Re general studies, by accident, I chanced upon this article today on MacArthur Fellowships. The headline deals with prestige of college but the whole article is really about the value of a liberal arts/interdisciplinary approach to learning in terms of the award winners. It’s a long article, and granted, I skimmed it, but the points made play into this general studies debate.
“Does Alma Mater Really Matter? Where MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellows Went to College”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cecilia-a-conrad/where-macarthur-genius-fellows-went-to-college_b_7454496.html