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4.5
More than just tracing the development of the liberal arts curriculum in the United States in historical context, which is informative in itself, Bill Haarlow's book identifies and develops the social, political and philosophical factors that inform the structure of the undergraduate curriculum and honors programs at major American universities today. He also delves into the personalities of remarkable individuals, including Mortimier Adler, Stringfellow Barr, Robert Gooch and Scott Buchanan, to name a few, who were instrumental in shaping the development of the liberal arts curriculum in the United States in the 20th century. The book makes clear that, at its core, these philosophers and educators had at heart the encouragement of independent thought and the development of the minds of students by leveraging the collective body of thought embodied in the Great Books of western civilazation over the past 2000 years. It is not surprsing to learn that Mr. Jefferson's university was a catalyst for this development. His vision for the University was to provide an education that would encourage ctritical, independent thought, informed by the experience of great minds over the ages, to create responsible citizens to carry on the noble experiment with self governance that has been the experience of the United States. A very worthy read.
