Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
On-Campus Course Schedule for Fall 2025

Axial Age Philosophy & Theo

The “Axial Age” from c.1100 BC to 400 BC witnessed the origins of most of the world’s great religions and philosophies from Europe and the Middle East to India and China. Monotheistic, transcendental, and nature religions arose and competed with idealistic, materialistic, and ethical philosophies. Reading their foundational texts of wisdom about God, creation, human nature, the good life, and the civic order will provide a comparative survey of philosophy and theology.

DLS Foundational 1

This course introduces the student to the history, rationale, and focus of graduate Liberal Studies as a doctoral field. It provides a framework for the entering doctoral student in terms of establishing the foundations and interdisciplinary focus of graduate work in the field. There are three stages to the course. (1) It begins with a broad overview of the pre-modern Western tradition, with guest lectures and readings from the classical to the early modern eras, designed to provide historical context for the emergence of modernity in the Western tradition. (2) In the second part, the emphasis shifts to methodology and research as a way of preparing the entering doctoral student for graduate Liberal Studies at Georgetown University. Readings and additional guest lectures help the student develop a fuller sense of how particular disciplines function within the context of interdisciplinary analysis. (3) The final section of the course involves an in-class workshop on research methods and then a final set of round table student presentations on their research topics for the term paper. The research topic will be chosen, in consultation with the professor, so the student can explore some aspect of his/her stated area of interest for the D.L.S

Note: DLS students only.

DLS Foundational 3

Students in the DLS program are joining a centuries-long series of conversations and heated debates concerning the deceptively simple questions that lie at the heart of Liberal Studies, philosophical inquiry, and human values: How do we know? How do we make meaning out of the world and experience? How do we represent reality? How do we interpret reality? How do we form and rewrite traditions of knowledge, language, and power? What does it mean to live a good life? In the third DLS core course, “Reading through Time” students will continue to explore how these questions have been posed and answers have been attempted in pre-modern, modern, and postmodern critical contexts, in which positivist, humanist outlooks upon the world have radically shifted to deconstruction and “posthuman” perspectives. We will explore these questions through a series of paired readings in fiction and critical theory, divided into interrelated thematic units. Our readings will focus on works that question and rewrite master narratives, and explore the nature of subjectivity, the limits of self and others, and history and fiction. At the end of the semester, students will be familiar with some of the major currents in critical theory.

Note: DLS students only.

DLS Qualifying Exam

This section of DLS Qualifying Exam Prep is intended for students who have enrolled in the program primarily on a part-time basis (3-6 credits per semester) and who intend to complete their DLS Qualifying Exam at a similar pace. This section counts as Half-Time Status. Notes: DLS students only. 36 hrs completed. Student provides exam checklist to Asst. Dean by Sept. 15th. Course certifies half-time status Repeatable course Fall and Spring terms with DLS Director approval

Note: DLS students register for this course after completing all 36 credits of coursework. This course must be successfully completed before students can progress to DLS Thesis Proposal and DLS Thesis Writing.

DLS Thesis Proposal

After completing the DLS Qualifying Exams (LSHV 990), students are required to register for DLS Thesis Proposal (LSHV 995) before moving on to DLS Thesis Writing (LSHV 996) the following semester.

Note: DLS students must complete this course before progressing to DLS Thesis Writing.

DLS Thesis Writing

The Doctor of Liberal Studies thesis is expected to demonstrate a level of competence and academic rigor in the field of interdisciplinary studies comparable to, though distinct from, the equivalent level of competence and rigor expected in a Ph.D. thesis in a disciplinary field. Topics are limited to the liberal arts and social sciences and must be approved by the DLS Director. The Doctoral Thesis represents the creative synthesis of primary sources and secondary materials. Students must follow the Graduate Liberal Studies Guidelines for Thesis Writers provided each student upon successful completion of the Qualifying Examination for steps and procedures in the preparation and defense of the Thesis Proposal as well as the submission, defense, and approval of the DLS thesis. The Guidelines are also online, liberalstudies.georgetown.edu/DLS students/resources/thesis. Additionally, the student must follow the “rules” of manuscript preparation according to the methods provided in A Manual for Writers, 8th edition, Kate Turabian, in particular, the choice of one of the two suggested styles for citations.

Note: This is the final step in the DLS thesis process. Students must register for this course in both fall and spring to remain active while writing the doctoral thesis.

History of Witch-Hunts in U.S.

As proposed in the nation’s Declaration of Independence, “government by the people” was built on the premise that the people could be trusted to govern in a free and open society. Underscoring that premise was the belief that such a nation had a special destiny that could only be defeated by internal corruption. The fear of such an “enemy within” arrived with the first settlers and has persisted in the nation’s history in “witch-hunts” once focused on those actually believed to be witches, but that have continued long after we – or at least most of us – have ceased to believe in witches. The ever popular, and often misunderstood, Salem witch trials, will serve as a case study, but the course will begin centuries earlier and continue down to the present time. In each case, common themes will be identified, and lessons drawn, as to causes and effects of witch-hunts that continue to threaten the premises on which the nation was founded.

Note: As proposed in the nation’s Declaration of Independence, “government by the people” was built on the premise that the people could be trusted to govern in a free and open society. Underscoring that premise was the belief that such a nation had a special destiny, which might be threatened by an external enemy, but that could only be defeated by an internal enemy. The fear of such an enemy and related theories arrived with the first settlers and have persisted in the nation’s history in “witch-hunts.” Once focused on those actually believed to be witches, witch-hunts have continued long after we – or at least most of us – have ceased to believe in witches. The ever popular, and often misunderstood, Salem witch trials, will serve as our case study, but the course will begin centuries earlier and continue with examples down to the present time. In each case, common themes will be identified such as the persistence of witch-hunts, lessons drawn as to their causes and effects, and the threats they pose to the nation.

MALS Continuous Reg. (HT)

Note: Continuous Registration must be taken by MALS candidates who have an Incomplete in Thesis Writing. No scheduled classes. Final Thesis approval due date is Nov. 1, 2017. Course certifies 1/2 time status.

MALS Thesis Proposal

During the MALS Thesis Proposal course, students work directly with the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies faculty director to produce an annotated bibliography (including the state of the question and the 20 most important works on the topic) and thesis statement, which prepare students for thesis writing in the subsequent semester. Students are expected to attend all class sessions, meetings with the University librarians for research consultations and any additional meetings determined by the faculty director.

Note: This is the first required course in the MALS thesis process for students who matriculated during or after fall 2019. Students must successfully complete this course before advancing to the final required course, MALS Thesis Writing (LSHV 7991).

MALS Thesis Writing

The MALS Thesis Writing course must be taken upon completion of the MALS Thesis Proposal course (LSHV 800) in the subsequent fall or spring semester and is the final curricular requirement for the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree. In the MALS Thesis Writing course, students will work directly with their appointed thesis mentor to produce a master’s thesis and participate in a thesis defense. Students are expected to work directly with their thesis mentor and library representatives to actively write and produce the thesis argument. At the commencement of the thesis writing semester, students will develop milestones in consultation with the thesis mentor to ensure consistent progress.

Note: This course is required for all MALS students and can only be taken after the completion of all coursework and MALS Thesis Proposal. This is the final MALS course.

Media/Politics of Natl Sec

This course will examine the interaction between the politics, policy, and the press and US national security. LSHV-350 will provide students the opportunity to study recurrent themes in political debates around defense, foreign policy, and security in the United States; the role of public opinion and media in shaping decisions, policy formation and implementation(and as a tool of US security policy); and how new media affects the national security of the United States. The first half of the course (weeks 1–6 approx.) will focus primarily on the political institutions and processes around national defense, foreign, and intelligence policy. The second half of the course (weeks 7-13 approx.) will examine evolution in media, its impact on both the political process and national security. The class will review and discuss the tension and conflict between constitutional, civic, and ethical responsibilities in relation to political ideology and questions of journalistic integrity and professional obligations versus artistic license — all as they relate to US national security.

Sci, Evol, & Impact on Society

Science, Evolution and Impacts on Society In this course, students will focus on the scientific method and analyze scientific research that assesses how evolutionary and environmental factors impact humans and other living organisms today. Students will also learn anatomy and genetics as it relates to the material.

Note: In this course, students will focus on the scientific method and analyze scientific research that assesses how evolutionary and environmental factors impact humans and other living organisms today. Students will also learn anatomy and genetics as it relates to the material.

Soil to Society

Note: This interdisciplinary humanities seminar explores the moral, cultural, and ecological crises rooted in our treatment of land — and the regenerative possibilities that emerge when we listen differently to the Earth. Anchored in the Jesuit tradition of ethical discernment and humanistic inquiry, the course traces the story of soil through philosophy, Indigenous wisdom, agrarian literature, and environmental history. Students will engage texts ranging from Aristotle and Heidegger to Robin Wall Kimmerer and Wendell Berry, alongside voices from Virginia’s Monacan Nation and contemporary scholars of climate and food justice. Through seminar dialogue, weekly writing, and collaborative reflection, participants will confront questions at the heart of human nature: What does how we treat the land say about who we are? And what might a more reciprocal, just relationship with the Earth look like — in thought, in practice, and in community?Field experiences, a visit to the Hoya Harvest Gardens and guest speakers — including local farmers, herbalists, and environmental leaders — will deepen the connection between classroom learning and lived environmental ethics

The GlobalSouth:Pltcs,Lit,Film

This course looks at the geographical, cultural, and political notion of a "Global South" through the lens of literature and film. The term "Global South" is a geographical reference to regions that have large inequalities in living standards, life expectancy, and access to resources. However, should the Global South just be reduced to a metaphor for underdevelopment and poverty? To answer this question, we will explore the ways in which the Global South, especially its politics, is represented and described in literature and film from regions as diverse as the Caribbean, Africa, South Asia, and Oceania. We will examine whether literary and cinematic representations reinforce, transform, or disrupt notions of a developing Global South. In doing so, we will also consider and interrogate the idea of a “developed” Global North.