College and the Common Good

Why attend a liberal arts college? The traditional purpose of a liberal arts education is the cultivation of virtuous citizens. In this seminar we will identify virtues necessary for democratic citizenship and ask how the arts and sciences can help develop them. We will explore ways in which residence on a liberal arts campus provides opportunity to practice civic virtue, shaping how we think about aspects of college life like distribution requirements, the Honor Code, internships, and financial aid. Finally, we will consider how these virtues prepare us for lifelong investment in the common good by examining the relevance of liberal learning to a range of contemporary social issues.