When I attended to AACU conference on General Education in Asheville, North Carolina, last summer (with a team of five from Sonoma State), I was impressed with the eloquence of some of the presenters and authors of materials distributed to us. I will therefore let them speak for me on this subject. I have excerpted from the following five sources, identified in the sequel by number.
1 - Katz, Joseph ,et al, A New Vitality in General Education, Ch 1 "Planning Effective General Education", Association of American Colleges, 1988
2 - Strong Foundations: Twelve Principles for Effective General Education Programs, Association of American Colleges, 1994
3 - Gaff, Jerry G, "Avoiding the Potholes: Strategies for Reforming General Education", Educational Record, Fall 1980
4 - Guarasci, Richard, "Developing the Democratic Arts", About Campus, Jan-Feb 2001
5 - "Goals for Liberal Learning and College-Level Learning (A Selection)", Briefing Paper #4, Association of American College and Universities, June 2000
A collection of eloquent language regarding goals/mission/purpose of a GE program:
1: "Foster the desire and capacity to keep on learning." "Develop habits of and tastes for independent thinking, by encouraging active learning and independent investigation." "Assume responsibility for their own intellectual development." "Prevent stagnation of perception and vivify thought and action through continuing reflection."
"Develop a desire for wide-ranging reading, reflection, and exploration of intellectual connections throughout life." "Gain the ability to identify perspectives, weigh evidence, and make wise decisions."
"Learn how to think about thinking, and to enjoy thinking." "Cross the great divide between merely gaining knowledge, and using knowledge by making it their own."
"Confront both the complexity of knowing and the tentativeness of our knowledge."
"Cultivate a complex intelligence."
"Foster the ability to formulation questions that point toward new knowledge and new directions for action." "The means for students to exercise control over their lives through thoughtful response to their political, cultural, and natural environments."
"The meaning and value of our common life and our responsibility to and for each other as human beings -- living in a technological revolution, in times of great social transformation, under the threat of nuclear war and diseases with no known cure, and visited daily by graphic images of desperate poverty within plenty."
"To participate knowledgeably in civic affairs, well-informed citizens require knowledge about such complex issues as toxic waste disposal, redistribution of income, medical care, and the emotional health of individuals and groups."
"The old and the new, the traditional and the contemporary. Enduring legacies of Western culture and the contemporary perspectives offered by modern science, computer technology, and attention to non-Western studies.
"See the connections between the questions raised in [studies] and the problems they will confront as persons and as citizens." "Not an imposition to be endured, but a resource for their own lives." "Place their particular academic commitments in larger intellectual, historical, and cultural perspectives." "Teaching one's discipline to students not majoring in it provides a special opportunity for investigating the ways in which that discipline illuminates the problems and questions of our common life." "[Take us] out of disciplinary isolation and toward a spirited inquiry into the foundations, boundaries, and linkages of disciplines." "Overwhelmingly aimed at encouraging independent thinking; going beyond skills of memorization and recall and merely regurgitating course content."
[Harvard literature and arts core curriculum] "Help students develop a critical understanding of how human beings give artistic expression to their experience of the world. Enlarge and refine skills of reading, seeing, and hearing; understand the possibilities and limitations of the artists' chosen medium and the means available for expression; and appreciate the complex interplay among individual talent, artistic tradition, and historical context."
"There are competent and incompetent ways to gather evidence and develop and test hypotheses."
"Develop responsible, disciplined, and flexible theories and positions."
"Confront and assess competing and equally well-argued perspectives." "Surmount the uncomfortable sense that knowledge acquired outside a specialty is vague and diffuse."
2: "Understand and deal constructively with the diversity of the contemporary world, a diversity manifested not only in ideas and ways of knowing, but also in populations and culture; construct a coherent framework for ongoing intellectual, ethical, and aesthetic growth in the presence of such diversity; and develop lifelong competencies such as critical and creative thinking, written and oral communication, quantitative reasoning, and problem solving." "Equip students with a broad base of knowledge, an intellectual framework for dealing with the unknown, and skills of thought and expression."
"Prepare students not only to live in a rapidly changing world, but also to participate actively in its transformation." "Liberal learning nurtures capabilities for creatively transforming human culture and complements specialized work by enlarging one's personal and vocational pathways, involves thinking critically, understand contexts, engaging with other learners, reflecting and acting, habits that extend liberal learning through a lifetime to benefit both the individual and society."
3: "Few would dispute that breadth of knowledge is part of GE; however, learning skills and integration of knowledge are important components as well. A core curriculum based on common needs, concerns, and themes, and taking the form of interdisciplinary courses will be more productive."
"Identify qualities, not only knowledge; desirable qualities of a generally educated student include effective communication skills, critical thinking abilities, problem definition and solving skills, human relations competencies, and commitment to ideas such as truth and social justice. Affective qualities, attitudes, values, and skills can be goals of general education; purely cognitive knowledge, however important, represents only one of the attributes of an educated person." "Expand the question to: what are the qualities of an educated person, and how best to teach these traits: attitudes toward knowledge, relationships with others, and awareness of one's values." "Do not assume integration is the responsibility of students. A University of Chicago dean had an Iron Law: 'Students shall not be expected to integrate anything the faculty can't or won't.' Faculty from different disciplines musts engage in dialogue over substantive issues and build an academic community to sustain their general education program."
4: "Encourage students to live publicly involved, culturally aware lives; offer an extensive education in 'the democratic arts'." "Teach for and about intercultural, pluralist democratic citizenship." "Provide them with the critical skills necessary for independent thinking; open them to the variety of human experiences; and help them learn that democracy requires reciprocity and responsibility as much as it needs personal freedom and individual choice." "Live lives in which freedom, responsibility, and complexity collide before them everyday."
"Greater appreciation for complexity of environmental issues, uncovering sociological, economic, political, biological, and ethical layers of problems; come to deeply appreciate the need for substantive knowledge, community involvement, and justice seeking." "Learn to express themselves, to differentiate opinions from arguments, to uncover the depth and complexity of issues, to encounter the social nature of knowledge-making, connect learning to the needs of the communities around them, learn that democracy requires commitment and it not an abstract concept but a way to live one's life."
5: American Academy for Liberal Education: "Creating free men and women, who have control over their lives, not only vocationally, but as citizens and as human beings, able to draw on the greatest minds and works of both the past and the present. Three broad goals: the cultivation of responsible citizens; preparation for the world of work; and the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. Study the history of America and its institutions, central ideas that have shaped our diverse culture, other cultures in the world -- in order to combat the overly self-regarding parochialism natural to us all. Skills required for participation in the international political and cultural arena and in a dynamic, global marketplace."
American Association of Colleges of Nursing: "Develop and use higher-order problem-solving and critical thinking skills; integrate concepts from behavioral, biological, and natural sciences, to understand self and others; apply knowledge regarding social, political, economic, and historical issues to the analysis of societal and professional problems; appreciate cultural differences and bridge cultural and linguistic barriers; understand the nature of human values; develop and articulate personal standards against which to measure new ideas and experiences." Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology: "Function on multi-disciplinary teams; professional and ethical responsibility; communicate effectively; understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context; engage in life-long learning; knowledge of contemporary issues."
Community College of Denver: "Enable students to become independent learners; provide an opportunity for critical thinking and problem solving; provide linkages between instruction and real-world applications." Eastern New Mexico University: "Liberal learning, freedom of inquiry, cultural diversity, and whole student life. Impart citizenship and leadership skills and values; enable citizens to respond to a rapidly changing world. Prepare graduates for a lifetime of learning and responsible citizenship. Through study of subjects ranging far beyond a student's chosen field, develop substantial analytical and communication skills, gain a sense of social, ethical, and cultural values, and appreciate the application of these values in society." Indiana University/Purdue University, Indianapolis: "Ability of students to write, read, speak and listen, perform quantitative analysis, and use information resources and technology: foundation skills; analyze carefully and logically information and ideas from multiple perspectives; use information and concepts from studies in multiple disciplines in their intellectual, professional, and community lives; recognize their own cultural traditions, and understand and appreciate the diversity of the human experience, both within the United States and internationally; make judgments with respect to individual conduct, citizenship, and aesthetics." King's College, Wilkes-Barre, PA: "Prepare students for a purposeful life; make explicit the human values inherent in a broadly based curriculum which actively encourages the moral as well as the personal and social development of students; the fundamental thinking and communication skills required of every educated person; understanding how the various disciplines differ, how they are related, and how their distinct perspectives enrich our lives; respect for their culture and those of others; engage in the philosophical dimension of an examined life; cultivate a capacity and desire for independent and continuing learning; recognize personal worth, and develop a sense of purpose and willingness to assume responsibility for their own lives and decisions; encourage students to examine their own moral convictions so that they may discover appropriate ways of attaining personal fulfillment and improving the quality of life in society at large."
Mount Saint Mary's College, LA: "Knowledge and appreciation of the diverse fields of human endeavor; developing excellence of mind and spirit; growth of students as free, imaginative, and responsible human beings, sensitive and responsive to the needs of the human person and human society."
Portland (Oregon) State University: "Learn various modes of inquiry through interdisciplinary curricula -- problem-posing, investigating, conceptualizing - in order to become active, self-motivated learners; collaborate effectively with others in group work, and be competent in appropriate communication technologies; enhance their appreciation for and understanding of the rich complexity of the human experience; expand their understanding of the impact and value of individuals and their choices on society, both intellectually and socially." Tusculum College, Greenville, Tenn: "Effective functioning in professional, public, and private life; skills and abilities needed to be productive, successful citizens."
University of Delaware, Newark: "Learn to think critically to solve problems; be able to work and learn both independently and collaboratively; engage questions of ethics and recognize responsibilities to self, community, and society at large; understand the diverse ways of thinking that underlie the search for knowledge in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences; develop the intellectual curiosity, confidence, and engagement that will lead to lifelong learning; develop the ability to integrate academic knowledge with experiences that extend the boundaries of the classroom; expand understanding and appreciation of human creativity and diverse forms of aesthetic and intellectual expression; understand the foundations of United States society including the significance of its cultural diversity; develop an international perspective in order to live and work effectively in an increasingly global society."
Deficiencies of the breadth/distributional requirements approach; desirability of a GE Program Coordinator; miscellaneous advice:
1: "A conglomerate of disciplinary courses falls short of the mark. It is unwise to define GE in terms of the traditional division between general learning and specialized learning."
"The 'common-body-of-knowledge' approach has been challenged by faculty who emphasize the abilities, skills, competencies, modes of thought, and methods of access to knowledge that students should acquire to pursue investigation independently."
"Faculty have sidestepped seemingly insoluble disputes by establishing general education as a series of distribution requirements." "Such a list seems at best limited and at worst an attempt to deny power to ideas emanating from classes that are not upper, races that are not white, cultures that are not Western, and everyone who is not male." "The student body is no longer a homogeneous elite. Despite the diversity -- indeed because of it - all students can benefit from a common intellectual experience."
"GE has too often been defined - or negotiated - in terms of existing departments rather than by an examination of what constitutes good education. It is frequently political in nature, controlled by considerations of departmental turf."
"It is manifestly absurd to de-emphasize the activities of integration and synthesis."
2: "The old idea equated general education with breadth, and involved a sampling of courses from the broad array of academic disciplines. Usually all courses designated by a department, typically introductory or lower-level ones, met the requirements. Faculty members tend to view teaching such courses as 'service' to students who are concentrating in other fields, and students are advised to 'get your distribution requirements out of the way, so you can get on with more important work in your major'. These elements are an old, and increasingly discredited, way of thinking."
"A new concept is emerging about the qualities of an educated person; GE must be much more than breadth and simple exposure to different fields of study. In particular, students should
ÿ receive a generous orientation to the intellectual expectations, curricular rationale, and learning resources of the institution;' ÿ acquire specific skills of thought and expression, such as critical thinking and writing, that should be learned 'across the curriculum' and imbedded within several courses;
ÿ learn about another culture and the diversity that exists within our own culture in terms of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, class, age, and religion;
ÿ integrate ideas from across disciplines to illuminate interdisciplinary themes, issues, or social problems;
ÿ study some subjects - beyond their majors -- at advanced, not just introductory, levels;
ÿ have an opportunity near the end of their course of study to pull together their learning in a senior seminar or project; and ÿ experience a coherent course of study, one that is more than the sum of its parts."
"A good GE program should be full of educational purpose beyond that of breadth. A loose distribution system is inadequate." "They lack an educational philosophy and are based essentially on political compromises; fragmented, a 'smorgasbord'; students -- lacking in interest, motivation, and skills to master traditional liberal arts subject matter -- do not see the utility of the material to their careers." "A great deal of coordination among departments, faculty members, and students is necessary to foster coherence. Many institutions create new positions: a director of general education is needed to see that purposes are addressed and coherence is achieved." "GE is the spare bedroom of academia, with no one responsible for its oversight and everyone permitted to use it at will." "Keep clearly in mind what the point of general education is: to prevent 'Organized Anarchy'."
3: "Conventional distribution requirements have three major limitations: a) they have spawned the very problems that current reform efforts are seeking to overcome: fragmentation of the curriculum; erosion of an accepted educational rationale; lack of commitment on the part of the faculty; loss of interest by students; and absence of any central supervision of the general education program. b) Breadth of knowledge is only one component of GE; learning skills -- such as communication, mathematics and statistics, possibly a foreign language -- are forms of integrative learning across the various disciplines. Breadth alone is inappropriately serving today's more adult, under-prepared, minority, female, and other non-traditional students." "Debate gets sidetracked over large and enduring issues such as the plight of undergraduate education, faculty lack of interest in teaching, and the absence of professional incentive for teaching GE. Get beyond hand-wringing about matters over which one has little control."