The goals of liberal education are to deepen the understanding of the nature of humankind and of the human condition. In the last half century, fundamental changes have occurred in perceptions of how the human species relates to the rest of the universe, due to developments in science and the creation of the cognitive sciences. There is now the…

Perspectives on the undergraduate curriculum are offered at a faculty convocation by the President Emeritus of Ohio State University. Criticisms of the content and quality of college studies are noted. It is suggested that for the most part today's curriculum reflects the legacy of the 1960s and 1970s by emphasizing the individual's right to…

In October 1978, the New England Junior College Council held their fall conference to consider the future of general education in the community college. This report of the proceedings includes Richard H. Sturgeon's introductory remarks, in which he acknowledged the conference speakers and introduced the question of the survival of the core…

The principal concept of the Curriculum of Attainments (COA) is that college degrees are awarded on the basis of demonstrated competencies without regard to the amount of time required to attain them. The method of curriculum reform advocated in the COA project is the establishment and expansion of small pilot programs within existing departmental…

A new approach to general education at Bowling Green State University based on "essential skills and functional understandings" is discussed. The model includes skills in: problem solving and critical thinking; reading and writing; computation and mathematics; listening and speaking; and decision-making and values-conflict resolution.…

Discusses the need for schools of library and information science to ensure that graduates understand and can use computer technologies, and describes a model program in which this goal can be met through cooperative degree programs involving schools of library and information science and other academic departments. (CLB)

Classic literary and philosophical texts have a unique place in fostering inquiry and awareness, stemming from the relation between inquiry and the ability to empathize with radically new perspectives. College students need exposure to them to increase both awareness and knowledge. (MSE)

Reveals the dangers of the unchecked proliferation of special interest courses; e.g., overlap of course content with established offerings; ignoring major aspects of a subject in favor of minor aspects and failure to gain a comprehensive understanding; conflicting credit-granting policies; and needless competition with area schools. (AYC)

As part of a quality initiative, the Minnesota State University System identified as a major goal the cultivation of "capacity for critical thinking" and a culturally inclusive syllabus. St. Cloud State University issued a call for curriculum proposals, resulting in 29 proposals from 22 departments, some representing significant…

A skills-oriented model for educating culturally competent social workers focuses on integrating cultural content in courses covering human behavior in the social environment, methods for social work practice, social welfare policy, social work research, and field work. Includes objectives, discussion questions, and activities for each area. Case…

Discusses three common misperceptions of community college transfer education. Considers the notions that a revitalized transfer function is destructive to vocationalism and perhaps to curricular comprehensiveness; that transfer education is elitist; and that professing ignorance can be a useful way of dealing with those investigating transfer…

The loss of balance among the functions of the research university (instruction, basic and applied research, and professional training and service) produces a crisis of values. Many of the university's problems can be traced to this disequilibrium. Without increasing the value placed on teaching, curricular reform will be ineffectual. (MSE)

In a speech to University of Chicago (Illinois) students, an educator encourages students to challenge intellectual authority, allow their own assumptions to be challenged, become involved, be open to traditional curriculum content, and generally, keep an open mind. (MSE)

Discusses the Ursuline Studies Program, a new core curriculum at Ursuline College designed to improve women's learning and intellectual and ethical development. Describes the program's emphasis on analysis and synthesis, effective communication, social interaction, value-based decision making, response to beauty, problem solving, and social…

Our higher education system does not nurture the inner lives of students or help them acquire the self-understanding that is the basis for a satisfying life, nor does it provide the safe and nurturing environment people need in order to grow. What is needed is a more holistic way of conceiving education, one that accepts the importance of…