Twenty-second International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

General Education (GE) at UCLA is poised for a deep reimagining of its current program (now more than 20 years old) to strengthen its goal of preparing graduates to address societal challenges in the 21st century. After an extensive program review by the Academic Senate, it was determined that students need a more cohesive integrative curriculum that attends more to the values of a humanistic liberal arts education than the current “distribution model.” Planning for a new integrative model for GE will maximize students’ experiences as learners and citizens, extend beyond a student’s first year and enrich their knowledge and sense of self as they determine their majors and career trajectories. This revised model will be guided by humanistic principles, poised to intentionally integrate Humanities texts, writing, and faculty, especially important at a time when enrollments in the Humanities are plummeting. How will this change be accomplished? In order to finalize a design and implement a new model for UCLA’s approximately 31,000 graduates, a GE taskforce comprised of distinguished faculty from all areas of campus is developing a strategic plan to design a powerful integrative GE learning experience for all incoming students. Apart from conceptual issues, the new GE will also need to incorporate substantial changes to governance, funding, program structure, and mission. This study reports out on humanities-infused General Education reform at UCLA.