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WHAT IS A LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION?
from Henry Cardinal Newman (1852)
University training is the great ordinary means to a great but ordinary
end; it aims at raising the intellectual tone of society, cultivating the public mind,
purifying the national taste, supplying true principles to popular enthusiasm and fixed
aims to popular aspiration, giving enlargement and sobriety to the ideas of the age,
facilitating the exercise of political power, and refining the intercourse of private
life. It is the education which gives us a clear and conscious view of our own opinions
and judgments, a truth in developing them, an eloquence in expressing them, and a force in
urging them.
It teaches us to see things as they are, to go right to the point, to disentangle a skein
of thought, to detect what is sophisticated, and to discard what is irrelevant.
It prepares us to fill any post with credit and to master any subject with facility.
It shows us how to accommodate ourselves to others, how to throw ourselves into their
state of mind, how to bring before them our own, how to influence them, how to come to an
understanding with them, and how to bear with them.
The educated person is at home in any society, has common ground with every class, knows
when to speak and when to be silent, is able to converse, is able to listen, can ask a
question pertinently, and gain a lesson seasonably when he or she has nothing to impart.
THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ATTITUDES, AND
CHARACTERISTICS OF LIBERALLY-EDUCATED PERSONS |
Growth
Leadership
Self-assurance
Work well with others
Display dedication and loyalty
Develop and clarify personal values
Enjoy the challenge of new situations
Speak and write clearly and persuasively
Think logically, critically, and creatively
Deal effectively with a wide variety of people
Behave in a mature, stable,and flexible manner
Learn to identify and actualize personal potential
Identify, analyze, and solve problems effectively
Demonstrate mature social and emotional judgment
Show an appreciation for the cultural aspects of life
Hold high ethical standards and expect the same of others
Locate and integrate information from a wide variety of sources
Hold egalitarian, respectful, but anti-authoritarian values and beliefs
Enjoy the learning process and develop a willingness to continue learning
Learn to identify slanted, selective, prejudiced, or self-justifying information
Develop an understanding of the content and methods of the academic disciplines
Investigate all sides of an argument in an unbiased manner before reaching a conclusion
Be willing to change beliefs, values, or behaviors if presented with sufficient evidence
to do so
Develop an understanding of the causes and consequences of contemporary problems and
issues
Develop an awareness of and a respect for the history, contributions, and interdependence
of world cultures |
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