This session will introduce ALEN, a newly formed alliance of general education associations in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, seeking to connect educators and researchers in liberal arts settings to share strategies and address policy challenges. In these three higher education systems, general education was introduced in the 1940s to 1950s, modeled after the US liberal education system, emphasizing democracy to replace the wartime totalitarian/nationalistic model of higher education. Today, three societies share a common challenge: general and liberal education programs are frequently criticized as impractical or irrelevant to graduates’ careers in the “real world.” ALEN is a collaborative effort that addresses the political/social challenges faced by general and liberal education in East Asia as well. Participants will be invited to reflect on how liberal education can be sustained or redefined within their own systematic or institutional contexts and to consider how regional collaboration might enrich their efforts.
