A Study On The Fifth General Education Curriculum Reform Of Harvard University

The United States is not only the most economically developed countries in the world, but also the world's most developed country in higher education. In the entire development history of American higher education, Harvard University plays an irreplaceable role. Americans often say: "First, Harvard; then the United States", which is a fact. In the United States, Harvard University has become a symbol of higher education and the embodiment of national civilization. Curriculum is foundation of education reform. Harvard University's curriculum reform has always been the leader of higher education curriculum reform in the United States and in the world. In the new century, Harvard University set off a wave of undergraduate curriculum reform once again. And undoubtedly, the general education curriculum reform is the core of the reform. In another word, reforming the core curriculum is the top priority.There is a long history of general education at Harvard University. It has been developed by Charles Eliot, A. Lawrence Lowell, James Bryant Conant and Derek C. Bok. But everything is not perfect and eternal. The general education of Harvard University is also reforming continually in order to be coordinated with the development of society, knowledge and culture.This dissertation consists of four chapters. The Preface part introduces the background of the dissertation, states the aims and significance of the research, summarizes the research achievement of related topics by other scholars at home and abroad, and gives specific definitions to some key words.Chapter one firstly reviews the four curriculum reforms at Harvard University: free elective system, concentration and distribution system, a free society in general education, and core curriculum, which is the background and basis of the fifth curriculum reform. Then the author analyzes the reasons of the fifth general education curriculum reform. First of all, the drive for reform comes from the change times and intense competition; Second, the original core curriculum exposes all sorts of problems. These directly lead to the fifth general education curriculum reform at Harvard University.Chapter Two discusses the fifth general education curriculum reform at Harvard University in detail from the following aspects: the ideas of the reform, the process of the reform, the content of the reform and the characteristics of the reform.Chapter Three reaches some enlightenments from the fifth general education curriculum reform: curriculum reform should conform to the trend of the times and reform actively and in large-scale; curriculum reform should attach importance to the broad participation of all the teachers and students; the college should pay attention to the status of the general education curriculum and avoid merely nominal; curriculum reform should establish clear and complete goals of general education curriculum; the contents of general education curriculum should be both international and national; the contents of general education curriculum should avoid too applied and professional; the contents of general education curriculum should vigorously promote and develop critical thinking.