Description
In "Powers of the Mind", former University of Chicago dean Donald N. Levine considers the liberal education that our universities purport to offer, finds it lacking, and in response proposes fresh and invigorating ways to think about liberal learning that are more suited to our times. Levine begins by defining basic values of modernity and then considering pertinent curricular principles. The principles he favors are powers of the mind - disciplines understood as fields of study defined less by their subject matter than by the distinct intellectual capacities they embody. To illustrate, Levine draws on his own lifetime of teaching and educational leadership, while providing a marvelous summary of exemplary educational thinkers at the University of Chicago who continue to inspire. Out of this vital tradition, "Powers of the Mind" constructs a paradigm for liberal arts today, inclusive of all perspectives and applicable to all settings in the modern world.
About the Author
Donald N. Levine is the Peter B. Ritzma Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago, where he served as dean of the College from 1982 to 1987. He is the author of several books, including Visions of the Sociological Tradition, The Flight from Ambiguity, and Wax and Gold: Tradition and Innovation in Ethiopian Culture.
Reviews
"Writing as scholar, teacher, and dean, Levine provides rich evidence that current debates in the world of liberal education are part of a continuing negotiation that has deep but frequently forgotten roots." - Carol Schneider, president, Association of American Colleges and Universities "A fascinating history of curricular debates at the University of Chicago, reaching back to its founding more than a century ago. It is a story of serious teachers responding to continuous change in the world and in particular academic disciplines while always keeping in view the enduring goal of liberal education, which Levine succinctly calls the 'cultivation of human powers.'" - Andrew Delbanco, New York Review of Books"
Book Information
ISBN 9780226475547
Author Donald N. Levine
Format Paperback
Page Count 318
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 482g
Dimensions(mm) 23mm * 15mm * 2mm
About the Author
Donald N. Levine is the Peter B. Ritzma Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago, where he served as dean of the College from 1982 to 1987. He is the author of several books, including Visions of the Sociological Tradition, The Flight from Ambiguity, and Wax and Gold: Tradition and Innovation in Ethiopian Culture.
Reviews
"Writing as scholar, teacher, and dean, Levine provides rich evidence that current debates in the world of liberal education are part of a continuing negotiation that has deep but frequently forgotten roots." - Carol Schneider, president, Association of American Colleges and Universities "A fascinating history of curricular debates at the University of Chicago, reaching back to its founding more than a century ago. It is a story of serious teachers responding to continuous change in the world and in particular academic disciplines while always keeping in view the enduring goal of liberal education, which Levine succinctly calls the 'cultivation of human powers.'" - Andrew Delbanco, New York Review of Books"
Book Information
ISBN 9780226475547
Author Donald N. Levine
Format Paperback
Page Count 318
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 482g
Dimensions(mm) 23mm * 15mm * 2mm
