How our colleges and universities can respond to the changing hopes
and needs of society
In recent decades, cognitive psychologists have cast new light on human
development and given colleges new possibilities for helping students
acquire skills and qualities that will enhance their lives and increase
their contributions to society. In this landmark book, Derek Bok
explores how colleges can reap the benefits of these discoveries and
create a more robust undergraduate curriculum for the twenty-first
century.
Prior to this century, most psychologists thought that creativity,
empathy, resilience, conscientiousness, and most personality traits were
largely fixed by early childhood. What researchers have now discovered
is that virtually all of these qualities continue to change through
early adulthood and often well beyond. Such findings suggest that
educators may be able to do much more than was previously thought
possible to teach students to develop these important characteristics
and thereby enable them to flourish in later life.
How prepared are educators to cultivate these qualities of mind and
behavior? What do they need to learn to capitalize on the possibilities?
Will college faculties embrace these opportunities and make the
necessary changes in their curricula and teaching methods? What can be
done to hasten the process of innovation and application? In providing
answers to these questions, Bok identifies the hurdles to institutional
change, proposes sensible reforms, and demonstrates how our colleges can
help students lead more successful, productive, and meaningful lives.
