人文教育、批判性思维与课程设置:《西方文明导论》课的实践与启示

Humanity education,critical thinking and course design:reflections on the teaching of introduction to western civilization

近二十年来关于英语专业学生"思辨的缺席"的讨论,说明英语学科存在诸多问题,涉及语言学习与批判性思维培养以及人文教育实施。对于这些概念需要认真梳理,搞清其内涵与要旨,与此同时,课程设置的改革应是落实人文教育的关键。但另一方面,如何在具体课程中内化批判性思维的教与学则更是关键的关键。本文围绕批判性思维与人文教育的相关论述,通过展示具体课程的实践过程,试图表明英语学科的改革方向。

Over the past twenty years,the concerns shared by many scholars of English teaching and studying toward the absence of critical thinking among the students population in the departments of English have exposed plenty of problems existing in the discipline of English language in Chinese universities.Much of the problem has samething to do with the issue of how to implement liberal education into teaching with a view of critical thinking.To make it happen,one must make efforts to try to understand the ingredients of these ideas and ideals,meanwhile,to reform the arrangements of courses concerned.More importantly,how to internalize the way of critical thinking and the idea of liberal education in teaching remains the key issue.Explicating and illustrating the related discussions about the critical thinking and liberal education,this essay makes an attempt to point to the direction of the reform of the discipline of English language by introducing the teaching method of one particular course.