The Comparative Study Of General Education Curriculum Between Harvard University And Chicago University

General education is a hot issue in the current research of higher education, and the general education curriculum reform in all colleges and universities is also a hot issue in practice. General education began during the period of the Republic of China, but its foundation was weak. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, influenced by some political and economic factors, the higher education in China took the educational experience from the Soviet Union and began to adopt the personnel training model by professional education, which suspended the general education. Since the reform and opening up of China, with the economic and social development, the people who were cultivated by the higher education have not satisfied the practical demand of society gradually, so general education has become more important day by day in colleges and universities. Due to the short time and insufficient experience of general education in China, there are still numerous problems for the general education curriculum in practice. The United States in the process of practice of general education has a rich experience, the general education curriculum system and management mechanism for the development of The Times, has perfect and mature experience for our reference.Therefore, studying the general education in the colleges and universities of America and taking its successful experience have very important and practical significance for establishing a more scientific general education curriculum in China.The literature research method, historical approach and comparative research method will be adopted in this paper, and from the perspective of talent training, the general education curriculum of Harvard University and University of Chicago will be selected as the research objects. First, the theories of America’s general education will be sort out, then the history of general education curriculum in Harvard University and University of Chicago will be illustrated from the macroscopic perspective, and finally some aspects such as the curriculum objective, curriculum structure and setting, and curriculum management of these two universities’ general education curriculum will be compared in detail. In the process of clarifying their respective characteristics, this paper will also explore the outstanding commons of the two top universities in the United States in terms of general education curriculum, make the ideas and goals of the general education clear and the structure of general education reasonable, perfect the curriculum management and evaluation mechanism, and make reforms according to the demand of times on the basis of inheriting the traditions. Finally, by combining with the current practical situation of the general education curriculum in China, this paper will put forward the following suggestions for reforming the general education curriculum in China; that is, the leading position of the general education in the undergraduate education should be established, the management mechanism of the general education curriculum should be built and improved, and the general education curriculum should be reformed from the imitation to the local construction.Research on the general education curriculum in Harvard University and University of Chicago is to offer reference to the general education curriculum reform of China. However, it should also base on the characteristics and the actual situation of China’s colleges and universities at the same time of taking the experience of these two schools’ general education. How to combine the experience of these two top universities with the actual situation of China’s colleges and universities will be the problem which needs to be further discussed in future research.