Five Renaissance humanists associated with the court of Henry VIII (Erasmus, More, Vives, Pace, and Elyot) developed a rationale for the liberal arts that has important implications for the 1980s. The view can help define an educated person and show the importance of the teaching of moral values. (Author/MSE)

The second half of the nineteenth century witnessed the early development of universities in the United States. What emerged was an institution pledged to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge incorporating both the liberal arts and the professions. The tension between professional education and the liberal arts is discussed. (MLW)

A review of the contributions of the 1931 Rollins College conference on progressivism in higher education finds that it made active rather than passive education possible and thus diminished the possibility of a common, shared education. (MSE)

Idealism about women's education and access to higher education are seen as not enough to guarantee women political or vocational freedom. The traditional liberal arts curriculum is described as a male-centered curriculum and the need to reexamine basic assumptions of knowledge in the disciplines is discussed. (Author/MLW)

In a long-standing debate, those who argue that "useful" studies are liberal have often appealed to Franklin, while those who oppose this have usually appealed to Aristotle. Both of these historical appeals are flawed, however, a fact revealing deeper misunderstanding in the contemporary debate. (Author/MSE)

The problems of traditional overspecialization in British universities and current efforts to liberalize the curriculum are discussed in the context of the historical development of the university and curriculum structure. (MSE)