News
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The cofounder of Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam will teach and perform at a poetry slam. More
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The Sweet Honey in the Rock founder gave the keynote address at Berklee's 15th annual Liberal Arts Symposium. More
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Public Invited to Annual Liberal Arts Event Connecting Music to Social and Cultural Impact/Change in Spirit of Freedom Singer More
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A social activist debunks the myth that the election of Obama has eradicated racism and puts out a call to action to fight discrimination. More
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Berklee's Africana Studies initiative brought scholarship and swing to the Museum of Fine Arts's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. More
Liberal Arts Department
The Liberal Arts Program at Berklee
Berklee's Liberal Arts program emphasizes the interdisciplinary learning that artists and musicians need to succeed in today's world, especially writing and communication, and entrepreneurial, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. Liberal arts courses provide a cultural context for the music being studied; relate music to other arts, politics, literature, and science; encourage in students an appreciation for diversity; and prepare students to make the complex ethical choices they will face throughout their lives. Berklee's Liberal Arts Department is designed to empower students with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a strong sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement. The partnership of liberal arts and music in the Berklee curriculum means that graduates are accomplished musicians who also excel as team members, communicators, and problem-solvers.
What Are the Liberal Arts?
Liberal arts include the study of:
Department Chair
Chairs
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Camille Colatosti
Title: Chair
Department: Liberal Arts
"Liberal arts at Berklee features a unique Music and Society Curriculum. These interdisciplinary courses place music in context and ask students to write, think, and analyze music as a product of and as something produced by culture. We all know that music does not exist in isolation but is created through society and grows from the issues and life of a particular time and place. Music and Society classes explore the relationship between music and other arts—including performing and fine arts, as well as literature, music and politics, music and history, music and economics, and more. In addition, Music and Society courses examine the way music affects and is affected by people, society, and human interaction generally." "The liberal arts program is a key part of the college, integrated into the overall fabric of our institution. The value of a liberal arts education is immeasurable. Liberal arts courses provide a cultural context for the music being studied; help students relate music to other arts, politics, literature, and science; encourage in students an appreciation for diversity; and prepare students to make the complex ethical choices they will face throughout their lives. Through liberal arts, students gain broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a strong sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement.
"Liberal arts and music are really partners in the Berklee curriculum, so that graduates are accomplished musicians who also excel as team members, communicators and problem-solvers.
"Liberal arts at Berklee features a unique Music and Society Curriculum. These interdisciplinary courses place music in context and ask students to write, think, and analyze music as a product of and as something produced by culture. We all know that music does not exist in isolation but is created through society and grows from the issues and life of a particular time and place. Music and Society classes explore the relationship between music and other arts—including performing and fine arts, as well as literature, music and politics, music and history, music and economics, and more. In addition, Music and Society courses examine the way music affects and is affected by people, society, and human interaction generally.
"The liberal arts program offers students a great deal of choice among classes that may represent traditional liberal arts subjects—in the humanities, social sciences, foreign languages, mathematics and natural sciences—and among unique Berklee classes, like Poetry Slam and Jam, Advanced Theater Scriptwriting, Psychoacoustics, and The Mathematics of Musical Signals. Our faculty are experts in their fields, dedicated to their area of scholarship and to Berklee students.
"In addition, the department sponsors the FUSION—the Berklee literary magazine—and a poetry slam team.
"A lot of fantastic things are happening within liberal arts."
- B.A., University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- M.A., Ph.D. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Author of Stopping Sexual Harassment: A Handbook for Union and Workplace Activists
- Author of numerous articles on learning, adult learners, and the liberal arts
- Recipient of the Instructor of the Year Award, Davenport University, and the Athena Award for women's leadership
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View all Liberal Arts Department faculty...
Liberal Arts Symposium
Each year, the Liberal Arts Department offers a symposium for educators. For further information, see the Liberal Arts Symposium page in our Professional Development Programs area.
Liberal Arts Facilities and Resources
The Liberal Arts Department has full use of the Professional Education Division Technology Lab, a 22 workstation classroom and laboratory equipped with wordprocessing, database, and spreadsheet software to address the needs of all Liberal Arts students.
For Further Information
For further information about the Liberal Arts Department, please call (617) 747-2552.
FUSION
FUSION: A Magazine of Literature, Music, and Ideas, is the literary voice of Berklee, featuring fiction, poetry, film, essays, and more by students, faculty, and visiting artists. More
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