Promoting humanistic values

I view education as the holistic development of the human being.  This not only includes the capacity to reason but the desire to learn, explore, and grow.  Knowledge without curiosity is sterile; curiosity without knowledge is directionless.  In contrast, a “capacious mind” embraces both of these key qualities and then translates them into a tolerant, humane, and cosmopolitan approach to social, political, and economic life.  Education imparts useful professional skills but more importantly creates the kind of graduates who help others, contribute to the arts, support democratic norms, and make significant discoveries.  I believe that the liberal arts in particular help to promote these crucial values, and I seek to lay three important foundations of a humanistic Weltanschauung in my classroom.  These include developing critical reasoning skills, stimulating curiosity and creative potential, and offering students the opportunity to engage in a free, open, and tolerant exchange of ideas.