The meaning of liberal education

Liberal education in crisis? Functions, forms, and foils

Edited by Dr Robert Bates Graber

Introduction

What is liberal education? What is liberal about a liberal education? Does this term suggest a political orientation? Can STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math), so encouraged by policy leaders, be a part of liberal education, and vice versa ?

I believe that undergraduate education is and must be as much about character and citizenship as it is about careers and commerce. In this essay, I will comment on:

- the philosophy of liberal education and its structure;

- the goal of general education in fulfilling the goals of liberal education; and

- four key elements.

These four include the:

"liberating" aspects of liberal education;

the need for an emphasis on questions more than on answers;

the meaning of a global perspective; and

the connections of each of the above to extra-curricular experiences and engaged citizenship.

The American Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC+U) describes liberal education as "an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity and change ... " "It helps students develop a sense of social responsibility as well as strong and transferable intellectual skills such as communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in a real-world setting." With a liberal education, "students can prepare for both responsible citizenship and a global economy by achieving the essential learning outcomes." We will explore these outcomes.

The term liberal education describes a set of outcomes from college learning, no matter what the major course of study, and as AAC+U says, "general education is that part of a liberal education which provides a broad exposure to disciplines shared by all students, no matter what their major."

Finally, I will discuss the value of liberal education in careers and in life, and the future of liberal education in a job-focused world that gives more value to what can be immediately counted and useful.

In addition to majoring in a subject, and in order to fulfill the purpose of a university education, undergraduate students must learn about and consider the natural world of air, water, and soil we meet upon birth; the world we make, including...