Liberal Education Curriculum

Liberal education curriculum is a course of study of exemplary intellectual and artistic works across the disciplines, including history, philosophy, literature, fine arts, mathematics, and science. Proponents of liberal education believe that when individuals attain deep understanding of age-old existential quandaries, they will become well rounded, moral, and wise; moreover, they will become liberated from living merely by habit and unexamined belief. Although intellectual achievement is an important goal of liberal education curriculum, so too is the development of character. This curriculum's adherents express faith in liberal education to humanize students by cultivating spirituality, moral sensitivity, self-understanding, intellect, rationality, discipline, the powers of good judgment, and knowledge about of how to live deliberatively and humanely as a good citizen within society.

The idea of liberal education stems from ancient Greece and the Socratic tradition of intellectual and moral training to prepare individuals to participate as citizens within a democracy. Greek and Roman Stoic philosophers also argued for liberal education as preparation to become world citizens by gaining the ability to understand different cultures and recognize the humanity of other people. Traditionally, however, this curriculum was meant to educate leaders, in particular, the few who would receive a university education; therefore, most discussion of liberal education curriculum has centered on higher education and the need for liberal or liberal arts education as the foundation of university curriculum.

Over time, liberal education curriculum was recommended for secondary students who could obtain a college education; notably, in the United States in the late 19th century, the Committee of [Page 543]Ten proposed an academic liberal curriculum because most high school graduates would have prepared for the university. It was not until the later half of the 20th century, in the context of increasing college enrollment and in response to anti-intellectualism of U.S. society as well as lack of academic rigor in secondary education, that devotees such as Robert Maynard Hutchings and Mortimer Adler argued that liberal education would benefit all students and not just a university-bound elite. Contemporary supporters of this curriculum have made the case that it is the right of all students to learn from the powerful ideas of a humanities curriculum, not only because of the transformative power of such study, but because liberal education provides cultural capital for full participation in society.

In their belief that liberal education can be transformative, advocates of this curriculum feel strongly that teachers have crucial responsibilities. Because of the rigor of curricular content, wise and masterful educators who lead, coach, and guide students toward the cultivation of intellect and character are envisioned. When students cannot immediately see the value of study, educators with pedagogical expertise can help them to make connections between their personal lives and for example, great works of literatureto examine moral issues confronted by literary characters and to contemplate ethical dilemmas in their own lives. Teachers continue the tradition of Socratic questioning to stimulate genuine doubt and reflection to foster development of critical thinking and reasoned judgment. To teach this curriculum, educators are called on to have deep disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge so that they may stimulate rich multidimensional learning. The ideal image of a liberal education classroom is a community of scholars, often pictured as a Socratic seminar in which students engage in thoughtful discussion artfully led by their teacher.

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