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Norway's Newest Import: The Nine Ways of Knowing
updated
04.08.08
Standing
from left to right: Lisa Tiersten, Carl Wennerlind,
Hilary Leiberman Link, Judith Shapiro, Elizabeth Boylan,
Bernt Hagtvet, Terje Arnøy, Odd Einar Dørum, Lars Løvlie.
Seated: Berit Rokne Hanestad, Ellen Tveiten-Grotbæk |
On March
25, a delegation of politicians, professors and a university
student from Norway visited Barnard to learn more about undergraduate
liberal arts education programs in the United States. Norwegian
universities do not have general education programs; rather,
college students must select a single course of study and
stick with it. For example, while in this country, an archeology
major from a liberal arts college might end up a hedge fund
manager after graduation, in Norway that would "never
happen" said members of the group. "We choose our
direction for college while still in high school and then
apply to those departments and specialized fields of study
at various universities," said Terje Arnøy, a
student from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
"So if your focus is political science, you don't get
to take courses also in music or the arts."
For the
entire week, Arnøy, Parliament member Odd Einar Dørum,
professors Bernt Hagtvet, Berit Rokne Hanestad, Anders Lindseth,
and Lars Løvlie, along with Ellen Tveiten-Grotbæk
from the Norwegian consulate in New York, had visits scheduled
to a diverse selection of colleges and universities in the
Northeast. Barnard was selected because it is an all-women's
liberal arts college, something that does not exist in Norway,
and because of the strong reputation of its general education
requirements, the Nine Ways of Knowing.
The enthusiastic
group took a student-guided tour of campus and talked to students
and administrators before sitting down with President Judith
Shapiro, Provost Elizabeth Boylan, Dean Hilary Lieberman Link,
and professors Lisa Tiersten, Sheri Berman and Carl Wennerlind.
A lively conversation ensued about the differences between
educational systems in the United States and Norway (college
is free for all in Norway, for one thing), which was followed
by a detailed discussion of the Nine Ways of Knowing. Upon
returning home, the group will share their experiences and
newfound knowledge with other educators and politicians who
are interested in bringing the liberal arts system to Norway's
universities.
—Maya
Dollarhide
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