The seven liberal arts – Picture from the Hortus deliciarum of Herrad von Landsberg (12th century)

The term liberal arts has come to mean studies that are intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills, rather than more specialized occupational, scientific, or artistic skills. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1401x1839, 672 KB) Septem artes liberales from Hortus deliciarium of Herrad von Landsberg (about 1180) File links The following pages link to this file: Liberal arts Medieval philosophy Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Philosophy ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1401x1839, 672 KB) Septem artes liberales from Hortus deliciarium of Herrad von Landsberg (about 1180) File links The following pages link to this file: Liberal arts Medieval philosophy Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Philosophy ... Hell, as illustrated in Hortus deliciarum. ... Personification of knowledge (Greek Επιστημη, Episteme) in Celsus Library in Ephesos, Turkey. ... An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intellect to work, study, reflect, speculate on, or ask and answer questions with regard to a variety of different ideas. ... Skill is human (usually learned) ability to perform actions. ...

The term liberal in liberal arts is from the Latin word liberalis, meaning "appropriate for free men" (social and political elites), and they were contrasted with the servile arts. The liberal arts thus initially represented the kinds of skills and general knowledge needed by the elite echelon of society, whereas the servile arts represented specialized tradesman skills and knowledge needed by persons who were employed by the elite. Look up liberal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism, a political ideology that maximizes individual liberties. ... Alternative meaning: Elite (computer game) In sociology as in general usage, the elite (the elect; sometimes the French form élite is used) refers to a relatively small dominant group within a larger society, which enjoys privileged status and, almost invariantly, exploits individuals of lower social status. ... A tradesman is a skilled manual worker in a particular trade or craft. ...

In the history of education, the seven liberal arts comprised two groups of studies: the trivium and the quadrivium. Studies in the trivium involved grammar, dialectic (logic), and rhetoric; and studies in the quadrivium involved arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy. These liberal arts made up the core curriculum of the medieval universities. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In medieval universities, the trivium comprised the three subjects taught first, grammar, logic, and rhetoric. ... The quadrivium comprised the four subjects taught in medieval universities after the trivium. ... Grammar is the study of rules governing the use of language. ... In classical philosophy, dialectic (Greek: διαλεκτική) is an exchange of propositions (theses) and counter-propositions (antitheses) resulting in a synthesis of the opposing assertions, or at least a qualitative transformation in the direction of the dialogue. ... Logic, from Classical Greek λόγος logos (the word), is the study of the principles and criteria of valid inference and demonstration. ... Rhetoric (from Greek , rhêtôr, orator, teacher) is generally understood to be the art or technique of persuasion through the use of oral or written language; however, this definition of rhetoric has been contested since rhetoric emerged as a field of study in Universities. ... Arithmetic or arithmetics (from the Greek word αριθμός = number) is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple daily counting to advanced science and business calculations. ... Allegory of Music on the Opéra Garnier Music is an art form that involves organised sounds and silence. ... Table of Geometry, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant Astronomy is the science of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earths atmosphere (such as auroras and cosmic background radiation). ... In education, a core curriculum is a curriculum, or course of study, which is deemed central and usually made mandatory for all students of a school or school system. ... The first European medieval institutions generally considered to be universities were established in Italy, France, and England in the late 11th and the 12th centuries for the study of arts, law, medicine, and theology. ...

The scope of the liberal arts has changed with society. It once emphasised the education of elites in the classics; but, with the rise of other humanities during the Age of Enlightenment, the scope and meaning of "liberal arts" expanded to include them. Young people interacting within an ethnically diverse society. ... Classics, particularly within the Western University tradition, when used as a singular noun, means the study of the language, literature, history, art, and other aspects of Greek and Roman culture during the time frame known as classical antiquity. ... The humanities are those academic disciplines which study the human condition using methods that are largely analytic, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences. ... The Age of Enlightenment (French: Siècle des Lumières, German: Aufklärung) refers to the eighteenth century in European and American philosophy, or the longer period including the Age of Reason. ...

In the United States, liberal arts colleges are still a particular kind of higher education institution that are typified by their rejection of more direct vocational education during undergraduate studies. Students at these schools typically have to take a set of general education requirements including natural science, social science, political science, history, writing/literature, math, and art/music.^{[citation needed]} Following completion of their undergraduate studies at liberal arts colleges, graduates often do obtain specialized training by going to other institutions, such as professional schools (for instance, in business, law, medicine, or theology) or graduate schools. A liberal arts college is an institution of higher education found in the United States, offering programs in the liberal arts at the post-secondary level. ... A blacksmith is a traditional trade. ... The lunar farside as seen from Apollo 11 Natural science is the rational study of the universe via rules or laws of natural order. ... The social sciences are groups of academic disciplines that study the human aspects of the world. ... Political science is the field of the social sciences concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. ... Scribe Writing Writing, in its most common sense, is the preservation and the preserved text on a medium, with the use of signs or symbols. ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... A profession is a specialized work function within society, generally performed by a professional. ... Wall Street, Manhattan is the location of the New York Stock Exchange and is often used as a symbol for the world of business. ... Lady Justice is a personification of the law. ... medicines, see medication and pharmacology. ... Theology (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογια, logia, words, sayings, or discourse) is reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... A graduate school or grad school is a school that awards advanced degrees, with the general requirement that students must have earned an undergraduate (bachelors) degree. ...

In modern academia, the Arts are usually grouped with or a subset of the Humanities. Some subjects in the Humanities are history, linguistics, literature, and philosophy. The humanities are those academic disciplines which study the human condition using methods that are largely analytic, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences. ... History studies the past in human terms. ... Linguistics is the scientific study of language. ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... This article is 58 kilobytes or more in size. ...

While non-existent in the traditional liberal arts, but common among many contemporary American undergraduate liberal arts curricula, are such topics as theatre, painting, fashion design, women's studies, gender studies, pedagogy, journalism, business, physics (as separate from astronomy), chemistry, biology, geology, agriculture, medicine, physiology, dentistry, pharmacology, engineering, computer science. Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... For building painting, see painter and decorator. ... Fashion design is the applied art dedicated to the design of clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Gender studies is a theoretical work in the social sciences or humanities that focuses on issues of sex and gender in language and society, and often addresses related issues including racial and ethnic oppression, postcolonial societies, and globalization. ... Pedagogy, the art or science of being a teacher, generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction[1]. The word comes from the Ancient Greek παιδαγωγέω (paidagōgeō; from παῖς (child) and ἄγω (lead)): literally, to lead the child”. In Ancient Greece, παιδαγωγός was (usually) a slave who supervised the education... Journalism is a discipline of writing. ... Wall Street, Manhattan is the location of the New York Stock Exchange and is often used as a symbol for the world of business. ... Physics (Greek: (phúsis), nature and (phusiké), knowledge of nature) is the science concerned with the fundamental laws of the universe and their precise formulation in a mathematical framework. ... Chemistry - the study of atoms, made of nuclei (center particles) and electrons (outer particles), and the structures they form. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... medicines, see medication and pharmacology. ... Leonardo da Vincis Vitruvian Man, an important early achievement in the study of physiology. ... A Dentist and Dental Assistant perform surgery on a patient. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon (φάρμακον) meaning drug, and logos (λόγος) meaning science) is the study of how substances interact with living organisms to produce a change in function. ... Engineering is the design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ... Computer science, or computing science, is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems. ...

Institutions outside the United States that have been inspired by U.S. liberal-arts colleges include International Christian University, which was established after World War II as the first American-style college in Japan, the European College of Liberal Arts in Germany, and Ashesi University in Ghana. In the Netherlands, three liberal arts colleges have been founded over the last decade. This category of higher education does not exist in the United Kingdom, and the term "liberal arts" is very little used in any contemporary context in the UK though the University of Glasgow offers a comprehensive MA Liberal arts degree at its main campus and the Crichton Campus in Dumfries. International Christian University ) is a non-denominational private university located in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan. ... Ashesi University is a private, secular, liberal arts college located in Accra, Ghana, that opened in March of 2002, founded by Patrick Awuah, a graduate of Swarthmore College and Haas School of Business. ...

While the concept is rarely expressed in Australia, it is presently becoming more influential in Melbourne. In that city, Victoria University now offers a two year "Diploma of Liberal Arts". Additionally, the University of Melbourne is becoming a US style graduate school, offering generalist undergraduate degrees similar to a liberal arts degree in the US. The City of Melbournes coat of arms The central business district of Melbourne, viewed from the north Alternate meanings: Melbourne (disambiguation) Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia, with a population of 52,117 in the Central... Victoria University (formerly known as the Victoria University of Technology), located in Melbourne, Australia, is one of the five dual-sector universities in Australia offering both Higher Education and Technical and Further Education courses. ... The Old Quad Building, formerly Old Law The University of Melbourne, located in Melbourne, Victoria, is the second oldest university in Australia, and the oldest in Victoria. ...

See also

• The Arts
• Dante's Divine Comedy and Convivio where he drew a connection between the liberal arts and the seven astrological planets.
• Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

The arts is a broad subdivision of culture, composed of many expressive disciplines. ... DANTE is also a digital audio network. ... Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, in Michelinos fresco. ... Convivio is a work written by Dante Alighieri roughly in a ten year period between 1294 and 1307. ... An astrological chart (or horoscope) _ Y2K Chart — This particular chart is calculated for January 1, 2000 at 12:01:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time in New York City, New York, USA. (Longitude: 074W0023 - Latitude: 40N4251) Astrology (from Greek: αστρολ&#959... The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (sometimes MALS) Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) and Master of Liberal Studies (MLS) are postgraduate degrees. ...

Further reading

• Charles Blaich, Anne Bost, Ed Chan, and Richard Lynch. Defining Liberal Arts Education. Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts, 2004.
• Friedlander, Jack. Measuring the Benefits of Liberal Arts Education in Washington's Community Colleges. Los Angeles: Center for the Study of Community Colleges, 1982a. (ED 217 918)
• Blanshard, Brand. The Uses of a Liberal Education: And Other Talks to Students. (Open Court, 1973. ISBN 0-8126-9429-5)
• Wriston, Hénry M. The Nature of a Liberal College. Lawrence University Press, 1937.
• Joseph, Sister Miriam. The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric. Paul Dry Books Inc, 2002.
• Winterer, Caroline. "The Culture of Classicism: Ancient Greece and Rome in American Intellectual Life, 1780-1910." Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.

External links

• Philosophy of Liberal Education
• Liberal Arts at the Community College
• A Descriptive Analysis of the Community College Liberal Arts Curriculum
• The Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts
• Academic Commons
• CatholiCity: Catholic Encyclopedia
• CollegeNews.org: News from America's Leading Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities