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…

All disciplines and fields have something important to contribute to liberal learning. History, however, provides something distinctive. This contribution can be enhanced by a more explicit understanding of the relationship between the history major and the broader goals and processes of liberal learning, and through consideration of that…

At a time when leaders in higher education are increasingly asking students to engage the large issues of life's meaning and to think critically and responsibly about their role in the world, religious studies offers unique opportunities. Other disciplines such as philosophy, literature, and the creative arts doubtlessly engage questions of…

The process by which an interdisciplinary faculty team from California State University-Northridge developed an interdisciplinary program of upperdivision linked courses is described. Short- and long-term changes in the curriculum and practical considerations in making those changes are highlighted. (MSE)

Educators must reinforce the distinction between the first 2 years of college education, to be reserved for general education, and the second two, in which specialization is appropriate. This might mean only loosening some requirements. In addition, more broad-based introductory courses should be provided for students to choose from. (MSE)

Theoretical considerations which could resolve the conflict between fine arts and general education curriculums are examined. An analysis of one practical application of these ideas, conducted at Alternate College of SUNY at Brockport, is presented, and a program of total curriculum integration is proposed. (JMD)

The divergence of international studies and general education was not inevitable but was a conscious choice on the part of each. The circumstances are different today, and the two can now forge a mutually beneficial alliance. (MSE)

General education programs need not be circuitous or formless. They should: stress development of the intellect; focus on problem-solving skills; integrate general objectives and professional competencies; and foster interdisciplinary studies. (MSE)

Interdisciplinarity, problem-focused education, and experiential education must serve some larger goals and fit some larger framework or philosophy of education. Engaged education--with emphasis on relevance involvement, social problem-solving, and seen as opposed to traditional education--is discussed. (MLW)

Liberal education is incomplete if it does not prepare educated people to address the presence of technology, particularly the information products of technology in the modern world, in an informed and critical way. In this context, computer literacy is not computer training, but rather is related to aesthetic education, history and science, and…

To avoid becoming mere technicians of medicine, future physicians need to understand the human contexts of medical problems. Though courses in the medical humanities tend to range freely, the three disciplines most consistently drawn from are ethics, literature, and history. (Author/MLW)

Although the liberal arts curriculum has many defenders, it is seen as needing believers. To make the liberal arts credible for students and others, programs and research that show the concrete value of this education must be actively supported. (Author/MLW)

The great naturalist Edward O. Wilson's (1998) recent plea for the "consilience" of knowledge should strike a chord in the heart of every generalist. Invoking the unfinished agenda of the Enlightenment, Wilson has called for a rapprochement among the several branches of learning so that they can be viewed as interrelated and constituting a whole.…

Interdisciplinary studies are not only desirable but possible in the fiscal, ideological, and organizational context of the 1980s. Interdisciplinary studies are defined as inquiries that draw critically upon two or more disciplines and that lead to an integration of disciplinary insights. (MLW)

NEXA is a team-taught interdisciplinary, inter-school curriculum devoted to reuniting the sciences and the humanities. The development of the program and the curriculum itself are discussed, including the findings of a formal site-team evaluation. (Author/MLW)