Liberal studies in India is relatively young but it is gaining steady acceptance. what is importance of liberal study And why do you think students should opt for it?
Of the skills that are needed to solve the problems of their society, we look at the social and physical sciences that lend themselves to policy making and the creation of techniques and technologies. Liberal studies will teach students to draw upon history, literature, art, cinema and other similar branches of human knowledge and creativity to address the ethical issues a society may face in making its policy and technological choices.
For example, digitization is changing almost everything we are accustomed to, the way we do business, the way governments operate and the way citizens interact with each other. While it has the potential to improve our lives, it also gives rise to new challenges. Digitization and big data are helping us to address issues more effectively and efficiently, while the digital divide is creating deep cracks and inequalities in the opportunities an individual faces. Therefore, in this context, liberal studies is a field that will encourage a student to use digital technology as a tool for creative thinking and also develop an awareness of the challenges posed by digital media. Liberal studies are gaining importance as it is imperative for young adults today to be well prepared to face the challenges that will be thrown by a rapidly changing society and be in a position to provide solutions to those challenges.
The School of Liberal Studies at UPES takes a transdisciplinary learning approach. what does this mean? And do you think there is a need for universities to change the way they approach designing courses for students?
Young adults trained in UPES will be able to identify, formulate and solve problems in the society in which they live. In addition, they will be trained to anticipate problems so that they can be prevented wherever possible. The aim of the school is not merely the pursuit of knowledge. The curriculum promotes awareness and a deeper understanding of the issues faced by the society around them and strives towards this objective by focusing on the importance that individuals have as citizens of the state and society .
All the programs under the UPES School of Liberal Studies will have three distinct parts: a) Classroom Lectures (both theoretical and practical) – which is basically disciplinary training of core subjects
b) Applying what is taught in the classroom to issues living in the neighborhood – this will enable students to connect classroom theory directly to the world around them and to question their existing knowledge. It will also train students in fieldwork and the use of both qualitative and quantitative data. c) Each course ends with a list of open and current questions. This is to encourage students to conduct research towards a deeper understanding of specific aspects of society so that they are in a better position to anticipate and deal with the challenges of the future.
Libertarian studies are said to focus more on ‘how to think’ rather than ‘what to think’. How does it encourage students to be critical and think differently with a creative mindset?
One of the main aspects of liberal studies is that it encourages students to apply their knowledge, thinking, and understanding to a situation, rather than giving them a planned answer to problems. It inculcates the habit among the students to exercise their mind and find solutions. One of the requirements for anticipating problems and, therefore, preventing or mitigating their impact is the ability to create alternative realities of how things may change in the future. If we can’t do that, we’ll always be reacting to problems. We will always be firefighters instead of stopping the fire. The ability to think in the abstract, to understand the relationship between things and to imagine the context in which things will play out, are all brought together through critical thinking. And not only that, imagining alternate realities requires creativity!
The world today needs more problem-solvers for a sustainable society. What training and skills does the next generation need to become global leaders capable of solving real-world problems?
The world is connected and so is the society. What happens at the local level can be magnified globally and what is happening globally can have serious implications for the local people. Therefore, our students must be trained as global citizens; They have to connect with their neighborhood as well as the whole world. Local and global are not mutually exclusive options. Instead, they feed on and influence each other.
Let’s take the problem we are facing today — air quality in Indian cities. This is an environmental issue and a health issue. How does one solve this? It depends on how the city is planned or systematically developed. It depends on the economic activities in and around the city— brick kilns, stubble burning, tree cover, movement of goods and people within the city, development of slums and many other factors. Is it possible for one type of specialization to address the many factors that lead to the problem we face? We need economists, city planners, logistics experts, architects, sociologists and behavioral scientists and then, of course, scientists, engineers and technologists. It is impossible for any person to specialize in all these. Therefore, we need different experts to work together in a team. And, for this, each team member should appreciate the perspectives that other team members bring to the problem discussion. And that’s what we are trying to do at UPES. We are trying to break the silos within which we are training our students.
What can a student learn on his own under Liberal Studies and how will it help him build a successful career?
The things we see around us are the result of interactions between various factors in a complex system. These factors include human behaviour, nature, technology, regulation and norms. A student of liberal studies is trained to understand this system. Therefore, a student graduating from this program can work with business, government and non-profit organizations or civil societies. Careers include journalism, law, politics, economics, social work, behavior management, and public policy. Some may even go for higher studies in a specific specialization.
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Disclaimer: This article has been produced by Times Internet’s Spotlight team on behalf of the UPES School of Liberal Studies.