Conversation on the Liberal Arts

Our annual Conversation on the Liberal Arts gathers faculty and administraGaedetors from colleges and universities nationwide to address the challenges facing liberal arts education: How do we educate for membership in a global community? How is a liberal arts education related to work and calling? Can a liberal arts education foster justice in students? We learn from some of the best in the field, but mostly we learn from each other as we share how things look through our sometimes very different lenses.

 

At the recent conference, “Learning in a Time of Politics”, participants discussed how liberal arts education can best fulfill one of the goals most often claimed for it: preparing citizens for informed and discerning political engagement. With help from Harvard historian of education, Julie Reuben, conference participants examined the history of politics in higher education and considered the difference between advocacy and indoctrination; giving light to past pedagogical approaches and future frameworks for student political engagement.

 

Conferences to Date:

 

Learning in a Time of Politics: Liberal Arts Education and Political Engagement

The eighth annual Conversation on the Liberal Arts. Feb. 15-16, 2008