Posted on 03/22/2018 7:33:08 AM PDT by NOBO2012
Blowback from the Education Bubble: University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, has proposed dropping 13 majors in the humanities and social sciences including English, philosophy, history, sociology and political science while adding programs with clear career pathways such as chemical engineering, graphic design, and fire science as a way to address declining enrollment and a multimillion-dollar deficit.
Im all in favor of eliminating curriculums such as social studies or any degree that includes the word studies for that matter: womens studies, gender studies, black studies, race studies, ethnicity studies etc.
Gender Studies Majors
If thats your area of interest save yourself and the university system a ton of dough and just spend your spare time cruising the internet for articles that support your view that these victim groups deserve special treatment. You will never run out of educational material.
There was a time when I would have argued that English and History degrees were worthwhile but given that these majors in most colleges have transmogrified to little more than a postmodern examination of how everything wrong with the world can be traced back to the white mans imperialism, patriarchy, colonialism and wars I would support their demise. If youre a serious student of English or History youll likely get a much better education at your local, old fashioned library.
To be clear, what is being proposed by the UofW - Stevens Point Board of Regents is an old, throwback concept: trade school.
Except today instead of getting such training in high school (at no additional cost to the student) you will have to attend college for a minimum of four years (at great cost) in order to be qualified to look for an entry level job in your chosen field.
Our egalitarian model of college for everyone was never practical but that didnt stop public universities from using the notion to greatly expand their facilities, administration and faculties on the backs of the tax payer and students who were paying the freight. What could possibly go wrong?
Some things never change, like good intentions and the law of unintended consequences. And blaming the inevitable demise on conservatives:
The plan to cut the liberal arts and humanities majors (see full list below) is in line with a failed attempt by Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2015 to secretly change the mission of the respected university system known as the Wisconsin Idea and embedded in the state code by removing words that commanded the university to search for truth and improve the human condition and replacing them with meet the states workforce needs.
The push away from liberal arts and toward workplace skills is championed by conservatives who see many four-year colleges and universities as politically correct institutions that graduate too many students without practical job skills but with liberal political views. WaPo
Posted from: MOTUS A.D.
Gender studies? Have the nature loving folks forgotten about nature itself? Humans are NATURALLY born one sex or another. NATURALLY born with an innie or an outie. We need a college degree to understand there are 2 genders?
Here’s my TBT Trade School post. I went to the Empire Technical School in the basement of the Empire State Building for a 6 month 650 hour Data Processing certificate in 1979. So for my $2,200 investment (partially paid for with my Veterans benefits) it has gained me a 38 year career so far that has fed my family and sent my kids to college loan free.
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