In this article, the author shares his experiences in his undergraduate years and how he was influenced by his professors regarding human history. The author believes that social change very often arose from encounters with strangers who possessed some obviously superior skill or knowledge that locals could borrow and adjust to their own use. His…

Most American students enter college at a time when they are still forging their identities and seeking a place in the world. Yet many or most of today's students are increasingly dependent on their parents and stay more firmly connected to previous support networks via the "electronic tether" than did their predecessors. In this article, the…

This paper presents a class activity which aims to help students prepare both for the intellectual and the interpersonal work. On the first day of class, students are asked to read and reflect upon "Listening to Understand." Subsequently, they are then asked to discuss their responses in a small group and then later on in a large group discussion,…

Introduces the articles in the theme issue, exploring their contribution to the understanding of college students' stages of intellectual development and how college instruction should respond. (EV)

A University of Maryland program of required upper-level undergraduate courses designed to foster intellectual maturity consists of a selection of general education courses reflecting the interests of individual faculty members and using more sophisticated intellectual skills than most distribution courses. (MSE)

The structure and results of a college faculty workshop in designing subject-area courses to promote critical thinking skills and intellectual development are reported. (MSE)

The programs described illustrate innovative ways in which six institutions help students develop a sense of intellectual connection, focus, and achievement through their undergraduate majors. Examples are Hollins College (creating a learning community within the philosophy major); New School for Social Research (students connect learning through…

Six undergraduate humanities courses and programs with a variety of structures and focuses are described, and sources of further information are given. (MSE)

Reed College uses a junior qualifying examination, which can take a number of forms, a senior thesis based on the subject chosen for the junior exam, and an oral exam based on the senior thesis to monitor student preparation and measure the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum and instruction. (MSE)