What is Liberal education? beral Education is an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. It provides students with broad knowledge of the wider world(e. g. science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study in a specific area of interest. A liberal education helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills such as communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world The broad goals of liberal education have been enduring even as the courses and requirements that comprise a liberal education have changed over the years. Today, a liberal education usually includes a general education curriculum that provides broad learning in multiple disciplines and ways of knowing, along with more in-depth study in a major Liberal education was advocated in the 19th century by thinkers such as John Henry Newman and F.D. Maurice. Sir Wilfred Griffin Eady defined Liberal Education as being education for its own sake and personal enrichment, with the teaching of values The decline of liberal education is often attributed to mobilization during the second World War The premium and emphasis placed upon mathematics, science, and technical training caused the loss of its prominent position in higher education studies. However, it became central to much undergraduate education in the United States in the mid-20th century, being conspicuous in the movement for 'general education In the early years of the 21st century, many universities and liberal arts colleges reviewed their curricula to include a liberal education, or to promote broader undergraduate education infused with its spirit 1 Definition 3 Relationship with professional educat 4 Provision Definition The American a ssociation for the advancement of Science describes a liberal education in this way:"Ideally, a liberal education produces persons who are open-minded and free from provincialism, dogma, preconception, and ideology; conscious of their opinions and judgments reflective of their actions; and aware of their place in the social and natural worlds. " Liberally educated people are skeptical of their own traditions; they are trained to think for themselves rather than defer to authority It also cultivates"active citizenship"through off-campus community service, internships, research, and study abroad. Some faculty see this movement towards "civic engagement more
1 What is Liberal Education? Liberal Education is an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. It provides students with broad knowledge of the wider world (e.g. science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study in a specific area of interest. A liberal education helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills such as communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings. The broad goals of liberal education have been enduring even as the courses and requirements that comprise a liberal education have changed over the years. Today, a liberal education usually includes a general education curriculum that provides broad learning in multiple disciplines and ways of knowing, along with more in-depth study in a major. Liberal education was advocated in the 19th century by thinkers such as John Henry Newman and F.D. Maurice. Sir Wilfred Griffin Eady defined Liberal Education as being education for its own sake and personal enrichment, with the teaching of values. The decline of liberal education is often attributed to mobilization during the Second World War. The premium and emphasis placed upon mathematics, science, and technical training caused the loss of its prominent position in higher education studies. However, it became central to much undergraduate education in the United States in the mid-20th century, being conspicuous in the movement for 'general education'. In the early years of the 21st century, many universities and liberal arts colleges reviewed their curricula to include a liberal education, or to promote broader undergraduate education infused with its spirit. 1 Definition 2 History 3 Relationship with professional education 4 Provision Definition The American Association for the Advancement of Science describes a liberal education in this way: "Ideally, a liberal education produces persons who are open-minded and free from provincialism, dogma, preconception, and ideology; conscious of their opinions and judgments; reflective of their actions; and aware of their place in the social and natural worlds." Liberally educated people are skeptical of their own traditions; they are trained to think for themselves rather than defer to authority. It also cultivates "active citizenship" through off-campus community service, internships, research, and study abroad. Some faculty see this movement towards "civic engagement" as more
pedagogically powerful than traditional classroom teaching, but opponents argue that the education occurring within an academic institution must be purely intellectual and scholarly A liberal education combines an education in the classics, English literature, the humanities, and moral virtues. The term liberal education in the modern sense should not be confused with liberal arts education; the latter refers to certain subjects of study, while the former is a way of learning Itself and may be pursued through any subject. Indeed, a liberal arts education does not necessarily include a liberal education, and a liberal arts program may even be as specialized as a vocational program (General Education The part of a liberal education curriculum shared by all students. It provides broad exposure to multiple disciplines and forms the basis for developing important intellectual and civic capacities General Education may also be called"the core curriculum"or"liberal studies. " Hist Definitions of a liberal education may be broad, generalized, and sometimes even contradictory. "It is at once the most enduring and changeable of academic traditions. Axelrod. Anisef. and Lin suggest that conceptions of liberal education are rooted in the teaching methods of Ancient Greece, a slave-owning community divided between slaves and freemen. The freemen, mostly concerned about their rights and obligations as citizens, received a non-specialized, non-vocational, liberal arts education that produced well-rounded citizens aware of their place in society. At the same time, Socrates emphasized the importance of individualism, impressing upon his students the duty of man to form his own opinions through reason rather than indoctrination. Athenian education also provided a balance between developing the mind and the body. Another possibility is that liberal education dates back to the Zhou dynasty, where the teachings of Confucianism focused on propriety, morality, and social order The early notions of liberal education found in Greece and Rome came under attack, when a Christian movement began to focus exclusively on all things spiritual, and banned exercise and anything else that had to do with the body or nature. While liberal education was stifled during the Middle Ages, it was fully restored in free cities that rose to power in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries saw a revolt against the spirit, and educators instead focused on the human This humanist approach favored reason and nature; it was the teacher's job to discover and develop each student's individual talents. In designing the curriculum the humanists attacked theology and dialectic, especially aristotelianism Study of the classics and humanities slowly returned also in the fourteenth century, which led to increased study of both Greek and Latin. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, liberal education focused mostly on the classics. Commoners, however, were not too keen on studying the classics so they instead took up vernacular languages and literature, and also the sciences. Until at least the twentieth century, both humanist and classicist influences remained in the liberal education, and proponents of a progressive education also embraced the humanist philosophy. Study of the classics continued in the form of the Great Books program
2 pedagogically powerful than traditional classroom teaching, but opponents argue that the education occurring within an academic institution must be purely intellectual and scholarly. A liberal education combines an education in the classics, English literature, the humanities, and moral virtues. The term liberal education in the modern sense should not be confused with liberal arts education; the latter refers to certain subjects of study, while the former is a way of learning itself and may be pursued through any subject. Indeed, a liberal arts education does not necessarily include a liberal education, and a liberal arts program may even be as specialized as a vocational program. （General Education The part of a liberal education curriculum shared by all students. It provides broad exposure to multiple disciplines and forms the basis for developing important intellectual and civic capacities. General Education may also be called "the core curriculum" or "liberal studies."） History Definitions of a liberal education may be broad, generalized, and sometimes even contradictory."It is at once the most enduring and changeable of academic traditions." Axelrod, Anisef, and Lin suggest that conceptions of liberal education are rooted in the teaching methods of Ancient Greece, a slave-owning community divided between slaves and freemen. The freemen, mostly concerned about their rights and obligations as citizens, received a non-specialized, non-vocational, liberal arts education that produced well-rounded citizens aware of their place in society. At the same time, Socrates emphasized the importance of individualism, impressing upon his students the duty of man to form his own opinions through reason rather than indoctrination. Athenian education also provided a balance between developing the mind and the body. Another possibility is that liberal education dates back to the Zhou Dynasty, where the teachings of Confucianism focused on propriety, morality, and social order. The early notions of liberal education found in Greece and Rome came under attack, when a Christian movement began to focus exclusively on all things spiritual, and banned exercise and anything else that had to do with the body or nature. While liberal education was stifled during the Middle Ages, it was fully restored in free cities that rose to power in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries saw a revolt against the spirit, and educators instead focused on the human. This humanist approach favored reason and nature; it was the teacher's job to discover and develop each student's individual talents. In designing the curriculum, the humanists attacked theology and dialectic, especially Aristotelianism. Study of the classics and humanities slowly returned also in the fourteenth century, which led to increased study of both Greek and Latin. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, liberal education focused mostly on the classics. Commoners, however, were not too keen on studying the classics, so they instead took up vernacular languages and literature, and also the sciences. Until at least the twentieth century, both humanist and classicist influences remained in the liberal education, and proponents of a progressive education also embraced the humanist philosophy. Study of the classics continued in the form of the Great Books program
Relationship with professional education beral education and professional education have often seen as divergent. German universities moved towards more professional teaching in American students, who still pursued a liberal education, students elsewhere started to take professional courses in the first or second year of study. [13] In the early twentieth century American liberal arts colleges still required students to pursue a common curriculum, whereas public universities allowed a student to move on to more pragmatic courses after having taken general education courses for the first two years of study. As an emphasis on specialized knowledge grew in the middle of the century, colleges began to adjust the proportion of required general education courses to those required for a particular major. [14] As University of Chicago professor Martha Nussbaum points out, standardized testing has placed more emphasis on honing technical knowledge, and its quantitative, multiple-choice nature prompts rote learning in the classroom. At the same time, humanistic concepts such as imagination and critical thinking, which cannot be tested by such methods, are disappearing from college curricula.[15 Thirty percent of college graduates in the United States are likely to eventually work in jobs that do not exist yet [16] Proponents of a liberal education therefore argue that a postsecondary education must prepare students for an increasingly complex labor market. Rather than provide narrowly designed technical courses, a liberal education would foster critical thinking and analytical skills that allow the student to adapt to a rapidly changing workforce. 17 The movement towards career-oriented courses within a liberal education has begun at places like Dartmouth University, where a journalism course combines lessons on writing style with reading and analyzing historical journalism. 18] An American survey of CEOs published in 1997 revealed that employers were more focused on the long-term outcomes of education, such as adaptability than college students and their parents, who were more concerned with the short-term outcomes of getting a job. 19 Provision As of 2009, only eight percent of colleges provide a liberal education to four percent of students in the United States. [20] Liberal education revived three times in the United States during periods of industrialization and shifts of social preoccupations-before World War I, after World War Il, and in the late 1970s-perhaps as a reaction against overspecialization in undergraduate curricula. [21] Chinese universities began to implement liberal curricula between the 1920s and 1940s, but shifted to specialized education upon the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 Higher education reform in the 1990s returned to liberal education. In 2000 Peking University started to offer a liberal education curriculum to its undergraduate students followed by other institutions throughout the countr
3 Relationship with professional education Liberal education and professional education have often been seen as divergent. German universities moved towards more professional teaching in the nineteenth century, and unlike American students, who still pursued a liberal education, students elsewhere started to take professional courses in the first or second year of study.[13] In the early twentieth century, American liberal arts colleges still required students to pursue a common curriculum, whereas public universities allowed a student to move on to more pragmatic courses after having taken general education courses for the first two years of study. As an emphasis on specialized knowledge grew in the middle of the century, colleges began to adjust the proportion of required general education courses to those required for a particular major.[14] As University of Chicago professor Martha Nussbaum points out, standardized testing has placed more emphasis on honing technical knowledge, and its quantitative, multiple-choice nature prompts rote learning in the classroom. At the same time, humanistic concepts such as imagination and critical thinking, which cannot be tested by such methods, are disappearing from college curricula.[15] Thirty percent of college graduates in the United States are likely to eventually work in jobs that do not exist yet.[16] Proponents of a liberal education therefore argue that a postsecondary education must prepare students for an increasingly complex labor market. Rather than provide narrowly designed technical courses, a liberal education would foster critical thinking and analytical skills that allow the student to adapt to a rapidly changing workforce.[17] The movement towards career-oriented courses within a liberal education has begun at places like Dartmouth University, where a journalism course combines lessons on writing style with reading and analyzing historical journalism.[18] An American survey of CEOs published in 1997 revealed that employers were more focused on the long-term outcomes of education, such as adaptability, than college students and their parents, who were more concerned with the short-term outcomes of getting a job.[19] Provision As of 2009, only eight percent of colleges provide a liberal education to four percent of students in the United States.[20] Liberal education revived three times in the United States during periods of industrialization and shifts of social preoccupations—before World War I, after World War II, and in the late 1970s—perhaps as a reaction against overspecialization in undergraduate curricula.[21] Chinese universities began to implement liberal curricula between the 1920s and 1940s, but shifted to specialized education upon the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Higher education reform in the 1990s returned to liberal education. In 2000 Peking University started to offer a liberal education curriculum to its undergraduate students, followed by other institutions throughout the country
复旦大学:通识教育将贯穿到本科四年全过程 编辑: admin日期:2009-10-1210:10访问次数:4838 来源:东方早报 “目前,复旦通识教育改革的第一步,集中在大一时在复旦学院进行,下一步,我们会 将通识教育的精神和理念,贯穿到大学本科四年的全过程。”复旦大学校长王生洪6月10 日出席“高考30年·我的大学”校长访谈录直播活动时,作出上述表示 通识教育学习六类课程 复旦大学2005年在全国率先推行通识教育,希望真正培养宽口径厚基础的人才。 为此,复旦建立了承担通识教育的复旦学院,并组建包括六大模块的通识教育核心课程 体系:文史经典与文化传承、哲学智慧与批判性思维、文明对话与世界视野、科技进步与科 学精神、生态环境与生命关怀、艺术创作与审美体验。 这套课程体系力求突破单纯的“专业视域”和单纯的“知识视域”,为学生提供能够帮 助其形成基本的人文修养、思想视野和精神感悟的课程 “我们注重于通识教育的目的,就是不在于传授具体的知识,而是塑造人文精神和科学 素养。当这种概念和理念深入到学生内心,并成为学生自身的内涵后,我想可以指导影响他 们的一生。”王生洪说 通识教育影响学生一生 复旦实行通识教育两年来,效果明显。王生洪校长昨天表示,目前集中在复旦学院对大 学生进行通识教育,下一步将把通识教育的精神和理念,贯穿到本科四年的全过程中去, 在专业教育里同样可以渗透关于人文素养、科学精神的培养,这也是通识教育的精髓。” 为此,复旦已经改善了很多配套措施,比如大幅提高科学研究经费、从今年起每年派一百名 教师到国外一流大学做研究等。 “我们有很好的学生,有一流的教师,再有先进的理念,通识教育的理念就有可能实现。” 王生洪说。 (韩晓蓉)2007年06月11日
4 复旦大学：通识教育将贯穿到本科四年全过程 编辑：admin 日期：2009-10-12 10:10 访问次数：4838 来源：东方早报 “目前，复旦通识教育改革的第一步，集中在大一时在复旦学院进行，下一步，我们会 将通识教育的精神和理念，贯穿到大学本科四年的全过程。”复旦大学校长王生洪 6 月 10 日出席“高考 30 年•我的大学”校长访谈录直播活动时，作出上述表示。 通识教育学习六类课程 复旦大学 2005 年在全国率先推行通识教育，希望真正培养宽口径厚基础的人才。 为此，复旦建立了承担通识教育的复旦学院，并组建包括六大模块的通识教育核心课程 体系：文史经典与文化传承、哲学智慧与批判性思维、文明对话与世界视野、科技进步与科 学精神、生态环境与生命关怀、艺术创作与审美体验。 这套课程体系力求突破单纯的“专业视域”和单纯的“知识视域”，为学生提供能够帮 助其形成基本的人文修养、思想视野和精神感悟的课程。 “我们注重于通识教育的目的，就是不在于传授具体的知识，而是塑造人文精神和科学 素养。当这种概念和理念深入到学生内心，并成为学生自身的内涵后，我想可以指导影响他 们的一生。”王生洪说。 通识教育影响学生一生 复旦实行通识教育两年来，效果明显。王生洪校长昨天表示，目前集中在复旦学院对大 一学生进行通识教育，下一步将把通识教育的精神和理念，贯穿到本科四年的全过程中去， “在专业教育里同样可以渗透关于人文素养、科学精神的培养，这也是通识教育的精髓。” 为此，复旦已经改善了很多配套措施，比如大幅提高科学研究经费、从今年起每年派一百名 教师到国外一流大学做研究等。 “我们有很好的学生，有一流的教师，再有先进的理念，通识教育的理念就有可能实现。” 王生洪说。 (韩晓蓉)2007 年 06 月 11 日