| Malfunctions of institutions, such as universities, can occur because of several factors. One fundamental reason can be that certain ideals and practices have not been conceptualized and analyzed enough to understand their full implications in practice.;The central issue of the thesis is the acquisition of knowledge in the context of African universities. Knowledge is acquired at universities often through what is termed liberal education. The thesis analyzes and tries to clarify this concept. Firstly, different previous conceptions of liberal education from the Greeks to the present are examined in an attempt to clarify its meaning. Some practices of liberal education are also critically analyzed: Harvard's Core Curriculum, St. John's College Curriculum, Alexander Meiklejohn's Experimental College at the University of Wisconsin, and Sussex University in England.;I then define liberal education as including two main components. The first discussed is liberal knowledge, a term I use to encompass conceptual inquiry, structural and critical thinking, Peters' idea of the cognitive perspective, the notion of personal judgment, Ryle's notion of intelligent performance, procedural as well as propositional knowledge. The second component is the concept of the liberally educated person which takes into account the societal context and needs. I argue that, with this definition, liberal education has a place in African universities.;The transfer of knowledge to Africa is also analyzed since much of the knowledge that is acquired in Africa has been transferred.;An attempt is made here to clarify some of the issues of curriculum development in African universities in two ways: ideas are conceptualized in their abstract framework and they are discussed in the context of practice in universities in anglophone Africa, that is, African universities of the Commonwealth. This procedure illustrates a belief that thought and practice are essential to each other.;The thesis also includes in the first part an introduction to the problem by discussing the university and society in Africa. The historical background to African university development is given. African universities are seen with two conceptual models: the colonial university model, and the model of the university as an instrument of modernization. Both models are analyzed critically, as are the related notions of standards, adaptation, relevance, needs and modernization. The contemporary role of the African university is assessed as that of helping in the decolonization of culture and in the promotion of modernization.;Part two is occupied with the discussion of the acquisition of knowledge. Academic freedom is essential to acquire liberal education as it is defined; I therefore attempt to clarify the concepts of academic freedom and autonomy in the context of African universities in part three.;Finally, I discuss some models and conceptions of universities, some problematic issues facing African universities, and make an attempt in an eclectic manner at reaching a concept of the university in Africa.;The thesis is not a policy making document; the issues are discussed at a philosophical and general level and include an explanation of their background context, analyses of some of the main notions arising from this context, and, where possible, suggestions for practice arising out of the discussions. It is hoped that this critical analysis and thought will help illuminate practice. |
