Proposes an alternative way of viewing general education, suggesting that the purpose of education can be viewed in spiritual or religious terms. Applies an ecclesiastic metaphor to portray an education that emphasizes an awareness of assumptions and the process of knowledge acquisition. Discusses teaching practices that facilitate the pursuit of…

Cites the Rockefeller Commission's findings regarding humanistic studies. Outlines steps for bringing humanism back to the humanities, e.g., by clarifying the humanities' substance and identity, elucidating a cogent and persuasive rationale for their study, and underscoring the importance of a cultural/humanistic context for vocational training.…

Details the undergraduate curriculum revision undertaken by Guilford College, North Carolina, in 1996. Reports that the college's goals included development of strong courses that expressed concretely both the college's core identity, and, in the case of general education, the particular requirements the courses were to satisfy. Adds that the…

Examines attempts to save humanities education by making it instrumental to other ends. Argues that, rather than finding ways to appease an unsympathetic audience, humanities programs must act without apology and accentuate the role the humanities plays in humanizing and liberating students through self-criticism and self-revision. (Contains 16…

Reviews the influence of liberal education upon legal education, studying the historical process according to which changes of emphasis within liberal education (from rhetoric to dialectic or the reverse) have been reflected in related changes in legal education. (AYC)

Guidance departments were planned as a part of general education programs in the 1940s and here the subject is revived with an analysis of current developments in the use of the guidance course. (RK)

Examines the development and implementation of a communication component of the general education curriculum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Describes the model as incorporating a decentralized approach to teaching speech and writing. Details organizational and practical issues surrounding this major change in the undergraduate general…

Explores the use of cluster programs as alternatives to the curricular core or distributional requirements for organizing general education. Uses a case study methodology to evaluate the planning processes utilized in curriculum development for a cluster program, where faculty must plan simultaneously at individual course, cluster or sequence, and…

Describes a study of the books and authors most frequently assigned as part of Great Books programs (GBPs). Finds that book selections are made by individual faculty rather than through cohesive curricular planning. Reports little evidence that GBPs have been reevaluated in the context of current social concerns or student needs. Includes survey…

Addresses the issue of information literacy as it applies to general education, arguing that information literacy will be an integral part of culture and a cultural change agent in the 21st century. Suggests the incorporation of the visual and aural into the idea of text changes the static nature of texts, leading to the need for multimedia…

Describes Oglethorpe University's Exceptional Educational Experiment, launched in 1939 to demonstrate that students, required to manage their time wisely, could undertake twice as many courses and maintain an "A" average. Draws from the recollections of four former program participants about their experiences and reactions to discuss…

Discusses the complicated role of the published writer in academics. Suggests that the writer teaching in a university setting has a similar goal to the academic: to illuminate the human experience. Asserts that the writer undertakes this mission in a creative, unstructured way, whereas the academic does it traditionally and often as a critic.…

Describes a study that found that students who were about to complete their undergraduate diversity requirement exhibited significantly less prejudice and made more favorable judgements about African Americans, compared with students who were just beginning this requirement. Emphasizes the educational value of diversity-related curricular…

Suggests ways in which instructors can engage students in large classes. States that short weekly written student responses can ameliorate the problems of dealing with large classes. Explains that such responses help students gain power over the material and assists in developing competence. (Contains 19 references.) (NB)

Questions the merit of workplace utility as a criteria for general and occupational curricula, focusing on community colleges and the current trend toward Tech Prep curricula. Urges general education advocates to uphold the integrity of a broadly useful humanities education, while actively promoting vocational education for a well-prepared…