LIBERAL EDUCATION ON THE ROPES Jake Gibbons

Themes  Liberal education = democracy, specialization = elitism  Liberal Arts College versus Research University  Differences between Sciences and Humanities

What should core curriculum offer?  “common knowledge”?  “a way of learning”?  set courses, or student choice?  What do you think?

Liberal Education  AAC&U Definition  "a philosophy of education that empowers individuals, liberates the mind from ignorance, and cultivates social responsibility. Characterized by challenging encounters with important issues, and more a way of studying than specific content, liberal education can occur at all types of colleges and universities."

Three Ideas of “General Education” 1) Princeton Example: enforces diversity of disciplines 2) Columbia (WWI Era) Example: synthetic courses in history and Western civilization 3) Columbia and Johns Hopkins Example: cognitive development & reflective thinking; process- oriented, not content-oriented

Harvard in the 1970s  Revolutionized the idea of liberal education with abstract concepts like “moral reasoning” and “social analysis”  Limited requirements of major  Undergraduate research opportunities

Discussion  How does FSU’s Undergraduate Liberal Studies program align with this model, and how effective is it?

Problems  The agenda of the Research University is at odds with that of the Liberal Arts College.  Divide between sciences and humanities  Financial stresses on administrators  Values vs. expertise

Research University vs. Liberal Arts College  What defines them?  Where does FSU fall?

Solutions  Refocusing on values and general education  “Rehistoricize and rehumanize”  Restructure the Research University  Suggestions?  How can we help our FIG students get a good liberal education?