米４大学におけるリベラルアーツ教育の現状と改革

抄録

As many universities in Japan have become global institutions in recent times, more people have come to realize the true value and universality of a liberal arts education in the American style. The purpose of this paper is to review some historical aspects of the liberal arts education in Japanese universities and colleges, and the current practice of the liberal arts education abroad except for the United States. The paper then shares some important findings acquired through research interviews at four universities in the United States, namely Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Purdue University, and the University of California, Berkeley, in 2016 and 2017. Because the liberal arts education in Japan is still quite young and, therefore, developing compared to the liberal arts education in the United States, Japanese universities and colleges will benefit from the lessons contained in the interviews conducted in the four American universities mentioned above and those of other countries. This will allow Japanese universities and colleges not only to catch up with the general practice of a liberal arts education, but also to play a leading role in formulating a new value and standard.