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one’s own words through the eyes and ears
of others; to learn proper ways of integrating
and citing the words and thoughts of others
into one’s own work; to do these things
reasonably well in languages and worldviews
other than our own.
It teaches us to set out a case or hypothesis
or argument; to evaluate the rigor of others’
arguments; to find and judge information
in libraries, on the internet, and in other
repositories. It teaches us modes of ascertaining
truth and falsehood; resourcefulness
appropriate to moral and aesthetic judgment;
methods of logical, experimental, scientific,
mathematical and statistical reasoning.
These skills allow us to tackle and solve
increasingly difficult and challenging problems,
appreciate sources of bias and means of
overcoming them, and entertain arguments
from dissonant points of view. They develop in
us a sense of subtlety, depth and complexity.
A liberal arts education sees the cultivation
of these skills not only as an end in itself
but also as a preparation for the pursuit of
knowledge and the other purposes of human
life. The Chinese Book of Changes well
captures a fundamental quality of liberal arts
education when it intimates that knowledge
and practice cannot be mastered until they
have been regarded from different perspectives.
As students of the liberal arts, we cultivate
as fully as possible the legacy of human
thought, imagination, creativity and research;
observe nature; confront and evaluate important
theories that shape our understanding of
the world and how to care for it; figure out
how societies, our own and those of others,
work and can be improved; weigh the costs
and benefits of modern human life to the
General Information
College Graduation Requirements
Students may be graduated upon completion
of 120 semester hours, including the core
curriculum, 40 hours of upper-division work,
the foreign language requirement, and a major
in the college.
Foreign Language Requirements
Students in the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences seeking the degree of bachelor of
Butler University
individual and the planet; seek to grasp and
reduce the sources of human hatred and
conflict; aim to understand and strengthen
what inspires human cooperation; explore
the workings of the human mind and body;
unknot claims of teachers, politicians,
advertisers, scientists, preachers, columnists
and your roommate; ponder history from
the earliest epochs to the unfolding present;
investigate the mechanisms of the cosmos,
from the atom to the stars; delve into the
past experiences of our own and other
societies, as well as the current news; make
ourselves at home in other cultures; make
those from other cultures at home among
ourselves; see the interplay between our
beliefs about the natural world and our
beliefs about religion, politics and culture;
search out purpose, ponder the meaning
of life, scrutinize the human heart, weigh
conscience; discover the sweep of living
systems, from microbes to biomes; learn to
account for ourselves in a moral world that is
neither black nor white; engage in a careful
search for truth; know the ways of money
and the nature of work; wrestle with ideas
about God; fathom the relations between
technology and human life; raise children,
our own and those of others; consider the
well-being of future generations; appreciate
the beauty and uses of mathematics; forge
agreements with loved ones, friends and
enemies; engage ourselves in the principles,
purposes and practice of public life.
As students of the liberal arts, we do these
things as part of a community with venerable
roots; a community still evolving in space
and time; a community of thought,
imagination, value, labor and action.
arts or bachelor of science must demonstrate
competence in a foreign language by earning at
least six hours of credit in one foreign language
at the 200- or 300-level. Foreign language
courses are offered at the 100-level for students
in need of preparation for more advanced study.
Although 100-level courses do not satisfy the
foreign language requirement, they do count
as credit hours toward the degree. All first year
students must take a placement examination.
Further information is available in the
Department of Modern Languages, Literatures
and Cultures. American Sign Language also