Apr 23, 2024  
2017-2018 Van Loan Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Van Loan Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a Concentration in Trauma Studies


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Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies is a 42-course, 126-credit degree. It is not designed to overlap with existing degrees but rather to provide qualified students with an academic program that meets their unique needs. Offering students flexibility, independence, and academic rigor, this option provides undergraduate adult learners with the opportunity to draw on the resources of the entire curriculum, across disciplines while building an academic focus in areas they find most important.

Concentration in Trauma Studies

The Trauma Studies Concentration is a 6 course, 18 credit concentration that focuses on issues relevant to individuals working in educational, clinic or social work settings that serve individuals who have experienced trauma. Trauma is unique in that it can be ameliorated or encouraged by social pol- icy, and institutions, as well as individuals. This concentration will give students writing, research and foundational skills in Trauma Studies that they will need to work with veterans, domestic violence victims, refugees, and schools or other work settings that have experienced traumatic events.

This interdisciplinary concentration will focus on the student’s ability to assess risk and engage in critical thinking about trauma and its impact on individuals and society.  The coursework will draw from the fields of Human Services, Psychology, Sociology, Criminal Justice and Politics.

The Concentration in Trauma Studies will be open to all students enrolled in our BA Program in Liberal Studies and our BS Programs in Psychology, Business Management and Criminal Justice. These concentration courses will replace corresponding open elective credit requirements.

Please note: Completion of the courses and program does NOT lead to any type of licensure or certification.

Program of Study


Learning Outcomes


Upon completion of the program, students will:

  • Effectively communicate in writing and through oral communication
  • Demonstrate the critical inquiry and analysis skills needed to engage constructively in intellectual discourse in various disciplines.
  • Recall and apply the basic foundational knowledge of educational studies as delivered through the Baccalaureate Core
  • Articulate the connections and distinctions between and among liberal arts disciplines, and their contemporary relevance.
  • Design, execute, and present a personal project, which synthesizes and applies, selected knowledge, skills and experiences appropriate to the students’ personal and professional goals and/or their chosen area of specialization

In addition to fulfilling the outcomes of the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies program, students completing the concentration in Trauma Studies will:

  • Comprehend how trauma is an individual, political and cultural issue
  • Assess individual and organizational risk by engaging in critical thinking regarding the impact of trauma on individual and society
  • Prepare students to understand the populations that have experienced trauma and to develop programs that better service populations who have experienced trauma
  • Identify and describe research issues relevant to policy and educational issues that prevent trauma
  • Demonstrate the critical thinking, writing, and research skills that are necessary to participate in the trauma studies field

Required Curriculum


World Cultures Course - 3 cr.
Aesthetic Awareness & Creative Expression Course - 3 cr.
Literary Perspectives Course - 3 cr.
Individual and Society Course - 3 cr.
Values & Ethical Reasoning Course - 3 cr.
Science & Technology Course - 3 cr.
Global Issues Course - 3 cr.
Liberal Studies Elective* - 3 cr.
Core Electives - 6 cr. (must be 300 level or higher)
Open Electives - 45 cr. (at least two 300 level or higher)    

Total Number of Credits Required for Concentration - 18 credits


Total Degree Requirements - 126 credits


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