LIBERAL ARTS
To know art and design, we have to look beyond creating and explore history, culture, philosophy, science, language, literature, and sociology — the places where meaning is made.
The Program
An understanding of the Liberal Arts is an essential part of a successful art and design career. Our Liberal Arts courses are focused on the skills needed to thrive in an uncertain world: critical and analytical thinking, adaptability, cross-cultural understanding, effective communication, social and emotional intelligence, media literacy, and entrepreneurship.
At CCS, the Liberal Arts curriculum is not just a supplement, but a fundamental part of your education, designed to cultivate curiosity, foster depth of thought and provide contextual understanding. Through engaging coursework and hands-on projects, you will explore how history, literature, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and the natural sciences intersect with and enrich the creative process.
Scholarship Opportunities
For questions about the Brewer-Smallenburg Scholarship or the Goldwasser Writing Competition, please contact the Liberal Arts department at 313.664.7640.
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon graduation, the Liberal Arts program will have prepared students to:
- Apply and synthesize acquired knowledge, theoretical frameworks and research in appropriately documented essays to demonstrate competency in implementing a writing process: brainstorming, drafting with cogency, and revising.
- Evaluate ideas and apply ethical inquiry and knowledge of cultural context and diversity in classroom presentations and essays to demonstrate competency in responding to topics of current global and local interest, including issues impacting global sustainability.
- Use level appropriate Standard English to communicate with precision, cogency, and rhetorical force in written work and presentations.
- Create/compose class projects, essays, and/or presentations to demonstrate competency in integrating individual ideas within a larger learning community.
- Demonstrate competency in communication, presentation and business skills necessary to engage effectively in professional practice.
The Brewer-Smallenburg Scholarship
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.
Goldwasser Writing Competition
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.
In The News
Celebrating Faculty Excellence: The 2025 CCS Publishing Awards
Art is Everywhere: CCS’s ties to the 2024 NFL Draft Detroit
The NFL Draft is coming to Detroit, and the city turned to local artists to paint the town in preparation. CCS student and alumni work can be found throughout the city all week. We put together a guide to help you find your way.
CCS Welcomes New Faculty for Fall 2023
