If you're a college student wondering what is the goal of a classical liberal arts education, you should know that it's not just the same as a traditional college degree.
In fact, there are many advantages to a classical education.
Trivium
Classical liberal arts education is a systematic approach to educating the whole person.
It emphasizes the development of thinking skills and natural stages of development.
This form of education is based on classical and traditional tools of learning, such as reading, speaking and writing.
A classic example of a classical education is the Trivium.
It is a three-stage educational process, which was first used in antiquity.
The three stages are grammar, rhetoric and dialectic.
Grammar is the first stage of classical education.
In this stage, children are young and naturally want to know everything.
They are also restless and eager to achieve independence.
But this stage is short-lived.
By the end of this stage, they are ready to learn the art of rhetoric.
Rhetoric is a master art of the trivium.
Through logical reasoning, students are able to express themselves effectively.
Students are able to write, talk, and debate, and to think critically.
Rhetoric, a specialized skill, is an important tool in the trivium.
In order to master rhetoric, a student must master grammar.
Rhetoric is an art of communicating ideas through symbols.
It presupposes the logic of grammar and spelling.
However, a writer's syntax must be careful to avoid slipshod syntax, which could cause misunderstanding.
A trivium student's mind is provoked by great thinkers and is prepared to defend his or her own intellectual positions.
It is through this process that students develop their own knowledge and skills.
In addition to the grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic phases of classical education, students participate in drama and other forms of artistic expression.
These activities help them to understand the theory behind beautiful works.
Students participate in an intramural athletic program that teaches discipline and sportsmanship.
They also explore science and history, and they are taught to compose logical arguments in a persuasive manner.
Quadrivium
In classical education, the Quadrivium and the Trivium are important for a student to understand the world.
They help students to see a unified vision of reality.
The quadrivium is a set of four subjects: astronomy, mathematics, geometry and music.
While the subjects were not formally categorized, the ancients believed that studying these four was an exercise in reasoning.
The study of number purified the soul.
Pythagoras believed that math offered theoretical keys to understanding the cosmos.
He also believed that mathematical harmony was established in the cosmos.
Rhetoric was another part of the educational program of the trivium.
This art involves presenting scientific ideas to the public in a style that is appropriate for the audience.
It is an art that presupposes the use of good grammar and dialectic.
Classical education emphasizes the study of the liberal arts.
These include literature, oratory, logic, and mathematics.
The trivium and the quadrivium form the foundation for the classical curriculum.
A major goal of classical liberal arts education is to develop the student's thinking skills.
Students acquire these skills through imitation, practice, and research.
As students become more confident with their abilities, they can apply their learning to more complex problems.
During the Middle Ages, Latin was the universal language of communication.
In the Renaissance, the humanistic form of Liberal Arts grew.
However, over the next few hundred years, the trivium and the quadrivium were less central to the Liberal Arts.
As the trivium and the quadrivium became less important to the Liberal Arts, different models of education replaced them.
For example, in the 14th century, the liberal arts were taught in a new way: through the studiua humanitas.
Christian liberal arts education
The best classical liberal arts education is a comprehensive education, teaching students to think, write, and speak in an informed way.
It can prepare them for careers in the arts, business, and education.
However, its true value lies in preparing them to engage the world as it should be.
Classical liberal arts education is not for the faint of heart.
Its purpose is to educate a student's whole being and to train them to live the ideal life.
A great classical liberal arts curriculum focuses on the art of reasoning and moral imagination.
This means a student should learn about logic, how to solve equations, and how to use language effectively.
A classical liberal arts curriculum is designed to teach the right things, though its content may be obscure.
Nevertheless, it is a good idea to incorporate this philosophy in your teaching.
For instance, you could incorporate the following into your lesson plans: the best ways to prioritize time, money, and effort; the most important elements of a healthy marriage; and what is the best way to engage your students in learning about the Christian faith.
In a nutshell, a well-planned classical liberal arts program will include the following: culture, art, literature, history, math, science, and religion.
All of these are interconnected.
But, how can we best organize these disciplines to make the most impact?
While there is no one right answer, the best approach is to give students a variety of options.
They need to choose the "best" answer based on their needs and interests.
One of the more interesting aspects of a classical liberal arts education is that the student can be taught to think critically and to appreciate the value of wisdom.
As the saying goes, "Education is not the filling of a hole, but the enrichment of a soul."
Modern schools are about progressivism and pragmatism
During the early 1900s, the United States began to experiment with education as a means to achieve new social and political goals.
This was part of the reform impulse that emerged during the Progressive Era.
The progressive education movement aimed to reconstruct American democracy by encouraging educational practices that would make citizens more civically engaged.
Early pragmatists, such as John Locke, believed that knowledge and truth came from experience.
They emphasized hands-on problem-solving and projects as ways to prepare students for democratic citizenship.
Some of the most prominent pragmatists in the late nineteenth and twentieth century included John Dewey and Jane Addams.
Early pragmatists were concerned with the problems of their time, such as corruption and world peace.
They advocated greater access to quality education, particularly for women.
Many of these women were connected to the Hull House in Chicago, where many pragmatists were active.
Lucy Sprague Mitchell, a student of John Dewey, became the first female dean of the University of Berkeley.
In addition to her academic work, she taught English.
She attributed the moral import of cosmopolitanism and pluralism to the practice of democracy.
Her intellectual connection with Dewey was a lifelong one.
Pragmatists are advocates of the use of multiple truths.
They believe that education should be an open process, allowing students to choose their own topics.
They also argue that children should be taught how to learn, and that school should be a place for political freedom.
Feminist-pragmatists are influenced by pragmatist philosophers, and draw from their lessons in philosophy, politics, and epistemology.
Feminist-pragmatists aim to promote inclusionary epistemologies, in order to legitimize women's knowledge.
These schools focus on the whole child, and emphasize experiential learning and the use of science to help students solve problems.
Choosing a liberal arts course
A Liberal Arts degree offers the opportunity to take classes in a variety of disciplines.
This can be helpful in building a foundation for other degree programs or a career.
Some of the options include biology, writing, history, science, and foreign languages.
The program may also require you to choose a concentration or focus within one of these fields.
The Liberal Arts degree is the perfect fit for students with a wide range of interests.
For example, if you are a business major looking to gain a more specialized education, a liberal arts course in economics could help.
Many schools encourage students to tailor their study plan to suit their specific needs.
The classical liberal arts curriculum is designed to prepare students for both public and private education.
It teaches critical thinking, analytical skills, and creativity.
In addition, it enables students to engage with premodern and modern cultures.
Students compose sustained, evidence-based written works that draw on primary and secondary sources.
Taking a big picture approach to the liberal arts enables you to see the connections and ramifications of what you are learning.
Among the most notable courses are those in anthropology, psychology, and social sciences.
These subjects are especially useful in analyzing human behavior and social structures.
In addition to these more substantive courses, you can find smaller ones aimed at the art and craft of learning.
For instance, you can choose to take a one-term course in the new-media art as a genre, or a class examining a group's artistic output.
Similarly, you can pick a course in the science of communication, or learn the ins and outs of computer software.
While there are many academies and schools to choose from, you can narrow down your options by using a program that has an articulation agreement with another institution.