A graduate of a course in history's great ideas and the processes of thinking about them encourages the development of similar courses, arguing that important aspects of intellectual development are being ignored in the current college curriculum. (MSE)

The effects of pluralism on today's college campuses are intense. The place held by religion in this context is often awkward, but as a dimension of diversity and a potent force in human interaction, it deserves the same tolerance as any other aspect of pluralism and should not be trivialized. (MSE)

There are several well-known arguments for including linguistics in a liberal arts education. Linguistic theory can be presented as an experimental science in which it is particularly easy to do experiments. In addition, it is a field so new that, in an introductory course, areas about which little is known can be reached in some detail, with…

All institutional activities should be based on mutually-agreed-upon educational and cultural values as declared in a formal mission statement. A carefully formulated statement supported by conscious, informal commitment to its fulfillment allows an institution to maintain integrity and provide direction. (MSE)

The future of pluralistic democracies depends not only on laws but on individuals within the societies. Different cultures bring different strengths and conceptions of self and community. By studying different cultures and discovering shared virtues, students can identify those contributing to high quality of life for human society. (MSE)

If higher education is to have a coherent curriculum and a coherent way of thinking about the world, it may need to study premodern ways of thinking for both insights and the courage to think in new ways. The tradition of the humanities, which originated in fifteenth-century Italy, can help. (MSE)

Cognitive science has recently emerged as a new interdisciplinary field incorporating parts of psychology, computer science, philosophy, neuroscience, and linguistics. Its goal is to bring the theoretical and methodological resources of the contributing disciplines to bear on an integrated investigation of thought, meaning, language, perception,…

A typology of the vocational intent of various college courses, or the stated objectives and curricula of courses as they relate to specific occupational fields is proposed that makes distinctions about vocational specificity, selection for employment, and training for employment. (MSE)

Higher education can resist the need to open the U.S. mind to greater cultural diversity by ignoring the changing ethnic composition of student bodies and larger society, or realize this opportunity to revitalize the social sciences and humanities with a new sense of purpose and more inclusive definition of knowledge. (MSE)

A discussion of the debate over multicultural education in colleges and universities looks at the evolution of the movement and examines some myths about it that threaten its effectiveness. An effective approach to multiculturalism is seen to have implications for institutional philosophy, structure, operations, and academic programs. Concrete…

The traditional college curriculum is seen as a collection of answers for students who do not yet have the questions; an alternative approach that nurtures students' capacities for inquiry is suggested and outlined. (MSE)

Linguistics, as one of the cognitive sciences, has much to offer the teaching of basic science, i.e., the teaching of how to ask and investigate interesting questions. Linguistics is particularly well-suited for teaching about the process of "doing" science because the methodology appropriate to the study of language from a generative…

A discussion of American Sign Language looks at its history in the context of deaf education and its increasing acceptance as a complete natural language both among linguists and in the college curriculum. (MSE)

Cornell University (New York) was among the first to remove normative religious instruction and mandatory religious practice from their previous pervasiveness in higher education. This has removed from the university the responsibility for safeguarding the cultural authority of religion and allowed religion to enter the realm of ideas to be…

The current discipline-based organizational structure of the college curriculum in which general education is treated as an isolated learning experience should be replaced with a more integrated curriculum. In addition, general education should take different forms in institutions with different missions. Such a curriculum redesign could help…