The Merits of an ILA Degree

Through our educational policy and goals, the Institute program strives to help students achieve the following seven learning outcomes as identified in the 2007 Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education*:

1. integration of learning―the demonstrated ability to connect information from disparate contexts and perspectives;
2. inclination to inquire and lifelong learning―the strong desire to learn, ask questions, and consider new ideas leading to a lifelong pursuit of knowledge;
3. effective reasoning and problem solving―the capacity to make reflective judgments, think critically, and analyze information to solve problems;
4. ethical and moral character―the capacity to understand one’s own ethics and make judgements based on this moral compass, while treating others with fairness and compassion;
5. intercultural effectiveness―the knowledge of cultural practices (both one’s own and others), social skills for functioning effectively in diverse group settings, flexibility in thinking, and openness to new ideas;
6. leadership―the awareness of core values that include a consciousness of self, commitment, collaboration, civility, and citizenship;
7. well-being―the attainment of subjective, psychological, social, and physical well-being, contentment, and happiness together with a sense of purpose in life.

Specifically, after successful completion of our program, an ILA graduate:

1. has a solid understanding of Japan that is based on knowledge from Foundation Courses taken on Japan and Kyoto and which can be applied in international contexts;
2. is able to observe, interpret, and analyze the world using academic and research skills learned in Foundation Courses and Seminars and that have been refined in a specific academic discipline in Concentration Courses and applied to writing an Honors Thesis; and
3. is able to draw from across the humanities and social sciences when confronting and solving real world problems, based on the breadth of introductory, intermediate, and advanced level Concentration Courses taken across the interdisciplinary curriculum.

*King, P.M., Brown, M.K., Lindsay, N.K., Van Hecke, J.R. (2007). “Liberal Arts Student Learning Outcomes: An Integrated Approach,” About Campus, September-October, pp.2-9