教養教育の日米比較研究

Since post-war education reforms, liberal education in the US has significantly impacted higher education in Japan. Higher education researchers have accordingly been deeply interested in liberal education in the two countries. However, there is still a dearth of research on liberal education. Further research is necessary for this area. As Japan and the US have been increasingly focused on the universalization of higher education, a knowledge-based society, and transition to a global economy, universities have tried to transform the concept and structure of liberal education while still considering the experiences that they have accumulated. Such a situation is clearly reflected in the diverse practices and exploration of liberal education implemented at contemporary Japanese and American universities. The ideal approach to addressing this situation would be as follows: questioning the concept and structure of liberal education from various approaches to understanding the trend at a national level, analysis of trends and characteristics of individual universities based on an understanding of national trends, and effective consideration of the actual situation of each university.
This book consists of the following three parts. Part 1 approaches the concepts and structures of liberal education in Japan and the US. Part 2 analyzes, from a micro perspective, individual universities in the US that have been implementing unique curricula and other initiatives in liberal education. Part 3 examines, also from a micro perspective, issues in liberal education unique to each university in contemporary Japan. This book aims to provide new insight into liberal education in Japan and the US through examination, as mentioned earlier, from macro and micro perspectives that are interrelated.