Unnamed man reading.Wisconsin Lutheran College axed the teaching of political science. With a department of only two, it made more sense to eliminate one department than to half several departments. Political scientists are outraged, claiming that if any department should go, why not one that doesn't teach civic responsibility? Like maybe sociology? Here's the article.
If this is going to happen more and more, what disciplines can we do without? Should college near each other share these responsibilities? Should colleges that accept federal money have to provide a full curriculum?
Last week I asked what course was most valuable. Now I'm asking, what could you have done without?
My answer: a college course in how to use a library. No, I'm not kidding.
11 comments:
The biggest waste of time at Marquette University was the PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION course I was required to take. Fortunately, I was thrown out of the class. The instructor was discussing the evils of pre-marital sex. I raised my hand. "Father, have you ever taken a car for a test-drive before you bought it?" I asked.
Interesting timing. I just read today that a college in Liverpool now offers a Masters Degree in The Beatles.
I guess the level of outrage depends on what departments survived. If the School of Rock made the cut and Poli Sci didn't, then I could see some fussing. Obviously Wisconsin Lutheran didn;t have kids lined up to become Political Science majors. I can't argue with their decision to offer fwere, well-staffed departments, rather than more and do them all half-assed.
As for the Poli Sci guys, maybe they should look at the level of political discourse in this country over the past several years and keep their heads down. Their profession isn't exactly covered in glory lately.
Oops. Almost forgot. My giggest waste of time was Rhythm and Movements. All Music Ed majors had to take it, presumably so they could choreograph musicals. They dropped the requirement the year after I took it.
Damn.
Which department should go? The Athletic department of course. I have long advocated that college sports become minor leagues that should and could have ties to universities.... but need not require that players are enrolled, and should pay the players...
If you are talking about useless courses, then I would have to say.. Criminal Justice Research Methods CJ 292 I think is what it was a MSU. I understand the need for research methods classes for people that are going to be doing research… masters students and PhD candidates, but undergrads??? Nah…
George-You were lucky not to have been thrown out of the college. You would have been at my college-Gordon College in MA. Dana-funny you mention the Beatles. My husband's class meets next to a class on the Beatles and it's driving him crazy since he knows all the songs.
Iren-Requiring college kids to take things like tennis or bowling is crazy. And WSU certainly can no longer afford to field a football team but does.
So did WLC fire its two PoliSci profs? Odd notion that they need a department.
I wasn't required to take too much in my cafeteria state higher education experience...and none of my classes were worthless in content, though a few were in presentation. The psychological statistics class where the professor's thick accent was distorted into incomprehensibility by the awful PA he insisted on using...the astronomy lab where I had to correct the physics professor conducting it as to which object we were looking at (Actually, Dr. X, that's Mercury, not the Moon.)...the grad course in conflict management which was used by the lecturer as a forum to take out her aggression (when I dropped out, I was the only C on her first all-essay-question exam, with two Bs, an A, and seven Fs being the rest of the range).
As someone who isn't in love with The Beatles (unless you are talking about Lee Marvin in the Wild One)... I just don't get the whole study of the Beatles. Don't get me wrong I am a huge music fan, but I would feel like taking a course on one band would kill them for me... I think maybe a bigger question is about professors who use their classes to enforce/ re-enforce their points of view and their pet areas of expertise. I recall a History class at MSU, intro level, where we had to read the professors book about the populist movement in the late 1800s. Interesting area and subject, but not for an intro level survey course and making students buy your book... that's a scam.
The guy who teaches is mired in the sixties. Teaches a course on the sixties, a teach on literature/films from the Vietnam War and so on. His courses are very media driven--if you get my drift.
I don't really see a problem with combining majors. I do see a problem with eliminating entire disciplines.
I guess I'd drop the courses most colleges invent for the sake of students meeting requirements in majors other than their own. The ones that make for so-called well-rounded citizens.
Except, that is, for the really cool ones! For example, I wouldn't have missed Physics Of Toys - at Syracuse U. - for the world. I would never have taken a physics course, hated sciences of any kind. But that course stands out in my mind.
Physics of Toys-that's just cool. I always wondered why that slinky went down the stairs. Did they cover that?
Thanks for the encouragement, Patti!
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