Social & Cultural Aspects of Technology, Teaching & Teacher Training, Education - Social & Political Aspects, Science Reference, Social & Cultural Aspects of Technology, Science Reference

Beyond Utility Liberal Education for a Technological Age

Name: Beyond Utility Liberal Education for a Technological Age
Author: Athanasios Moulakis
ISBN: 9780826209290

by Athanasios Moulakis

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Overview

Growing fears about declining American competitiveness have underscored the urgent need for strengthening the study of humanities within specialized schools. In 1989, Athanasios Moulakis was asked by the University of Colorado to undertake a formidable task: developing an innovative program called Humanities for Engineers. In order to address the grave problem of providing for the humane education of engineers, Moulakis was obliged to consider the larger purpose of "liberal arts education" and how that purpose relates to the education of professionals. In Beyond Utility he eloquently describes how his own approach to teaching can be applied to all areas of specialized professional learning. Moulakis forcefully develops the thesis that ours is a time in which both the hopes and fears of humanity are inextricably linked with the development and use of technology. He challenges us to educate ourselves and our young people for meaningful lives that acknowledge the value of and need for both. Providing a fresh look at the currently raging "education debate" between proponents of a rounded, humanistic education and those advocating specialized professional training, Moulakis discusses such topical issues as multiculturalism, the canon, and the dangers of parochialism in a global economic, political, and ecological system. An innovative and powerful study, Beyond Utility will be of interest to educators in the humanities and in the sciences, to adults concerned with preparing today's youth for productive and fulfilling lives, and to industrialists who are attentive to the educational underpinning of competitiveness. Anyone concerned with the quality of life and the conditions of freedom in a technological age will benefit from this lively book.

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In 1989, Moulakis (humanities and political science, U. of Colorado, Boulder) was asked to develop an innovative program called Humanities for Engineers at the university, an assignment which forced him to think through and clarify his ideas about the larger purpose of liberal arts education and how that purpose relates to the education of professionals. He recounts his ideas in short chapters on a wide range of issues. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)