Liberal Arts
Liberal arts
emerged during the most explorative period of 5th century Greece. One of the oldest subjects to be formally taught, it was considered the hallmark of a good education for all free men, thus the term liberal. Liberal arts has since evolved and expanded, enabling humanity to probe the boundaries of literature, language, history, philosophy, mathematics, psychology and the sciences, natural or applied. It gives one the opportunity to combine a large range of disciplines to solve some of the biggest problems faced by society. It challenges the notion of a linear education and is gradually climbing up the education food chain to pit itself against Goliaths like engineering and medicine to prove its relevance to society.
Private institutions like Ashoka University and the Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts have been leading this revolution in the Indian education system. Taking a cue from established liberal arts schools in the West, degree courses in India have adopted a unique course structure. Spread out over four years instead of three, the course splits subjects into major, minor and foundation courses. Core or foundation courses are compulsory and form the building blocks to a good aptitude for learning. They span a wide and all-encompassing range of topics such as critical thinking, literature and the world and mind and behaviour. Like a buffet, students are allowed to choose a specific number of subjects from both major and minor courses and have the option of deciding what their final study course will be after a semester or two. While Jindal School of Liberal Arts gives its students the opportunity to procure a dual degree from Rollins College in the US, Ashoka University runs one of the country’s most coveted leadership programmes called the Young India Fellowship. Although India has had a rather late awakening to this field compared to the rest of the world, it is already on its way to changing the general perception of the arts as subjects of study.