Catalog of Courses for Liberal Arts Seminars
Special Topics in the Liberal Arts.
These classes cover a range of topics related to the liberal arts and sciences. See https://college.as.virginia.edu/LASE_ELA for class descriptions.
LASE 1520 courses are 1-credit Echols-only seminars capped at 20 first-year students, all of whom are assigned to the instructor as advisees. They are topically focused on an area identified by the faculty member; they also include a significant advising component centered on undergraduate issues (e.g., choosing a major, study abroad opportunities, undergraduate research, etc.).
This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in Liberal Arts semi1nars.
An introduction to the philosophy and mechanics of the Honor System, with a focus on the concepts of ethics and integrity within the context of both the Honor System/Committee and the broader University community.
History of Mr. Jefferson's University
This course supports Arts and Sciences students in strengthening academic habits, reflecting on their experiences, and navigating the College. Through advising meetings, skill-based modules, and engagement with resources, students build strategies for success, clarify goals, and make informed decisions about their academic path.
An exploration of habits of mind and practical strategies that can immediately apply to any other course a student takes at the University, making it a strategic complement to course enrollment. Course topics include the science of learning, metacognition, learning and time management strategies, procrastination, and more
Launchpad (https://launchpad.virginia.edu/) combines course- and project-based skills training with a focus on the pragmatic ways that liberal arts education prepares students for fulfilling careers. In addition to team-based internships, students will cover topics like design thinking, leadership and collaboration, and the value and application of critical inquiry in the world of work.
These classes cover a range of topics related to the liberal arts and sciences. See https://college.as.virginia.edu/LASE_ELA for class descriptions.
UVA Catalyst combines course- and project-based skills training with a focus on preparing Arts and Sciences students to translate their education into purposeful work after graduation. Skills Accelerator courses cover topics including relevant technical skills. For more details, see https://catalyst.as.virginia.edu.
This course examines the possibilities and perils of working with artificial intelligence across disciplines. Students develop practical AI literacy through discussion and project-based work that emphasizes critical evaluation, ethics, responsible use, and the social and intellectual implications of AI systems. Students explore how AI tools are reshaping discovery, creative and analytical workflows, and education --- and consider what those changes mean for their fields and future learning.
This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in Liberal Arts Seminars.
Residential Seminars bring interdisciplinary inquiry into first-year residence halls. Typically led by the hall's Academic Advising Dean, these seminars foster intellectual community in student residential spaces through critical engagement with contemporary issues. Instructor permission only.
This course, designed for new transfer students in the College, provides a broad introduction to the College and the university. Students will familiarize themselves with resources on Grounds, policies and procedures, relevant student information platforms, and opportunities for study abroad and undergraduate research. Moreover, the course allows students to explore various academic success strategies and scholarship on transfer students and their experiences in higher education.
Students in this course facilitate the small group portion of LASE 1510. Prerequisite: Instructor permission and training as an Honor support officer.
Skills of Scholarship is a three-credit course designed to help you expand your critical thinking skills, including building your awareness of the process of observing, analyzing, and reasoning. This course will strengthen your ability to evaluate arguments, read critically, manage academic goals, and communicate effectively in written and spoken form. Prerequisites: LASE 2110 and LASE 3110.
This course explores what it means to work as a human in our contemporary economy. On our way to understanding the job market as a liberal arts major, we will explore some of the deeper issues that arise from contemporary demands that result in predictable dilemmas for humans. The goal of the course is to think both pragmatically and theoretically about what it means to be a worker.
This course is for third- and fourth-years who enjoy writing, have had some success as writers (in classes or in extracurricular activities), and think they might like to pursue a career in which writing features prominently. Students will learn marketable skills, including fact-checking, copyediting, abridging, and adapting; they will create job-seeking written materials, including a résumé, and write in a wide range of real-world genres.
A community engagement curriculum refers to teaching, scholarship & learning that connects faculty, students, & the community in mutually beneficial collaborations. Community engagement improves students' content knowledge, critical thinking, career choice, cultural competency, leadership, & commitment to social change. These classes complement & build on existing course offerings and offer an opportunity to move beyond the classroom.
These classes cover a range of topics related to the liberal arts and sciences. See https://college.as.virginia.edu/LASE_ELA for class descriptions.
This course provides the opportunity to explore a range of topics in the liberal arts and sciences.
This course focuses on developing and understanding the complex skills that it takes to lead, to collaborate as part of a team, to build coalitions, and to convince other people of your viewpoints. These abilities depend on a sophisticated understanding of difference, a reflexive understanding of the self, and the cultivated skills of emotional intelligence, empathy, persuasive communication, ethical reasoning, and more.
"Critical thinking" is one of the most cited outcomes of an Arts and Sciences (A&S) education, and one with substantial real-world impact in employment and beyond--but it is often unclear exactly what the term means. This course challenges students not just to develop and refine the broad range of conceptual abilities that make up this simple term, but also to use and communicate those abilities effectively outside the academy.
The capstone course is a practicum where students will complete and present a synthesis of their work in Catalyst and at UVA. This will take the form of a curated professional portfolio that students will manage on a domain they own and that will travel with them after graduation. Students will draw together the results of their ongoing work towards a plan of action.
This course provides the opportunity to explore a range of topics in the liberal arts.