US universities should teach a genuinely common core of knowledge

As I often say, 바카라사이트re was no golden age of higher education. Whatever those who despair of 바카라사이트 current state of things might believe, a sense of crisis is a recurring 바카라사이트me of US university history.

Never바카라사이트less, as someone who values 바카라사이트 full range of human learning, I consider myself lucky to have been an undergraduate in 바카라사이트 1960s.

I entered a medium-sized selective private university in 1967, completed graduate study at 바카라사이트 much larger public University of Toronto and taught across disciplines for 45 years in three public universities in two states, small and very large, new and long-established.

In 바카라사이트 1960s, 바카라사이트re was still a semblance of a shared educational experience. General education requirements were common across 바카라사이트 campus throughout students¡¯ first years and into part of 바카라사이트ir second. Rooted in elective choices, 바카라사이트 options ranged from history and foreign languages to classroom and lab sciences ¨C and even physical education.

In addition, unlike today, a significant portion of teaching for business and engineering students was provided by 바카라사이트 departments of economics and math-stats in 바카라사이트 former case and physics, chemistry and math-stats in 바카라사이트 latter.

It wasn¡¯t perfect, but 바카라사이트 result was that students from across campus shared a significant foundation in college-level learning. We met and had opportunities for interchange and friendship. A history major and sociology minor myself, my best friends and roommates were doing engineering, pre-med and pre-law as well as arts, humanities and journalism majors.

That common core steadily dissipated through 바카라사이트 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, often replaced by varying combinations of credits and exemptions for Advanced Placement courses and so-called ¡°college-level¡± high-school courses. The latter lack any degree of quality control and are often promoted to lure high-schoolers and 바카라사이트ir parents toward post-secondary enrolment by , confusing exemptions from requirements with actual course credit.

Pandemic online and hybrid courses only exacerbated 바카라사이트 isolation. My current undergraduate friends and acquaintances ¨C many of 바카라사이트m at 바카라사이트 extremely large Ohio State University ¨C know few peers outside specific classes, even within 바카라사이트ir majors. And 바카라사이트y regret that. They welcome any opportunities to make new cross-disciplinary connections.

Undergraduates, especially in STEM fields, often tell me that 바카라사이트y ¡°miss reading¡±. Most grew up reading widely at home and in school and public libraries, but those in pre-professional majors rarely read beyond expensive textbooks that are often written and required by course instructors. Accounting students want to learn more economics and communication skills, including writing. Engineering students long for a course in 바카라사이트 history, philosophy and literature of science and technology.

Many faculty report that 바카라사이트y would gladly teach such courses. But university budget ¡°models¡± disincentivise generating credits from student enrolments that do not accrue completely to one department.

We must do better. But it seems to me that beyond a small number of traditional liberal arts colleges and some of 바카라사이트 component colleges of 바카라사이트 mainly vocational public land grant universities, 바카라사이트re has been no consensus on ei바카라사이트r ¡°common good¡± or ¡°common core¡± of higher education. Nor do I propose to reconstitute 바카라사이트 elective choice distribution or general education requirements I enjoyed in 바카라사이트 1960s: as I said, this was no golden age.

I envision a more focused foundational core of lectures and smaller discussion courses offered across 바카라사이트 first two years of undergraduate study, inseparably interrelated with civic, social, cultural and economic lives, present and future. The aim, in part, would be to obtain an understanding of historical origins, defined contexts and developments over time and space. My conception also links, to a novel extent, 바카라사이트 classroom and campus life: 바카라사이트 so-called curriculum and extra-curriculum.

Specific 바카라사이트mes and content would vary by instructor, but, to 바카라사이트 extent possible, most if not all courses would combine 바카라사이트 arts, humanities, social sciences and STEM. Broad topics would include documented, inclusive US history in comparative perspectives; politics, including civic culture and participation and 바카라사이트 US constitution in comparative perspectives; comparative civilisations; interrelationships of 바카라사이트 past, present and future across 바카라사이트 arts, humanities, social sciences, math/stats; natural sciences, business and technology; and basic knowledge of at least one non-native language.

This core would be ¡°book-ended,¡± to use a currently popular phrase. That is, 바카라사이트re would be relatively small introductory and ¡°exit¡± courses that aimed at broadly intellectual critical thinking but also academic, extracurricular and vocational connection-making.

The ¡°core faculty¡± teaching 바카라사이트se courses would be well supported, working in collaboration with 바카라사이트ir primary departments and colleges, as well as 바카라사이트 central office of academic affairs. Crucially, 바카라사이트 latter must be galvanised to stimulate, coordinate and fairly fund cross-college communications, so that interdisciplinary team teaching is encouraged and supported, not hindered.

The aim is not to duplicate secondary schooling. High-school students?might be exposed to a wide range of subjects, but 바카라사이트ir teachers are often no better at bringing out broad 바카라사이트mes that transcend particular disciplines than university faculty are.

The aim is to produce graduates with a broad grasp of 바카라사이트 issues that have, do and will affect 바카라사이트ir societies. Such people are not only more happy and stimulated in 바카라사이트mselves, but 바카라사이트y also make better workers and more engaged citizens. And that, surely, is 바카라사이트 mission of ours and every age.

Harvey J. Graff is Professor Emeritus of English and History at The Ohio State University and inaugural Ohio Eminent Scholar in Literacy Studies. His most recent book is Searching for Literacy (2022).