Liberal Arts
Great art and design do not happen in isolation. A logo, a game, a painting, an illustration, a photograph, and a film are all made within a culture, in response to history and real human hopes, shaped by how people think and feel. To make work that resonates, you need more than technical skill. You need context and understanding.
Explore how history, literature, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and the natural sciences intersect with and enrich the creative process.
At CCS, Liberal Arts isn’t a requirement to check off. It’s the part of your education that makes it all click together.
When you study the social movements behind a design era, the psychology of how people process images, or the ethics behind what people choose to make, you become a stronger, more intentional, free-thinking creator.
Our courses build skills that follow you into every studio or practice you enter throughout your professional life. The ability to think critically, communicate clearly, work across cultures, and adapt when the brief changes never go out of style.
The Liberal Arts curriculum is in real conversation with creative practice. Expect meaningful discussions, assignments that sharpen your thinking, and projects that connect what you’re reading with what you’re making. At CCS, your studio practice and your intellectual life will grow together.
Scholarship Opportunities
Since 1990, the Harry W. Smallenburg and Maxine Brewer Memorial Endowment has recognized and encouraged CCS students who excel in academic studies as well as their chosen studio major.
The scholarship is distributed each spring as the Brewer-Smallenburg Scholarship, a writing competition sponsored by the Liberal Arts department, in which sophomores, juniors, and first-semester seniors who have displayed a consistently high level of work (minimum G.P.A. of 3.00) are encouraged to submit works of nonfiction to be judged by CCS faculty. Recipients of the scholarship are awarded funds which are directly deposited into the student’s CCS account for future use.
The James S. Goldwasser Award for Excellence in Writing was established in 2001 to honor James S. Goldwasser, an extraordinary Liberal Arts professor. Professor Goldwasser taught English courses at CCS for 30 years. He is remembered for challenging students to expand their minds by embracing literature and the art of writing.
The scholarship is distributed each spring as the Goldwasser Fiction Writing Competition, a competition sponsored by the Liberal Arts department, in which graduating seniors are encouraged to submit works of fiction to be judged by CCS faculty. Recipients of the scholarship are awarded funds which are directly deposited into the student’s CCS account for future use.
Articulate Thoughts
Articulate thoughts clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences, using a flexible and reflective approach to language.
Think Critically
Think critically by evaluating and interpreting fundamental ideas in the humanities, the arts, and the natural and social sciences.
Synthesize Knowledge
Synthesize knowledge to create original, compelling, and well-researched essays, creative projects, and presentations.
Forward Thinking
Demonstrate forward thinking by applying new theoretical frameworks, empirical discoveries, and emerging technologies, including AI, to address social, cultural, and economic questions.
Applying is as easy as 1-2-3
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