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A Weak Liberal Core is a Real Problem
By Thomas Shattuck,
September 10, 2009, InsideVandy.com
The rising price of college tuitions, coupled with the economic downturn, have made many people—including Vanderbilt University junior Thomas Shattuck—muse about the real value of a liberal education. Shattuck, in an opinion column originally published in Vanderbilt’s student newspaper, concludes that, in theory, a liberal education is extremely valuable—it promotes critical analysis and creative problem-solving skills that will serve students well in their careers. But it’s in the practice, not the theory, where things go wrong, Shattuck argues. “Most colleges, including Vanderbilt, promote a weak core education experience,” he writes, providing the examples, “Compositional classes focus more on the theme or topic of the seminar and not writing fundamentals… Lab science options vary so significantly that students can avoid chemistry, biology, and physics—the cornerstones of modern science.” It all comes down to one big problem, Shattuck writes: “It’s hard to think critically if you lack the basics.” The dilution of core requirements over the years has allowed, at many schools, students to take the path of least resistance to their degrees, even if this path omits important content. Shattuck argues that colleges and universities must strengthen their core or general education requirements. “Decreasing the amount of required exposure to certain fields is only decreasing the range of knowledge a liberal arts major has to draw from when determining a solution to whatever problem is at hand,” he writes.
The entire opinion article may be read online.
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