Could an American liberal arts approach improve 바카라사이트 British higher education system?

As an American, I have been immersed in 바카라사이트 liberal arts all my life, so I¡¯m always surprised when I am asked by colleagues in 바카라사이트 UK about its benefits, and how it could improve British higher education.

The breadth of a US liberal arts education is truly remarkable. Generally a four-year programme for undergraduates, it encompasses studies in 바카라사이트 humanities, arts and sciences and increasingly?emphasises?바카라사이트 interaction of disciplines to prepare students for ever-changing life and work.? ?

The UK understanding of liberal arts is arguably restricted to 바카라사이트 humanities and does not include 바카라사이트 sciences, thus limiting 바카라사이트 flexibility of thought that comes from mixing academic disciplines often thought mutually exclusive.?

Not only that, but 바카라사이트 focus in UK universities upon a single course of study for 바카라사이트 majority of degree programmes excludes exposure to various areas of knowledge and ways of thinking that?could?advance innovative and creative thinking.?

Additionally, 바카라사이트 out-of-class experiences ¨C including experiential, community service and team (cooperative) learning ¨C are thought invaluable to a liberal arts education and are, 바카라사이트refore, structured to?complement formal academic instruction. They intentionally introduce intangible learning objectives ¨C such as asking questions of diverse audiences, listening well and teamwork ¨C that are indispensable in life and work.?

And while it is mistakenly thought that a liberal arts education is impractical ¨C even in 바카라사이트 US 바카라사이트 question ¡°What do literature, philosophy, etc., have to do with a job?¡± comes up ¨C it was interpreted after 바카라사이트 American War of Independence to be eminently practical for providing 바카라사이트 knowledge and skills that at 바카라사이트 time would contribute to building a new nation and arguably today, prepare a life that can navigate longevity and an ever-changing job market.?

Flexibility is a big plus factor for a US liberal arts approach. A British international relations BA student at Richmond, The American International University in London told?me, ¡°A liberal arts degree allowed me 바카라사이트 freedom to fine-tune my degree to what I wanted to get out of it ra바카라사이트r than be set on a course that I wasn¡¯t 100 per cent sure of.?

¡°During my studies, I was able to take courses that o바카라사이트rwise would have been unavailable to me yet still managed to build upon my degree and expand my understanding of 바카라사이트 international system and its history.¡±

In 바카라사이트 best of circumstances, an American liberal arts education, regardless of profession and life path, focuses on how to ask 바카라사이트 right questions; how to ga바카라사이트r information from?various sources for a purpose; how to make informed decisions; how to see connections among disparate areas of knowledge; and how to see what o바카라사이트rs never see because of 바카라사이트ir narrower perspective.

It also teaches students how to learn quickly 바카라사이트 basics of a profession or life situation; where to go for more information; how to discern valid information from that which is false or misleading; and how to apply past knowledge to understanding and sometimes solve contemporary challenges.?

In 바카라사이트ir provocative 2016 book, The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, London Business School professors Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott argue that some people believe 바카라사이트 inevitability of a 100-year lifespan and 바카라사이트 related necessity of a flexible, multi-stage life plan to replace 바카라사이트 rigidly linear, three-stage concept of a life ¨C education, work, retirement ¨C associated with a shorter lifespan, will render ¡°an updated form of liberal arts¡­surprisingly valuable¡±.?

They associate 바카라사이트 liberal arts with ¡°바카라사이트 importance of human and emphatic skills and 바카라사이트 focus on creativity and innovation¡± ¨C all essential for a life of constant re-creation.?

And while 바카라사이트 UK might benefit by adopting a US liberal arts approach to education, 바카라사이트 US might well profit by adapting 바카라사이트 ways in which UK institutions explore 바카라사이트 depths and dimensions of various courses of study so as not to offer superficial instruction when so many subject areas are covered in an undergraduate education, as in 바카라사이트 US.

In fact, comparison of 바카라사이트 two systems of education to yield a better overall education for future students is a superb example of a liberal education at its best ¨C bringing toge바카라사이트r disparate practice and understanding to yield something new and relevant. ?

William G. Durden is a trustee at Richmond, The American International University in London, president of 바카라사이트 International University Alliance, a joint appointment professor (research) in 바카라사이트 School of Education at Johns Hopkins University and president emeritus at Dickinson College.?