Critical liberal education: an undergraduate pedagogy for teacher candidates in socially diverse university settings

Abstract

This article addresses the lack of attention universities have given to adjusting liberal education, the undergraduate major for teachers in California, to the increase of multi‐ethnic, multi‐racial, and social class heterogeneity in state universities. This article argues for a revised pedagogy for undergraduate liberal arts education for teacher candidates in California called critical liberal education. This pedagogy emphasizes the interdisciplinary knowledge and inquiry skills of a traditional program in conjunction with intercultural competence, civic engagement and an ethical stance toward social justice. This pedagogy brings liberal arts education in line with living in our complex multicultural democracy to create analytic, engaged teacher‐citizens for the twenty‐first century.

Keywords:

• teacher education
• critical pedagogy
• liberal education
• social diversity
• undergraduate education

Notes

1. From http://www.calstate.edu/PA/info/enroll.shtml.

2. The development of this curriculum coincided with the department curriculum revision over the last six years. While my colleagues’ work and contributions to the larger project provided insight, the conceptualization of this pedagogy is my sole endeavor based on my course revisions.

3. From The Association of American Colleges and Universities web site, http://www.aacu.org/press_room/media_kit/what_is_liberal_education.cfm.