I have been giving many talks lately on the value of liberal arts education to audiences in China and elsewhere in Asia. While most institutions of higher learning in this part of the world offer the general education approach, whereby students are channeled into specific areas of study with few if any choices outside their majors, liberal arts education is definitely making headway in China and other Asian countries. There are quite a few liberal arts style programs now in cities like Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Seoul, and increasingly in Beijing and Shanghai, and while small and spare compared with the larger universities, these programs are an emerging sign that the liberal arts model is recognized and valued here.
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