Individual Course Design 2

This course focuses on individual interview sessions with an instructor, who will help the students learn about the different approaches of the disciplines they consider majoring in, and explore the career paths open to them in the future. This course is a requirement for those who want to start a Student-Designed Major. However, the course is also highly recommended for those who are planning to choose their fields of study from existing majors, but need help in discovering their aptitudes and potentials.

Community Service-based Learning

This course provides students with opportunities of exp eriential learning through participation in the activities at service-oriented, nongovernmental and public organizations.

Global Experiential Learning

This course facilitates students’ activities that cultivate a global outlook, and encourage leadership development through internships at international organizations.

Independent Research 1/2

Capstone Design

This course offers students an opportunity to review the cumulative record of their undergraduate study experiences. Students should complete outputs of any forms such as paper, thesis, or a prototype product of one’s own design. The instructions include the basic theories and techniques for problem solving, and students are expected to exercise them during practice hour. The course will furthermore focus on increasing cooperation and writing ability.

Creative Fusion Seminar

This course aims to give junior or senior students an opportunity to experience creative fusion research by interdisciplinary approaches. The students who are studying their own majors in various disciplines come together to find new research topics, discuss methods, and write an interdisciplinary research proposal together. During these activities, the students work as a group, which will eventually present preliminary research results at the end of the term. From this course, the students will develop experiences of group creativity for solving multi- dimensional challenges and interdisciplinary approaches to complex problems.

Creative Fusion Project

This course is designed to give students opportunities to obtain substantial benefits from interdisciplinary team research efforts. The students may do joint research, which was conducted during the previous semester, by groups or teams, or explore another research topic and method, and study together in the spirit of fellowship to discover something new. All in all, from this course the students are expected to learn how to do creative team research and develop problem-solving abilities through interdisciplinary approaches.

Advanced Topics Seminar 1,2,3

This course purposes to provide junior and senior students of the College of Liberal Studies with an opportunity to examine and discuss advanced topics with other students who have different majors, and thereby to help them to converge various perspectives. The topics will include not only traditional issues in the fields of humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, but also some recent issues in the fields of culture, arts, and engineering. Requiring students to have a team project or team research, this course would contribute to improving students’capabilities of creative thinking, problem solving, converging, self-initiated learning, and cooperating.

Advanced Topics Project 1,2

This course purposes to provide junior and senior students of the College of Liberal Studies with an opportunity to conduct research projects, social service projects, problem solving projects, and many other field-related projects together with other students who have different majors, and thereby to help them to converge various perspectives. Especially, this course purposes to provide them with an opportunity to translate, or to apply, the ideas they learned in the classroom into reality. In doing so, this course would contribute to improving students’capabilities of creative thinking, problem solving, converging, self-initiated learning, and cooperating.