The future of liberal education in the United States, in its current form, is fraught but full of possibility. Today's institutions are struggling to maintain viability, sustain revenue, and assert value in the face of rising costs. But we should not abandon the model of pragmatic liberal learning that has made America's colleges and universities…

The modern research university is a global institution with a rich history that stretches into an ivy-laden past, but for as much as we think we know about that past, most of the writings that have recorded it are scattered across many archives and, in many cases, have yet to be translated into English. With this book, Paul Reitter, Chad Wellmon,…

This book highlights models for promoting interdisciplinary thinking and an appreciation for interdisciplinary understanding among students in STEM-related fields. Students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics often perceive that courses in their major are not related to the general education liberal arts courses required…

For those ready to participate in making transformative changes, "Transforming Undergraduate Education" provides evidence and case studies that suggest how steps can be taken and progress made. For those who are currently leading their campuses through a change in culture, this book offers support and encouragement. And for those who are…

Comparative research on higher education in developing and transitional countries is often focused on such issues as access, finance, student mobility and the impact of globalization, but there has been little attention to curriculum and the forces that shape it. Confronting Challenges to the Liberal Arts Curriculum fills an important gap in the…

Mark Van Doren, the noted literary scholar, once remarked, "The college is meaningless without a curriculum, but it is more so when it has one that is meaningless." Many current critics of undergraduate curricula in America assent to the crucial need for programmatic renewal in our colleges and universities. They bemoan the cookie-cutter…

This book provides a study of the historical evolution of the idea of liberal education. The volume portrays this evolution as a struggle between two contending points of view--one oratorical and the other philosophical--that have interacted, often controversially, from antiquity to present. The study attempts to shed light on the meaning of the…

The general question of what an undergraduate education is and how it should be related, if at all, to society as a whole, is discussed. Particular reference is given to the issue of liberal education and its relationship with career education. The thesis is that, although career education and liberal education may be incompatible in a specific…

The range of controversies and changes emerging from the current revival of general education are examined, and many ideas, examples, and recommendations for achieving realistic and successful curricular reform are offered. Instead of either offering an apology for general education or advocating any particular approach, the book draws on solid…

The genesis of Harvard's new Core Curriculum, which resulted in major changes in the university's general education program in the 1970s, is presented in a candid account. The narrative highlights the contest of conflicting beliefs about the ends and means of undergraduate education, and reveals the strategies employed to resolve conflicts and to…

Based on conclusions of a 1993 meeting of national leaders in higher education (the Wingspread Group on Higher Education), this book charges that higher education is not meeting society's needs and suggests fundamental areas for attention. It sees demographic, economic and technical changes as increasing the importance of good higher education for…

In the wake of nearly 2 decades of reform in college liberal and general education, this report proposes 12 principles to help institutions sustain the gains that have been made. Each chapter presents one of the principles with detailed explanation that draws on the literature, theory, and actual examples. Part I presents the first six principles…

This collection of 34 essays provides an overview of the debates and reforms under discussion in regard to undergraduate curriculum. Part 1 focuses on the purposes and objectives of undergraduate education, reviewing pivotal historical developments, changes in the curriculum due to social and historical forces, and traditional and innovative…

This volume contains 25 papers describing large curriculum revitalization projects from 1986 through 1991 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The papers are: "A Theoretical Context for Designing Curricula in the Agricultural and Life Sciences" (Robert G. Kranz,…

The history of higher education in the United States is traced. While major developments affecting higher education as a whole are emphasized, detailed descriptions are included on the nature of selected institutions, their operating arrangements, and their influences. In addition to historical facts, details, and data, a synthesis of educational…