Sydney Lang

English 110 C

09/08/17

 

What Is Higher Education To You?

 

There are many components that go into becoming an educated individual. Many people have differing opinions when it comes to education, whether it regards higher education as a whole, just for profit, or as a means of bettering the people of society. Such opinions are present in Ronald Barnett’s piece, The Idea of Higher Education, and Martha Nussbaum’s piece, Education for Profit, Education for Democracy. Throughout the two passages, the thematic trend at its core is based off of an ideal individual that is not afraid to question normalities, the facts provided to them, and are continuously pushing themselves to think beyond their comfort boundaries.

Personally, I agree with these authors because of how they emphasize the importance of the qualities needed to become an educated individual. They inform the reader that one needs to push themselves beyond the boundaries and actively question all that is going on around them in order to become a truly educated individual. Schools should enforce this by nurturing student’s curiosity and feeding their questions, rather than teaching children to just concern themselves with memorizing the material. In addition, schools should teach their students to naturally question what they are learning, in a respectful manner, to resist “passive assimilation of facts” (Nussbaum 64-5).

Similarly, Barnett’s article touched upon the importance of students realizing that education does not occur in one set way, which disturbs the concept of solid structured education (Barnett 155-6). This concept of disturbing the norm, ties into Nussbaum’s piece as she talks about the U.S. educational system. Nussbaum emphasizes the traditions of the educational system and how it focuses on “active participation” which is the act of avidly participating rather than being passive and accepting facts as they are told to you (Nussbaum 64-5).

The concept of active participation has played a role in my education as I have had many teachers that instil the importance of being involved in the ‘action’ of class. By participating in activities such as computing calculations on my calculator, looking up references in textbooks, or participating by asking questions, active learning greatly increased my learning experience. All of these methods used are valuable aspects to making a well-rounded learner. This idea of being a well-rounded student that challenges the norms correlates to Barnett’s idea that “a genuine higher education is unsettling; it is not meant to be a cozy experience” (Barnett 155-6). According to Barnett’s definition, this unsettling feeling is due to individuals pushing themselves outside of their comfort zone so that they can achieve a higher education. Nussbaum stresses the importance of well rounded learners as “students [that] are required to take a wide range of courses”(Nussbaum 64-5). Enforcing a varied curriculum throughout  higher education creates an increase in the population of well-rounded and knowledgeable people. The importance of “inquiry and questioning” that Nussbaum mentions in the passage also correlates with my personal experiences (Nussbaum 64-5). I have learned from many teachers who communicate the importance of asking all and any questions that you may have, and to be persistent when searching for the truth in whatever you are studying. With all of these qualities of curiosity, inquiry, persistence, and many others combined together, it will ultimately create an individual that is profiting from higher education.