"Safeguarding", "Breaking-through" and "Surpassing" in the Construction of "New Liberal Arts"

The innovation and construction of "New Liberal Arts" in the recent years has aroused widespread concerns and discussions in the circles of education and social sciences. However, some problems have not been clarified, and they are still in the exploratory stage. Through extensive study and analysis on the related literature, the paper proposes the principles of "safeguarding", "breaking-through" and "surpassing" for the reform and construction of "New Liberal Arts". "Safeguarding" means to adhere to the essence and connotation of the disciplines of liberal arts. On the basis of it, it is suggested to "break through" the backward concepts of running a college/university, the confinement of administrative management of scientific research system, and the disciplinary barriers within the humanities and social sciences and between them and natural sciences. Thereafter, considering the advantages and characteristics of their disciplines comprehensively, colleges/universities should innovate and optimize their disciplinary positionings and layouts, talent cultivation mechanisms, teaching modes and research methods. Finally, "surpassing" is achieved, that is, different disciplines have proceeded boundary crossing, disciplinary fusion and knowledge integration, and made use of advanced scientific and technological methods to teach and research so as to bring up high-quality talents for the social development and serve the national strategy better. In the reform and construction of "New Liberal Arts", some pilot universities have provided a number of effective and innovative measures, which would be insightful for other colleges/universities.