The lines between “professional studies” and “liberal studies” are quite blurry.
The Communication Sciences & Disorders program at Nazareth College provides
good examples of the overlap and interconnection between what has been
traditionally considered liberal and what has been considered professional.
The CSD undergraduate program prepares students for graduate study in speechlanguage pathology, as well as for entry-level employment as speech-language
therapists in public schools in New York. In their first year, students begin to
explore the college’s core curriculum that provides an essential foundation for their
professional study. For some core courses and outcomes, the links to the CSD
professional program are readily apparent. For example, critical thinking, oral and
written communication skills are key for any professional program. For speechlanguage pathologists-to-be, true mastery of at least one’s own language, and
preferably others. SLPs obviously need a thorough grounding in psychology,
behavior, learning, and motivation. Evidence-based practice requires an
understanding of the scientific method and an ability to interpret statistics.
Religious studies and philosophy can inform our dialogs on ethics.
Perhaps less obvious linkages between traditional core courses and the CSD
program arise from the demands of competent and sensitive professional practice.
To be professional means to be able to approach a problem or need independently
through complex lenses and unique perspectives. Professionals are team players,
advocates, negotiators, and leaders. Liberal studies enhance the development of
these perspectives and skills. For example, the study of culture in anthropology and
sociology coursework can be the basis for the discovery of the significance of culture
in communication and language. Culture may play a profound role in
communication decision-making, for example, when we are working with families of
children who are deaf or those from culturally and linguistically diverse
backgrounds. Political science and public policy analysis come into play when
professionals are on the frontlines of allocation of scarce education and healthcare
resources.
In addition to studying “liberal” content in core courses, students also explore much
“liberal” content in CSD courses. The essentials of human communication and
language, the complexities of speech and language acquisition and processing, the
anatomy and physiology of the speech and hearing mechanisms, the physics of the
transmission of sound, to name a few, would all be labeled liberal art or science if
they were taught in another department. We don’t worry much about where
students are exposed to critical knowledge and skills as we all recognize that it takes
“both sides of the house” to accomplish this and that we’re all part of the endeavor.
Later stages of the CSD undergraduate program involve further integration and
application. Following foundational coursework, students spend significant time in
learning about communication disorders, assessment, and remediation. As juniors
and seniors, students do two semesters of clinical practicum in our on-campus
speech, language, and hearing clinic, as well as a third clinical experience in a school
setting. This real-world experience requires students to use all the knowledge and
skills they’ve acquired through all components of their education, and provides
many opportunities for reflection and tying together all that they’ve done before.
CSD students also participate in service learning as part of a senior seminar that is a
capstone integration of their liberal and professional studies. This seminar involves
some traditional work with case studies in communication disorders, but also
inquiry into current issues in the field, such as a recent look at bullying and children
with communication disorders, for example. The course’s strong service learning
component is an organic outgrowth of both liberal and professional studies where
students work as teams with community organization. Students collaborate to
understand the organizations’ needs and to develop and implement solutions. All
projects include a significant reflection component where students analyze the
knowledge and skills they brought to the project, and what they took away with
them. Recent examples: Mary’s Place refugee outreach center and Hickok Center
for Brain Injury. MORE.