In the era of social media, where every person has a voice and an audience, it can be difficult to tell what kind of influence people are having. With all-the-time access to information and opportunities to share that info with others, perception is as important as reality.
That’s why it’s so crucial for students in the liberal arts to understand how to perceive and evaluate information well. You will need this skill as you navigate through college and beyond.
A liberal art major is trained to think critically about sources and content. They are not dependent upon one source or idea over another, but rather use several to come to their own conclusions.
This helps them create their own answers and opinions instead of being influenced by someone else’s. It also means they are not necessarily aligned with a party line, but offer alternatives when necessary.
Liberal arts education teaches us to value knowledge and understanding more than anything else. If we as a society could get past the power of money and special interest groups, I believe most would agree that education should be free! But until then, there are ways you can help make sure your tuition is affordable.
Definition of art
Art is making things that are beautiful or meaningful to you, and sharing them with other people.
Art comes in many forms. Some examples include painting, sculpture, music, poetry, fashion, design, culinary creations, and so on.
Some consider writing literature to be an example of art. Writing can be for entertainment (fiction) or education (non-fiction). Both types of writings use language effectively and logically to tell a story or convey a message.
Liberal arts students learn about art from several areas. A basic concept is understanding what makes something artistic is its form. For instance, a still life is considered art because it contains a picture or representation of a object.
Another area is how artists used materials to create their work. Artists usually start with a medium they like and then explore different ways to apply it onto another material or canvas.
Lastly, some liberal arts degrees focus on concepts of aesthetics, which are theories about why certain works of art are more powerful than others.
Definition of culture
The term “culture” comes from the word kulture, which was coined by Johann Gottfried Herder in his book On the Various Stages of Moral Culture (1764). He defined it as “the totality of all useable knowledge that society produces through its literature, art, music, science, and technology.”
In other words, he considered culture to be everything except for material goods — things like food, shelter, and clothing. These are necessary components of human life, but they aren’t knowledge or skills.
Other scholars have modified Herders definition slightly by adding some nuance to what makes up part of the culture. For example, academic disciplines such as math, physics, and biology are not included in herding because they are more fundamental than anything else that constitutes part of our cultural understanding.
However, artistic expressions like painting, sculpture, writing, and performing arts are, and these are important parts of liberal education at every level-from high school to graduate school. In fact, one could make an argument that teaching artists is one of the most important jobs professors have since they play a key role in cultivating students sense of self-expression and creativity.
Another way to look at it is that academics teach us how to think about complex ideas, while artists teach us how to process information via sensory stimuli. Both are integral to healthy development as humans.
Definition of society
The definition of “society” is simply people who associate, communicate, and spend time together. This includes not only individuals, but groups of individuals (such as families).
A group of people that spends time together is called a community. Communities come together to share experiences with each other, which creates strong bonds.
These communities often have common beliefs or values they promote. It is these shared morals that keep members coming back!
Communities vary in size from small groups of close friends to large cities with millions of residents. Some are even online communities where people all over the world can interact and discuss things!
It is important to be aware of your own moral convictions so you know what is right and wrong. But it also helps if you understand the differences between different cultures because those cultures may emphasize different morals.
Definition of government
The definition of “government” is not clearly defined, but we can make an assumption about what it means.
When people use the word “government,” they usually mean two things.
They may want to say that you are paying too much for something, so they refer to you as a consumer of goods produced by large corporations run by wealthy businessmen.
These corporations have enough money to hire lots of lawyers to defend their business practices in court and invest in media advertisements to tell other consumers how good their products are.
This article will talk more about why this type of government is harmful. But for now, just remember that I called it out as such!
The second thing most people when referring to “the government” mean is institutions with big staffs and lots of resources that do important work.
Think about it – every hospital has a staff full of doctors and nurses, police officers have departments that recruit new members, and schools require teachers to be at least college graduates.
All these groups play an integral part in our daily lives and help create future leaders.
Definition of freedom
In our culture, we have come to expect certain freedoms that go beyond what people had living during past generations. These liberties are not limited to politics, but extend into all areas of life including:
Freedom from religion – you can choose which religions to believe in or not believe in
– you can choose which religions to believe in or not believe in Freedom from ethnic groups – you do not need to associate with members of a particular ethnicity
– you do not need to associate with members of a particular ethnicity Freedom from gender roles – you do not need to comply with traditional notions of what it means to be male or female
You get the idea!
These are some very important concepts in liberal arts studies because they emphasize individual autonomy and self-expression. You are free to choose whether to identify as masculine, feminine, or something else completely if that is who you are.
Liberalism teaches us about how to live our lives by emphasizing personal freedom and liberty. It encourages individuals to explore their options and find the best solutions for themselves and others.
Definition of happiness
A lot of people think that being wealthy is what makes you happy. People with lots of money are often described as having their “dream jobs” or living an enjoyable life.
However, a recent study reveals something different about how well someone’s income predicts their level of happiness. The researchers found that even if someone has a very high paying job, it won’t make them feel too good about themselves unless they believe they have not enough money.
They call this feeling “financial inadequacy.” Even though you may earn a ton of cash, you will still be unhappy if you feel like you don’t have enough money to fulfill your personal goals.
This can include things like saving for retirement, buying a house, and supporting charities that help others. It also includes spending time with friends and family, etc.
Definition of respect
When we talk about liberal arts, what we mean by that term is having knowledge from many different fields or disciplines. We’re talking about science, math, history, literature, philosophy, and everything in between. That includes spending time studying art, music, and creative expression.
All these areas have something in common. You don’t just learn things, you actually come to understand how concepts relate to each other. You know why someone might say something before they do so because people are often motivated by reasons related to others.
You also gain an understanding of how ideas influence individual thinking and behavior. This applies not only to politics but also to personal relationships, religions, and philosophies.
With this type of connected learning, you can start to apply what you’ve learned to new situations. For example, if you read a book about motivation, then you’d be able to recognize it when you see it. You would understand its components and how to use them effectively.
There are even studies done on the effects of reading literary works on emotional regulation. This means being able to control your emotions without using too much energy.
Definition of class
In the liberal arts, “class” means something different than it does in other fields. In other words, it has several definitions depending on the field.
In literature, for example, “class” can mean social status or prestige. A character with large amounts of money is often considered to be rich, so that character is usually seen as having high social status. A wealthy person is someone who many people look up to because they have enough money to buy things which make them happy.
Characters with low social status are not like most of the people around them, and this makes their life an interesting one to watch. They must deal with how people view them constantly, and there are lots of opportunities to see how people react. This gives them more depth as characters.
Literature also looks at “class” as something related to education. People with higher educational levels are assumed to know about good things and bad things, and what is considered normal behavior. This brings us back to our first definition: knowledge is important!
Education is another way literary characters show off their class. If you are ever given a lesson, you should try to learn as much as possible from it because you will get better if you do. The teacher wanted everyone to understand the material, so he/she made sure you did.
