Mark Edmundson's The Uses Of A Liberal Education
It seems that in this day and age the college curriculum does not only put emphasis on the giving and receiving of facts and information, but is inevitably being pushed in the direction of student entertainment. Subjects such as literature, philosophy, and history are not as popular as they once were, and are in danger of becoming extinct in the academic world. Mark Edmundson's essay, "The Uses of a Liberal Education", provides many interesting and valid points on why the liberal arts field is becoming devalued in the education system. According to Edmundson, the origin of devaluation in the liberal art's program can be traced to consumerism. The idea of consumerism, to be put simply, is to get more bang for your buck. Colleges are
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When looking at students on a college campus, it seems that the majority of them look the same. Conformity is one of the major factors that comes into play in the years after high school. According to Edmundson, students seem desperate to blend in and not make a spectacle of themselves. In a classroom, students generally prefer to work in groups because it is more comforting to work with other people in the same position as you; so in the event of being wrong or embarrassed, the blame is not solely your own. Working with other students all the time leads to a lack of one's self opinions. This type of conformity leads to the abolition of one's own ideas, thoughts, and beliefs. How does a student break out of the mold and begin to live their own life and be their own person? One way for a student to recognize their own potential is to challenge them. Humanities courses require a student to actually use their own minds. It is difficult to breeze through a history, philosophy, or Latin course without actually doing work. A student either knows it, or they don't. Being awake and aware in classes such as literature forces a student to think for themselves. When a student exercises their brain, they gain a sense of self worth and value. A feeling of self worth leads to becoming an individual and breaking out of the stereotypical conformity that college life forces upon
When looking at students on a college campus, it seems that the majority of them look the same. Conformity is one of the major factors that comes into play in the years after high school. According to Edmundson, students seem desperate to blend in and not make a spectacle of themselves. In a classroom, students generally prefer to work in groups because it is more comforting to work with other people in the same position as you; so in the event of being wrong or embarrassed, the blame is not solely your own. Working with other students all the time leads to a lack of one's self opinions. This type of conformity leads to the abolition of one's own ideas, thoughts, and beliefs. How does a student break out of the mold and begin to live their own life and be their own person? One way for a student to recognize their own potential is to challenge them. Humanities courses require a student to actually use their own minds. It is difficult to breeze through a history, philosophy, or Latin course without actually doing work. A student either knows it, or they don't. Being awake and aware in classes such as literature forces a student to think for themselves. When a student exercises their brain, they gain a sense of self worth and value. A feeling of self worth leads to becoming an individual and breaking out of the stereotypical conformity that college life forces upon