CONN 195 | The Liberal Arts, The Mystery of Consciousness, and The Future of Knowledge

This course introduces students to the values of a liberal arts education as it has been classically formulated. It contrasts the ideal of a mutually enriching relationship among its principal academic areas (humanities, creative arts, sciences, social sciences) with the current situation in higher education where these areas have become isolated and hierarchically ordered according to their perceived prestige and value to society. With this contrast in mind, we examine recent research relating to the origin and nature of human consciousness in the fields of physics, philosophy, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and indigenous studies, which taken together suggest ways of restoring the original aim of the liberal arts: to educate the whole person so that they may lead a life that is well-lived and richly meaningful.