Creating Global Citizens through Encounters with Asia—The Making of the Modern World Program at Eleanor Roosevelt College, UCSD

This article describes the “Making of the Modern World” program, a liberal arts curriculum in a public university. Thirty years ago Eleanor Roosevelt College at the University of California, San Diego, developed a multi-disciplinary liberal arts core curriculum called the Making of the Modern World. The history and cultures of Asia were a major part of that curriculum. As one of the developers of the curriculum, I now reflect on the program both as a success story and cautionary tale. I will recount why we developed this kind of liberal arts curriculum, how we did it, how well it did or did not work, how it has changed over the years, and what lessons this experience might have for us today. I argue that liberal arts colleges can learn from our efforts at creating such a curriculum in a large research university, but all should beware of taking on our educational deficiencies.