Linking courses from three disciplines (biology, philosophy, and psychology) around a common theme, five faculty members at Carleton College (Minnesota) planned, implemented, and evaluated a course for first-year students. Analysis of student responses to the course leads to discussion of the effectiveness of such linkages and the importance of…

Foreign language teachers' catalog course descriptions are criticized for using inappropriate arguments for them and for not clearly articulating the need for language study. These arguments favoring language study are categorized as sociopolitical, instrumental, and cognitive, and are examined individually. (MSE)

The concern for general education as one of several possible responses to the current ills of higher education is discussed. The Federated Learning Communities of Stony Brook, wherein the environment and the content of general education are dovetailed and mutually supportive, is described. (Author/MLW)

Standard logic courses are seen as unsuitable for liberal arts curricula because they emphasize the formal logic of calculative thinking. To develop the capacity of students to make moral decisions, logic courses should emphasize thinking skills based on informal logic or rhetoric, a logic of practical reasoning and communication. (Author/MLW)

The study of literature is seen as one of the best ways to bring students through the curriculum to recognize and grapple with the moral dimension of human life. Such a focus for a basic course is especially important when students take only one literature course. (Author/MLW)

The development and structure of a computer literacy course, developed at Hunter College (New York) in 1991 and targeting women and minorities, are described. The course has been extremely successful and well received and has resulted in the opening of additional computer laboratories and scheduling of many new sections. (MSE)

A course in the history of education introduced into a doctoral program for future administrators and planners at the University of Kentucky illustrates the potential contribution of liberal arts disciplines to graduate preparation for the professions. (Editor/LBH)

A State University of New York/Buffalo course entitled "American Pluralism and the Search for Equality" became the centerpiece of a new general education core curriculum. The origins, design, criticisms, and support for the course, and the role of faculty in the successful, long-term interdisciplinary effort are discussed. (MSE)

GENTRAIN is a modular program for interdisciplinary humanities instruction. The authors recount the development of the program from creating their own textbooks, arranging teaching teams, organizing the vast amount of available material, deciding on class format, to discovering a group of enthusiastic supporters among the community's senior…