Department Overview
Drawing on the Mount’s nearly one hundred years of excellence in teaching, the liberal arts faculty invite students to engage in an experience that challenges them to explore intellectual interests and talents with the support of community on campus and beyond.
Our Programs
Our Liberal Arts students are molded into broadly educated writers, speakers, and learners prepared to embrace the diverse opportunities of twenty-first century life, work, and service.
Learn more by visiting our Liberal Arts Major page.
Words have power: Studying English is an act of discovery, creativity, empathy, and tradition.
Learn more by visiting our Liberal Arts - English Major page or our Liberal Arts - English Minor page and Liberal Arts - Creative Writing Minor.
Want to be a time traveler? Meet new people? Explore new places? Study History!
Learn more by visiting our Liberal Arts - History Major page or our Liberal Arts - History Minor page and Liberal Arts - American Studies Minor.
Are you pursuing your best life? Philosophy can help you find it by tackling big questions: What’s the meaning of life? How can I achieve lasting happiness?
Learn more by visiting our Liberal Arts - Philosophy Major page or our Liberal Arts - Philosophy Minor page and Liberal Arts - Ethics Minor.
Do you find your passion in seeking the common good? Would you like to know how religious traditions can help you in that search?
Learn more by visiting our Liberal Arts - Religious Studies Major page or our Liberal Arts - Religious Studies Minor page.
Theatre emboldens creativity, awareness, and technical skills to implement artistic choices.
Learn more by visiting our Liberal Arts - Theatre Major page.
Liberal Arts FAQs
What career options will this degree open up for me? What if I want to teach high school English or History?
Find answers to these questions and more in our Liberal Arts major FAQs.
Featured News
Featured News
Featured News

Local writer, Trace Conger visited the Mount’s Writer’s Block class recently. Conger is a Shamus-Award winning crime novelist who lives with his family in Lebanon, Ohio. He’s written many novels and his work includes two separate crime novel series featuring Finn Harding and his brother, Connor Harding, respectively. Students read and discussed Trace’s novella Catch and Release prior to his visit. Writer’s Block is a seminar for students of any major interested in pursuing writing with others. Students collaborate with Professor Jeff Hillard in workshopping, project planning, and logistics. Conger is picture to the right of Hillard in the back of the room.
Featured News

High Climber
Maddie Axtell '21, Liberal Arts Major
MSJ senior Madison Axtell '21 played chess master Sergey Berchenko her sophomore year in a “Quick Chess” game in Professor Jeffrey Hillard’s Survey of Women Writers course in November, 2018. Axtell was previously a member of her high school chess team. Mr. Berchenko, originally a high school physics teacher in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, also taught her several key chess moves. Thus, Axtell is also minoring in English and pursuing a teaching licensure in Integrated Language Arts.
Click below to view our Classroom Building and other facilities and equipment at MSJ.
Liberal Arts - English Faculty

Elizabeth Barkley
PhD English Professor and Chair
Elizabeth Mason
PhD English Associate Professor
Drew Shannon
PhD English Associate Professor
Brian Whalen
Ph.D. Assistant ProfessorLiberal Arts - History Faculty

Jennifer Morris
PhD History Professor
Peter Robinson
PhD History ProfessorLiberal Arts - Philosophy Faculty

Christopher Davidson
PhD Philosophy Assistant Professor
Michael Sontag
PhD Philosophy Associate Professor and Dean of Arts & Humanities
Iris Spoor
PhD Philosophy Assistant ProfessorLiberal Arts - Religious Studies Faculty

Andrew Buechel-Rieger
PhD Religious Studies Assistant Professor
Elijah Prewitt-Davis
PhD Religious Studies Assistant Professor
Kyle Schenkewitz
PhD Religious Studies Assistant ProfessorLiberal Arts - Theatre Faculty

Elizabeth Barkley
PhD Professor and Chair of the Liberal Arts DepartmentLauren Carr
BFA Director of Theatre Arts
Peter Robinson
PhD Professor
Drew Shannon
PhD Associate ProfessorNEWS AND UPDATES
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