Ideas of Liberal Education and Liberal Education in Korea

Park, Byongchul

Korean Journal of General Education 2019;13(1):163-180.
Published online February 28, 2019.

Byongchul Park

리버럴아츠 교육과 한국의 교양교육

박병철

Abstract

The notion of liberal education has been widely misconceived in Korea. In fighting with the widespread misconception, an attempt to trace the origin of the idea of liberal education, and how it developed over more than two thousand years will be very rewarding. The idea of Logos was interpreted in two different ways, and formed the two traditions. Plato emphasized the rational aspect of Logos, while Isocrates focused on speech. Two traditions competed with each other from the antiquity to the present. Ideally, however, two aspects of liberal education have to keep in harmony. For the last couple of decades, many European and Chinese universities have introduced liberal arts programs to provide their students with diversity in higher education. And yet, Korea has ways to go to meet with worldwide trend in expanding liberal education. The idea of founding residental liberal arts colleges has to be scrutinized. But before anything else is done, we need to propagate the idea and ideal of liberal education, so that most people reach a common ground on what the true nature of liberal education is.

Key Words: liberal education, liberal arts, liberal arts college, general education