Interesting debate tying into the bigger question of what are universities for – is it just about finding a job, or is there something more important going on there?
A leading critic of government higher education policy has launched a stinging attack on the University of Oxford, accusing it of being disingenuous in its arguments in favour of the humanities.
Stefan Collini, professor of English literature and intellectual history at the University of Cambridge, attacked an Oxford report released in July showing that from 1960 to 1989, its humanities graduates had shifted from teaching to careers in finance, law and the media.
Professor Collini, speaking more generally about how the academy should put forward non-economic arguments in support of universities, quoted from the study and called it a “saddening illustration of how not to do it”, although he did not mention Oxford by name.
A number of US arts and humanities departments are fighting back against calls that the liberal arts aren’t worth funding as they don’t lead directly to jobs…
In response, several associations of universities with four-year courses are fighting back. The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is aggressively advocating the importance of imparting “broad knowledge and transferable skills”. And the Council of Independent Colleges has established a Campaign for the Liberal Arts that will provide research and data to dispel stereotypes about the discipline.
“There is a new and heightened perception driving this trend that associations and organisations need to help the public better understand the value of the liberal arts,” said Laura Wilcox, the council’s spokeswoman.
The organisations contend that what employers really want from universities is not job training but graduates who can think critically, write and speak well, and solve problems.
In their haste to prepare students for a career, universities have lost sight of the true meaning of education, argues Steven Schwartz
“I don’t think it would have all got me quite so down if just once in a while – just once in a while – there was at least some polite little perfunctory implication that knowledge should lead to wisdom, and that if it doesn’t, it’s just a disgusting waste of time! But there never is! You never even hear any hints dropped on a campus that wisdom is supposed to be the goal of knowledge. You hardly ever even hear the word ‘wisdom’ mentioned!”
– J.D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey
Let’s face it, wisdom has an image problem. As far as the popular media are concerned, it is the province of ghost whisperers, extraterrestrials – think Mr Spock, the Vulcan – and wizened kung fu sages (“The body is the arrow, the spirit is the bow, Grasshopper”).
Wise people are not only portrayed as old, alien and weird but also bookish, risk averse and unemotional. No wonder their pearls of wisdom are routinely ignored by the impetuous young. Young people thirst for new experiences; it’s in their nature to take chances and follow their hearts. Wisdom just gets in the way. “Fools rush in, where wise men never go,” sang Elvis. “But wise men never fall in love, so how are they to know?”
You might think that universities would hold a different view; after all, they are in the wisdom business. Well, you might think this but you would be wrong. Every type of knowledge – massage therapy, homeopathy and circus-performing – is represented on campus, but the word “wisdom”, as Salinger has Franny say, is rarely mentioned.
It was not always like this. Wisdom, at least in its religious version, was central to the medieval university, and its importance persisted right down to John Henry Newman’s day. But wisdom is no longer on the curriculum; it has been replaced with skills. Today’s universities are mainly concerned with preparing students for a career. Newman called such practical learning “a deal of trash”, but surely he was wrong. There is nothing wrong with vocational training; a fulfilling career is an important part of a good life.
Interesting debate tying into the bigger question of what are universities for – is it just about finding a job, or is there something more important going on there?
