A working definition of the humanities and characteristics of a liberally educated person are specified. The humanities embrace areas of human knowledge that possess these elements: central concern for human beings rather than for the processes of nature or the structures of society; primary focus on the individual rather than on the group;…

The Perry scheme of student development, as determined by William G. Perry, Jr. and his associates at the Bureau of Study Counsel of Harvard University, is discussed. His nine levels of development include dualism, multiplicity, and commitment. A study by Mary F. Belenky showed that Perry's students were almost exclusively male, and she noted that…

Perry's theory of intellectual and ethical development of college students is briefly reviewed. This theory was based on work with Harvard University students, and addresses dualism, multiplicity, and relativism. In the first stage, a student sees the world in right-wrong, black-white terms, with no room in the thinking process for conditional or…

Seldom are college students introduced to theories that describe how they and other students change intellectually during their college years. Two epistemological perspectives on cognitive development in college students and how they can be presented to students are examined in this paper. The first perspective is William Perry's forms of…

Issues concerning student intellectual development during college are considered in a symposium paper and in two reactions by faculty members. The symposium was sponsored by Bowling Green State University as part of the Academic Outcomes Project, which explores the effect of college on student growth and development. The reflective judgment model…

William G. Perry, Jr.'s, ideas on the development of student writers were used as a frame of reference for a study of the discursive development of students enrolled in writing seminars at Skidmore College (New York). Perry posits that students execute a series of maneuvers in which they first try to assimilate new perspectives they are…

This paper examines a basic philosophical issue involved with the purpose of a senior capstone communication course required of all majors. The issue involves two opposites: closure, represented by the dome, and further exploration, represented by the spire. Both approaches have legitimate claims for a capstone course. There is definitely a need…

The nurturance and development of intellectual and creative talent in young people are examined, using the goals and curriculum of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (a public residential high school for highly talented students) as an example. Emphasis is on presenting learning as active, dynamic, and integrated. (DB)

This speech examines the image of the university as a powerful center of knowledge in the contexts of both the traditional university and the modern research university. The institution's role in thinking and research, personal growth, and social change are discussed, especially as these areas interrelate and can create an exciting intellectual…

For years many educators have advocated school conditions that maximize human intellectual and creative potential, yet today's schools can be intellectually depressing. After identifying and describing factors that influence teachers' attitudes and experiences in education, this document explores three school climate conditions that facilitate the…

The reflective judgment (RJ) model is described, along with research findings based on the model and contributions to understanding student intellectual development in higher education. The RJ model (Kitchener & King, 1981) describes a series of changes that occur in the ways adults/young adults understand the process of knowing, and…

During the decade of the 1980s, rapid changes in the nature of medical practice and in patterns of health care delivery confronted medical educators with many challenges. At the Medical College of Wisconsin these challenges led to the design and implementation of the 2-year longitudinal experience called the Profession of Medicine Program (POMP)…

This study examined intellectual development goals as related to other goals expressed by college faculty teaching various introductory courses. Intellectual development was defined as the ability to make relationships and connections. The study analyzed data from previous studies of introductory college courses; these included interviews in…

The intellectual development of black college students on a predominantly white campus was examined using the Reflective Judgment model of post-adolescent intellectual development. The model posits a seven-stage sequence of changes in assumptions about the sources of certainty of knowledge, and shows how these assumptions affect the ways adults…

When colleges were first organized in what would later become the United States, they were far different from those in existence today. Students matriculated, enrolled, and graduated in lock step through a prescribed 4-year curriculum. Colleges functioned not so much to encourage intellectual development as to foster moral piety. Topics and sides…