April 6, 2020, by Ross Wilson

Diverse Thinking – A Liberal Arts approach

Over the last few weeks our Liberal Arts students have been working on maps of the city of Nottingham that explore how people create a sense of place in the city. The work is part of our work on Space, Place and Belonging in the City which is run in Year 1. We use the module to examine how we can think in spatial terms but the work we do is far more important than just that. It’s focused on making sure we apply our interdisciplinary perspective on solving problems.

Liberal Arts is about diverse thinking. Our students can study across the faculty of arts, social sciences and science and this gives them the ability to see the world and its problems in various ways. We think this is key for understanding and addressing the major issues we currently face. Diverse thinking is about acknowledging the various approaches that exist and then applying these ideas to think in different ways.

For example, we learn about the provision of formal and informal mental health resources in the city by combining psychology, sociology and history. We can gain an insight into how we can foster creativity in the city by looking at geography, history of art and politics. If we want to understand the impact of crime, poverty or homelessness in the city then we will want to be able to assess these issues from multiple perspectives.

In our example that we use in the class, we focus on serendipity. We explore and analyse the importance of chance encounters in the city, moments where we can discover something new, be inspired or enjoy the experience of urban life. This notion of serendipity can then be applied to understand business, economics and enterprise as the entrepreneurial spirit needs this sense of difference. It can also be used to understand how communities form in our city through engagement and interaction. Serendipity drives the city and allows for difference and change.

Liberal Arts is about opening up new perspectives and asking new questions. Studying across disciplines allows our students to think differently, adapt and change their approach. It is through this process that we demonstrate the importance of being interdisciplinary.

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