“多样”与“同一”:世界一流大学通识教育理念与实践

Diversity and Similarity: General Education in World-Class Universities

美国顶尖大学"自由教育"(liberal education)与"通识教育"(general education)的概念既相通亦相异,前者凸显一种教育理念,而后则表征为此种理念的实践方式,其通识教育的重要旨归在于"思维习惯"(habits of mind)的培养与"智识能力"(intellectual capacity)的塑造,因而美国顶尖大学的通识教育不仅囊括一系列通识课程,还包含一系列符应通识教育理念的课外教育活动,并极为重视写作训练与外语学习。

'Liberal Education'and'General Education'are two similar but different concepts.The former reflects a type of education idea,and the latter is a practice of that idea.Aims at cultivating students’habits of mind and intellectual capacity,general education in the top universities in America not only includes a series of general courses,but also contains a variety of extracurricular educational activities which conform the idea of general education and attach importance to writing and foreign language.