Graduate Liberal Studies

Kristen Cardona MPhil ’22 has always had a thirst for teaching and learning. It led her to a career as an elementary and middle school educator. It drove her to take a few classes at Wesleyan, work with the Office of Continuing Education, and attain her own Masters of Philosophy in Liberal Arts degree (with an award-winning thesis project). Now, thanks to her hard work and the encouragement of her Wesleyan colleagues, Cardona will be going on a 10-month fellowship project training teachers and teaching English in Okinawa, Japan as part of the U.S. Department of State’s 2022-23 English Language…

A new play written by John Long MALS '96 is available for online viewing through the Phoenix Stage Company's YouTube Channel. Titled Learning Experience, the play explores individual experiences of living in quarantine during the pandemic in the first half of 2020. Eight people, ranging in age from 18 to 70s, tell their stories in the form of monologues to be posted online. The stories reveal what their lives were like before the pandemic and how they've changed during isolation. "Some characters work from home, some go into work, some don't work at all, but all are motivated to share…

This spring, Graduate Liberal Studies student Kristen Cardona enrolled in her first-ever photography course, ARTS 613: Studies in Portraiture and Self-Portraiture. While learning how to better use a camera, she practiced taking images of herself, family, friends, and neighbors. Heading into early March, the assignment was to photograph strangers. And then the coronavirus pandemic struck the nation. All Wesleyan courses moved to an online format. "This threw a huge curve ball! Obviously we couldn’t finish photographing strangers," said Cardona, who is the program coordinator for continuing studies at Wesleyan. "People are scared. Simple requests to take a photo seem to…

Wesleyan has partnered with the State of Connecticut’s Alternative Route to Certification (ARC) program in a new initiative that will benefit both Wesleyan undergraduates seeking teaching certification and ARC participants seeking a master’s degree. The ARC program, in existence since 1986, is of particular interest to working professionals making a career change into becoming an educator since it offers a one-year, part-time path to obtaining teaching certification in Connecticut. Jennifer Curran, director of Continuing Studies and Graduate Liberal Studies, says Wesleyan proposed a partnership to ARC officials – one that would be mutually beneficial. Current ARC students and ARC alumni…

Wesleyan's Graduate Liberal Studies is offering 13 courses this summer in narrative fiction and film, biography writing, European history, world literature, multivariable mathematics, the photographic book, abnormal psychology and more. Wesleyan offers a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) and the more advanced Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts (MPhil), as well as a Graduate Certificate in Writing and non-degree graduate study. Rather than becoming specialists in narrow fields, GLS graduates possess the highly-valued ability to connect across disciplines, identify multiple possibilities, and argue all sides of a topic.

More than 60 Graduate Liberal Studies students, their guests, and community members attended a free open class meeting of "Monk and Mingus: The Cutting Edge of Jazz," at Russell House on Nov. 30. Presented by Graduate Liberal Studies and Jazz Ensemble Coach Noah Baerman, the event included a discussion followed by a performance by Baerman of pieces composed by and associated with jazz greats Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus. Baerman was accompanied by bassist Henry Lugo and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Private Lessons Teacher Pheeroan akLaff on percussion. (Photos by Will Barr '18) (more…)

Graduate Liberal Studies will present a special concert and open session of the course Monk and Mingus: The Cutting Edge of Jazz with Jazz Ensemble Coach Noah Baerman, Nov. 30 in Russell House. Baerman will perform on piano, accompanied by bassist Henry Lugo, and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Private Lessons Teacher Pheeroan akLaff on percussion. The first hour of the class (6:30-7:30 p.m.) will be a discussion, demonstration and Q&A session, followed by a performance of music composed by and associated with Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus. Attendees interested in learning more about Graduate Liberal Studies are encouraged…

Marion Belanger, an instructor in Graduate Liberal Studies, is currently displaying her photography series "Rift/Fault" at Haverford College. The series is two dozen photography pairings of the North American continental plate, which stretches from California to Iceland. In an intersection of geology and art, the display walks a viewer through images of plate tectonics and the stories that they tell. More information about the gallery, including dates and hours of operation, can be found here. Samples of her photography are below:

Graduate Liberal Studies will host an information session for prospective students at 7 p.m. April 29 in the Office of Continuing Studies, 74 Wyllys Ave. Attendees will meet with Office of Admissions staff, hear a full overview of the program — including curriculum and requirements — and receive materials (more…)

Graduate Liberal Studies hosted its annual networking celebration Aug. 8 in the Center for Film Studies. The event provided an opportunity for prospective and current students to network with GLS alumni, faculty and with one another. Attendees also toured the Nicita Gallery, which is currently featuring an exhibit on award-winning writer, director and producer Joss Whedon '87. For more information on Wesleyan's Graduate Liberal Studies, see this website. Photos of the reception are below:

This fall, Wesleyan's Graduate Liberal Studies is offering classes on psychological measurement, portraiture, editing fiction and nonfiction, contemporary world politics, Tolstoy and other topics of interest. Classes begin Sept. 9. Students may take courses for personal enrichment, or to pursue a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) or a Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts (M.Phil). Classes are taught by Wesleyan faculty. An information session will be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 3 at the GLS office, 74 Wyllys Avenue. Courses and instructors include: “Jazz in the Sixties” will be taught by Jazz Ensemble Coach Noah Baerman from 6:30 to…

Miss the start of MOOC-mania earlier this year? Good news—it’s not too late to check it out! Wesleyan’s next round of massive open online courses (MOOCS) is starting on Coursera in the coming weeks. A brand new MOOC, “Social Psychology,” will be offered by Professor of Psychology Scott Plous starting Aug. 12. The course has generated enormous interest, with more than 170,000 students currently enrolled. “The goal of the course is to explore some entertaining and intriguing psychology findings that students can use to improve their lives, relationships, and work. More than 40 organizations have contributed free readings, video clips…

Love of Learning and Teaching Leads to State Department Fellowship

Play by Long MALS ’96 Focuses on Coping with the Pandemic

Portraiture Photography Class Shifts Focus During COVID-19 Pandemic

Graduate Liberal Studies Partners with ARC Program for Teaching Certification

GLS Students Take Intensive Summer Courses

GLS Holds ‘Monk and Mingus’ Open Class

GLS Presents Jazz Concert, Open Course Session, Nov. 30

Haverford Hosts Belanger’s “Rift/Fault” Photography Series

Graduate Liberal Studies to Host Info Session April 29

GLS Hosts Networking Reception

Register for Fall Graduate Liberal Studies Classes

Next Round of Wesleyan Coursera Classes Starting