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1701 North State Street Jackson, MS 39210-0001 (800)352-1050 (601)974-1000
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Information Revolution
Globalization
Along with worldwide access to information has come the internationalization of every aspect of life. The products we buy, the entertainment we enjoy, and even the values we hold can come from anywhere in the world. The educated person must therefore be at home in many different cultures.
Rapid Change
In this kind of world, change will be the norm rather than the exception. The educated person must be adaptable, ready to change jobs and even careers if the need arises. Being trained for a particular job - however much in demand that job may be at the time you graduate - will not serve you well over a lifetime. What you need are skills that are transferable from one job to another, abilities that will allow you to adapt to changing circumstances.
Liberal Education
The best education for the twenty-first century is an education which focuses on developing those abilities which enable you to think for yourself. The classical meaning of a "liberal education" is one that liberates students' minds from the constraints of ignorance and prejudice, activates their innate capacity for knowing and judging, and gives them a larger vision of the world in which they live. By focusing on the abilities which give a person greater independence of mind and an enlarged sense of responsibility, we are reaffirming the original purpose of a liberal education. We have reconceived these abilities to fit the needs of the present day, while retaining their central place in the Millsaps education.
Every course you take in the Core Curriculum will affect your thinking in some important way. These courses will enhance your capacity to deal with complex ideas and to communicate those ideas to others. They will empower you to be a more independent thinker, a more self-aware and self-directed learner. The Core Curriculum will also open up possibilities you may not have previously considered. It may even influence your choice of a major. Yet whatever major you choose, you will be better prepared for having completed the Core.
Most of the Millsaps Core is concentrated in the first two years so you can develop the skills that you will need to succeed in your major. The final piece of the Core, however, is reserved for the senior year. You will take a course in your last year that relates the work of your major to the goals of a liberal education. It may be the senior seminar in your major or an interdisciplinary course specifically designed for this purpose, but either way you will be challenged to reflect upon your Millsaps education and to integrate what you have learned throughout your college years. You will see how your education has prepared you for life in the twenty-first century.
Liberal Arts Abilities
The word "liberal" in liberal arts and liberal education means "free." First of all, a liberal education is the education of a free man or woman, of a citizen, an education that gives you the knowledge and, above all, the competencies of thinking and judging necessary to carry out the responsibilities of an adult citizen in an era of change. Secondly, a liberal education is traditionally understood as a process that frees or liberates those who undertake it.
What does it free you from? The limiting chains of ignorance, incompetence, false opinions, illusion, prejudice. What does it free you for? Knowledge and the development of your powers of reflection, judgment, discovery, and vision - powers which allow you to be competent and fully aware in your thinking and acting. Thus, a liberal education not only gives you knowledge but transforms your powers as a person and contributes to your whole life.
We have identified four liberal arts abilities which are considered basic to the kind of education that liberates one's intellect, understanding, and vision:
Reasoning
The ability to analyze and synthesize arguments, to question assumptions, to evaluate evidence, to argue positions, to draw conclusions, and to raise new questions; varieties of reasoning include:
Communication
The ability to express ideas, arguments, and information coherently and persuasively orally and in writing.
Historical Consciousness
The ability to understand the achievements, problems, and perspectives of the past and to recognize their influence upon the course of events.
Social & Cultural Awareness
The ability to engage perspectives other than one's own.
Deceptively simple, these four definitions cover a remarkable range of human inquiry. The liberal arts abilities and the fields of study that teach them are not independent but interconnected; they work together to enable us to reach a truer grasp of experience in all its complexity.
Core Requirements
Dr. Bill Storey discusses how to choose Core classes.
To complete the Core Curriculum, you will be required to take the following ten courses:
You will have many different topics to choose from in fulfilling these Core requirements. Each semester you will receive a list of topics together with descriptions of the courses that go with those topics. In consultation with your faculty advisor, you will choose the courses that best meet your needs and interests.
Beyond the Core
Fine Arts Requirement
The Fine Arts are integral to a liberal education because of what they contribute to a student's ability to understand and appreciate the creative work of others and what they do to enhance a student's own creative expression. For this reason all Millsaps students are required to include fine arts in their course of study. You may meet this requirement through Core 2-5 by taking Heritage or a topics course with a fine arts focus. You may also satisfy the fine arts requirement with a course in art, music or theatre or by participating in a musical or theatrical performance organization such as Singers or Players.
Writing Requirement
In order to graduate from Millsaps College you must demonstrate writing proficiency by compiling a portfolio of your writing beginning in the freshman year and continuing through the sophomore year. Most of the papers for this portfolio will come from Core courses and they will be assessed by the instructor assigning the writing. The complete portfolio will be reviewed at the end of the sophomore year by the Director of the Writing Program to determine if it meets the writing requirement.
You are expected to satisfy this requirement before registering for the second semester of your junior year. If at any point along the way your work is judged deficient, you will be advised how to correct the deficiencies. You may be encouraged to make greater use of the Writing Center, or asked to revise papers previously submitted, or required to take a special course in composition. In any case you will not be permitted to enroll for Core 10 until you have met this requirement.
All transfer students are required to take IDST1050 and submit seven papers to the writing portfolio by the end of the second semester at Millsaps. Each transfer student must take one Core topics course at Millsaps.
Other Requirements
Bachelor of Arts
In order to earn a B.A. degree, you must complete the foreign language requirement with the equivalent of three courses through the intermediate level. Languages offered at Millsaps include modern languages - French, German and Spanish - and classical languages - Latin and Greek. If you plan to continue a language begun in high school, you must take a placement test to determine the proper level at which to begin your language study at Millsaps. With good preparation a student can place out of the first year of a language or meet the language requirement entirely by demonstrating proficiency at the intermediate level.
Bachelor of Science
In order to earn a B.S. degree, you must complete the first course in analytical geometry and calculus. You must also take four additional courses in science and mathematics beyond the core requirements. At least two of these courses must be lab courses.
Bachelor of Business Administration
If you plan to pursue a B.B.A. degree, you should take college algebra and survey of calculus or a higher level mathematics sequence before beginning your course work in the Else School of Management. In order to earn a B.B.A. degree, you must complete the business core and a major in either administration or accounting.
For more information on degree requirements, see the "Curriculum" section of the College Catalog.
Other Opportunities
Honors
You may apply for the Honors Program in the fall of your junior year. Honors is a three-semester program open to students with a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or better. From the spring of the junior year through the fall of the senior year, students admitted to the Honors Program pursue a research project of their choice under the direction of a Millsaps faculty member. The outcome of this research, a written theses, is presented to a panel of faculty members for approval at the conclusion of the fall semester of the senior year. The following spring honors students who have successfully defended their thesis come together for an interdisciplinary colloquium on a topic of broad intellectual interest. Students who complete all three semesters of the Honors Program satisfactorily graduate with honors.
International Study
You will find your view of the world greatly expanded by the Millsaps Core Curriculum with its global perspective. So you may want to further enhance your education through study abroad - either in the summer or the regular academic year. Millsaps offers international programs in many locations, including Mexico, Cost Rica, London, Paris, Rome, Greece, Munich and Prague.
Internships
You will also have opportunities to explore your career interests while you are here. One way you may do so is through internships with local businesses, government agencies, art museums, clinics, or service organizations. These internships are available for credit beginning in your first year and extending through your four years as a student at Millsaps.
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