Fostering the Liberal Arts in the 21st-century Community College

by Kroll, Keith

• ISBN13: 9781118834558
• ISBN10: 1118834550
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-12-09
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

Liberal arts education is one of the founding missions of community colleges. However, it has drifted toward vocational training to such an extent that the dominant narrative of the 21st-century community college portrays a job (re)training center more than an educational institution.

This volume offers a timely, much-needed, and persuasive argument for the importance of a liberal arts education, particularly in the humanities, for all students attending a public, comprehensive community college.

• The Landscape of the Liberal Arts
• What Happened to the Liberal Arts?
• Two-Year Humanities
• A President’s View on the Importance of the Liberal Arts in Community Colleges
• Why Community College Students Need Great Books
• Discovering History at the Community College
• Why Community Colleges Need the Academic Study of Religion
• How Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts Programs Prepare Students for Workforce and Life
• A 21st-Century Humanities for the Community College
• Sources on Liberal Arts in the Community College

This is the 163rd volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education quarterly report series, an essential guide for presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other leaders in today's open-door institutions, this quarterly provides expert guidance in meeting the challenges of their distinctive and expanding educational mission.

Table of Contents

EDITOR’S NOTES 1 
Keith Kroll

1. The Landscape of the Liberal Arts 3
Mark W. Roche

This chapter provides a historical overview of the liberal arts and argues for the importance of a liberal arts education for all students in higher education.

2. What Happened to the Liberal Arts? 11
Chad Hanson

In this chapter the author analyzes the forces that advocated for a focus on career-related fi elds within community colleges, causing the schools to shift away from their historical mission.

3. Two-Year Humanities: “Let Me Count the Ways” 21
Thelma Altshuler

This chapter describes some broad definitions of the humanities as currently being taught; examines a few extravagant claims for their value, including a few student complaints; and offers practical ways to teach the humanities to all community college students.

4. A President’s View on the Importance of the Liberal Arts in Community Colleges 29
Sean A. Fanelli

In this chapter, the author argues that community college presidents must play a signifi cant role in fostering the liberal arts on their campuses.

5. Why Community College Students Need Great Books 41
J. M. Anderson

This chapter makes the case that the best way to educate community college students about the broader value of general education is through a streamlined curriculum centered on the Great Books.

6. Discovering History at the Community College 51
Emily Sohmer Tai

In this chapter the author describes a variety of innovative teaching methods to enliven the traditional history survey course by engaging students in the process of historical research and, in general, empowering them to master the “unnatural act” of thinking historically.

7. Loving All Your Neighbors: Why Community Colleges Need the Academic Study of Religion 61
Melissa Maley

In this chapter the author argues that community colleges need to increase students’ access to courses like World Religions to ensure that they are taught critical thinking, empathy, and cross-cultural communication.

8. How Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts Programs Prepare Students for the Workforce and for Life 69
Maureen Murphy Nutting

This chapter describes useful strategies for fostering the liberal arts across disciplines, including teaching linked and interdisciplinary courses and integrating off-campus learning opportunities.

9. A 21st-Century Humanities for the Community College 79
Barry Alford, Lucia Elden

Whereas much of the debate over the role of the humanities in the community colleges assumes a static version of the humanities, one grounded in literature and the classics, this chapter argues that the future of the humanities in the community colleges must be connected to a revision of humanist practice and application.

10. Sources on Liberal Arts in the Community College 89
M. Allison Kanny

This chapter offers an annotated list of references concerning the liberal arts in the community college.

INDEX 95