Is "radical" good or bad.

[Belsnickel]

(06-06-2019, 07:06 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Nothing wrong with knowledge for the sake of knowledge, but most people don’t have that kind of money to throw around in pursuit of enrichment.

Indeed, most people don't. Mostly this is because the cost of higher education has increased at a rate far exceeding that of wages and inflation. All of this is occurring in tandem with a reduction in investment in these institutions, specifically for public higher ed.

I would, however, argue that "knowledge for the sake of knowledge" is not at all an accurate description of what one receives from a liberal arts education. A liberal arts education utilizing a comprehensive general education experience is intended to help someone develop logic and critical thinking skills to improve their abilities as they move on to taking classes in their majors, as well as helping someone grow life skills that will be important to them in years to come. It is intended to ensure a graduate of an institution completes their program with a well-rounded education and is a well-rounded person.

For example, here are the stated goals of our general education program:

Quote:Students understand the historical and contemporary distinctions and interconnections among people, institutions, and communities that create, preserve, and transmit culture and knowledge in the arts, sciences, mathematics, social sciences, and humanities.

Students become skilled in questioning, investigating, analyzing, evaluating, and communicating.

Students participate in a variety of aesthetic and civic experiences reflecting human concerns and values that transcend the limits of specialization.

Is this always achieved? Most likely not. Many students have the same sort of attitudes that we see present in society that don't understand the intention of these classes. They see them as pointless. As someone that attended a straight up business school for my accounting degree and did not get the same sort of experience but is now taking these classes for a policy degree, I can see how valuable they are.

I have 12-15 years on the students in most of these classes. A lot of what I see in these general education classes are important lessons that I have learned in those years. Lessons I wish I had back when I first started out. I used to think the same way about a liberal arts education as those skeptical of it, but based upon my experiences and based upon what employers actually state they are looking for (which, by the way, are the skills learned primarily in those gen ed classes) it is an important thing and not just "knowledge for the sake of knowledge."

All of that being said, I am also not someone that says everyone needs college. I had just such a conversation with a young man a couple of weeks ago. We just need to rethink how we understand the role of the liberal arts education in our society because right now it is definitely undervalued by those that don't understand it or the data supporting its importance.