PRINCIPLES OF THE U. S. GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICILUM DESIGN

On the basis of the analysis of the U. S. general education curriculathe three mainprinciples oftheir design (i.e. content, teaching and learning strategies, assessment and evaluation processes) are identified and enlarged upon: principle of systemicity (supported by identifying components of general education and specify-ing its tasks as a system to ensure its integrity and focus on forming students’ transferable skills); principle of plu-ralism (focused on taking into account constant sociocul-tural changes in globalized pluralistic societywithin dif-ferent knowledge areas of general education); principle of effectiveness (based on defining the outcomes of learning and personal development of students in the system of general education). The general education component in the undergraduate curriculum is highlighted as the core of the undergraduate academic experience developing im-portant intellectual and civic capacities of students. The typical content of general education curriculum at the U. S. higher education institutions is outlined, comprising “thecommunicative component” (composition and rhetoric coursesorwriting studies,and first year seminarson various sociocultural themes), and “the breadth compo-nent” (the arts, natural and social sciences, and mathe-matics). It is stated that the U.S.general education is intended to acquaint students with sociocultural knowledge accumulated by humanity; promote better self-understanding and awareness of their place and role in society; develop the ability to adequately assess the pos-sibilities for their self-realization; teach students to think independently and critically, and to communicate in a civilized and effective way with other people and the world at large