Liberal Arts & Sciences Summer Program for High School Students

After the success of the Coding & AI and Biosciences summer programs, parents (and students) have been reaching out to us regarding the liberal arts summer programs. So, we have decided to launch an interdisciplinary summer program on Visual Arts, Mass Communication & Journalism, Academic Research, Storytelling, and Creative Writing.

Why a Summer Program for Liberal Arts?

The broader knowledge and understanding of the world a liberal arts degree cultivates helps students engage in some of the most important issues of today: the environment, foreign policy, social justice, national and international security, ethics, indeed, all of the issues we face as humans in relationship to others.

While digital skills like coding and data science are important, it’s the soft skills — a strong work ethic; self-motivation; social, emotional, critical thinking, and leadership skills; and holistic skills (like problem-finding) that are truly the key components for success in the modern economy.

Read the following articles:

Liberal Arts vs STEM after Class 12

How Combining Creativity and Tech Skills Can Help with Career Progression & International Jobs

How Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation are Fuelling the Demand for Arts & Humanities Graduates

Liberal Arts Summer Program Curriculum

Induction Session (Mon): Humanities and Technology

• Relationship between Society and Technology
• Introduction to Sociology, Philosophy
• Quantitative Methods in Humanities

Core Module 1: Introduction to Visual Arts

1. What are the basics of visual art (sketching/shading/painting)
2. How to think creatively?
3. How to reproduce thoughts on paper/canvas?
4. Case Studies of eminent visual artists
5. How to choose colors
6. Assignment

Core Module 2: Visual Arts II

1. Pencil Shading
2. Pastel Shading
3. Blending of Colors

Core Module 3: Introduction to Mass Communication & Journalism

1. Introduction to Mass Communication and Mass Media – basic model and concept
2. Different Media Forms – Print, Electronic, Wires
3. Introduction to News: Definition, Types & Distribution
4. What factors make news, Newsworthy?
5. A sneak peek into the basics of News Reporting
6. Assignment: Interview

Core Module 4: Science Journalism

1. What is Science Journalism / Scientific Reporting?
2. What does science journalism encompass?

Core Module 5: Storytelling and Personal Branding

1. What is Storytelling and how can individuals leverage it?
2. Case Study for College Admissions
3. How to think of stories as a tool?
4. How to improve your storytelling?
5. Building Personal Brand through storytelling

Core Module 6: Digital Communication and Teamwork

1. Graphic Design & Digital Marketing
2. How to make images and videos for Brand promotion
3. Case Study – Marketing
4. Collaboration and Teamwork Skills in Remote Environment

Core Module 7: College Essays and College Admissions in India [will be covered in two sessions]

1. How to Tell Your Story and Write College Application Essays
2. Liberal Arts College Admissions in India – this session is open to both students and parents

Core Module 8: Academic Research

1. What is Research and why do students need it for career success?
2. How is Research Different from Reporting, Journalism, Storytelling, And Creative Writing 
3. What is the process of research? (The THREE aspects: Conducting research; Writing up the research; Publication)
4. Relationship between Research, Critical Thinking, and Analysis
5. Skills required for a good researcher: Ethics, Integrity, Giving credit, etc.

Core Module 9: Entrepreneurship & Finance

Leadership

• Introduction to Leadership, Style of Leadership, Leadership theories.
• Learning outcomes: Students will understand the basic definition of Leadership? Different leadership traits? Can leaders be made? Who is a good leader and who is a bad leader?
• Activities Discussion-Be role models -think critically about what a role model is and what we need to be role models.

Economics & Finance

• Definition of Economics and why Economics is important?
• Micro and Macroeconomic concepts.
• The concepts of Opportunity Cost, Inflation, Utility and their impact on daily lives.
• Introduction to Capital Markets and Investments
• Learning outcomes: The opportunity costs we face in deciding what to buy – how to use time. How to maximize our economic utility and avoid behavioral bias. How the macro-economic – inflation, economic growth, and employment prospects affect our living standards. Understanding issues like externalities. Example-Paying of petrol tax, good or bad?
• Activities: Group discussion on the topics covered. Quiz

Core Module 10: Liberal Arts College Admissions in the US

1. Career Guidance and Profile Building
2. Advice on Volunteering & Community Work
3. How to Build a Balanced College List
4. College Essays

Elective Modules:

3-4 Elective classes can be taken around the following tracks:

• Biomedical Sciences
• Computational Biology
• Coding, Data Science & AI
• Environmental Science & Sustainability
• Design Engineering

Summer Program FAQs: Dates, Time, Fees

• Total Duration: 20 hours spread over 3 weeks
• Who Can Attend: Grade 8 – 12
• Certificates will be awarded to all students
• Letter of Recommendation for Top 2 Students
• Dates: May 16 – June 4 (Cohort 1) / June 6 – 25 (Cohort 2) / July 11 – 30 (Cohort 3)
• Timing: Visual Arts and Journalism Classes in the morning IST (Late Evening for US Citizens) and other classes will be in the late afternoons/evenings IST (Morning for US Citizens)
• Program Fee:
  • Rs. 20,000 / $265 (without Electives; total 20 hours)
  • Rs. 32,000 / $425 (with Electives; total 26-28 hours)
  • Scholarship Discount Available
• Small Batches: 12 – 16 students per cohort

Summer Program Core Trainers and Mentors

• Nayana Das Chatterjee: Visual Artist, and Teacher at DPS Ruby Park (Kolkata), Ex RBU
• Sreeparna Dutta: Branding and PR Professional, MA Mass Comm & Journalism, Ex IIT-KGP
• Vanshika Mehta: Storytelling and Branding Expert, LinkedIn Top Voices 2021, Alum – Northeastern University
• Priyamvada Agarwal: Career and College Admission Counselor, Alum – University of Cambridge
• Dr. Maina Chawla Singh: Scholar-in-Residence, School of International Service, American University
• Yuri Punj: Co-founder of Stoodnt, MBA (Harvard University), BA Liberal Arts (Colgate University)
• Sandipan Mukherjee: Business Development & Marketing Manager, Stoodnt, MBA (Pune University), B.Com (CU)
• Sankalp Yashraj: Senior Content Marketer, Stoodnt
• Maitrayan Bera: Content Marketer, Stoodnt, BMS, George College

Featured Image Source: University of Cambridge