This paper argues that the modern curriculum of academic subject disciplines embodies a rationalist conception of pure, universal knowledge that does little to cultivate, humanise or form the self. A liberal education in the classical humanist tradition, by contrast, develops a personal culture or "paideia", an understanding of the self as a…

It is a pitifully narrow humanities curriculum which focuses on great Western art, as many college humanities sequences have done. Any true consideration of the humanities needs to view mankind in relation to the cosmos. In essence, all one's education needs to be humanistically oriented in the broadest possible sense. (Author/SJL)

The notion that the interdisciplinary enterprise involves abandoning a discipline for a consistently holistic stance is critiqued. It is suggested that there are ways of exploring interdisciplinary relationships from the perspective of a discipline. (MLW)

Presents a university-level German curriculum that incorporates a combination of communicative and content-based learning. Demonstrates that professional school students can be trained alongside humanities majors by making minor but far-reaching adjustments to the elementary and intermediate language program, and without placing undue restraints…

Examines how a social humanities (a mix of social science methods and the humanities) view of educational administration might take shape and provides an example of how such a view might be used to improve educational decision making. (Author/IRT)

The standard prescriptions for reforming undergraduate education include better students, more time on basic academic subjects, more clinical experience, and more rigorous and standardized evaluation of students at all points in the program. Further scrutiny of these recommendations is presented. (MLW)

This paper contributes to the debate over whether the university disciplines are the best sources of knowledge for the school curriculum. Among the problematic issues raised in the paper are the distinctions between the university disciplines on one hand and the arts, crafts, trades, and sports on the other, and the distinction between enabling…

This paper raises awareness of the accomplishments of Catholic schools and discusses the model of quality education Catholic schools represent. First, a picture of American public education as a whole is presented, followed by a description of three areas in which the Catholic schools serve as a model for the reforms happening in American public…

Since the rise of science and technology in the latter part of the last century, teachers in the humanities have experienced extreme pressure to justify the place of the humanities in a progressive, scientifically oriented culture. Critics have termed humanists variously as elitist, because they concern themselves with moral priorities rather than…

In an effort to explain the relationship between democracy and education, this article presents three differing definitions of democracy: liberal, communicative, and deliberative. Argues that deliberatively influenced education makes possible a more rational approach to Denmark's debates concerning democratic education. Provides a brief historical…

States that postmodern approaches to the philosophy of education fall under the common denominator of narrative tendencies, key to which is the idea of a contextual, historical, and biographical self who is real in the here and now, who has a name, face and voice. Concludes that philosophical and pedagogical perspectives of the philosophy of…

Distinguishes between curiosity, which is seen as a motive to do exploration within definite and generally accepted frames, and wonder, where doubt about the frames themselves is the underlying factor. Argues that educational institutions need to build on both notions, and that wonder often finds expression in philosophical pursuits. (Contains 16…

Argues that children need to learn about civic issues in their education because certain virtues are required for a decently organized society. Also contends that the school has obligations to educate the young in civics and impart knowledge because it is in the students' best interests; this is not an encroachment on the privacy of the…

This book chronicles progress in the destruction of the values, methods, and goals of traditional humanistic study. It describes recent developments in the academic study of humanities as ideologically motivated assaults on the intellectual and moral substance of Western culture. It argues that various academic interest groups have worked to…