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Program Overview

Sometimes called ‘the liberal arts college experience’ within the University, Structured Liberal Education (SLE) is a residence-based academic program that encourages students to live a life of ideas in an atmosphere that emphasizes critical thinking and interpretation while fostering close student-instructor relationships. In contrast to the COLLEGE courses, SLE is a chronologically structured three-quarter course beginning with the ancient world and ending with the modern period; it provides students with a strong sense of the history of ideas that have shaped our world. Focusing mainly, but not exclusively on the Western tradition, SLE provides students with a strong sense of the history of ideas that have shaped our contemporary moment.