当今美国和日本大学的通识教育课程实践

The Contemporary General Education Curriculum and Practice of American and Japanese Universities

通识教育是西方教育的一项重要传统。20世纪90年代中后期开始,面对新的形势,美国和日本(二战后引进通识教育课程)的教育界对以往通识教育中存在的问题进行了深刻反思并做了相应的改革,许多大学相继实施了各具特色的核心课程、综合课程、共同课程等新的通识教育课程,强调通识教育与专业教育并重及其相互之间的有机衔接,使大学课程形成一个整体。革新后的通识教育的价值得到人们重新肯定,通识教育呈现多元化趋势。在我国高等教育由扩大规模转向提高质量之际,借鉴发达国家通识教育课程改革经验,将有助于提高我国大学课程建设水平,进而提高教育质量。

General education is one of important traditions of Western education. After 1990s, many universities in U. S. A. and Japan reassert the values of general education, emphasizing that both professional education and general education are of equal importance. Many universities carry out the core curriculum, comprehensive curriculum, and common curriculum. General education takes on diversified trends. As it is the high time of higher education＇s fast development in China, the reform experience of developed countries in general education curriculum will certainly contribute to the curriculum reform in our universities.