VIU/North Island BA Partnership Program
General Description
The Liberal Studies Difference
North Island College and Vancouver Island University formed in 1996 a partnership to offer the VIU Liberal Studies BA at the Comox Valley Campus. Students are admitted and pay fees to, and upon completion receive a credential from, Vancouver Island University , but take classes at North Island College. Liberal Studies offers a significant alternative to traditional degrees in a single discipline. It draws its rich content from the humanities, arts and sciences, and treats it in a way which brings out the connections between different disciplines. Courses are team taught by professors from both institutions with a wide range of academic backgrounds; the professors form with students a community intent on maximizing the learning of all. In participatory seminars students develop skills in communication and critical thinking so prized in graduate school and in the professions of tomorrow.
What is Liberal Studies?
• A critical and creative exploration of important issues raised by the most influential works of Western culture.
• A vibrant learning community of students and professors, who investigate together alternative conceptions of the universe and our place in it.
• A forum for active learning which does not rely on the work of so-called experts, but challenges students to develop their own understanding.
• An examination of current realities against the fascinating backdrop of the last three thousand years.
• Education of the whole person, through the promotion of crucial skills in communication (oral and written), teamwork, self-reliance, critical analysis and creative expression - skills at a premium in today's workplace.
Further information about the program can be viewed at www.viu.ca/liberalstudies .
Who Would Want to Take Liberal Studies?
The Liberal Studies Major is not for students who have decided in advance that their educational goal is a career in a single narrow discipline. Even these students, however, have much to gain from the rigorous skill-training and general cultural awareness they will receive by pursuing a Minor in Liberal Studies or by taking some Liberal Studies courses as electives.
The Liberal Studies Major is for you if
• you do not yet want to confine yourself to a traditional discipline, but want a more general education in which the relationships among various disciplines are explored;
• you want to complement your work in a traditional discipline with a broad understanding of its context and relevance;
• your goal is a career in law, public service, architecture, business, art, the media, education or any of a host of alternative where a broad education is recognized as an important asset.
Many possibilities for graduate study will also be open to those who combine a major in Liberal Studies with one in a specialized discipline. Our students have gone on to postgraduate and professional study in law, architecture, public administration, education, marine archaeology, communications, folklore studies, English, history, women's studies, philosophy and so on, usually without having to complete a qualifying year. A certain number proceed to Post-Degree Programs in elementary or secondary education, and many are working in ESL and adult education.
The Liberal Studies Major
The Major in Liberal Studies is based around a series of core and companion courses. The 6-credit core courses involve the analysis of interesting and significant works (in literature, philosophy, theology, science, social science, art and music), and all four courses together ensure a varied and deep exposure to the western cultural tradition from ancient times to the present day. The 3-credit companion courses include laboratories, enquiry seminars, art and music workshops, trips to special events and opportunities for travel-study. They support the understanding, gathered in the core courses, of a particular historical period.
The normal route to a Liberal Studies Major involves entering at the start of third year and taking a pair of Liberal Studies courses each semester over two years (one 6-credit core course and one 3-credit companion course) plus 6 additional Liberal Studies credits.
|
Core Course |
Companion Course |
Senior Project |
Third Year, Fall |
LBST 310 |
LBST 311 |
|
Third Year, Spring |
LBST 320 |
LBST 321 |
|
Fourth Year, Fall |
LBST 410 |
LBST 411 |
LBST 400 |
Fourth Year, Spring |
LBST 420 |
LBST 421 |
LBST 400 (continued) |
Please note: variations on this scheme are possible, as allowed by the degree requirements explained below.
Requirements for a Major if taken at NIC
Students must complete 120 credits in all, fulfil all VIU's Institutional B.A. degree requirements , including the Degree English Requirement but with the exception of the normal Residency Requirement, and take the courses listed below:
Years 1 and 2: Minimum of 24 credits required for entry to core courses; 54 for companion courses. 54 credits including two courses in English recommended.
Years 3 and 4: 42 upper-level credits in Liberal Studies: 24 credits in core courses ( LBST 310, 320, 410, 420); 6 credits in companion courses (from LBST 311, 321, 411, 421); 12 additional credits which may include: LBST 400 (the Senior Project), LBST 311, 321, 411, 421 (the companion courses), and no more than 6 credits from LBST 322, 323, 390, 391, 392, 412, 422, 490 and 491 (taken as part of a Liberal Studies Abroad program - see below).
Note 1: The core and companion courses are all offered at NIC as evening classes during the period from September to April, over two years.
Note 2: All remaining courses required to complete the 120 credits may be taken as electives, provided the Institutional BA Degree Requirements are met. At least 18 of the elective credits should be taken at North Island College .
Note 3: In exceptional circumstances, deviations from the above regulations may be allowed by permission of the Chair of the Liberal Studies Department.
Note 4: Students who complete the specified 42 credits of third- and fourth-year LBST courses, and at least 18 credits in electives from NIC and/or Open Learning, do not have to fulfil the normal VIU BA Residency Requirement.
Liberal Studies Abroad
LBST 322, 323, 390, 391, 392, 412, 422, 490 and 491 are offered in Europe during the summer, as part of the Liberal Studies Abroad program. This opportunity for intensive, on-site study of a particular cultural period and place is extended to students within or outside the Liberal Studies B.A. on a cost-recovery basis. Contact the Chair for further details, or visit www.viu.ca/liberalstudies/lsabroad.asp.
Admission Process
Students must apply for admission to Vancouver Island University (see www.viu.ca/apply/index.asp ) and (as early as possible in the year of intended entry) contact the Chair of the Liberal Studies Department for instructions on how to register in the courses offered at NIC. The current Chair is Mark Blackell: mark.blackell@viu.ca or 250-753-3245, ext. 2173.