A sense?

Univerisities have by tradition aimed at providing a liberal education in depth. But specialization should come only after some aquaintance with what a philosopher has called 'the system of vital ideas which every age possesses and by which it lives,' a sense at least of the whole range of human achievement.

In the sentences above, I don't know whether how to interpret the word a sense. My guess is that a sense is closer in meaning to an awareness. Am I right?