“With the Program of Liberal Studies (PLS), you get to engage with the great books and have stimulating conversations every day,” says Arnav Dutt ’13, a PLS major from South Bend, Ind.
“Books like To the Lighthouse, The Marx Reader, Moby Dick, or Augustine’s Confessions—ones I probably wouldn’t have touched if I hadn’t entered the program. Each one has a unique perspective, one that really opens up your mind to new ways of thinking not only about the world, but about yourself ultimately.”
At the core of the program’s undergraduate curriculum are six Great Books seminars, in which small classes study and discuss major texts from ancient Greek literature to the 20th century.
“One thing the seminars really do is give you an idea of how many different books from different disciplines interact with each other—the interplay between books that were written at the same time, authors that were in dialogue with each other.”
“The PLS major approaches complexity with the guidance of the best writers of all the previous generations,” Dutt says. “You take PLS, and you’re never left wanting advice. I’m definitely glad I was a PLS major.”
After graduation, Dutt moved to India to take a job as communications director for the Innovation Institute for Education and Social Development, based in Kolkata (Calcutta).
You can also watch this video on YouTube.
