The Evolution Of Liberal Education To General Education

At present, many universities are taking reform of general education. They mainly draw on the experience of American general education. The ideal of general education came from Eropean liberal education. And liberal education evolved to general education in American special social environment. So making sence of what happened in the process of the evolution of liberal edcation to general edcation is very important. It's necessory to make differences from liberal education to general education. To do this it can give us some valuable advice to the reform of general educatin in our country.To find out the'change'and'unchange'in the process of the evolution of liberal education to general educatin, first, we must define'liberal educatin'and'general education'. The paper use the method of reading some related classical texts about liberal education and general education carefully and thoroughly and analyse them to find the meaning of liberal education and general eduction to finish the task. Second, on the one hand, in the view of teaching and learning to investigate the differences of liberal education and general education. On the other hand, in the view of politics and culture to observe colsely what has changed between liberal education and general education. Third, through the research of the evolution of liberal education to general education we can give two pieces of advice to our reform of general education.The conclusion: liberal education includes two kinds of education: classical liberal education and modern liberal education. Classical liberal education was born in class society, and it was for ruling class. So classical liberal education has class nature. As society developed, class society dissappeared, clssical liberal edcation became to modern liberal education. They both insist the end of education was intellectual nurture. Modern liberal education is closely related to accommodation college. Modern liberal education teach us to understand human nature. Before natural science rose, the teaching content of liberal education was mainly about the humanities and social science. After natural science rose, natural science was included in the teaching content of liberal education. It means the educated person should be developped in a wider and larger framework. Liberal education evolved to general education in American society. The ideal of Havard general education is mainly about nurture good citizens for free and democrary society.Thinking about the evolution of liberal education to general education in the view of teaching and learning, the teaching content of liberal education mainly focus on the humanities and the social science and adopts the dialectical teaching method. When natural science developped, general education content contains more and more knowledge, general education lays sress on developing students'learing attitude and how to learning. Thinking about the evolution of liberal education to general education in the view of politics and culture, they are both have political and cultural characters. Their political and cultural characters depends on which country they are in. Liberal education and general education have cultural characters means some related and important concepts('gentleman''bildung') developped and changed in different ages. Liberal education and general education both have political characters. Their political characters is interelated to some pilitical philosophy. General education is interrelated to free democrary and multicultural society. No matter from which view to see the evolution of liberal education to general education, their common last end is culture citizens. So the first important value of liberal education and general education is their individual value. The realization of individual value is good for the society at last.From the research of the evolution of liberal education to general education, to rethink the reform of general educaton in our country, the paper got two piece of advice. First the ideal of general education should be identical to the ideal of undergraduate education. Second, the reform of general education of China must base on Chinese tradition and her special politics and culture.