When it became useful in educational circles in the United States to group various university disciplines under the name "The Humanities," it seems to have been tacitly decided that philosophy and history would be cast as the core of this grouping, and that other forms of learning--the study of languages, literatures, religion, and the arts--would…

Evidence abounds that, in recent decades, students have typically entered college relying on perspectives they have uncritically accepted from others and are not sufficiently challenged and supported to transition to internal authority during college. Students who have experienced significant challenge, particularly as a result of marginalization,…

Experiential learning opportunities can enrich an undergraduate liberal education and produce graduates who are prepared to grapple, imaginatively and responsibly, with the complex challenges they will face throughout their lives. A growing body of empirical evidence supports that contention. Yet much remains to be learned about how to lead…

Within the span of a year, higher education?and indeed liberal education?lost two of its most prominent practitioners. John Rawls and Richard Neustadt, two scholars whose work provoked new engagement in areas of public policy, political philosophy, political leadership, and the study of government, died between November 2002 and November 2003.…

Looks at some of the philosophical positions, especially Pragmatism, that ground and inform the traditions of experiential education, examining hierarchical philosophy and experiential education, egalitarian pragmatism and experiential education (using Jane Addams as an example), and Dewey's theory of education as expressed in "Democracy and…

Discusses the college experience in terms of three educational models: the "faithful community" (with premodern suppositions), the "guild of inquirers" (with modern suppositions), and the "resource center" (with postmodern suppositions). Suggests a college's primary focus is an environment in which conditions for purposive action take precedence…

This third article in a series for an American Association of American Colleges and Universities project, "The State of Liberal Education," analyzes findings in five areas of inquiry conceptual foundations, curricular expressions, the phenomena and assessment of liberal learning, institutional mission, and the status and relevance of liberal…

A study surveyed college freshmen, seniors, faculty, administrators, and trustees concerning the conceptual foundations of liberal education, the phenomena and assessment of liberal learning, curricular approaches to liberal education, the role of liberal education and institutional mission, and the status and relevance of liberal education.…

A personal reflection on the role of the humanities in undergraduate education, offered to future teachers by a future-oriented "traditionalist." (Editor/PG)

Lifelong learning programs such as the one at the College of New Rochelle recognize the need to examine the potential student and enhance the concept of community. The philosophy and methods of the School of New Resources are outlined. (JMF)

The private liberal arts college's obligations and contributions to the moral decision-making process of its students and alumni are shown to be responses to questions of the meaning of human life, what is worth loving and knowing, and what is worthy of belief. (JMF)

"Comprehensive universities and colleges" have emerged since World War II as the synthesis of academic emphasis and social demands. Reasons for their growth and ways in which they provide a link between theory and application are discussed. (LBH)

An explanation is offered of the liberal arts college as the conceptual and functional center of the comprehensive university. Drake University is used as an example of the comprehensive university since its curricula combine liberal and professional education. Faculty roles are addressed. (LBH)

Where does course content fit into the context of modern theories and practices of a liberal arts education? Two camps within the academic community are described: those who feel responsible for the personal growth of their students and those who see themselves as dispensers of information. (LBH)

Basic humanistic values are summarized and the need for mutual respect between humanists and faculty development specialists is discussed. It is suggested that differences can be aired and then shared beliefs will emerge, resulting in a new respect for the seriousness of purpose and commitment between the two groups. (LBH)