Critical reflection on the course of the Western university system has never been more important than at the juncture of its exportation around the world. The importation of Western academic institutions in the modernizing states of the Muslim world is fraught with contradictions, responding to the desire to craft a citizenship recognizable to the…

We in higher education have allowed the balance of the private and public purposes of liberal education to become skewed in our angst over fully embracing a central role in restoring prosperity and preparing our increasingly diverse population for the evolving responsibility of mending our fraying democracy. As we consider how best to reshape…

An analysis of interviews, focus-group discussions, assessment instruments, and assignment prompts revealed that within general education, faculty assessed critical thinking as faceted using methods and criteria that varied epistemically across disciplines. Faculty approaches were misaligned with discipline-general institutional approaches.…

The spirit of the liberal arts has been undermined by overspecialization, and it has been further damaged by the increase in emphasis on the economic purpose of education. The spirit might be renewed by using the aims of the liberal arts to develop every course we teach.

Baxter Magolda's Learning Partnerships model was used to create a program designed to foster student epistemological development. To assess its effectiveness, the Measure of Epistemological Reflection was administered to the experimental cohort and a comparable group in the traditional general education program. Results indicate that the model…

Asserts that formal education should impart tacit knowledge--a complex set of understandings one must possess to live and function successfully in society--as well as traditional disciplines, theories, and cognitive skills. Discusses modeling attitudes, values, ways of life, and democracy to students, and what should be expected of a particular…

Discusses Lyotard's view of the narrative as a story through which meanings are legitimated. Reviews the development of the core curriculum of New York's Columbia College, arguing that it represents a "grand narrative" of the college. Discusses the effect of this narrative on students and faculty. (26 citations) (AJL)

Responds to Howley and Hartnett's article, which views the core curriculum at New York's Columbia College as an example of Lyotard's "grand narrative." Argues that the authors fail to note the negative effects of not considering other groups, such as women and minority groups, in a powerfully defining narrative. (AJL)

Analyzes modes of interaction in interdisciplinary education, distinguishing between interactions that address internal and external imperatives. Describes four levels of interaction, ranging from borrowing tools from other disciplines to connecting disciplines on conceptual levels. Provides examples of interactions addressing external imperatives…

Distinguishes between the narrow integration of disciplines, or focusing on solving specific problems, and wide integration, or sharing broad epistemological/metaphysical suppositions across disciplines. Advocates wide interdisciplinarity, arguing that the sciences tend to eliminate values or guiding suppositions when narrowly integrated with…

Argues that the goal of synthesis, as literally understood, is inadequate when used as a defining characteristic of interdisciplinary studies since epistemological differences among disciplines can be irreconcilable. Proposes alternative objectives for interdisciplinary studies, such as broadening students' perspectives and showing limitations of…

Argues that current practices for teaching integrative thinking skills are inadequate partly because no model exists to understand such efforts. Proposes a model for teaching integrative thinking based on existing models of creativity and synthesis. Discusses implications of the model for interdisciplinary studies. (32 citations) (AJL)

Article provided background information on the Chinese educational system and the rapid changes it has undergone in a much-disrupted period. (Editor/RK)

Article concentrated on the Maoist redesign of education that took place following China's "Cultural Revolution" in 1966. (Editor/RK)