Statesman V. 29, n. 01.pdf

y Ken Copel
It has been said recently that there is a
"return" to liberal arts in the country's
colleges and universities. But is this true?
Was there ever a trend away from a
broad-based undergraduate education?
Before discussing the merits, shortcomings
or history of a liberal arts
education, a little clarification of terms is
in order. "Liberal arts" is defined as a
broad sampling of studies from different
disciplines such as literature, philosophy,
history and the arts, as distinguished
from professional or technical subjects.
A person seeking a liberal arts education
generally takes his or her entire lifestyle
into account, more than just his or her
specific job goal when going to college.
"It's an attitudinal kind of thing,"
comments William Condon, vice
president of student affairs at Dowling
College in Oakdale. He points out that a
good liberal arts education lets a student
take his or her time, develop feelings for
various disciplines and to make educated
choices based on, if nothing else, the
process of elimination.
If all this sounds like the classical route
to enlightenment, you're absolutely right.
The idea of exposing students to different
fields of study as undergraduates is in the
tradition of the oldest American and
European universities.
Then why a "return" to liberal arts?
Who went and tampered with perfection?
The answer is a multifaceted one. After
r
i
orld War II, a great deal of Federal
nding for research found its way to the
tion's universities. With the atomic age
on us and only a Cold War left to fight, it
was up to the nation's professors to keep
the United States at the forefront of
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science and technology.
The professors didn't complain:
research grants opened doors to exciting
(and lucrative) research, and delivered
many faculty members from the
quotidian chore of teaching un-
-
\
dergraduates. Many got lazy. They
relaxed some of their basic course
requirements in order to free up their
time accordingly.
One of the big requirements softened
was writing. "It's much easier to give a
short-answer exam," explains Theodore
Goldfarb, associate vice provost for
curriculum at the State University at
Stony Brook.
TThere was a change in the students as
well. The students - many of them
veterans, recipients of generous federal
aid - cried out for "relevant courses."
The rapidly-growing technology was
creating new, specific technical jobs
which required a more specific education.
Since the professors were so eager to
pursue their research, they were ready to
give more freedom of choice to the
students.
The students, who knew what they were
after, opted only for the courses they
desired, and steered away from both
classics and courses requiring much
writing, "...and Greek and Latin went out
the window," concludes Goldfarb.
(Please note that this little history is for
the purpose of illustrating the development
of a trend and is by no means
comprehensive.)
By the late '60's, most universities
relaxed the specifics of courses students
had to take outside of their major to
complete their degree. Some universities
were being labelled as "glorified trade
schools," and only after alumni complained
that their basic skills were
lacking did a change begin to take place.
continued on page B37
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