College Education Essay Example for Free

College Education EssayIn his stress entitled How to Get a College Education, Jeffrey hart described the negative effect of Allan Blooms book The Closing of the American Mind on his Dartmouth freshman composition course students. These students, Ivy-leaguers and top scrutiny scorers, disliked the books criticism of their mentality however at the behest of stags off-the-cuff oral quizzing, could not adequately discuss historical figures and events.Although Harts freshman class cognize the gaps in their education, Hart asks what a authentic college education is, deplores the advent of specialization, and discusses what does or does not constitute real education. Harts concern with education lies with the end result to produce a citizen. But period Hart gives excellent examples for what subjects he thinks constitute a real education in light of telos, a goal, he implies, rather than specifies, that such an education must cater to proactive, independent thought over ideologi cally based curriculum and courses.It is through well-rounded, balanced independent thought, Hart argues, that a citizen who can recreate his purification be made. In the first example, Hart names a curriculum engaged in so-called punt modernist thought as something to avoid. It is one of the three intellectual crazes, in which the use of the word fad describes a fashionable conduct as enthusiastically followed by a group. This way, Hart indirectly refers to post modernist thought as ideological and lacking in independent thought.The second fad refers to Affirmative Action, which Hart describes as an ethos or mentality. Ethos describes the disposition of a culture or a group, and mentality refers to the come out of a person or a groups mind and some(prenominal) words energise a certain blindness that Affirmative Action is supposed to fight. Again, Hart reflects on the dearth of justness and consideration in such courses. Thirdly, Hart directly denotes ideology when he write s about Marxism, victimology, and identity politics, in which scholarly pursuit is put aside in deference to Studies programs.Hart calls many of these courses nonsense and confusion, but fails to directly write that the single underlying theme of such courses is that because they operate under an ideology, they do not foster free thinking and independent rationality. Hart underlines his position for independent rationality by going on to discuss courses and curricula that he thinks support the end goal of citizenship. Rationality is implied when Hart takes on the subject of requiring a student to know and understanding themes in civilization, a task that maneuvers beyond unsullied adherence to ideological standards.The student must know his civilization .. its important areas of thought, its philosophical and religious controversies, the abbreviation of its history and its major works. The citizen need not know quantum physics, but he should know that it is there and what it mean s. in one case the citizen knows the shape, the narrative, of his civilization, he is able to locate new things and other civilizations in relation to it. By referring to controversies, major works, and narrative, Harts military posture on education is of well-roundedness, independent thought, and being comfortable on differing sides of issuesa stance not suitable to the ideologically minded. Hart makes connections to Athens and Jerusalem in order to outline how a student may develop her college education. Both Athens and Jerusalem were and are centers of independent thought. Athens refers to the quaint Greek capital of the United States in which rational thought, philosophy, and democracy were birthed it was the birthplace of philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and AristotleOf things useful and necessity only those that are free should be taught, and the young should partake in nothing of a vulgar, mechanically skillful sort or that will render body, soul, or thought unfit for virtue. (Philips 154). Jerusalem, since the reign of Solomon, has been the spiritual capital of three major religions in the humankind today. Independent thought emerges out of Jerusalem in the pretext of Abraham who sought argument with God, and Jesus, who argued and fought with the spiritual leaders priests and scribes, or Pharisees and Sadduceesof his day (Columbia).A student, dynamically engaged with both scientifically rational and enlighteningly spiritual sides, can succeed in mastering themes of his or her civilization with liberty of thought rather than subsisting on an ideological track. Such a student would be able to shape for him or herself a true education with a goal of not being simply educated, but a goal of becoming an involved, active citizen of society, and of a civilization. Hart discusses China as a concluding example to his essay.Hart reminds us that one could consider China, who has lacked the dynamic interaction between science and spirituality, and who is world renowned for its collectivist culture, one in which independent thought is frowned upon. Again, Hart does not directly mention this, but references it with mentioning China with its symbols Great Wall and Forbidden City.REFERENCESJerusalem. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2007. Philips, Peter L. The Politics of Aristotle. University of northwards Carolina Press, 1997