Despite recent attention to liberal and general education, the fine arts and their relationship to liberal education receive scant attention in terms of curricular reform at the institutional level. It is suggested that the fine arts should be an integral part of the undergraduate curriculum. (Author/MLW)

Reviews the historical position of community colleges toward general education and describes the present situation in terms of the results of a survey of 254 deans of instruction as to dominant curricular approaches, future plans, and perceived obstacles to change. Lists forces against and favoring general education. (AYC)

At the annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges, Leon Botstein, the president of Bard College, charged that students are not required to devote adequate time to general education. Changing the way the major is organized, he said, is difficult because change goes against in-grained traditions and structures. (MLW)

The roles of specialized, discipline-specific education and interdisciplinary study in German higher education are discussed, particularly as they pertain to the sciences. It is concluded that learning in the individual disciplines should form a basis on which interdisciplinary study builds parallel, social learning. (MSE)

In the 1900s, emphasis on specialization, technical studies, and vocation that has undermined liberal education generally has taken a particular toll on civic education, departing from the ideal of education for the public interest. The college curriculum can incorporate education for participation in government in a variety of ways. (MSE)

Reports on a survey of chief academic officers of colleges and universities regarding curricular changes in general education. Most felt curricular reforms resulted in higher quality and greater coherence in the educational program, and a greater understanding and appreciation of general education among campus constituencies. (DMM)

This third article in a series for an American Association of American Colleges and Universities project, "The State of Liberal Education," analyzes findings in five areas of inquiry conceptual foundations, curricular expressions, the phenomena and assessment of liberal learning, institutional mission, and the status and relevance of…

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…

General education is the process of developing a framework on which to place knowledge stemming from a variety of sources. Its goals are to help students think critically, develop values, understand traditions, respect diverse cultures and opinions, and, most importantly, put that knowledge to use. Even though its goals parallel socially supported…

This paper examines recent efforts by community college educators to enhance the liberal arts in a curriculum which is increasingly dominated by career, compensatory, and community education programs. The paper first notes the decline of the transfer function at today's community colleges and argues that the liberal arts, if they are to survive,…

Non-traditional courses recommended for the general education package at Los Medanos College are described. It is suggested that the core curriculum be six intra-disciplinary packages covering Behavioral Sciences, Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Language Arts, and Humanistic Studies. Each semester, students would be…

Offers a critique of Alan Bloom's ideas on the Great Books approach to general education presented in "The Closing of the American Mind." Questions Bloom's assertions about the types of students who benefit from the approach and his rationale. Suggests that exposure to conflicting viewpoints via Great Books reinforces a relativist…

Discusses the background of and rationale for a newly published requirement of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools that all accredited undergraduate degree programs contain a basic core of general education courses. Considers the possible effects on community colleges. (DMM)

Traces the origins of two approaches to the modern college curriculum. Assesses differences in the goals of natural science as a major and as part of the liberal arts curriculum. Advocates incorporating affective objectives into natural science courses. Highlights obstacles to affective objectives. (DMM)

Proposes a science-oriented general education core, stressing the importance of serious scientific study in understanding contemporary human existence. Describes the four courses comprising the core, which use the evolutionary process as the unifying concept for the study of physics, astronomy, geology, chemistry, biology, anthropology,…