Liberal Studies

Stewart Justman, Director

The Liberal Studies Program offers students the opportunity to work in a combination of disciplines within the humanities, including literature, philosophy, and history. The Liberal Studies Program offers options in:

  • General Humanities
  • Asian Studies
  • Religious Studies

In addition, the Program offers a minor in Liberal Studies and South and Southeast Asian Studies.

The Liberal Studies curriculum is designed for the student who seeks a liberal education with emphasis on the humanities. While allowing ample room for electives, the coursework for the LS major focuses on the literary and religious works, cultural records, and ideas that enrich our common inheritance. The aim of the program is to foster critical understanding and appreciation of our inheritance and world through the study and discussion of these texts and traditions. Emphasis in all cases is on critical thinking, close reading of primary sources, analytical writing, and historical understanding. Students who graduate from the program will be prepared to enter various fields in the private and public sectors, pursue further professional training, and be better prepared to meet the demands of citizenship. More information about the program is available at the Liberal Studies Program office in LA 101, (406) 243–2949, or online at www.cas.umt.edu/liberal. For advising assistance contact the humanities advisor in LA 145 or call (406) 243-6082.

Majors in Liberal Studies may not take any course work presented for the major for CR/NCR. Upper–level students transferring into this program should have at least a C average in all credits attempted. The upper-division writing expectation must be met by successfully completing an upper-division writing course from the approved list in the General University Requirements section of this catalog (such as LSH 484).

Undergraduate Degrees Available

Subject Type Option Track
Liberal Studies Bachelor of Arts
Liberal Studies Bachelor of Arts Asian Studies
Liberal Studies Bachelor of Arts General Liberal Studies
Liberal Studies Bachelor of Arts Religious Studies
Liberal Studies Minor

Department Faculty

Professors

  • Paul Dietrich, Professor of Religious Studies and Liberal Studies
  • Stewart Justman
  • Ruth Vanita, Professor

Associate Professors

  • Bradley Clough, Associate Professor of Liberal Studies (Asian Religions)
  • Nathaniel Levtow, Associate Professor (Religious Studies, Biblical Studies)

Adjunct Faculty

  • Beth Hubble, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Women's Studies

Lecturers

  • Mark Hanson, Lecturer of Liberal Studies

Course Descriptions

Liberal Studies

  • LS 202X - Introduction to India

    Credits: 3. Offered alternate years. Same as SSEA 202X This course introduces students to the history, economy, political and legal system, society, culture, religions, and literary and artistic traditions of India, which is the world's largest secular democracy and the birthplace of four major world religions.
    Course Attributes:
    • Indigenous and Global

  • LS 234X - Hindu Religious Traditions

    Credits: 3. Offered spring even-numbered years. Same as AS and LS 365. Critical exploration of selected aspects of Hindu thought, narrative and practice, both in contemporary and historical perspective. Focus primarily on India, but with consideration of Hinduism's transformation and impact beyond South Asia.
    Course Attributes:
    • Indigenous and Global

  • LS 308 - Russian Cinema and Culture

    Credits: 3. Offered alternate years. Same as RUSS 308, ENFM 308, and MCLG 308. Topically arranged introduction to the cinema of Russia and the former Soviet Union, with particular emphasis on contemporary Russian cinema. No knowledge of Russian is necessary.

  • LS 311 - Chinese Folktales

    Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. Same as MCLG 380. The study of the aspirations, desires, loves, fears, moral and aesthetic values of the Chinese people as expressed in their folk literature.

  • LS 315 - Major Hispanic Authors

    Credits: 3. Offered autumn.  Same as MCLG 315.  The intensive study of the life, times, and works of a major Hispanic author.

Liberal Studies & Humanities

  • LSH 102H - Intro to South & S East Asia

    Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. Same as ANTY 102H/SSEA 102H. An introduction to South and Southeast Asian regions, cultures, societies, and histories, with particular emphasis on artistic, religious and literary traditions from prehistory to the present. An overview approach with different materials and emphases.
    Course Attributes:
    • Historical & Cultural Course
    • Indigenous and Global

  • LSH 151L - Humanities:Greeks,Bible,Roman

    Credits: 0 TO 4. Offered autumn. Prereq., eligibility for WRIT 101 (ENEX 101) based on writing placement examination. General survey of the field of Humanities in Western civilization contrasting the Greco–Roman with the Jewish and Christian traditions.
    Course Attributes:
    • Literary & Artistic Stds Crse
    • Writing Course-Intermediate

  • LSH 152L - Humanities: Medieval to Modern

    Credits: 0 TO 4. Offered spring. Prereq., eligibility for WRIT 101 (ENEX 101) based on writing placement examination. General survey of the field of Humanities in Western civilization, from the Middle Ages through modernity.
    Course Attributes:
    • Literary & Artistic Stds Crse
    • Writing Course-Intermediate

  • LSH 161H - Asian Humanities

    Credits: 3. Offered autumn. Coreq., LS 151L or consent of instr. Selective survey of classical South and East Asian perspectives on the humanities. Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are the primary traditions considered.
    Course Attributes:
    • Historical & Cultural Course

  • LSH 291 - Special Topics

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.

  • LSH 292 - Independent Study

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Course material appropriate to the needs and objectives of the individual student.

  • LSH 294 - Seminar/Workshop

    Credits: 1 TO 6. (R–6) Offered intermittently. A review and discussion of current research. Topics vary.

  • LSH 326 - Stories East and West

    Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. A course tracing the influence of Arabic fiction on its western counterpart.

  • LSH 327L - Gender & Sexuality in Eng Fict

    Credits: 3. Offered alternate years. Same as WGS 379L & LIT 379L. Major 20th century novels and short stories written in English in different parts of the world and how these texts explore changing concepts of gender and sexuality.
    Course Attributes:
    • Literary & Artistic Stds Crse

  • LSH 328 - Love in Bombay Cinema

    Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. Examines the representation of romantic love in Bombay cinema, in the context of the representation of many types of love, familial, friendly and devotional.

  • LSH 329 - Fathers & Daughters in Lit

    Credits: 3. Same as WGS 329. Prereq., WRIT 101. Examines how relationships between fathers and daughters have been represented, celebrated and critiqued in literature in the Western world, from antiquity to the present.

  • LSH 342 - Topics Comparative Lit & Rel

    Credits: 3. Offered every second semester. Same as SSEA 342. These courses compare major traditions, texts and trends in two or more world civilizations or cultures. Works of literature and/or philosophy are examined in their historical contexts, and in relation to each other.

  • LSH 351L - Exploring the Humanities

    Credits: 3. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Intensive study of a specific historical period in Western humanities through its seminal literature, with an emphasis on intellectual and ethical paradigms.
    Course Attributes:
    • Literary & Artistic Stds Crse

  • LSH 368 - Shakespeare: Comedy & Tragedy

    Credits: 3. Offered yearly.  An investigation of the differences, but also affinities, between the two fundamental Shakespearean genres.

  • LSH 389E - Placebos: The Power of Words

    Credits: 3. Situated at the crossroads of medicine and the humanities, this course looks into the changing reputation of the placebo effect, with special attention to the power of words to induce therapeutic—or counter-therapeutic—effects.
    Course Attributes:
    • Ethical & Human Values Course

  • LSH 390 - Undergraduate Research

    Credits: 1 TO 6. (R–6) Offered intermittently. Directed individual research and study appropriate to the back ground and objectives of the student.
    Course Attributes:
    • Research & Creative Schlrshp

  • LSH 391 - Special Topics

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.

  • LSH 392 - Independent Study

    Credits: 1 TO 12. (R–12) Offered intermittently. Course material appropriate to the needs and objectives of the individual student.

  • LSH 398 - Coop Education/Internship

    Credits: 1 TO 6. Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of director.  Extended classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom learning during placements off campus.  Prior approval must be obtained from the faculty supervisor and the Internship Services office. A maximum of 6 credits of Internship (198, 298, 398, 498) may count toward graduation.
    Course Attributes:
    • Internships/Practicums

  • LSH 415 - Same Sex Unions Literature

    Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. Examines the literary representation of same-sex unions in European and Indian literary traditions.

  • LSH 416 - The Bhagavad Gita

    Credits: 3. Offered once every 3 years. Close reading of the Bhagavad Gita in translation, examining its literary, philosophical and religious dimensions, and the way Indian and Western commentators have interpreted and used it.

  • LSH 484 - Novel Ancient and Modern

    Credits: 3. Offered yearly. Two antithetical models for the construction of a novel.
    Course Attributes:
    • Writing Course-Advanced

  • LSH 490 - Undergraduate Research

    Credits: 1 TO 6. (R–6) Offered intermittently. Directed individual research and study appropriate to the background and objectives of the student.
    Course Attributes:
    • Research & Creative Schlrshp

  • LSH 491 - Special Topics

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Experimental  offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.

  • LSH 492 - Independent Study

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Course material appropriate to the needs and objectives of the individual student.

  • LSH 494 - Seminar/Workshop

    Credits: 3. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Concentrated studies in specific genres and periods.

  • LSH 498 - Coop Education/Internship

    Credits: 1 TO 6. Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of director.  Extended classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom learning during placements off campus.  Prior approval must be obtained from the faculty supervisor and the Internship Services office. A maximum of 6 credits of Internship (198, 298, 398, 498) may count toward graduation.
    Course Attributes:
    • Internships/Practicums

Religious Studies

  • RLST 104 - Introduction to the Bible

    Credits: 3. This course offers an introduction to the modern study of the Bible, including both the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament. It assumes no prior knowledge of religion, the Bible, Judaism or Christianity. The goal of the course is to understand the Bible’s literary structures and themes and its ancient historical contexts. It will approach the Bible from comparative, historical, literary, anthropological and archeological perspectives to illuminate the world of its authors.

  • RLST 191 - Special Topics

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R-9) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

  • RLST 198 - Internship

    Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Prereq., consent of faculty supervisor and the Internship Services office. Extended classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom learning during placements off campus. A maximum of 6 credits of Internship (198, 298, 398, 498) may count toward graduation.
    Course Attributes:
    • Internships/Practicums

  • RLST 204H - Intro to the Hebrew Bible

    Credits: 3. An introduction to the history, religion, and literature of ancient Israel and to modern methods in Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) studies. Includes an introduction to the history and religions of ancient West Asia.
    Course Attributes:
    • Historical & Cultural Course

  • RLST 205 - Introduction to New Testament

    Credits: 3. An introduction to the history, religion, and literature of earliest Christianity and to modern methods in New Testament studies. Includes an introduction to the history and religions of the ancient Mediteranean.

  • RLST 221 - Judaism

    Credits: 3. An introduction to Judaism as a religion and to the history of Jewish peoples (in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas) from antiquity to modernity.

  • RLST 225 - Christianity

    Credits: 3. Introduction to the historical development of Christian thought and practice in the cultures of late antiquity and the medieval and the modern periods.

  • RLST 232H - Buddhism

    Credits: 3. A historical introduction to the development of Buddhist thought and practice in the cultures of Asia and the West.
    Course Attributes:
    • Historical & Cultural Course
    • Indigenous and Global

  • RLST 234X - Hindu Religious Traditions

    Credits: 3. Same as SSEA and LS 365. Critical exploration of selected aspects of Hindu thought, narrative and practice, both in contemporary and historical perspective. Focus primarily on India, but with consideration of Hinduism's transformation and impact beyond South Asia.
    Course Attributes:
    • Indigenous and Global

  • RLST 236 - Chinese Religions

    Credits: 3. An exploration of the development of thought and practice in and the interactions between the major religious movements of Chinese religion: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and fold religion/animism.
    Course Attributes:
    • Indigenous and Global

  • RLST 281E - Comparative Ethics

    Credits: 3. An examination of central theological teachings and modes of ethical reasoning of major religious traditions models from the East and West.
    Course Attributes:
    • Ethical & Human Values Course

  • RLST 291 - Special Topics

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R-9) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

  • RLST 300 - Theory & Method Study of Relig

    Credits: 3. A survey of modern theories and methods in the study of religion. Overview of sociological, anthropological, psychological, phenomenological, comparative, cognitive, and other approaches to the question, What is religion?

  • RLST 310 - Topics in Biblical Studies

    Credits: 3. (R-6) Selected topics in modern Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and New Testament studies. Focus on history, literature, and religions of ancient West Asia, the Mediterranean and North Africa. Topics vary from year to year and include: Israelite religion; prophets and prophecy; biblical history and historiography; ancient Gospels; the letters and communities of Paul; early biblical interpretation; archaeology and iconography of ancient religions; religion and politics in the Bible.

  • RLST 320 - Anct Judaism & Early Christnty

    Credits: 3. (R6) Survey of the history and literature of ancient Judaism and early Christianity. Topics include: the emergence of Judaism and Christianity in the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires; religions of ancient West Asia and the Mediterranean; stories of Jewish and Christian origins; the historical Jesus; the early rabbinic movement; the Dead Sea Scrolls; Paul between Judaism and Christianity.  

  • RLST 335 - Western Religious Thought I

    Credits: 3. Selected studies in the intellectual history of western religions, alternating between studies of periods and seminal thinkers. Emphasis will be on the ancient and medieval periods.

  • RLST 336 - Western Religious Thought II

    Credits: 3. Selected studies in the intellectual history of western religions, alternating between studies of periods and seminal thinkers. Emphasis will be on the late medieval and early modern periods.

  • RLST 353 - Topics in South Asia Religions

    Credits: 3. (R-6) This course will examine select topics of central importance with respect to the history of interaction between the major religions (Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism) of South Asia.

  • RLST 354 - Topics in East Asia Religions

    Credits: 3. (R-6) This course will examine select topics of central importance with respect to the history of interaction between the major religions (Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and folk animism and shamanism) of East Asia.

  • RLST 366 - Tibetan Civilization

    Credits: 3. An exploration of the history and culture of a unique civilization that has influenced greatly the cultures of Himalayan, East, and South Asia. Special attention will be given to Tibetan religions, but these will be explored within the context of the society's political, social, economic, and other cultural developments.

  • RLST 368 - Contemporary Buddhism S/SEAsia

    Credits: 3. As with other major religions, modernity and globalization have presented profound challenges to Buddhist traditions.  In this course we will explore various contemporary issues that have affected Theravada Buddhist societies--colonial and post-colonial revivalism, religious nationalism, women's rights and social reform--as case studies in some of the major ways in which religions have confronted modernity.

  • RLST 369 - Contemplative Tradtions Asia

    Credits: 3. An exploration of the rich and diverse approaches to mental transformation and cultivation of gnosis as developed by several of Asia's major religious traditions, such as Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

  • RLST 370 - Mysticism

    Credits: 3. (R-6) An inquiry into the literature and interpretation of mysticism in the major religious traditions. Each offering will focus on a specific tradition or period.

  • RLST 376 - Contemporary Religious Thought

    Credits: 3. (R-6) Study of selected major critical and constructive proposals in modern religious thought in various traditions.

  • RLST 391 - Special Topics

    Credits: 1 TO 12. (R-12) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

  • RLST 392 - Independent Study

    Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Course material appropriate to the needs and objectives of the individual student.

  • RLST 491 - Special Topics

    Credits: 1 TO 12. (R-12) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

  • RLST 492 - Independent Study

    Credits: 1 TO 9. (R-9) Prereq., consent of instr. Work on selected problems by individual students under direct faculty supervision.