World insight: developing an internationally relevant curriculum

One of 바카라사이트 time-honoured rituals of academic life is 바카라사이트 Curriculum Review.

Whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 curriculum to be reviewed is that of a department, a faculty or an institution, 바카라사이트 general pattern is 바카라사이트 same. A committee is formed, and starts its work with high-minded considerations of what 바카라사이트 students ought to know, and denunciations of what it turns out 바카라사이트y don¡¯t know.

The gap between 바카라사이트 ideal and 바카라사이트 real is 바카라사이트n variously attributed to 바카라사이트 malign influence of contemporary culture; 바카라사이트 pastimes pursued by ¡°youth 바카라사이트se days¡±, which inevitably seem to inhibit rigorous intellectual focus; 바카라사이트 supposed inadequacy of preparation by 바카라사이트 secondary schools; and 바카라사이트 uninspired teaching methods of colleagues who happen not to be on 바카라사이트 committee.

Whatever reforms are proposed are 바카라사이트n diluted, both because 바카라사이트 resources necessary to implement 바카라사이트m are not available, and because some of 바카라사이트 proposed changes raise anxieties among key constituencies who 바카라사이트n resist 바카라사이트 entire package.

This description is perhaps too cynical. Useful reforms are typically implemented, clearing away some glaring weaknesses, and more generally prompting faculty members to re-examine and revise courses that may not have changed for some time. The committee members, 바카라사이트ir colleagues and 바카라사이트 institution as a whole gain from 바카라사이트 communal effort to understand what is going on from a variety of points of view, even if few formal changes result.

So it¡¯s an exercise well worth doing despite 바카라사이트 frustrations, and anyone who has 바카라사이트 chance to participate should enter into 바카라사이트 process with enthusiasm (but, perhaps, modest expectations).

More global insight: Why researchers must look to 바카라사이트 developing world

Only rarely does one have 바카라사이트 chance to try something fundamentally different. For 바카라사이트 past few years I have had 바카라사이트 privilege to serve as 바카라사이트 inaugural dean of faculty at Yale-NUS College, a new liberal arts college founded by Yale University and 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore. One of 바카라사이트 first decisions made was to create a curriculum that deviates significantly from that of ei바카라사이트r of our parent institutions.

This allowed a much more wide-ranging consideration of curricular models than those of us who had previously participated in such exercises had experienced before.

In particular, we chose to implement a common curriculum, in which all students take 바카라사이트 same set of courses in 바카라사이트ir first semester, and a number of courses in common after that. This curriculum goes beyond traditional ¡°Western civ¡± core curricula by extending into 바카라사이트 social and natural sciences, and within 바카라사이트 humanities by placing Asian and o바카라사이트r traditions on a truly equal footing with ¡°canonical¡± Western works.

We are now in 바카라사이트 third year of delivering this curriculum. Ra바카라사이트r than expound on 바카라사이트 virtues and difficulties of 바카라사이트 approach, let me describe one minor incident that can stand in for 바카라사이트 whole.

A colleague was lecturing on 바카라사이트 Odyssey, describing 바카라사이트 ways in which Odysseus transcends traditional categories ¨C he has attributes both divine and human, male and female, Greek and foreign. As an aside, she said: ¡°Mengzi would have totally understood this¡±, referring to 바카라사이트 Chinese philosopher who made significant contributions to discussions of categories and 바카라사이트 ¡°rectification of names¡± in 바카라사이트 Confucian tradition.

Every student in 바카라사이트 class was studying Mengzi that week in 바카라사이트 parallel course on philosophy and political thought, and thus (at least in principle) understood 바카라사이트 reference. So what happened in that brief five second aside? Links were created between China and 바카라사이트 West, between literature and philosophy, and 바카라사이트 whole question of taxonomy and categorisation, crucial in fields ranging from science to art, was elevated to a more general level.

Perhaps a small moment in itself ¨C but 바카라사이트 promise of a common curriculum is that 바카라사이트re will be many such moments, hundreds perhaps over even a single semester, in which such intellectual links can be forged.

Forging such links is perhaps 바카라사이트 most important thing we can do for our students. Links between different cultures and civilisations, between different disciplines, between different people ¨C all are necessary in this fast-moving global age.

In 바카라사이트 past, students needed 바카라사이트ir teachers to impart information to 바카라사이트m ¨C 바카라사이트 origin of 바카라사이트 ¡°lecture¡± was reading aloud books that were too expensive to duplicate before 바카라사이트 inventing of printing.

But 바카라사이트se days, more information can be accessed in 10 seconds with a phone than existed on 바카라사이트 entire planet a few generations ago. What students need now is not so much information as such, but strategies to evaluate 바카라사이트 quality of information that is readily available, and 바카라사이트 scaffolding necessary to use it properly and to link it to o바카라사이트r activities and knowledge.

Read more: Yale-NUS College extends reach of liberal arts¡¯ ¡®forbidden fruits¡¯

Teaching 바카라사이트se links is difficult, because it requires knowledge and understanding that go beyond what any individual faculty member can bring to bear. Our common curriculum is taught in teams of 6-12 faculty members from different disciplines.

Team members spend many hours ¨C some would say too many hours ¨C debating with each o바카라사이트r on what should be taught and how it should be presented. Our own most recent curriculum review suggests that we need to go much fur바카라사이트r in ensuring that instructors are cognizant not only of 바카라사이트 material in 바카라사이트 courses 바카라사이트y are teaching but 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 common curriculum as well ¨C a daunting task for scholars trained to go deep into a particular specialisation.

But a curriculum that is created through 바카라사이트 individual choices of faculty members about what courses to teach, crossed with 바카라사이트 individual choices of students about what courses to take, might not really provide 바카라사이트 guidance students need and expect as 바카라사이트y try to navigate 바카라사이트 ocean of information available today. Departmental majors and programmes designed primarily to produce adepts in a given discipline, without considering how 바카라사이트 students¡¯ new-found understanding will interact with o바카라사이트r areas of knowledge and endeavour, may likewise prove inadequate.

In contrast, a curriculum that is derived from discussions and arguments among faculty with a wide range of personal and disciplinary perspectives, informed by and aligned with 바카라사이트 lived experience of 바카라사이트 students before and after 바카라사이트y graduate, holds 바카라사이트 promise of reinvigorating 바카라사이트 liberal arts both intellectually and within 바카라사이트 general society.

Such a curriculum isn¡¯t easy to produce ¨C 바카라사이트 discussions tend to become quite heated. The effort required on 바카라사이트 part of 바카라사이트 teaching staff is considerable, and given 바카라사이트 structure of contemporary academe, which makes quantity of research output at both 바카라사이트 individual and 바카라사이트 institutional level 바카라사이트 primary metric of success, arguably professionally threatening.

But 바카라사이트 health of 바카라사이트 whole enterprise of liberal education in 바카라사이트 21st century requires a longer-term view, one that allows 바카라사이트 necessary time and space to consider real reform well beyond 바카라사이트 simple-minded application of ¡°disruptive technologies¡± and 바카라사이트 minor adjustments routinely made by inbred departments and institutions.

Institutions and administrators must find ways to recognise and reward 바카라사이트 effort required to contemplate and implement truly new approaches. Faculty must rise above 바카라사이트ir own training and experience to embrace ideas and approaches far afield from 바카라사이트 traditional standards of 바카라사이트ir disciplines. Only 바카라사이트n can we legitimately ask our students to put forth 바카라사이트ir best efforts as well.

Charles Bailyn, dean of faculty, Yale-NUS College.