Critical literature on liberal education since the 1990s discerns two main trends which pose a serious threat to liberal education in the contemporary world. These are, firstly, the trend of liberal arts colleges offering a more professional curriculum and, secondly, the trend among universities and colleges in general to promote values which used…

The word "liberal" derives from the Latin "liber," meaning "free," and describes a mind unencumbered by either prejudice or indoctrination. The adjective "liberal," however, has become, at least in some circles, synonymous with anti-capitalism, anti-business, and therefore anti-American. This author has…

ACTA's report "The Cost of Chaos in the Curriculum" reveals that the vast array of course choices given to college students is a cause of exploding costs and poor academic outcomes. And a bloated undergraduate curriculum is particularly detrimental to the success of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The report documents how…

The physical fitness required to perform complex athletic feats has a parallel in the intellectual fitness it takes to perform complex mental tasks. At the heart of liberal education sits the idea that moderate training in several disciplines is better than intensive training in just one. Through exercising students' abilities in interpreting…

Derrida's account of Kant's and Schelling's writings on the origins of the modern university are interpreted to show that theoretical positions attempting to oversee and master the contemporary university find themselves destabilized or deconstructed. Two examples of contemporary attempts to install the liberal arts as the guardians and overseers…

The nonprofit organization Common Core looked at curriculums, standards, and assessments in nine nations that consistently outrank the United States on the Programme for International Assessment (PISA) to see whether differences in countries' PISA scores are due to differences in the content they teach. Findings revealed that top-performing…

Teacher preparation in the Commonwealth of Virginia requires numerous competencies. Faced with the challenges of creating a new general education core, faculty at Emory & Henry College exploited the synergies of the new program, teacher preparation competency requirements and the literature on effective teachers to reinforce a 172-year-old…

Media education has been around for quite some time in the West (Bazalgette et al. 1990), but it only started to gain acceptance in Asia (Cheung 2005), particularly in Hong Kong, in the last decade. Recently, it has been gaining more attention in Hong Kong thanks to the curriculum reform in which liberal studies will become one of the four core…

Liberal Studies (LS) has recently been confirmed to be offered as an independent core subject in the local senior secondary school curriculum in 2009. There had been some controversy concerning its status as an independent core subject to be publicly examined in the coming proposed public examination in Secondary 6. This article argues that the…

Promoting student learning can be difficult, even at a liberal arts and sciences college where faculty members are passionate about it. The authors have experienced these challenges at the College of Mount St. Joseph in the last five years as they have moved collegewide efforts more intentionally toward facilitation of learning. The College of…

Describes Utah Valley Community College's core course, "Ethics and Values," which approaches timely and interdisciplinary topics (e.g., abortion, and business ethics) and emphasizes writing, self-confrontation, oral discussion, and critical thinking. Reviews problems in promoting active student learning. Describes course content and the…

Liberal education in Japan, and specifically at Japan's Tenri University, is described. The conflicts between the society's need for well-rounded educated individuals versus well- educated specialists are noted. (CJ)

In 1970 many course requirements were relaxed, but 10 years later many colleges and universities are again requiring students to select some courses from a core group of basic subjects (core curriculum). The development of core curricula is analyzed and what is actually occurring on campuses is detailed. (MLW)

Small programs can make a big difference on college campuses. At Duke University, a few dedicated people, with the support of college administrators, exploited the all-too-evident liabilities of curriculum fragmentation, political correctness, and the lack of direction felt by undergraduate students to create intellectually valuable and…

Outlines a competency-based business communication course offered at Brigham Young University to satisfy the general education requirement. Highlights the competency requirements, course content and organization, and evaluation procedures, as well as general outcomes and proven effectiveness of the course. (JMF)