I Am the President of the University

The content will be covered tomorrow, I'm really sorry.

...

4. Marginalization of general education courses

Whether "general knowledge" or "liberal arts", both literally emphasize extensive knowledge. When Chinese universities carry out general education, a common practice is to require students to take courses other than their majors.

Peking University offers five general elective courses, covering mathematics and natural sciences, social sciences, philosophy and psychology, history, linguistics, literature and art, and students must complete at least one course in each category to graduate.

This practice is partly based on the curriculum of elite American universities, most notably the University of Chicago's "core courses" for lower-class students.

This practice is partly based on the curriculum of elite American universities, most notably the University of Chicago's "core courses" for lower-class students.

The core curriculum includes three major subjects: humanities, mathematics and natural sciences, and social sciences, emphasizing Western classical humanistic traditions, classic reading and critical writing, with heavy burdens and high standards. It is by no means that students can make a little effort outside of professional courses. Passable, so UChicago students actually start to focus on their majors in their third year.

In contrast, a Peking University student needs to complete 140 credits for graduation, while the general elective courses only account for 16 credits, and the rest are professional compulsory courses, professional elective courses, English courses, and political courses.

In the lower grades, most of the students' energy is spent on professional courses, and in the upper grades, they are busy with internships, job searches, applying for overseas graduate schools, and graduation thesis. The effective teaching time in universities is actually only three years.

Peking University teachers have devoted considerable enthusiasm and effort to the general elective course. Many of the teachers who teach the general elective course are first-class scholars in related fields in China. However, the lack of the institutional guarantee of core courses means that the general elective course is at most a transfer outside of professional courses. Students are not given special treatment.

Typically, students at top US universities take three to four courses per semester, but each course comes with considerable homework and reading, while Chinese college students typically take eight to ten courses a semester.

Chinese college students do not work harder than their American peers, doubling the number of courses, only sacrificing the quality of completion, and it is entirely possible that one or two general education courses per semester will become formalism.

Studying any subject requires examining the history of knowledge development.

5. For example, Peking University formulated and implemented the "Yuanpei Plan" in September 2001. Since 2002, the new teaching plan has been revised, and a free course selection system has been implemented within the scope of the entire university. In terms of curriculum setting, in addition to professional compulsory courses, school-wide compulsory courses, and public elective courses, general elective courses are set. The general elective courses include several courses in five fields, including mathematics and natural sciences, social sciences, philosophy and psychology, history, linguistics and art.

At the undergraduate stage, the curriculum model of "general education + wide-caliber professional education" is basically formed.

Since the new semester of 2005, Fudan University has integrated 68 majors into 7 categories, including humanities, law and politics, economics and management, natural sciences, technical sciences, mathematics, and hospitals. Freshmen first study in Fudan University in their freshman year, and then enter professional colleges after one year. Department study. The college reconstructed the curriculum content system according to the training objectives, and established the curriculum framework of comprehensive education, basic liberal arts education and professional education.

Xinya Academy, established by Tsinghua University in 2014, has borrowed from the American liberal education or general education model to a great extent in its school-running philosophy and teaching plan.

U.S:

1. In the classic liberal arts colleges in the United States, all core courses are designed into three major systems, including humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Students in the lower grades can choose freely among these courses, while the upper grades major in them. Professional courses. Since the number of students and teachers is close, most of the courses are discussed in small classes, and teachers and students can even design courses and credits by themselves.

2. College courses in the United States can be divided into three categories:

Major requirement

Elective courses

General Education Curriculum (general requirement)

General education courses came into being. Let's say you chose an engineering major, but you are also required to study subjects like literature, English, social sciences, etc. at the same time. This type of course selection method is usually presented in the form of a core curriculum in American universities - in addition to completing the credits of this major, you must also complete courses in other professional areas through electives.

What courses does the general education system offer?

Different schools have different classifications, but the general education system of American universities can basically be divided into 9 categories:

1. Writing: It mainly teaches the basic outline of academic writing, including how to make arguments, cite arguments, find evidence, and draw conclusions.

2. Professional writing: Teaching more advanced writing skills, often combined with professional courses, to improve students' reading and analysis skills in the professional field, and fundamentally avoid the need to have a lot of knowledge, but not the ability to integrate and analyze writing.

3. Western cultural studies: It involves European and American culture and history. For Americans and international students, no matter what industry they are engaged in, they must know the origin of the land under their feet.

4. Minority cultures: refers to the study of non-Western cultures, including Asia, Africa, Oceania, etc.

5. Humanities and Arts: This type of course is usually close to the arts and covers a wide range of topics, such as music history, works appreciation, literary works research, etc.

6. Language: Most schools offer courses in various languages, such as French, German, Spanish, Japanese and so on.

7. Mathematical logic: partial to science, involving professional knowledge in mathematics, physics, programming, statistics, etc.

8. Social and behavioral sciences: including psychology, human studies, economics, sociology and other disciplines.

9. Natural science and technology: content involving general directions such as physics, chemistry, life science, astronomy and geography.

It can be seen that some subjects are intersecting and overlap with other professional courses.

Columbia University

The practice of Columbia University in 1917-1919 was recognized as the starting point of general education in modern universities in the United States. Since then, many famous schools have begun to follow suit, and even become a well-known education system in the United States and even the world.

However, the general education curriculum has until now been academically challenging because it covers the basic knowledge and academic areas necessary for all undergraduate students. However, this "packaged learning" can develop students' creative and critical thinking, increase their social understanding, and have lifelong meanings for them.

Columbia University has nine core courses, and the school requires every undergraduate to complete this series of courses in the freshman and sophomore years and obtain corresponding credits.

Foreign language: 4 semesters, pass the corresponding test.

Physical Education: 4 credits, plus swimming test scores or College Health Form.