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Academics

Liberal Arts in Action

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Title III Grant

The primary challenge of the MHC Title III initiative is to create a rigorous liberal arts learning environment that 21st Century students will find attractive, stimulating, and meaningful.

    
   

Mission Statement

MHC, an academic community rooted in the Christian faith, challenges and equips students to pursue intellectual, spiritual and personal growth through an education that is

• grounded in a rigorous study of the liberal arts;

• connected with the world of work; and

• committed to character development, service and responsible citizenship in the community, region, and the world.

    
   

“Grounded in a rigorous study of the liberal arts”
What does that mean?

For the ancient Greeks and Romans, the liberal arts were the skills that free peoples needed to govern themselves, e.g., how to think critically, how to speak clearly, and how to build civil relationships for civil society.
For the early European universities, the liberal arts meant gaining competence in the “trivium” (grammar, rhetoric, logic) and the “quadrivium” (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy). Philosophy was seen as feeding and nurturing all of the seven liberal arts.

    

The Liberal Arts in Action Commons explores central human questions:

LAA 111 Challenges: Who are you? What do you want from college? What is a liberal arts education and what learning challenges and opportunities do you have at MHC? Challenges courses have different themes, for which student interest and teacher interest match. All have reading, formal & informal writing, oral presentations, and service-learning experiences. (first year)

LAA 121 Character: What is human nature? What makes good character? How much are we all more alike than we are different? Underneath differences in individual character and cultural differences, how alike are we? What are we like? What makes us tick? How much are we determined by our genes, by our families or culture, by outside forces, and how much freedom do we have? (first year)

LAA 221 Civic Life: How do societies work? What makes a good society? How have human beings across time and cultures organized their lives together? How do geography, religion, politics, athletics, and the arts shape communities? Case studies of different cultures provide context for asking: How does this society work? What makes for a good society? (sophomore year— fall)

LAA 231 Critique-Faith & Reason: How do we know what is real, true, important? How does this tradition wrestle with scientific and religious questions about the nature of reality, knowledge, and value? From the Greeks to the Geeks – this course explores the narrative of “the western tradition”. (sophomore year— spring)

LAA 321 Creativity: What is creativity? How do we nurture it in life and work?
This course explores the creative spark – in process and product across disciplines and cultures, across personality and preferences. What is universal about creativity? How can each person bring creative energy, processes, and products into their lives?. (junior or senior year)

Capstone Requirement: How do we put it all together? Senior seminars, internships (pre-approved) or EST 320 (Ethics, Science & Technology : team-taught by scientist and ethicist, exploring the impact of scientific developments on society, and individual and corporate response.) Written & oral presentations.