The changing tradition of liberal education in America is examined against the backdrop of Greek, medieval, colonial American and German expressions of the liberal tradition and its necessary humanistic disciplines and pursuits. After a historical discussion of various manifestations of liberal education through the ages, recent strains of liberal education alternatives are reviewed. Seven major trends in liberal education during the 1970s are identified: the movement back to a required, integrated group of courses or experiences under a "core" curriculum; renewed interest in relating the outcomes of liberal education to curricular programs; redefinition of liberal education in terms of process and not simply content; a move away from the traditional exclusive emphasis on reason and intellect; a new focus on values or moral education; development of new relationships between the liberal arts and the professions; and redesigned curriculum structures such as degrees, credits, administrative structures and calendar arrangements. Given these particular educational trends, the recent models of Bergquist, Chance and Conrad are examined using criteria of content, process, and outcomes to isolate further trends in liberal education theory. Finally, distributive, integrative and competence-based models of liberal education are arrived at which subsume previous models and which offer new insights into future trends in the liberal tradition. A lengthy bibliography is appended. (DC)