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Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 12:46:22 -0400 (EDT)
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From: jos@cofc.edu (Phil Jos)
Subject: Group 12 notes
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Group 12: Notes From the Aug. 19th Meeting

Members of the group introduced themselves and shared their diverse personal experiences, as faculty and students, with liberal education. Some emphasized their demanding and rewarding undergraduate liberal arts curriculum, others felt that their general education curriculum lacked focus, others felt that THEY lacked focus at the time of their undergraduate studies, and some pointed to their travels abroad as especially important to cultivating the characteristics associated with an educated person.

The group addressed the question of "What does it mean to be an educated person?" and the following ideas were discussed: >

>*reading thoughtfully and analytically
>*knowing the vocabulary required to read thoughtfully
>*developing a commitment to life-long learning
>*read, read, read, read, read some more, and then catch up on your reading
>*seeing the world from another person's point of view: openess
>*tolerance
>*enthusiasm for learning
>*curiosity
>*understanding how little you know
>*global and environmental awareness
>*a sound mind and a healthy body
>*motivation and self-discipline
>*taking the initiative and taking responsibility for one's own learning
>*good citizenship: responsibilities to the larger community
>*independence
> >

>When forced to sum it up in one sentence the group decided on: The educated person is one who is committed to life-long learning and has the basic tools that this requires. >

>The group then discussed the question of "What is an educated person in the 21st century?" >

>The capacity to deal with change (techonological, economic, and political) was stressed and this was seen as including: basic knowledge and skills and a capacity for critical thinking and independent research. At the same time, members of the group questioned whether the pace of change in the 21st century is likely to be any more rapid than the 20th century, which involved tremendous economic and technological change. There were different opinions on this question but there was agreement that a capacity to change is always critical to a sound education. >

>The group agreed to meet on Thursday afternoons at 3 pm on the following dates: September 12, Oct 10, and Oct 31st. >

>Respectfully submitted, >

>Phil Jos
>Political Science > >