Those who care about higher education and are in some position to affect change in that beast would do well to read Peter Berkowitz's piece published yesterday in the Wall Street Journal. Berkowitz shares a concern I aired here, mainly a concern over whether we are educating a citizenry fit for freedom. Berkowitz offers a curriculum that at least is a start to that end:
Crafting a core consistent with the imperatives of a liberal education will involve both a substantial break with today's university curriculum and a long overdue alignment of higher education with common sense. Such a core would, for example, require all students to take semester courses surveying Greek and Roman history, European history, and American history. It would require all students to take a semester course in classic works of European literature, and one in classic works of American literature. It would require all students to take a semester course in biology and one in physics. It would require all students to take a semester course in the principles of American government; one in economics; and one in the history of political philosophy. It would require all students to take a semester course comparing Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It would require all students to take a semester course of their choice in the history, literature or religion of a non-Western civilization. And it would require all students to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language of their choice by carrying on a casual conversation and accurately reading a newspaper in the language, a level of proficiency usually obtainable after two years of college study, or four semester courses.
This strikes me as a good start to producing a liberally educated citizen, that is a citizen educated in what it is to be free. This stands in start contrast to the modern university, which is better at producing specialists without spirit, voluptuaries without heart.
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