Ch. 18 - The universities had become "degree
factories" by 1500 (314). Deja vu, all over again?
“Universities used to be gateways to infinite
possibilities, places of free thought and experimentation where young men and
women could define and find themselves, expand their maturing minds, argue,
develop ideas and interrogate beliefs. Now they are expected to be maniacally
focused on degrees that lead to jobs, the repayment of the fee loan and
cut-throat competition (Alibhai-Brown).” The aforementioned passage wraps a
pretty bow on the current state of affairs in higher education. Universities
are no longer a breeding ground for free thought and expression. Unfortunately,
the university has become the modern equivalent of the auto industry. High
school graduates come in and various different models of college graduates come
out.
“We live in an age of moral nihilism. We have trashed
our universities, turning them into vocational factories that produce corporate
drones and chase after defense-related grants and funding. The humanities, the
discipline that forces us to stand back and ask the broad moral questions of
meaning and purpose, that challenges the validity of structures, that trains us
to be self-reflective and critical of all cultural assumptions, have withered
(Hedges).” A recent study from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
determined that humanities degrees declined by 8.7 percent between 2012 and
2014. This decline is a direct reflection on a universal push towards STEM
majors. Yet, such a calculated push robs our society of free thinkers that
inevitably always help to change a nation. Consequently, the drive to push
students into the STEM majors just helps NISSAN to produce more models of a watered
down product.
Works Cited
Alibhai-Brown, Y. "When did university become a
factory?" Independent 18 Aug. 2013: n. pag.
Web. 15 June 2016.
Hedges, Chris. "Higher Education Gone Wrong:
Universities Are Turning into Corporate Drone Factories." Alternet.
Alternet, 27 Mar. 2009. Web. 15 June 2016.
Brandon, we're on the same page entirely. It's still possible for motivated students to develop their critical freethinking skills and discover themselves, but increasingly they have to supply their own motivation. But I'm encouraged to realize that our Office of Student Success employs someone as freethinking and motivated as yourself!
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