The perfect representation of everything that is wrong with education today...
http://www.holytaco.com/2008/06/03/the-10-most-worthless-college-majors/
When did the noble goal of education, that is, of expanding and enriching one's mind through the study of great works of literature, science, and philosophy, become reduced to the question of practicality? From the time that the first Universities were erected in Italy, France, and England (and far, far prior to that, in Ancient Greece), higher education was aimed first and foremost at bettering the whole human person, not getting said person a high paying job. Please correct me if I am wrong, but it seems like most of the Universities in Europe have managed to retain this aim (remember, one of the more popular majors at Oxford remains "the Greats"), but sadly it is not so much the case in America anymore. And the quality of education in the humanities disciplines is really beginning to reflect that. This also seems to explain why so many Americans come out of their educations even more ignorant than they were upon entry, and appearing for the most part ridiculous to the rest of the world.
Poor, poor America. It would seem that we are facing a crisis even more disturbing, far-reaching and difficult to overcome than that of the economy...
Edit: a friend of mine linked me to this little gem in this same post from my own journal. It is a far better read than the taco site. I promise! http://www.sourcetext.com/grammarian/the-booklets/7.htm
When did the noble goal of education, that is, of expanding and enriching one's mind through the study of great works of literature, science, and philosophy, become reduced to the question of practicality? From the time that the first Universities were erected in Italy, France, and England (and far, far prior to that, in Ancient Greece), higher education was aimed first and foremost at bettering the whole human person, not getting said person a high paying job. Please correct me if I am wrong, but it seems like most of the Universities in Europe have managed to retain this aim (remember, one of the more popular majors at Oxford remains "the Greats"), but sadly it is not so much the case in America anymore. And the quality of education in the humanities disciplines is really beginning to reflect that. This also seems to explain why so many Americans come out of their educations even more ignorant than they were upon entry, and appearing for the most part ridiculous to the rest of the world.
Poor, poor America. It would seem that we are facing a crisis even more disturbing, far-reaching and difficult to overcome than that of the economy...
Edit: a friend of mine linked me to this little gem in this same post from my own journal. It is a far better read than the taco site. I promise! http://www.sourcetext.com/grammarian/the-booklets/7.htm