School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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Brenda M. Ebersole, PhD, Dean

Professor Emeritus

Robert E. Wenger, PhD
W. Barry Yoder, PhD

Professor

Jeffrey S. Black, PhD; Chair, Counseling and Psychology Department
Juliet J. Campbell-Farrell, PhD
Edgar B. Hardesty, PhD
Jonathan L. Master, PhD
Matthew M. McAlack, PhD
M. Jean Minto, DLitt
Gary E. Schnittjer, PhD
Brian G. Toews, PhD
Todd J. Williams, PhD
Timothy S. Yoder, PhD; Chair, Liberal Arts

Associate Professor

Mark A. Jalovick, ThM
James C. Meyer, EdD

Assistant Professor

Joseph W. Beeson II, MS
David Crosscombe, DMin
James E. Dolezal, PhD
Gregory J. Fanus, MA
Andrea N. Fiori, MEd
Stephen J. Hauser, MS
Greg Jensen, MSc
Christopher J. Palladino, MEd; Chair, History Department
Mary R. Perley, MA

Instructor

Gavin D. Hobbs, MA
Ashlyn M. Jones, MS

Part-time Faculty

Rebecca J. Cella, MEd
Amy Dunlap, MA
Charlotte L. Gleason, MLS
Ruth H. Kuchinsky-Smith, PhD
Roger B. Petersen, DLitt

Adjunct Faculty

Elise H. An, MA
Victoria B. Aquilone, BS
Charles Arnold, MS
Janice H. Cho, MSW
Timothy Clydesdale, PhD
Hannah DeMarco, MA
Eric C. Dimitri, MS
Sarah R. Ensslen, MS
Amy Kathryn Fitzsimmons, MSW
Jesse A. Fleming, MA
David J. Greenockle Jr., MA
Deborah L. MacCullough, PhD
Nikema Missouri, MS
Paul T. Neal, MA
Brandon Petcaugh, BS
Joshua Reppenhagen, MS
D. Anthony Schmidt, MTS
Lacey B. Sipla, MS
Andrea Stange, MA
Matthew S. Stemler, BFA
Jason D. VanBilliard, EdD
David J. Wiedis, JD
Sarah A. Zimmerman, MS

The School

The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences provides a broad base of knowledge for life and service. It introduces undergraduate students to a variety of disciplines that, when integrated with scriptural teaching, promote intellectual development and increase effectiveness in students’ chosen fields. The Liberal Arts and Sciences curriculum exposes students to human life, their cultural heritage, and the physical environment. It fosters critical thinking, effective communication skills, and intelligent application of ideas to life.
 

The Programs

English

A degree in English prepares students for graduate work in writing, literature, and a variety of related fields. The Bachelor of Arts degree in English is designed to ground students in the foundational skills and concepts of language and literature, such as historical developments within American and British literature, genre studies, and literary criticism. Students may then choose from a variety of more specific foci - creative writing or a particular historical timeframe. The capstone project allows the students to contribute to contemporary developments within the field.

History

A degree in history prepares students for graduate work in history and a variety of related fields. The Bachelor of Arts degree in History equips students to better understand and appreciate past cultures and what their values, experiences, and artifacts teach about contemporary culture. Following a broad study of world and United States history, students choose from a variety of electives to tailor the program to their own interests in a geographical region or historic era. American history and European history options are available. The capstone project allows students to contribute to developments within the field.

Liberal Arts

A degree in liberal arts prepares students for a broad spectrum of career paths and for graduate studies in a variety of fields. The Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts is an interdisciplinary program designed for students who wish to engage in the “great conversation” associated with the liberal arts within the context of a biblical worldview. Students may craft a curriculum focused on a specific discipline or construct one that samples advanced course offerings from a number of academic disciplines. Performing arts, pre-law, fine arts, interdisciplinary philosophy, contemporary apologetics, applied mathematics, pure mathematics, life science, earth science, general science, and social science options are available.

Psychology

A degree in psychology prepares students for professional graduate studies in psychology and social service support positions in clinical and institutional settings. Students choose from a variety of electives to tailor the program to their own professional interests. A counseling option is available.

Dual-Level Counseling - Psychology

The School offers a dual-level program in which the student simultaneously earns a bachelor’s degree and an MS in Counseling. Like all Cairn undergraduates, students take the University core courses in Bible and theology and the liberal arts and sciences. Students may apply to a dual-level program after completing 60 credits, 30 of which must have been taken in residence. Students who are accepted into the dual-level program build on the foundational undergraduate courses by adding graduate classes designed to train students as practitioners in individual, marriage, family, and group counseling. Students also receive instruction in psychological research, the multicultural aspects of counseling, psychological assessment, and professional ethics.

Minors

The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences also offers minors in Applied Mathematics, Communications, Earth Science, English, General Science, History, Life Science, Literature, Performing Arts, Philosophy, Political Science, Pre-Law, Psychology, Pure Mathematics, and Visual Arts. These minors may be added to bachelor’s degree programs from any of the University’s schools.

Related Program Information

English placement for entering students is determined by evaluation of scores on SAT and ACT tests. Students with high scores are permitted to replace ENG 101 - English Composition with ENG 321 - Advanced Composition. Students with low scores are tested further to determine whether they should take ENG 021 - Introduction to College Reading and Writing. Students who have no scores will be evaluated by a writing assessment. Students for whom English is not the primary spoken language must demonstrate their ability to communicate in English. In addition to the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) prior to acceptance, these students may be asked to submit a current sample of their writing.

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