My idea of a liberal arts system is not just limited to college. I propose that we start teaching wide ranges of topics in elementary schools. Then by the time we get to high school we can spit it into two branches, the college bound kids and the vocational bound students. The vocational bound kids will just prepare a skill or trade that they will be able to use as soon as they graduate. The other college branch kids are going to be the leaders in society. They will increase literacy before entering college.
Once these students enter college, they be tested on many skills in many different subjects. The real core focus of the college is to improve literacy in as many topics as possible, develop reasoning rational people in a society, and promote a higher understanding of subjects and concepts that are thought to be understood.
The students will be able to do these because of the breadth of knowledge at hand in the college. There are very few general education requirements. There is no writing program. Majors only take ten courses to achieve, but they must also take twenty other courses that are in a different topic and you can only take a max of three courses in the same field other than your major. This promotes students to take many fields.
Admission will be based on the students goals, extra curricular involvement, and personal evaluation rather than test scores. This will ensure that the students enrolled are ones that want a higher education in the new liberal arts setting.
With this education students will be prepared for all the world can bring because they are literate in as many areas as allowed, they are rational, and they have a higher understanding. This will allow them to be leaders, as well as, functioning members of society.
Knowledge, Culture, and the Liberal Arts 
October 21, 2008 at 4:16 pm |
This idea of a vocational and college-bound student split is very European to me. Many countries do it this way very effectively, the only thing I would be nervous about having this idea is that 6th graders don’t always know whether they want to go to college or not. How do you decide who will be elite and who will be working class at so young an age? Tests? Do Parents get a say? Other factors? It’s an interesting idea but I would also be wary of some of the consequences.
Also, will vocational-bound student focus only on their trade, or will they learn some other things too? What other things will they be learning? I don’t know if you need to address these issues in your paper because it is a paper about college, not high school. But still I’m curious about your ideas.