The mission of Integrated Liberal Studies (ILS) is to provide an integrated exploration of the great themes of human inquiry and expression in scientific, literary, political, economic, historical and artistic thought. The ILS curriculum offers a set of related courses specially tailored to meet the breadth requirements of the College of Letters & Science. ILS draws exemplary, dynamic faculty from departments across campus to create courses that challenge students with a rigorous program of interdisciplinary study emphasizing critical thinking and judgment rather than passive absorption of information. Although these courses may be taken as single electives, the purpose of the program is to counter the fragmentation of undergraduate education by providing a common ground of learning.
Because ILS courses are interdisciplinary, students are encouraged to make connections between the various subject areas that comprise the ILS curriculum. Students encounter the relations between literature and the arts; science, technology, and philosophy; and political, economic, and social thought. The content of the curriculum has been developed in the belief that historical perspective is required for a full understanding of contemporary issues. Courses numbered 201-206 progress from historical to contemporary topics in each of the three core areas. Those numbered 250 and above cover interdisciplinary special topics in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, including "Magical Realism," "Modern Jewish Thought," and "Machiavelli and His World." ILS also includes a course (ILS 200 Critical Thinking and Expression) to sharpen communication and research skills necessary for college work. This course satisfies the university's Communications B requirement. ILS/LACIS 367 The Literature of Migration and the Migrant Experience in the Americas fulfills the university's ethnic studies requirement. ILS 400 Capstone Integration Seminar, a senior capstone seminar addressing an interdisciplinary topic, serves as the culmination of the ILS curriculum and is required in order to complete the ILS certificate.
How to Get in
Certificate Declaration Requirements
Students are eligible to declare the ILS Certificate at any point in their undergraduate career, and there are no prerequisites for declaring. Students should declare as early as possible in order to plan the required coursework. Students are encouraged to meet with the Integrated Liberal Studies academic advisor to discuss certificate requirements and ensure it fits with their academic goals.
Students who are ready to declare the certificate now may do so via the ILS Website.
Requirements
The certificate in Integrated Liberal Studies consists of two Core ILS courses, one additional ILS course, another non-ILS course from an approved list, and the ILS Capstone Integration Seminar.
A total of 15 credits are required, of which 6 are in Core ILS courses, 3 in Integrative Breadth, 3 in Integrative Diversity, and 3 in the Capstone Integration Seminar.
Core ILS courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Complete any two of the following core ILS courses: | 6 | |
ILS 200 | Critical Thinking and Expression | 3 |
ILS 201 | Western Culture: Science, Technology, Philosophy I | 3 |
or HIST SCI 201 | The Origins of Scientific Thought | |
ILS 202 | Western Culture: Science, Technology, Philosophy II | 3 |
or HIST SCI 202 | The Making of Modern Science | |
ILS 203 | Western Culture: Literature and the Arts I | 3 |
ILS 204 | Western Culture: Literature and the Arts II | 3-4 |
ILS 205 | Western Culture: Political, Economic, and Social Thought I | 3 |
ILS 206 | Western Culture: Political, Economic, and Social Thought II | 3 |
Integrative Breadth
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Excluding any ILS courses used towards the required Core ILS courses above, complete one additional ILS course from the following: | 3 | |
ILS 110 | First-year Topics Seminar in Integrated Liberal Studies | 3 |
ILS/ENVIR ST 126 | Principles of Environmental Science | 4 |
ILS 153 | Ways of Knowing in the Sciences | 4 |
ILS 200 | Critical Thinking and Expression | 3 |
ILS 201 | Western Culture: Science, Technology, Philosophy I | 3 |
or HIST SCI 201 | The Origins of Scientific Thought | |
ILS 202 | Western Culture: Science, Technology, Philosophy II | 3 |
or HIST SCI 202 | The Making of Modern Science | |
ILS 203 | Western Culture: Literature and the Arts I | 3 |
ILS 204 | Western Culture: Literature and the Arts II | 3-4 |
ILS 205 | Western Culture: Political, Economic, and Social Thought I | 3 |
ILS 206 | Western Culture: Political, Economic, and Social Thought II | 3 |
ILS/RELIG ST 234 | Genres of Western Religious Writing | 3 |
ILS 251 | Contemporary Physical Sciences | 3 |
ILS 253 | Literature and Society | 3 |
ILS 254 | Literature and Science | 3 |
ILS/ENVIR ST 255 | Introduction to Sustainability Science | 4 |
ILS 298 | Directed Study | 3 |
ILS 299 | Directed Study | 3 |
ILS/ITALIAN 350 | Rome: Lust for Glory | 3-4 |
ILS/ITALIAN/LITTRANS/POLI SCI 365 | Machiavelli and His World | 3 |
ILS/LACIS 367 | The Literature of Migration and the Migrant Experience in the Americas | 3 |
ILS 369 | Magical Realism and Postmodernity | 3 |
ILS 371 | Interdisciplinary Studies in the Arts and Humanities | 3 |
ILS 372 | Interdisciplinary Studies in the Social Sciences | 3 |
ILS/JEWISH/SOC 423 | Modern Jewish Thought | 3 |
Integrative Diversity
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Complete any one non-ILS course from the following: | 3 | |
AFRICAN/AFROAMER/ANTHRO/GEOG/HISTORY/POLI SCI/SOC 277 | Africa: An Introductory Survey | 4 |
AFRICAN/INTL ST 302 | Arabic Literature and Cinema | 3 |
AFRICAN 402 | Theory of African Literature | 3-4 |
AFROAMER/HISTORY 321 | Afro-American History Since 1900 | 3-4 |
AFROAMER/HISTORY 322 | Afro-American History to 1900 | 3-4 |
AFROAMER/RELIG ST 404 | African American Religions | 3 |
ANTHRO 300 | Cultural Anthropology: Theory and Ethnography | 3 |
ANTHRO 424 | Historical Anthropology | 3 |
ART HIST/CLASSICS 300 | The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece | 3-4 |
ART HIST 301 | Myths, Loves, and Lives in Greek Vases | 3-4 |
ART HIST 302 | Greek Sculpture | 3-4 |
ART HIST/CLASSICS 304 | The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Rome | 3-4 |
ART HIST 305 | History of Islamic Art and Architecture | 3 |
ART HIST 307 | From Tomb to Temple: Ancient Chinese Art and Religion in Transition | 3 |
ART HIST 308 | The Tastes of Scholars and Emperors: Chinese Art in the Later Periods | 3 |
ART HIST 310 | Icons, Religion, and Empire: Early Christian and Byzantine Art, ca. 200-1453 | 3 |
ART HIST 318 | Romanesque and Gothic Art and Architecture | 3-4 |
ART HIST 331 | Angels, Demons, and Nudes: Early Netherlandish Painting from Bosch to Bruegel | 3-4 |
ART HIST 346 | British Art and Society from the Eighteenth Century to the Present | 3 |
ART HIST 354 | Cross-Cultural Arts Around the Atlantic Rim: 1800 to the Present | 3-4 |
ART HIST 355 | History of Photography | 3 |
ART HIST 357 | History of Wisconsin Architecture, 1800-present | 3 |
ART HIST 360 | Gore Luxury Identity Mimesis: Northern Renaissance | 3 |
ART HIST 364 | History of American Art: Art, Material Culture, and Constructions of Identity, 1607-present | 3-4 |
ART HIST 365 | The Concept of Contemporary Art | 3-4 |
ART HIST/RELIG ST 373 | Great Cities of Islam | 3 |
ART HIST/ASIAN 379 | Cities of Asia | 3 |
ART HIST 405 | Cities and Sanctuaries of Ancient Greece | 3 |
ART HIST 413 | Art and Architecture in the Age of the Caliphs | 3 |
ART HIST/ASIAN 428 | Visual Cultures of India | 3 |
ART HIST 440 | Art and Power in the Arab World | 3 |
ASIAN/HISTORY 337 | Social and Intellectual History of China, 589 AD-1919 | 3-4 |
ASIAN/RELIG ST 430 | Indian Traditions in the Modern Age | 3 |
ASTRON/HIST SCI 206 | History of Astronomy and Cosmology | 3 |
CLASSICS/JEWISH/LITTRANS/RELIG ST 227 | Introduction to Biblical Literature (in English) | 4 |
CLASSICS/ART HIST 300 | The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece | 3-4 |
CLASSICS/ART HIST 304 | The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Rome | 3-4 |
CLASSICS 308 | Sex and Violence in the Ancient Near East | 3 |
CLASSICS 321 | The Egyptians: History, Society, and Literature | 3 |
CLASSICS/HEBR-BIB/JEWISH/LITTRANS/RELIG ST 332 | Prophets of the Bible | 4 |
CLASSICS/JEWISH/RELIG ST 335 | King David in History and Tradition | 3 |
CLASSICS 340 | Conspiracy in the Ancient and Modern Worlds | 3 |
CLASSICS/GEN&WS 351 | Women and Gender in the Classical World | 3-4 |
CLASSICS/GEN&WS 361 | Sex and Power in Greece and Rome | 3 |
CLASSICS 420 | Ancient Texts, Modern Contexts | 3 |
CLASSICS/HISTORY/RELIG ST 517 | Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean | 3 |
COM ARTS 360 | Introduction to Rhetoric in Politics and Culture | 3 |
COM ARTS 370 | Great Speakers and Speeches | 3 |
COMP LIT 350 | Problems in Comparative Literatures and Cultures | 3-4 |
CURRIC 277 | Videogames & Learning | 3 |
CURRIC/CHICLA 306 | Latinx Literacies | 3 |
CURRIC/CHICLA 321 | Chicano/Latino Educational Justice | 3 |
CURRIC/C&E SOC/ENVIR ST 405 | Education for Sustainable Communities | 3 |
CURRIC/ED POL/HISTORY/JEWISH 515 | Holocaust: History, Memory and Education | 3 |
ECON/HIST SCI 305 | Development of Economic Thought | 3-4 |
ENGL 224 | Introduction to Poetry | 3 |
ENGL 241 | Literature and Culture I: to the 18th Century | 3 |
ENGL 242 | Literature and Culture II: from the 18th Century to the Present | 3 |
ENGL/GEN&WS 250 | Women in Literature | 3 |
ENGL 328 | The Sixteenth Century | 3 |
ENGL 334 | Eighteenth Century Literature and Culture | 3 |
ENGL 335 | Stage and Page in the Long Eighteenth Century | 3 |
ENGL 336 | Eighteenth-Century Novel | 3 |
ENGL 345 | Nineteenth-Century Novel | 3 |
ENGL 353 | British Literature since 1900 | 3 |
ENGL 357 | Major American Poets | 3 |
ENGL/HISTORY/RELIG ST 360 | The Anglo-Saxons | 3 |
ENGL 361 | Modern and Contemporary American Literature | 3 |
ENGL/CHICLA 368 | Chicana/o and Latina/o Literatures | 3 |
ENGL 374 | African and African Diaspora Literature and Culture | 3 |
ENGL 375 | Literatures of Migration and Diaspora | 3 |
ENGL/MEDIEVAL 427 | Chaucer's Canterbury Tales | 3 |
ENGL 431 | Early Works of Shakespeare | 3 |
ENGL 432 | Later Works of Shakespeare | 3 |
ENGL 433 | Spenser | 3 |
ENGL/RELIG ST 434 | Milton | 3 |
ED POL/HISTORY 412 | History of American Education | 3 |
ED POL/HISTORY 478 | Comparative History of Childhood and Adolescence | 3 |
ED POL/HISTORY 612 | History of Student Activism from the Popular Front to Black Lives Matter | 3 |
ED POL 505 | Issues in Urban Education in the U.S. | 3 |
ED POL/CURRIC/RELIG ST 516 | Religion and Public Education | 3 |
ED POL/GEN&WS 560 | Gender and Education | 3 |
ED POL 595 | Language Politics and Education | 3 |
ED POL/HISTORY 622 | History of Radical and Experimental Education in the US and UK | 3 |
ED POL/HISTORY 665 | History of the Federal Role in American Education | 3 |
GEOG 301 | Revolutions and Social Change | 3 |
GEOG 318 | Introduction to Geopolitics | 3 |
GEOG 342 | Geography of Wisconsin | 3 |
GEOG/AMER IND/ENVIR ST 345 | Caring for Nature in Native North America | 3 |
GEOG/ENVIR ST/HISTORY 460 | American Environmental History | 4 |
GEOG 501 | Space and Place: A Geography of Experience | 3 |
GEOG 518 | Power, Place, Identity | 3 |
GEOG 566 | History of Geographic Thought | 3 |
HIST SCI 222 | Technology and Social Change in History | 3 |
HIST SCI/HISTORY 323 | The Scientific Revolution: From Copernicus to Newton | 3 |
HIST SCI/HISTORY 324 | Science in the Enlightenment | 3 |
HIST SCI 343 | The Darwinian Revolution | 3 |
HIST SCI 404 | A History of Disease | 3-4 |
HIST SCI/MED HIST/POP HLTH 553 | International Health and Global Society | 3 |
HISTORY/RELIG ST 208 | Western Intellectual and Religious History to 1500 | 3-4 |
HISTORY/RELIG ST 209 | Western Intellectual and Religious History since 1500 | 3-4 |
HISTORY/RELIG ST 212 | The History of Western Christianity to 1750 | 4 |
HISTORY 269 | War, Race, and Religion in Europe and the United States, from the Scramble for Africa to Today | 3-4 |
HISTORY 278 | Africans in the Americas, 1492-1808 | 3-4 |
HISTORY 302 | History of American Thought, 1859 to the Present | 3-4 |
HISTORY 303 | A History of Greek Civilization | 3-4 |
HISTORY 306 | The United States Since 1945 | 3-4 |
HISTORY 307 | A History of Rome | 3-4 |
HISTORY/ASIAN/RELIG ST 308 | Introduction to Buddhism | 3-4 |
HISTORY/MEDIEVAL/RELIG ST 309 | The Crusades: Christianity and Islam | 3-4 |
HISTORY/GEN&WS 315 | Gender, Race and Colonialism | 3 |
HISTORY/ENVIR ST 328 | Environmental History of Europe | 3 |
HISTORY/INTL ST 332 | East Asia & The U.S. Since 1899 | 3-4 |
HISTORY/ASIAN 335 | The Koreas: Korean War to the 21st Century | 3-4 |
HISTORY/ASIAN 337 | Social and Intellectual History of China, 589 AD-1919 | 3-4 |
HISTORY 340 | Cultural History of Korea | 3-4 |
HISTORY/ASIAN 341 | History of Modern China, 1800-1949 | 3-4 |
HISTORY/ASIAN 342 | History of the Peoples Republic of China, 1949 to the Present | 3-4 |
HISTORY/GEN&WS 346 | Trans/Gender in Historical Perspective | 3-4 |
HISTORY 350 | The First World War and the Shaping of Twentieth-Century Europe | 3-4 |
HISTORY 351 | Seventeenth-Century Europe | 3-4 |
HISTORY/GEN&WS 353 | Women and Gender in the U.S. to 1870 | 3-4 |
HISTORY/GEN&WS 354 | Women and Gender in the U.S. Since 1870 | 3-4 |
HISTORY 361 | The Emergence of Mod Britain: England 1485-1660 | 3-4 |
HISTORY/INTL ST 366 | From Fascism to Today: Social Movements and Politics in Europe | 3-4 |
HISTORY 367 | Society and Ideas in Shakespeare's England | 3-4 |
HISTORY/ENVIR ST 369 | Thinking through History with Animals | 3-4 |
HISTORY/GEN&WS 392 | Women and Gender in Modern Europe | 3-4 |
HISTORY/AFROAMER 393 | Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction, 1848-1877 | 3-4 |
HISTORY 410 | History of Germany, 1871 to the Present | 3-4 |
HISTORY/RELIG ST 411 | The Enlightenment and Its Critics | 3 |
HISTORY 417 | History of Russia | 3-4 |
HISTORY 418 | History of Russia | 3-4 |
HISTORY 424 | The Soviet Union and the World, 1917-1991 | 3-4 |
HISTORY/LEGAL ST 426 | The History of Punishment | 3-4 |
HISTORY/ENVIR ST/LEGAL ST 430 | Law and Environment: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives | 3 |
HISTORY 434 | American Foreign Relations, 1901 to the Present | 3-4 |
HISTORY 441 | Revolution and Conflict in Modern Latin America | 3-4 |
HISTORY 444 | History of East Africa | 3-4 |
HISTORY 450 | Making of Modern South Asia | 3-4 |
HISTORY/ASIAN 454 | Samurai: History and Image | 3-4 |
HISTORY/ASIAN 458 | History of Southeast Asia Since 1800 | 3-4 |
HISTORY/ENVIR ST 465 | Global Environmental History | 3-4 |
HISTORY/LEGAL ST 476 | Medieval Law and Society | 3 |
HISTORY/JEWISH 518 | Anti-Semitism in European Culture, 1700-1945 | 3 |
HISTORY/GEN&WS 519 | Sexuality, Modernity and Social Change | 3 |
HISTORY/HIST SCI/MED HIST 564 | Disease, Medicine and Public Health in the History of Latin America and the Caribbean | 3 |
HISTORY/AFROAMER 628 | History of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States | 3 |
LEGAL ST/HISTORY 261 | American Legal History to 1860 | 3-4 |
LEGAL ST/HISTORY 262 | American Legal History, 1860 to the Present | 3-4 |
LEGAL ST/HISTORY 459 | Rule of Law: Philosophical and Historical Models | 3-4 |
LEGAL ST/HISTORY 510 | Legal Pluralism | 3 |
LITTRANS 220 | Chekhov: The Drama of Modern Life | 3 |
LITTRANS 221 | Russia's Greatest Enigma: Nikolai Gogol | 3 |
LITTRANS 222 | Dostoevsky in Translation | 3-4 |
LITTRANS/ENGL 223 | Vladimir Nabokov: Russian and American Writings | 3 |
LITTRANS 224 | Tolstoy in Translation | 3-4 |
LITTRANS/MEDIEVAL/RELIG ST 253 | Of Demons and Angels. Dante's Divine Comedy | 3 |
LITTRANS 254 | In Translation: Lit of Modern Italy-Existentialism, Fascism, Resistance | 3 |
LITTRANS/MEDIEVAL 255 | Black Death and Medieval Life Through Boccaccio's Decameron | 3 |
LITTRANS 302 | What is Life? Biological Life in Literature and Culture | 3-4 |
LITTRANS/THEATRE 335 | In Translation: The Drama of Henrik Ibsen | 3-4 |
LITTRANS/SCAND ST 428 | Memory and Literature from Proust to Knausgard | 3 |
PHILOS 241 | Introductory Ethics | 3-4 |
PHILOS 320 | Philosophy of Science | 3-4 |
PHILOS 341 | Contemporary Moral Issues | 3-4 |
PHILOS 430 | History of Ancient Philosophy | 3-4 |
PHILOS 432 | History of Modern Philosophy | 3-4 |
PHILOS 516 | Language and Meaning | 3 |
PHILOS/ENVIR ST 523 | Philosophical Problems of the Biological Sciences | 3 |
PHILOS 530 | Freedom Fate and Choice | 3 |
PHILOS 541 | Modern Ethical Theories | 3 |
PHILOS 549 | Great Moral Philosophers | 3 |
PHILOS 551 | Philosophy of Mind | 3 |
PHILOS 555 | Political Philosophy | 3 |
POLI SCI 356 | Principles of International Law | 3-4 |
POLI SCI 361 | Contemporary American Political Thought | 3-4 |
POLI SCI 363 | Literature and Politics | 3-4 |
POLI SCI 463 | Deception and Politics | 4 |
POLI SCI/AFROAMER 519 | African American Political Theory | 3-4 |
RELIG ST/ENVIR ST 270 | The Environment: Religion & Ethics | 3-4 |
RELIG ST 300 | America and Religions | 3 |
RELIG ST 302 | Christianity: Interpretation and Practice | 3 |
RELIG ST/GEN&WS 305 | Women, Gender and Religion | 3 |
RELIG ST 311 | Sects and Cults | 3 |
RELIG ST/JEWISH/LITTRANS 328 | Classical Rabbinic Literature in Translation | 3-4 |
RELIG ST 333 | Early Christian Literature: Matthew-Revelation | 3 |
RELIG ST/AFROAMER 404 | African American Religions | 3 |
Capstone Integration Seminar
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Complete the ILS Capstone Integration Seminar: | 3 | |
ILS 400 | Capstone Integration Seminar | 3 |
Residence & Quality of Work
- 2.000 GPA with all courses taken on graded basis
- 8 credits in the certificate, in residence
Certificate Completion Requirement
This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify and explain how people make meaning across times, cultures, media, and disciplines.
- Critically analyze diverse approaches to how people make meaning in the past and present.
- Recognize and synthesize diverse types of knowledge and disciplinary approaches to how people make meaning.
- Formulate new questions about and integrate new approaches to how people make meaning.
Advising and Careers
Academic Advising
The Integrated Liberal Studies (ILS) academic advisor can help you create a meaningful course plan and stay on track as you complete the certificate requirements. We recommend that you connect with the ILS advisor as early as possible. The advisor is available to consult on a variety of topics, including declaring the certificate, course selection, exploring how ILS courses fit with breadth and general education degree requirements, campus resources, and getting the most from your Wisconsin Experience.
Contact Information
Laura Bradley
Integrated Liberal Studies Academic Advisor
lsbradley@wisc.edu
201 Meiklejohn House
http://www.ils.wisc.edu
Career Informaton
The Integrated Liberal Studies Program encourages certificate students to begin working on their career exploration and preparation soon after arriving on campus. We partner with SuccessWorks in the College of Letters & Science to help you leverage the academic skills learned in your major and liberal arts degree, explore and try out different career paths, participate in internships, prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications, and network with professionals in the field (alumni and employers).
Letters & Science graduates are in high demand by employers and graduate programs. It is important to us that our students are career ready at the time of graduation, and we are committed to your success.
L&S Career Resources
Every L&S major opens a world of possibilities. SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students turn the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and other coursework into fulfilling lives after graduation, whether that means jobs, public service, graduate school or other career pursuits.
In addition to providing basic support like resume reviews and interview practice, SuccessWorks offers ways to explore interests and build career skills from their very first semester/term at UW all the way through graduation and beyond.
Students can explore careers in one-on-one advising, try out different career paths, complete internships, prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications, and connect with supportive alumni and even employers in the fields that inspire them.
- SuccessWorks
- Set up a career advising appointment
- Enroll in a Career Course - a great idea for first- and second-year students:
- INTER-LS 210 L&S Career Development: Taking Initiative (1 credit)
- INTER-LS 215 Communicating About Careers (3 credits, fulfills Comm B General Education Requirement)
- Learn about internships and internship funding
- INTER-LS 260 Internship in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Activate your Handshake account to apply for jobs and internships from 200,000+ employers recruiting UW-Madison students
- Learn about the impact SuccessWorks has on students' lives
People
Affiliated Faculty
Richard Avramenko, Professor of Political Science; Director of the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy
William Aylward, Professor of Classics; Herbert and Evelyn Howe Bascom Professor of Integrated Liberal Studies
Beatriz Botero, Lecturer of Integrated Liberal Studies
Karen Britland, Halls-Bascom Professor of English
Chad Goldberg, Professor of Sociology
Florence C. Hsia, Professor of History of Science; Associate Vice Chancellor for Research in the Arts and Humanities
Daniel Kapust, Professor of Political Science, Judith Hicks Stiehm Chair in Political Theory
Devin Kennedy, Assistant Professor of History
Timothy Lindstrom, Lecturer of Environmental Studies; Student Intern Program Manager for the Nelson Institute
Christopher Livanos, Professor, College of Letters and Sciences
Laura McClure, Halls-Bascom Professor of Classical Literature Studies
Grant A. Nelsestuen, Associate Dean for Arts and Humanities, College of Letters and Science; Professor of Classics
Adam Nelson, Professor of Educational Policy Studies and History; Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs, School of Education
Kristin Phillips-Court, Associate Professor of Italian and Art History
Lucas Richert, Professor in the History of Pharmacy
Ulrich Rosenhagen, Lecturer of History; Director of the Center for Religion and Global Citizenry
Michelle Schwarze, Associate Professor of Political Science
Basil Tikoff, Professor of Structural Geology and Tectonics
Mike Vanden Heuvel, Professor of Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies
John Zumbrunnen, Professor of Political Science; Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning Administrative Staff
Staff
Karen Britland, Director of ILS
Laura Bradley, ILS Academic Advisor
Beth Shipman, Program Administrative Manager
Wisconsin Experience
"A small liberal arts EXPERIENCE within a great university"
ILS is not only a certificate, but a community on campus.
“The University of Wisconsin needs programs like ILS to give students the indispensable liberal arts experience and I am happy that it was part of my experience here on campus." Brett Tietz (ILS graduate)
“I love that the history and literature I learn in my ILS courses makes me a better conversationalist.” Paul Sutherland (ILS graduate)
“I love ILS because there is so much to learn. Through ILS I was able to trace the history of science from natural philosophy all the way up to Newtonian physics, and the impact of science on the contemporary art & literature. I really enjoyed being able to study the humanities, and the insights these classes have provided me on the interaction between science and culture. The program was a great way for me to study things that I am interested in, but are unrelated to my major, such as astronomy, geology, philosophy, literature, art history, geopolitics.” Brad Glasco (ILS graduate)
“The main goal of ILS is to get its students to recognize how different subjects of knowledge connect with one another. Our student-led class in our ILS capstone attempted to accomplish this goal through the topic of tattoos. By reading articles and books on tattoos, witnessing a classmate receive a tattoo, interviewing veteran tattoo artists in the field, debating case studies, and discussing stigmas and stereotypes of tattoos, we wove together knowledge from history, psychology, sociology, criminology, philosophy, and art. My views about tattoos, and people who choose to get them, will be forever better informed. I will always remember my classmates and this capstone!” Ryan Fleming (ILS graduate)
“Virtually every ILS class threatens to fundamentally change the way you see the world." Eric Schmidt, political science major
“Some of the best professors on campus teach ILS classes, and they love the program as much as the students! How many other programs offer Aristophanes, Nietzsche and Jon Stewart in the same class?” Jeff Landow, English major
Resources and Scholarships
ILS offers multiple scholarship and award opportunities for declared certificate students.
Meiklejohn Travel Award
Up to $1500
Named for Alexander Meiklejohn, founder of the University of Wisconsin Experimental College (1927–32), the forerunner to the ILS program, this prize is intended to help support an ILS student in a university-sponsored or an independent program of education-centered travel or study abroad, taking place during the summer or academic year (or in the United States if the destination is remote from the student’s home or the campus).
Pooley Prize
Up to $2,000 each (based on available funds)
Named for Professor Robert Pooley, the first chair of the Integrated Liberal Studies program (1948), this prize is given annually to outstanding ILS students on the basis of:
- academic achievement (GPA of at least 3.0 for the 3 preceding semesters),
- evidence of good character,
- student leadership in the ILS program, including involvement in extracurricular activities, and
- available for travel purposes relating to their ILS courses.
Ruth Knatz Memorial Prize
Up to $5,000 (based on available funds)
Named for Ruth Knatz Gross Wisnewsky and given by her husband, Edward Wisnewsky, this prize will be given only to a truly outstanding student who:
- is majoring in at least one humanities discipline (including history and history of science, but not social science or science); this means you may be double-majoring in one non-humanities major, but the other must be a humanities major,
- gives promise of making a valuable contribution to the humanities,
- has done exemplary work in their ILS courses,
- has achieved junior or senior standing, and
- has signed up for the certificate and plans to complete the ILS certificate program.