The big question is, “are you living the good life?” The good life can be defined by how one wants to live spiritually, emotionally, and ethically. William Deresiewicz and Mark Edmundson of bloggingheads.tv converse about whether or not institutions are creating leaders or thinkers; whether or not institutions are taking an active role in teaching their students the big questions. Large institutions such as Ivy Leagues are not taking an active role in preparing their students to be active members of society, where as smaller campuses are a little more active but still not much as one would like to see.
First and foremost, Mark Edmundson states that there is a difference between filling a bucket and lighting a fire. I concur that there is a difference between the two; most schools are just there to fill a student’s mind with knowledge and facts, not to get you thinking and make your own decisions about the facts you receive.
Many smaller private schools are religiously based, making them more active in seeing students not only succeed in their major but also to succeed in all aspects of their life; teaching students more than just math or english. This was true of my high school; I attended a Catholic school since kindergarten and I feel that no matter what class is being taught the teachers always connected to me on a deeper level to make sure the once I finished high school I could make something of myself even if I decided not to attend University.
On the contrary, Chapman is not exploring the good life with their students. Chapman is all about gaining money and becoming Chapman Alumni to give back. This is proven since all of Chapman’s classes focus towards a student’s major and not towards anything else. I currently am a business Major and I know that all the knowledge I have attained since attending Chapman is how to succeed in business, not the underlying issue of succeeding at life. Chapman’s new Dean is especially for a high success and a high ranking that he went as far as to fire some of Chapman student’s most favorite teachers just because their teaching credentials are not as remarkable as he would like. These are the teachers that we as students want!
A teacher that has written many papers and cares more about his or her self more so than their students is not helping the situations at all. I speak for many students when I say that the bond that you gain with your teachers is one of the most important things in our college experience. We want to be able to connect on a deeper level as opposed to just being recognized as a number; which many Ivy League schools only see students as a number or a dollar sign.
Furthermore, Chapman would like to think they are preparing us to become global citizens. They are giving us the opportunity to become global citizens but not making us worthy global citizens what so ever. They give us the opportunity to participate in programs such as traveling abroad and internships. These are the programs that really do teach us to live the good life. These internships teach us to become more active in our society and get us to focus on what our morals and ethics really are.
Chapman does give you the opportunity to take matters into your own hands and learn on your own. There are many activities and groups to participate in on and off campus. Chapman has activities such as Greek life, volunteer work, athletics and much more. Many of my friends are part of sororities which teach you morals and values. My roommate says, “Our Sorority teaches us sisterhood and how to watch out for one another, along with being a lady and a useful member of society.”
On the other hand, some students would say Chapman is taking an active role in preparing its students for the good life. These people are wrong because no matter how much formal education you get this is not a contribution that prepares you for the real world.
As a whole, I believe our education system is neither taking an active role in teaching us the big questions nor taking enough time to focus on the good life. There are many amazing things taught in universities but this is not one of them. I fully believe that the big questions are a huge part in shaping who we become and how we live our lives once we graduate from university. Without more students speaking up for themselves or more videos such as the “bloggingheads video” this will never be changed.
1 comment:
Hyperlink.
Paragraph two is underdeveloped. Where do you want to go with this? What kind of ideas do you want to present off this platform? Argue.
Nice example with the Catholic university.
all the knowledge I have attained since attending Chapman is how to succeed in business, not the underlying issue of succeeding at life.::: I hope this class gives you more than just business sense, though!
Did the “favorite teachers” help you explore the good life? Is that connection that holds the paragraph together thematically?
The scholar/teacher divide paragraph is good (#5)
So why don’t interships count as helping make you become worthy global citizens?
“Take matters in your own hands.” Cliché
So is the good life taught through extracurricular rather than in the classroom? And is that acceptable?
The CA paragraph (second to last paragraph) is a decent attempt, but too brief and too vague. How would some students argue that the role is active? And the divide between formal education and preparation for the real world is a divide that needs to be questioned.
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