Build Your Foundation: Hands-On Learning for CLA Students
A liberal arts education means building a strong foundation for your career and life — one you can continue to grow from long after you move the tassel from right to left on graduation day. It’s a broad academic approach that spans the arts, humanities, and social sciences, and fosters the transferable skills we call core competencies.
Here you’ll meet students and professors working together to create space for hands-on learning. Featured are stories of original research, applying classroom lessons to internships, learning through role-playing games, and studying abroad.
Innovative classrooms
Gateways to French and Francophone studies teaches history in an engaging way through role-play, using pedagogical material from the Reacting to the Past Consortium.
Read “Avant-Garde Curriculum Meets Avant-Garde Art: Students Role-Play 19th-Century French Artists”
Suddenly, a painting is not just art, but also makes a statement about who counts as an artist, what counts as a subject worthy of representing, and how that representation is enmeshed in relations of power, commodification, and cultural authority
Ioana Pribiag, assistant professor and course instructor
The Language Center developed a two-course Vietnamese language sequence with the heritage learner in mind. Two of our developers share the “Why” behind these new courses, which begin in fall ‘26.
Read “New Vietnamese Courses for Heritage Learners: Why This Moment Matters”
A lot of teaching heritage learners is about meeting them where they are. Helping them recognize the skills in culture and language that they already have, then helping them realize that that's a huge boost when it comes to studying any kind of language
Amanda Dalola, director of the Language Center and an associate professor in linguistics
History students at the University of Minnesota move beyond lectures with research, field trips, and role-playing games.
Read “History courses offer students hands-on learning opportunities”
Our trip to the Minneapolis Institute of Art was really interesting. When I usually visit, I just look at all the artifacts and artwork and think, ‘That’s cool.’ But this time, being with people who could explain the historical context behind the artifacts brought everything to a whole new level.
Josh Langemo, nursing student
Internships
For these students, working for civil rights organizations at the Minnesota State Capitol has given them valuable skills and experience that will shape their careers.
Read “Finding Purpose in a Politics Based Internship”
It’s been so rewarding and eye opening to intern in the Senate! Reading about legislative progress and how political battles shape law in textbooks doesn’t tell the whole story. Without in-person experience, I’d be missing the part of education that only comes with living it! Being here for me has made me reconsider what I want out of a career.
Audrey Pearson, political science major
Behind the scenes: Meet the two students who help lead the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities’ social media
Read “Is this the most fun internship at the University of Minnesota?”
I want to be a therapist, and with that, you have to be able to market and promote yourself and communicate with others. This really helps me get that experience. You're working with a bunch of different people, and you have to be able to effectively communicate because not everybody's going to be the same.
Jaccyn Bugg, family social science major
Editor & Publisher dives into the incredible work being done at the Hubbard School and the MN Daily, where students are prepared to cover difficult and dangerous events.
Read “UMN Hubbard students report from the front lines, proving campus journalism’s real-world impact”
From the minute that they apply, everything is about getting them to do the work of journalism.
Gayle (G.G.) Golden, senior lecturer and associate director of the Minnesota Journalism Center (MJC) at Hubbard
Research
Students partnered with five local artists to curate "Layers of Joy," gaining professional skills and community engagement through ARTH 3940/PHIL 3760.
Read “Students Showcase Black Art in ‘Layers of Joy’ Exhibition”
With a lot of art being focused on serious topics, Black joy can sometimes be overshadowed by more negative emotions. We wanted to amplify artists whose work embodied Black joy and create something that brings the community jubilation.
Camille Dauplaise, student
Ryken Farr's CLA experience included conducting original research funded by scholarships (twice!), research trips in the US and abroad, and a role as a student archivist with the UMN Libraries. Hands-on learning gave him the experience and direction to pursue his passion for history and the foundation to begin a master’s program in library and information science this fall.
Read “Archival Journeys: A History Major’s Path to Research Opportunities”
Beyond the academic and professional benefits of finding my niche early, it meant that I got to nerd out even more over what truly sparked my interest in history, instead of discovering it in my last semester. I would encourage any interested history major or minor to pursue as many of these opportunities as they can: yes, they look good on a resume, and they help you truly find what excites you most about history.
Ryken Farr (BA '26, history with minors in Jewish studies, German, and museum & curatorial studies)
What does a sustainable future look like? From clean energy funding to sustainable agricultural practices, CLA students reflect on how their liberal arts education has equipped them to tackle today’s most pressing environmental problems.
Read “Liberal Arts in Action: CLA Students Work Towards Creating a More Sustainable Future”
Now, I can proudly say that I am an international student who is passionate about social justice, sustainability, and advocating for greener communities. This project has inspired me to envision a career that blends justice with community service and environmental advocacy.
Glensi Coxolca, sociology of law, criminology, and justice major
Explore student activism at the University of Minnesota, from the 1880s to the 1980s, in a student-created exhibit highlighting key moments from women’s rights to divestment.
Read “Historical Exhibit: ‘Students Speak Out’”
Before this, I had never done any type of archival research in a team. I had toured the archives in a class setting, but that was it. This allowed me to learn about the process of working with other people and combining their research into one cohesive narrative. Not only did I learn a lot, but I had a great time doing it, and I am so glad to get to share this knowledge through the exhibit!
Dori Catz, history major
Begin research
There are many research opportunities in CLA, and they all start with finding your approach. Because funding is important, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) is here to support students in completing 120 hours of research — plus you get a mentor.
In April, over 80 CLA students presented original research projects at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. This annual research fair gives undergraduate researchers from all UMN campuses a chance to share their research, scholarly, and creative projects with the University community. It's just one of the presentation options offered through the Office for Undergraduate Research.
Still on the fence? Try to Think Like a Researcher — it's free.
Get psyched
Psychology students gain hands-on experience conducting advanced research in PSY 5993, a faculty-led Research Experience. This required course is where students become research assistants as they learn the full research lifecycle and participate in publishing, data analysis, debriefing study participants, and more.
A SUPR time
The Summer Undergraduate Political Science Research (SUPR) program asks for your support to help the Department of Political Science offer students paid research opportunities for summer ‘26. Learn more and make a gift.
Unique opportunities
In the summer of ‘26, Breanna Wollman will participate in the Henry Clay Center College Student Congress and Next Generation Service Corp Summer Policy Academy.
Read “Learning to Create Change”
The sacrifices made by my mother and grandmother brought me here. Due to their upbringing in a religiously orthodox colony, education was out of their grasp, no matter how far they tried to reach. Now, I persevere because they share my success — just as they have shared my struggles.
Breanna Wollman, political science major
In the new three-week study abroad course, Dr. Morgan Staley brought a group of students to conduct field research in Egypt, a land of rich linguistic diversity.
Read “Linguistics Goes on Its First Study Abroad Program”
I think, you know, a college campus can be such a bubble. Being forced out of that bubble, and to have experiences that you would never have anywhere else—that's what I want them to remember.
Dr. Morgan Staley
In this residency, the Liberal Arts Engagement Hub asks: What does liberation look like when young people get to define it themselves?
Read “Youth-Led and Future-Focused: The Movement Behind ‘Envisioning Our Liberation’”
It's allowed me to see the issues that we face in my specific communities, and in others’ communities, and find ways to talk about them or potentially impact and change them
Manka, student
The liberal arts are increasingly a pathway for careers in healthcare, and the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts provides the foundational skills for that journey.
Read “Preparing the next generation of healthcare providers”
CLA offers you so many perspectives. It offers you so many opportunities to think about things in a different way and use that to kind of mold the person that you want to become.
Izaan Rana, human physiology major
Career ready
As a CLA student, you will develop ten core competencies that alumni and employers tell us matter most. Here you will grow into a critical thinker, a problem-solver, a leader, an innovator, an active citizen, and an expert communicator. Our faculty and staff will work with you to apply what you’re learning in the classroom and through experiences like internships or undergraduate research to your future career.
These competencies give you a practical framework for understanding your liberal arts education and articulating its relevance to any career field. Here are a few of the core career competencies featured in these stories:
