5 The Development of Liberal Arts Curricula at Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and East China Normal University

Abstract

This chapter explains the liberal arts education at Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University and East China Normal University (ECNU) by focusing on two topics: (1) factors that shaped the development of liberal arts curricula at Chinese universities, and particularly at the three Shanghai institutions; and (2) themes derived from interview data. Factors that influenced curriculum development include the role of instructors, core course development, student attitudes, administrative influence, and the challenge of the labor market. According to many interviewees, those factors are vitally important to the success of liberal arts curricula in the three Shanghai universities. The analysis of these themes is significant for an understanding of the present situation of liberal arts education and the challenges it faces in the three universities and, to a certain degree, the problems of implementing liberal arts education in other universities nationwide.Keywords: administrative influence; East China Normal University (ECNU); Fudan University; labor market; liberal arts curriculum development; Shanghai Jiaotong University; student attitudes