The importance of Liberal Arts study
The American University of Paris was founded in 1962 as an American style “liberal arts” college. Why are the liberal arts such a crucial part of the curriculum?
One reason is that democratic societies continue to require persons grounded in the ideals of the liberal arts for the maintenance of social ethics, civic engagement and the habits of proper self-governance. A second reason is that the liberal arts disciplines ask “big” and enduring questions (what is justice? what is the origin of violence? what does it mean to be human in the technological age?) that are intrinsically fascinating. A third reason is that the contemporary labor market highly values the thinking and innovation skills associated with liberal arts study.
The Global Liberal Arts Core Curriculum at The American University of Paris is at the heart of American–style liberal arts. This explains why a business professor at AUP might advise you to take a philosophy or art class, or why a history professor might advise you to take tech or business coursework.
To learn more about the AUP Global Liberal Arts Core Curriculum, majors and electives, make sure to read the Academics section of the website thoroughly.
To understand more about your specific pathway at AUP and how both liberal arts study and the Core Curriculum requirements impact your first year program, please click on the checklist items above to begin your personal academic and intellectual exploration at AUP.