The University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac has outstanding professors, who hold teaching excellence as their highest priority. The University of Wisconsin is a name with recognition ... locally, regionally, nationally, and even internationally. It connotes quality in higher education.

As a UW-Fond du Lac student you can earn the Associate of Arts and Science Degree. This degree encompasses the liberal arts, which are the foundation for many majors and for acquiring a Bachelor's degree.

Bachelor's Degree completion programs are also available in cooperation with several UW four year institutions. UW-Milwaukee, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Stout all offer programs that allow you to earn your Bachelor's Degree entirely on the UW-Fond du Lac campus.

Degree & Certificate Programs Available at UW-Fond du Lac:

• Associate Degree 
• Bachelor's Degree Completion Programs
• Certificate Programs
• Alternative Careers in Teaching (ACT)-science/math teacher certifications

The Value of a Liberal Arts Degree

UW-Fond du Lac faculty and staff  are committed to the importance of communicating the value of a liberal arts education. Many have included statements on the value of a broad education, the connectedness among the various disciplines and the development of critical thinking across the curriculum in their course syllabi. Here are a few of the those statements.

ART (101 & 102, 111, and 175) – John Scotello
As part of a liberal arts education, Art 101 and 102 expose students to a broad spectrum of knowledge about the human experience. To that end, a liberal arts education enhances the skills of communication and critical thinking.

AST 105 – Harald Schenk
Thinking about the Solar System…
In the book HUBBLE WARS, author Eric J. Chaisson refers to studies of a government survey which show that “…nearly 30 percent of adult U.S. citizens think that the SUN REVOLVES AROUND the EARTH”. He points to another study which indicates that…an additional 28 percent do not know that it takes one year for our planet to orbit the Sun”. While these are sad statistics, they can be changed through education. A liberal arts education encourages students to develop a lifelong commitment to inquiry. I hope that the class will kindle your interest in the exciting time that we live in.

BAC 101 – Dan Blankenship
The study of microbiology contributes to the liberal arts and sciences perspective on ways of knowing and ways of viewing and learning about the world around us. Lifelong learning is encouraged as the field of microbiology has much to offer in our understanding of other forms of life and disease production, in general.

BIO 109-lab sections – Scott Tarof
Welcome! Concepts of Biology is a liberal arts and sciences course intended for non-biology majors interested in principles of life. The laboratory component of BIO 109 will introduce students to the practical aspects of concepts including microscopy, cell structure and function, DNA and reproduction, organismal diversity, form and function, human disease, ecology and conservation. Laboratory technique and biology as a process of investigation through “hands-on” discovery learning will be emphasized. Understanding of biological life is an important component of educating the whole individual; achieving this knowledge underlies the learning proficiencies of this course.

COM 131-all sections – Richard Gustin
The Communication and Theatre Arts Department has identified the following lifelong proficiencies from across the liberal arts curriculum which you will develop through participation in this course (in addition to a broader understanding and appreciation of theatrical production:

Clear and Logical Thinking
The ability to…
analyze, synthesize, evaluate and interpret information and ideas
integrate knowledge and experience to arrive at creative solutions
articulate accurately strengths and weaknesses of one’s own work

Effective Communication
The ability to…
work collaboratively as part of a team
understand and communicate with people different from themselves

Aesthetic Response
The ability to…
employ and expand the imagination
engage in creative expression
respond to the natural world and creative expression with knowledge and sensitivity

COM 232 – Richard Gustin
In addition to acquiring a body of knowledge in the field of the art of acting, students’ abilities will also be assessed in the following basic proficiencies which apply across the liberal arts curriculum:
A. Clear and Logical Thinking
To analyze, synthesize, evaluate and interpret information and ideas
To integrate knowledge and experience to arrive at creative solutions
To articulate accurately strengths and weaknesses of one’s own work
B. Effective Communication
To read and listen with comprehension and critical perception
To develop a large and varied vocabulary
To recognize and use a variety of oral communication forms and styles
To work collaboratively as part of a team
To understand and communicate with people different from oneself
To gather information from printed/electronic sources, and observation
To learn independently, stimulating and satisfying intellectual curiosity
C. Aesthetic Response:
To employ and expand the imagination
To engage in creative expression
To respond to the natural world and creative expression with knowledge and sensitivity

ENG 101 – Jim Hutchinson
A liberal arts education will introduce you to a variety of knowledge, concepts and information about the human experience with the aim of preparing you to be responsible, productive citizens who can adjust to the realities of the changing world in which we live. Furthermore, a liberal arts education develops your communicative and critical thinking skills. This course directly involves you in the pursuit of the goals of a liberal education through the thinking you do, the writing you create and the reading you analyze.

ENG 102 – Jim Hutchinson
A liberal arts education will introduce you to a variety of knowledge, concepts and information about the human experience with the aim of preparing you to be responsible, productive citizens who can adjust to the realities of the changing world in which we live. Furthermore, a liberal arts education develops your communicative and critical thinking skills. This course directly involves you in the pursuit of the goals of a liberal education through the thinking you do, the writing you create and the research you undertake.

ENG 272 – Alayne Peterson
We study literature as a way to help us understand ourselves and our collective past, so that we may live better in the present. Literature allows us to engage with difficult issues from diverse areas: sociology, psychology, the sciences, politics, economics, and philosophy in a way that encourages us to ask questions that don’t have ready answers. The purpose of a liberal arts education is to give you as the student the opportunity to think about what it means to live an “examined” life, and literature is just one of the lenses through which you can consider your place in the world.

HIS 101 – Paisley Harris
*This course also fulfills a general education requirement, meaning that it is considered central to a liberal arts education. You may wonder why, especially if you have no particular interest in history, you find yourself in this classroom. One of the goals of a liberal arts program is to produce educated people, not just people trained to do one sort of task. Ask yourself: “Would I rather be well-trained, or well-educated?” This history course can help you become well-educated in several ways. First, it can provide you with a basis of knowledge about how this nation was created. So when you hear judges claim to know what the Founding Fathers wanted, or observe the ongoing debate over the separation of church and state, or wonder why the Midwest is so different from the South or Northeast, you will have a good chance of knowing what is going on. That sort of knowledge is timely, and will help you better understand this country. The second way this course will further your education is by honing your skills of critical thinking and communication. Making sense of history involves analyzing and synthesizing information, learning to read and interpret documents and the historical interpretations of others, imagining a different sort of world, and thinking about the choices people have made, and then, communicating clearly your analysis of these matters. See the Statement on Assessment and Proficiencies for further information on these skills. These skills are timeless, and will serve you well in whatever career you choose.
*Thoughts on the value of this course for the liberal arts are adapted from the thoughts of Dr. Michelle Kuhl, History, UW-Oshkosh, on this topic.

HIS 105 – Lawrence Stewart
In the High Middle Ages levels of education began to rise once again in Europe. Some in power feared education, feeling it could only serve to undermine their power – it is easier to keep people in line if they remain ignorant. In the mid-12th century John of Salisbury defended the value of a liberal arts education in the Metalogicon. “They are called “liberal,” either because the ancients took care of have their children instructed in them; or because their object is to effect man’s liberation, so that, freed from cares, he may devote himself to wisdom. More often than not, they liberate us from cares incompatible with wisdom. They often even free us from worry about (material) necessities, so that the mind may have still greater liberty to apply itself to philosophy.” Daniel D. McGarry translator, copyright 1982. The founders of our nation firmly believed that the republic could only survive with an educated electorate. States established schools and universities as a bulwark for democracy. They might not have agreed with some of the ways John of Salisbury defended a liberal arts education, but they agreed on its necessity for freedom.

HIS 279/WOM 280 – Paisley Harris
One of the goals of a liberal arts program is to produce educated people, not just people trained to do one sort of task. Ask yourself: “Would I rather be well-trained, or well-educated?” This history and women’s studies course can help you become well-educated in several ways. First it can provide you with a basis of knowledge of major developments in: the history of the United States from the perspective of women; changes in the lives of women; contributions of women in US history; and their struggle for basic economic and political rights. This sort of knowledge is timely and will help you better understand this country. The second way this course will further your education is by honing your skills of critical thinking and communication. Making sense of history involves analyzing and synthesizing information, learning to read and interpret documents and the historical interpretations of others, imagining a different sort of world, and thinking about the choices people have made, and then, communicating clearly your analysis of these matters. See the Statement on Assessment and Proficiencies for further information on these skills. These skills are timeless, and will serve you well in whatever career you choose.
*Thoughts on the value of this course for the liberal arts are adapted from the thoughts of Dr. Michelle Kuhl, History, UW-Oshkosh, on this topic.

HIS 296 – Paisley Harris
*One of the goals of a liberal arts program is to produce educated people, not just people trained to do one sort of task. Ask yourself: “Would I rather be well-trained, or well-educated?” This history course can help you become well-educated in several ways. First, it can provide you with a basis of knowledge of major developments in the United States (and world) since the end of WWII. So when you hear politicians make analogies to the Cold War of Vietnam in dealing with current foreign policy decisions, you are in a better position to evaluate these analogies. When you hear discussions of current race relations and issues of civil rights, you have an understanding of what was involved in achieving even basic legal equality. That sort of knowledge is timely, and will help you better understand this country. The second way this course will further your education is by honing your skills of critical thinking and communication. Making sense of history involves analyzing and synthesizing information, learning to read and interpret documents and the historical interpretations of others, imagining a different sort of world, and thinking about the choices people have made, and then, communicating clearly your analysis of these matters. See the Statement on Assessment and Proficiencies for further information on these skills. These skills are timeless, and will serve you well in whatever career you choose.
*Thoughts on the value of this course for the liberal arts are adapted from the thoughts of Dr. Michelle Kuhl, History, UW-Oshkosh, on this topic.

MAT 091 – Paul Sanders
Liberal Arts: In this course you will learn how to make a start on any question or problem, how to attack it effectively and how to learn from the experience. Time and effort spent studying these processes of enquiry are wisely invested because doing so will bring you closer to realizing your full potential for mathematical thinking and problem solving.

Problem solving begins with the solver being STUCK. You will have the opportunity to experience being STUCK, understand that the state of being STUCK is a natural and honorable place to spend time during the problem solving process, and examine and apply methods to become UNSTUCK.

Unsuccessful attempts should not e allowed to produce disappointment. A great deal can be learned from an unsuccessful attempt at a difficult problem than from a question or exercise that can be quickly resolved. We will allow time to reflect on what we have done and how what we have done can influence our next attempt.

Much of the course will be spent on processes rather than skills or answers. While a solution is the ultimate goal, we will also spend time examining false starts, partially digested ideas and incorrect solutions. Elegant solutions such as those found in many tests rarely spring forward immediately. They are more often than not arrived at after a long period of thinking. There is often much modification and changing of understanding along the way.

MAT 105 – Richard Oakland
Mathematics and the Liberal Arts Education. Many students in MAT105 are not particularly fond of mathematics and don’t expect to “use” what they learn here. Few, however, will enter a field of endeavor in which nothing is counted or measured. There may be nothing particularly exciting about doing the counting or measuring, and those tasks often don’t require persons with higher education. Someone, though, usually attempts to use the counts or measurements to gain understanding of the subject matter, and that’s where mathematics enters in. A large part of Algebra deals with functions, particular kinds of relationships between sets of numbers. So developing the right algebraic functions, the ones that correctly model the observations, is almost as essential a task as counting. Beyond that, consider how extraordinary it would be if relationships never changed. To model such changes often requires the use of some Calculus. Although only some of you will continue to study that much mathematics, your instructor intends that all of you in this course will develop skills related to critical thinking and problem solving, that you will learn to observe patterns, and that you will improve your communication skills whenever algebraic symbols may be used. It is hoped that you will not limit yourselves to mere counting and measuring but become problem-solvers.

MAT 110 – Richard Oakland
Mathematics and the Liberal Arts Education. Many students in MAT110 are not particularly fond of mathematics and don’t expect to “use” what they learn here. Few, however, will enter a field of endeavor in which nothing is counted or measured. There may be nothing particularly exciting about doing the counting or measuring, and those tasks often don’t require persons with higher education. Someone, though, usually attempts to use the counts or measurements to gain understanding of the subject matter, and that’s where mathematics enters in. A large part of Algebra deals with functions, particular kinds of relationships between sets of numbers. So developing the right algebraic functions, the ones that correctly model the observations, is almost as essential a task as counting. Beyond that, consider how extraordinary it would be if relationships never changed. To model such changes often requires the use of some Calculus. Although only some of you will continue to study that much mathematics, your instructor intends that all of you in this course will develop skills related to critical thinking and problem solving, that you will learn to observe patterns, and that you will improve your communication skills whenever algebraic symbols may be used. It is hoped that you will not limit yourselves to mere counting and measuring but become problem-solvers.

MUS 072 – Cara Davis
Course Objective: Rehearse to performance level various styles of choral literature. This will be in conjunction with the liberal arts philosophy of preparing the students for life, so each piece will be looked at not only for a musical perspective, but from an historical, social and/or aesthetic perspective.

MUS 075-01 Vocal Ensemble Chamber Singers – Patricia Eby
A liberal arts education exposes students to a broad spectrum of knowledge about the human experience, from contemporary science to literature, music and art. Chamber Singers gives the talented vocal music student an opportunity to sing a variety of literature from all eras, styles and nations of the world, providing a broad spectrum of knowledge about the music and culture of the world. This year musical experiences will include:
• 20th century American with music of Leonard Bernstein
• Holiday and seasonal music from various nations and including the Christmas portion of Handel’s “Messiah” with soloists and orchestra
• Traditional and contemporary music from the Celtic tradition

MUS 075-02 Vocal Ensemble Vocal Jazz – Patricia Eby
A liberal arts education prepares students to be responsible citizens who understand and contribute to the changing world in which they live. Any student participating in Vocal Jazz is developing a sense of a portion of American musical heritage in addition to developing stage presence, self confidence and ability to make decisions “on-the-spot.” The student is also responsible to the group as a whole, both vocally and with punctual attendance and rehearsals and performances.

MUS 171 – Patricia Eby
A liberal arts education encourages students to develop a lifelong commitment to inquiry. A liberal arts education enhances the skills of communication and critical thinking. Music theory, in addition to being identified as a Fine Arts component (FA), helps students to think critically about the compositional theoretical concepts of Western music of the common practice period, and to think about how the choices of organizing musical elements have a communicative affect on the listener.

MUS 181 & 281 – Thomas Patterson
A Liberal Arts Education brings to students a broad spectrum of experiences, challenges them to critically engage the diverse world in which they live, and enhances their ability to communicate effectively. Students of Aural Skills are training to become Music Professionals and need the ability to teach and lead other musicians and students of music. Students in this course will develop skills in ear-training and sight-singing through musical practice of aural and written intervals, sight-singing chord identification, melodic and rhythmic performance and dictation. Significant emphasis will be placed on mastery of sight-singing skills and use of solfegge syllables. Students will demonstrate mastery of interval and chord identification and melodic and rhythmic dictation. Some of the dictation and identification homework will be completed with the Bruce Benward Aural Skills Textbook Website.

MUS 273 – Thomas Patterson
A Liberal Arts Education brings to students a broad spectrum of experiences, challenges them to critically engage the diverse world in which they live, and enhances their ability to communicate effectively. Students will be introduced to the styles and forms of jazz through a study of its history, literature, cultural influences, musical structure, and prominent performers. They will listen and view audio and video recordings and develop the ability to identify and critique jazz styles. In addition students will develop their abilities to articulate their knowledge and observations through written reviews and research projects, class and group discussions, and oral presentations.

PED (all courses) – Lee Watson
At UW Fond du Lac a liberal arts education encourages students to develop a lifelong commitment to inquiry.

PHI 101 – Roger Rigterink
Students often wonder why they need to study philosophy, literature, economics, history, and physics when all they want to do is learn how to be an accountant, a physician, or a music teacher. At first, it does seem that all of these courses are irrelevant to one’s life plans. But think again. A solid liberal arts education can turn out to be the most important thing to happen to you in your life.

First and foremost, a liberal arts education helps you learn how to think (for yourself). With so many opinions out there, it is hard not to choose someone you accept as an authority (your peers, a favorite news channel, one’s parents, the church that you happen to belong to, etc.) and simply accept its opinions as true. The mark of a truly educated person, however, is someone who is capable of sifting through evidence, not falling pray to emotional appeals, and, in the end, deciding for himself or herself what is true and not true. None of this can be done by accident. It takes practice and diligence to think and think for oneself. A liberal arts education gives you both the tools and the practice to decide for oneself what is true or false.

A liberal arts education helps you learn that there is more to life than just the drudgery of work and hedonistic (sensual) pleasure. To begin, your work need not be drudgery – something that you do just so that you have enough money to buy bigger toys. Nor do people who have big toys find life particularly fulfilling. They simply sit there, envious that someone has a bigger, flashier house or houseboat than they do. Really, if that is all there is to life, is that all there is? A liberal arts education teaches you to find ways to make your work creative and fulfilling. When not at work, you are filled with a sense of curiosity, wonder, and joy over the complexity, harmony, and beauty of the world at large. Boredom is not an issue. There are always things that you want to investigate; you appreciate the new things that you always learn.

Odds are with you that you will be happier. Studies show that knowledgeable people have happier lives, more stable marriages, lower rates of mental depression and loneliness.

You will become a resource to your family, your friends, social acquaintances, and society at large. Everyone will have an opportunity to teach. You will be asked to teach your children, your coworkers, your friends. The better educated are, the better job you can do. While you might think, “What do I care about others?” the fact is that, if you do care about others, life will be more rewarding. Social interaction is very fulfilling. And, if you have something to offer others, they will respond with respect and concern for you. Much in line with this, if you are unhappy with the way your government is run or what society at large does, whose fault is this? Doesn’t blame fall upon its members? And, if you have failed to contribute in a positive fashion, hasn’t some of the blame fallen upon you?

In summary, being a well educated person is not something that you should be indifferent about. Gaining a liberal arts education is something that you owe to yourself.

POL 120 – Margaret Curran
This class also contributes to your liberal arts education. The liberal arts, which originated in ancient Greece, were also the foundation of education in medieval Europe. These arts were originally grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, harmony or music (really algebra), and astronomy (really calculus). It was assumed in Plato’s academy and in the medieval university that before one could go on to any specif study such as philosophy, law, or theology, one had to understand some basics of mathematics and language and analytical thought. Although a liberal arts curriculum today includes a wide range of general education courses, the main idea, stated best by Isocrates (a 4th century BC orator), is still to make students eumathesteroi (better learners).1 Academic communities today define betters learners as those who can understand complex, unfamiliar material quickly and respond to it in clear, well-reasoned writing; those who can apply their learning to diverse situations; those who can think analytically as well as creatively; and those who can act ethically and self-reflectively.

PSY 202 and PSY 250– Ruth Holstein
UW-Fond du Lac offers a liberal arts and science curriculum, and students are encouraged to find connections between the concepts, theories, and research findings presented in their classes and their own personal experiences, as well as connections with ideas studied in other classes. Many obvious connections will be found between psychology and biology, education, and sociology courses, but additional connections may also be found with information studied in art, anthropology, chemistry, communications, history, literature, physics, political science, and philosophy courses. The instructor hopes that this psychology course will enhance your experience by helping you to understand yourself and others a bit better and by also providing an enriched perspective for some of the other subjects you may be studying.