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Master of Liberal Studies Program
3501 Trousdale Parkway
THH 355
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California 90089-0355
Tel: 213.740.1349
Fax: 213-740.5002
usc.edu/college/mls
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Welcome to The Owl in the Olive Tree, the new e-newsletter of the USC Master of Liberal Studies Program. MLS student Alan Kita suggested the owl and olive tree for the newsletter name to represent the symbols of knowledge associated with Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
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Celebrating the MLS "launch" year  On April 20, 2007, the inaugural MLS class and program administration celebrated the launch of the Master of Liberal Studies Program in 2006 – 2007. At the University Club lunch, the current MLS students traded favorite stories from their experiences over the first two semesters, from wrestling with biomedical ethical issues with Professor William May to sorting through Foucault and de Certeau on theories of knowledge with Professor Tok Thompson.
“I expected great things from this program and so far it has exceeded my expectations,” said Karen Holden. “I’ve been impressed by the balance of academic rigor, cultural accessibility, diversity, and depth.”
Added Frida Canono, “‘Grow Your Mind’ is what this program promotes, and it has changed my life.”
"Ecology of Night" visits Mount Wilson Observatory
Highlights included analyzing Saturn and Jupiter through the Observatory’s 60-inch telescope built in 1908 by Observatory founder George Ellery Hale with funding provided by Andrew Carnegie.
Upcoming course highlights
 The MLS Program welcomes Professor Jenny Price, who will be teaching LBST 500 “Methods of Knowing” in the fall and a new course, LBST 514 “Ideas of Nature,” in the spring.
Professor Price’s academic and literary focus is on the intersection between American environmental history and cultural studies. Her book, Flight Maps: Adventures with Nature in Modern America, explores the meanings of nature in everyday American culture. She currently is working on a book which tracks nature through L.A.’s mountains, parks, gardens – and even its warehouses, factories, homes, shops, and restaurants.
 With renowned writer Judith Freeman, LBST 544 “Representations of LA” in the fall semester will study the literary, artistic, and dramatic expressions of Los Angeles and its inhabitants through noir crime and detective fiction, film, and art. Professor Freeman’s new book, The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved, will be released by Random House in November, and already has received acclaim as an “elegant, stirring book [that] plumbs a great mystery. . .one of those rare books. . .where one writer’s study of another forms of a confessional fugue
on the writing act itself.” Professor Freeman is a novelist, essayist, critic and short story writer whose works have appeared in The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. Her novel, Red Water, was named one of the 100 best books of 2002 by The Los Angeles Times.
 Professor Tok Thompson is offering a new course in the fall, “Language in a Globalizing World” (LBST 512). This course investigates the relationships between language and geopolitical change, endangered and minority languages, and the public policy implications of multilingualism and multiculturalism. He has published widely in the fields of folklore, popular culture, translation studies, and heritage studies, both in the United States and in Europe, and has ongoing research projects in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Alaska, and Ethiopia.
New student orientation
Orientation to welcome incoming MLS students will be Monday, August 20th, starting at 11:30 am in the MLS office in Taper Hall 355. New MLS students will meet the administration and staff of the USC College of Office of Advanced and Professional Programs and will participate in graduate student orientation activities and tours presented by the University.
 From Army paratrooper to police SWAT leader to hockey player, Brett Thackston has had his share of experience in assessing rapidly-changing environments, working closely with teammates with expertise different from his own, and acting with decisiveness. When it came to his education, Brett followed his training. After achieving a lifelong goal at Portland State University of becoming the first person in his family to obtain a college degree at Portland State University, he moved from Portland to Los Angeles expressly to obtain his MLS degree to learn more about the dynamics of today’s world and to broaden his
perspectives.
Brett shared, “After years of being a police officer, this program has reopened my mind and fulfilled a hunger inside of me for new knowledge. My favorite nights of the the week are class nights as I learn something new with each session. Armed with this MLS degree, I see myself making a contribution again as I did with my military and police careers. Teaching and consulting are among the many possibilities.”
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in such a great program.”
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The USC Master of Liberal Studies (MLS) Program is designed for the working professional, those interested in multidisciplinary learning, and anyone who might be interested in returning to the academic environment.
Interested? Call Natalie Kaylor, MLS Student Services Advisor, at (213) 740-1384 or email her.
Grow your mind. Apply now. Applications are still being accepted for Fall 07 and Spring 08.
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