A reflective judgment model of adult intellectual development is proposed, for use by college faculty and staff in helping students question their assumptions about knowing and learning and in making more reflective judgments. The model is based on cognitive development theory and has specific implications for the college years. (MSE)

Both general education and the structure and process of specialization on the undergraduate level must be reformed in relation to each other to strengthen curriculum and practice of liberal learning. Reform could mean either redistributing the time allotted in the undergraduate curriculum or tying general education to specific student interests.…

Examines the 1997 "Handbook of the Undergraduate Curriculum," a 34-chapter "operating manual and desk reference" to the college curriculum. Assert that, while the dominant trend in higher education in the 20th century has been specialization and proliferation of programs and courses, a historic reversal of this trend is occurring, with…

Argues that the conflicts inherent in the role of the police officer exemplify the need for liberal education as the essential foundation of professional training. Includes discussion of the police role, requisite aptitudes and attributes, contemporary status of law enforcement instruction, and police role conflicts as a criterion for educational…

An Association of American Colleges project is experimenting with alternative approaches to assessing learning in liberal arts majors, focusing on whether written and oral comprehensive examinations administered by external examiners can be acceptable to faculty members. (MSE)

Research into the factors that promote individual success in an occupation indicates that the amount of formal knowledge acquired about a content area is far less predictive of success than interpersonal, intrapersonal, and cognitive abilities. (MSE)

A discussion of the ways in which colleges are preparing students for corporate life looks at the objectives and design of the management programs at Birmingham-Southern College, Bucknell University, Trinity University, and the University of Virginia. (MSE)

Instead of the random scattershot of the core curriculum, a program of overlapping curricular circles could provide students with a more effective educational experience. Each circle would center on the student's major, and would draw together the underlying strands of a liberal education. (MSE)

Recent departmental-level efforts at general education curriculum reform are surveyed. Discussion is given to English departments, which are well suited to lead general education reform, because they can learn from these experiences. (MSE)

A tendency in liberal arts to organize the disciplines into a common, core curriculum and to evangelize this common learning in a puritanical way is examined and criticized. It is recommended that the liberal education mission must not be imposed on those who do not seek it. (MSE)

The problem in promoting general education across the college curriculum is fundamentally attitudinal. Faculty must (1) recognize that general education coupled with a major is good vocational education, (2) prepare themselves to teach general education, and (3) convince students of its value. (MSE)

The purpose of the university is enough different from that of the liberal arts college that there exists a systematic bias against and neglect of liberal arts in the former. Insights are given into the causes of and solutions to this problem. (MSE)

The study of literature is seen as one of the best ways to bring students through the curriculum to recognize and grapple with the moral dimension of human life. Such a focus for a basic course is especially important when students take only one literature course. (Author/MLW)

Higher education does not address the central challenges of daily interpersonal life--being a parent, spouse, friend, and offspring; dealing with change, loss, sickness, death. But education can instill "tacit knowing"--knowing in the bones, prior to conceptualization or verbalization. This knowing can be imparted by great literature. (MLW)

Problems and considerations in developing interdisciplinary programs in higher education are examined, and the evolution of several new programs linking humanities and teacher education is discussed. Programs at Georgia Southern University, Salem College (North Carolina), and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are highlighted. (MSE)