Education As A Keystone Of The American Culture - 1727 Words

Proper education has become a keystone of the American culture. People associate one’s level of education with his or her capability to appropriately handle a variety of situations within the world, so obtaining a degree holds a lot of value in American society. Indisputably, the primary purpose of education should be to prepare students for their lives beyond the classroom; however, if that education only exposes students to knowledge in one particular field of study, is that student truly being prepared for life? Sure, the student will be well-prepared to answer questions that arise within that area of study, but whether or not that will be enough for students to handle themselves well within the workplace is debatable. In order to†¦show more content†¦Jennifer Dugan describes the true value of general education programs within such schools, explaining, â€Å"[l]iberal arts curricula give attention to contemporary skills, including critical thinking, problem solvin g, and collaboration skills† (60). Since these types of skills can be more extensively developed in liberal arts universities, the reason why all schools should require students to take classes unrelated to their majors seems straightforward. Unquestionably, general education provides students with indispensable benefits. Faculty and student advisors at West Virginia University participated in a survey, and the results revealed that, indeed, â€Å"[m]ost participants agreed on the GEC’s [general education curriculum’s] important impact on student learning and retention† (Cottrell 12). Although some might argue students could gain these skill just as easily by taking classes within their academic majors, this is not the case because much of the students’ subject matter will lie within the same discipline. The information acquired from certain classes will likely require a specific method of studying, and, as a result, that student’s perspectiv e on learning will be limited. For example, a math major learns to study through practicing mathematical problems, but by primarily utilizing only this method, he or she will not as easily be able to memorize distinct pieces of knowledge and be able to apply that knowledge to