report by the national endowment for the humanities on the humanities in higher education - 1984...

8/14/2019 Report by the National Endowment for the Humanities on the Humanities in Higher Education - 1984 .pdf

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TO RECLAI MLEGACY

A Report on t heHumani t i es i nHi gher Educat i on

Wi l l i am J . Bennet t

U.S. DEPARTMENT OFEDUCATION

NATIONAL INSTITUTEOFEDUCATION

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION

J CENTERIERICI:Uis document has been reproduced as

rocdivcd from the person or organization

originating it.

Minor changes have been madeto improve

reproduction quality.

Points u)viow or opinions statod in thisdocu-

mentdo not necessarily represent off icial

position or policy.

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATIONCENTER(ERIC)."

Nat i ona l Endowment f o r t he Humani t i es

November 1984


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CONTENTS

Foreword i

I n t r o d u c t i o n ' 1

I . Why s t udy t hehumani t i es? 5

I I . How s h oul d t he humani t i es be taught and l ear ned? 7

Good t e ac hi ng 7A good c ur r i c ul um 9What s h oul d ber ead? 13

I I I . How we l l a r e t h e humani t i es bei ng t aught andl e ar ne d ont he nat i on' s c ampuses? 17

The s t a t eo ft ea chi ng i n t he humani t i es 20E f f e c t s of graduat e educat i on on t e ac hi ng 23The s t a t eo ft he humani t i es c u r r i c u l u m 27E f f e c t s oft he c ur r i c ul um onsecondary educat i on 29B r i g ht s p o t s i n t hec ur r i c ul um 31

I V. Tbec ha l l e nge t oacademi c l eader s hi p 34

V. Concl udi ng t houghts 37

Appended:

Fact Sheet ( names, a d d r e s s e s , and t e l e ph on e number s of s t u d y gr oupmember s)

News Re l ease : "Repor t on t he Humani t i es i nHi g he r E du c a t i o nF i nds De f i c i e n c i e s and De c l i n e Na t i o nwi de i nCu r r i c ul um, Teachi ng and L e a r n i n g , S ugge s t sGu i de l i n e s "To Rec l ai m a Legacy" .


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1 Member s o f t he Study Gr oup on t h e S t a t e o f L e a r n i n gi n t he Humani t i es i n Hi ghT E du c a t i o n

Wi l l i a m Ar r owsmi t hP r o f e s s o r o f C l a s s i c sEmor y U n i v e r s i t y

Wi l l i a m M. BanksP r o f e s s o r o f Af r o - Amer i can S t u di e sUn i v e r s i t y o f C a l i f o r n i a , Be r k e l e y

i

Robert M. B e r d a h lDean o f Ar t s and S c i e n c e sU n i v e r s i t y o f Or egon

Wayne C. Boot hP r o f e s s o r o f En gl i s hu n i v e r s i t y o f Chi cago

Mar k H. Cu r t i sP r e s i d en tA s s o c i a t i o n o f Amer i can Co l l e ge s

Rol and D i l l eP r e s i d en tMoor head St a t e Un i v e r s i t y

Mar y Mapl es DunnOean o f Undergraduates

Bryn Mawr Co l l e ge

Frances 0. FergussonVi c e P r e s i d en t f o r Academi c A f f a i r sBu c k n e l l u n i v e r s i t y

Chest er E. F i n n , J r .P r o f e s s o r o f Ed uc at i o n and P u b l i c P o l i c yVa nd er b i l t Un i v e r s i t y

Samuel R. GammonEx ec ut i v e Di r e c t o rAmer i can H i s t o r i c a l As s o c i a t i o n

Hanna H. Gr ayP r e s i d en tu n i v e r s i t y o f Chi cago

K a r l Ha i g l e rP r i n c i p a l , Upper S c h o o lHeat hwood Ha l l E pi s c o pa l Sc hoo l

J a n i c e H. Ha r r i sAs s o c i a t e DeanU n i v e r s i t y o f Wyomi ng

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Bever l y Ha i ?r i s - SchenzAs s i s t a nt Dean, Co l l ege o f Ar t s and Sc i ences

U n i v e r s i t y o f P i t t s b ur g hPaul Oskar K r i s t e l l e rPr o f es s o r Emer i t us o f Phi l o s ophyCol umbi a un i v er s i t y

Robert M. LongsworthOean of Ar t s and Sci encesQ b e r l i n Co l l e ge

S i s t e r Candi da Lund, O. P.Ch an ce l l o rRosary Co l l e ge

J on N. Mol i neP r o f e s s o r o f P hi l o s ophyU n i v e r s i t y o f Wi scons i n , Madi son

C i r i a c o Mor on- Ar r oyoPr of ess or of Spani sh and Compar at i ve L i t e r a t ur eCo r n e l l Uni v er s i t y

P h i l i p M. Phi bbsP r e s i d en t

u n i v e r s i t y of Puget Sound

Di ane Ra vi t c hAdj unct Pr o f essor o f Hi s t or y and Educat i onTeacher ' s Co l l e geCol umbi a Uni v er s i t yNoel B. Reynol dsAs s oc i at e Academi c Vi c e Pr e s i d en tBr i ghamYoung Uni v er s i t y

Davi d Ri esmanP r o f e s s or of S oc i o l o gyHar v ar d Un i v e r s i t y

F r e der i c k Rudol phP r o f e s s or of Hi s t o r y .Wi l l i a ms Co l l e ge

Davi d SavageThe Los Angel es Ti mes

J ohn E. SawyerP r e s i de ntAndrew W. Mel l on Foundat i on

l


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J ohn R. S i l b e rP r e s i de ntBoston u n i v e r s i t y

L i nda Spoer lP r o f e s s o r o f En gl i s hH i g h l i n e Convnmi t yCo l l e ge

Davi d H. StewartP r o f e s s o r of En gl i s hTexas A&M Uni v er s i t y

Donal d M. StewartP r e s i de ntSpel man Co l l e ge

Ewa ThompsonP r o f e s s o r of Russ i an L i t e r a t u r eRi c eUn i v er s i t y

Al t e r n at e s

Di ane B a l e s t r iAs s o ci a t e DeanBryn Mawr Co l l ege( f o r Ms. Dunn)

C l a i r e L i s t

Program Di r e ct or N

Andr ew W. Mel l on Foundat i on( f o r Mr . Sawyer )

J ames Mo r r i sProgramDi r e ct orAndr ew W. Mel l on Foundat i on( f o r Mr . Sawyer )

J on Wes t l i ngProvos tBostonUni v er s i t y( f o r Mr . S i l b e r )

Obser ver / Consu l t ant

C l i f f o r d Adel manSen i or A s s oc i a t eNa t i o na l I n s t i t u t e of Educat i on

NEH S t a f f Di r e ct o r

Dani e l Schecter


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Our c i v i l i z a t i o n cannot e f f e c t i v e l y bemai nt a i ned wher e i t s t i l l f l o u r i s h e s , or ber e s t o r e d wher e i t hasbeen c r us hed, wi t hou t; t he r e v i v a l o f t hec e n t r a l , cont i nuous andp er e nn i a l c u l t u r e o f t he West er n wor l d. .

Wal t er Li ppmann, 1941

One reason I want ed t o make t heg i f t ( was) t or emi nd young peop l e t h a t t hel i b e r a l a r t s ar e s t i l lt he t r a d i t i o n a l hi ghway t og rea t t h i n k i n g and t heo r g a n i z a t i o n o f a l i f e .

J ames Mi chener , appear i ng ont he Sept ember 26, 1984, CBS

Mor ni ng News on t he o cca s i o nof h i s$2 mi l l i o n g i f t t oSwar t hmor e Col l ege.


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FOREWORD

I n Mar ch 1984 I i n v i t e d t hi r t y - one pr omi nent t ea cher s , s c h o l a r s ,

a dmi n i s t r a t o r s , anda ut ho r i t i eson hi gher educat i on t o j o i n a Study Gr oup

on t heSt at e of Learn i ng i n t heHumani t i es i nHi gher Educat i on. The

study group h el d t hr ee p ub l i c meet i ngs dur i ng t hes pr i ng and summer t o

seek answer s t o t hr ee que s t i ons : What i s t hec ondi t i on of l ear ni ngi n

t he humani t i es; why i s i t as i t i s ; andwhat , i f any t hi ng, s houl d be done

about i t ? Our di s c u s s i o n c ent er ed on t het e ac hi ng and l ear n i ng of t he

humani t i es a t t he baccal aur eat e l e v e l , but we a l s o c ons i der ed how

secondary and gr aduat e educat i on have a f f e c t e d undergraduate educat i on

and been a f f e c t e dby i t .

The s t udy group was charged wi t h assess i ng onl y t hes t a t e of t hehumani t i es , not tha t of ot her sub j ec t s t aught at ' t he c o l l e ge l e v e l or

hi ghe r educ at i o n g en er a l l y . That t h i s r e p o r t does not d i scus s t hese

o t h er s ub j e c t s no t a bl y mat hemat i cs , t hes c i e nc es , . .and. t he t he s o c i a l

s c i e nc es i s i n no way a comment ar y on t h e i r i mpor t ance. They t oo ar e

e s s e n t i a l t o an educat ed per son but l i e out s i de t hemandat e of our g roup .

The member s of t hest udy group came f r o m r e s e a r c h u n i v e r s i t i e s ,

l a nd g r a nt c o l l e ge s , c o educ a t i o na l l i b e r a l a r t s c ol l eges , women' s

c o l l e ge s , h i s t o r i c a l l y bl a ck c o l l e ge s , t wo- year c ol l eges , and secondary

s c ho ol s . They i nc l ude d pr e s i de nt s , v i c e pr e s i de nt s , deans, and

p r o f e s s o r s , as we l l as o f f i c i a l s of e ducat i ona l ands c ho l a r l y

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V -

a s s oc i a t i o ns , a j o u r n al i s t , a f o unda t i o n o f f i c e r , and a s c ho o l

p r i n c i p a l . They wer e, i n sum, as di v er s e as t heent e r p r i s eof educat i on

i t s e l f .

As one woul d expect f r om such a het er ogeneous gr oup o f capabl e ,

exper i enced i nd i v i du a l s , t h e r e was o f t e n l i v e l y d i s c us s i o n, somet i mes

debate. Desp i t e our d i f f e r e nt backgr ounds and pe r s p ec t i v es , however , we

f ound common ground on a number of i mpor t ant p o i n t s .

*

The s t udy group' s d i s c uss i onswer e a i de d by f o ur k i nds of*

i nf o r ma t i o n:

\

Det a i l ed des c r i pt i ons o f gr aduat i on r equi r ement s a t f i f t e e n

c ol l eges and u n i v e r s i t i e s r e pr e s ent a t i v eo f a d i v er s i t y of i n s t i t u t i o n s .

Repor t s prepar ed by s tudy gr oup members on t he humani t i es i n

secondar y educat i on, two- year c ol l e ge s , and gr aduat e s chool s .

Paper s wr i t t e nby i nd i v i du a l member s of t hes t udy group

r ecommendi ng ways t o i mpr ove t eachi ng and l ea r n i ngi n t he humani t i es .

Dat a f r om s e v er a l n at i o na l s t u di e s and s ur veys pe r t a i n i n g t o

under gr aduat e educat i on and t o t hehumani t i es i nge ne r a l .

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I n t h i s r e p o r t I o f f e r my ass ess ment , based on t hese meet i ngs, of

t he s t a t e o f l ea r n i ng i n t he humani t i es i n h i gher educa t i on. Al t hough,

t he r epor t i s i n f ormed t o no smal l degree by t he wor k o f the study g roup ,

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f or aut hor shi p bel ongs t o me. Member s o f t h e group wer e

shown a dr a f t o f t he r epor t and asked t o comment c n i t . From t h e i r

r e s pons e s , i t i s c l e a r t h at t hey c onc ur wi t h t he r e po r t ' s ge ne r a l t h r u s t

and wi t h i t s pa r t i c u l a r p oi nt s .

The s t udy group was convened at t h i s p a r t i c u l a r moment because the

t i me i s r i g h t f o r c ons t r uc t i ve r ef or m of Amer i can educat i on. Over t he

past t wo year s , most of i ; he n a t i o n al a t t e nt i o n has been di r e c t e d t o

e l ement ary and secondary educat i on. Thi s s cr ut i ny , epi t omi zed by t he

Na t i o na l Commi ss i on on Exce l l ence i n Educat i on, has con t r i but ed t o a

number of l ong-over due changes, wi t h s t a t e and l o c a l gover nment s l e ad i n g

t he way. Hi gher educat i on has l a r g e l y escaped t he publ i c ' s eye except

f o r t he Na t i onal Commi ssi on oh St udent F i nanc i a l Ass i s t ance and

o c c as i o na l s t udi es , commi ssi ons, and appeal s by hi gher educat i on

s p e c i a l i s t s . Thi s s i t u a t i o n s houl d and w i l l change. I ndeed, i t has

a l r e ady begun t o change wi t h t he r e cent p ub l i c a t i o n of a r e po r t f r om t h e

Na t i o na l I n s t i t u t e of Educat i on' s St udy Gr oup on t he Condi t i ons o f

Ex c el l enc e i n Amer i can Hi gher Educat i on and t he f or t hcomi ng r epor t of t he

A s s o c i a t i o n of Amer i can Co l l eges on t he q u a l i t y of t he bacca l aur eate

degree. Wi t h mor e t han ha l f o f a l l h i gh sc hool gr aduat es now goi ng on to

some f or m o f pos t - s ec ondar y e duc a t i o n, t he p u bl i c pa r e nt s , empl oyer s ,

a l umni , and t he st udent s t hemsel ves i s begi nni ng t o ask, and has t he

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r i g h t t oask, whet her t o day' s c o l l e ge sand un i v e r s i t i e s ar eo f f e r i ng t o

Amer i ca' s yout h an educat i on wort hy o f our he r i t age.

Thi s r epor t has f i v e s e c t i ons . The f i r s t , "Why s tudy t he

huma ni t i e s ? , " e xp l o r e s b r i e f l y ' t h e que s t i o n o fwhat t hehumani t i es a r e

and why they ar ei mpor t ant , t o an educat ed per son. The s ec ond s e c t i o n ,

"How s ho ul d t hehumani t i es be t aught and l e ar ned? , " o f f e r s t he study

gr oup' s and my thoughts on what cons t i t ut esan a pp r o p r i a t e e duc a t i o n i n

t he humani t i es . The t h i r d s ec t i o n, "How wel l , ar e t hehumani t i es bei ng

t aught and l e ar ne d on t henat i on' s campuses ?, " compar es t heac hi e va bl e t o

t he a c t u a l , aga i n dr awi ng heav i l y f r om t hes t udy gr o up' s d i s c us s i o ns .

The f our t h s ec t i ON, "The c ha l l e nge t oacademi c l e ade r s h i p, " di s c us s est he

r o l e o f c o l l e ge pr e si dent s and o ther academi c o f f i c i a l s i ns t r e ngt hen i ng

t he p l a c e o f t he humani t i es . The f i f t h and f i n a l s ec t i on o f f e r s some

thoughts on how c ol l egesand un i v e r s i t i e s mi gr*- do a b e t t e r j ob i n

t r a ns mi t t i ng t heaccumul at ed wi sdom of our c i v i l i z a t i o n .

I want t o thank t he members o f t hes t udy group f o r t h e i r hard work,

t h e i r i n s pi r e d di s c us s i o nsa t our meet i ngs, t het hought f u l papers t hey

s ubmi t t ed f o r c o ns i d er a t i o nand d i s c us s i on, and t h e i r he l p f u l suggest i ons

i n r e vi e wi ng a d r a f t of t h i s r e p o r t . I es pe c i a l l y want t o t hank Dani el

Schect er o f t he Endowment f o r headi ng up t he s t a f f e f f o r t on t h i s pr o j ec t .


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I NTRODUCTI ON: TO RECLAI M A LEGACY , - /

Al t hough mor e t han 50 per cent of Ameri ca"' s h i gh schoo l graduat es '

c o nt i nue t h e i r educat i on a t Amer i can c o l l e ge s and u n i v e r s i t i e s , f ew of -

them can be sa i d t o r ece i ve t her e an adequat e educ at i o n i n t he c u l t u r e

and c i v i l i z a t i o n of whi ch t hey ar e member s. Most of o ur c o l l e ge

gr aduat es r emai n shor t changed i n t he humani t i es h i s t o r y j l i t e r a t u r e ,

p hi l o s op hy , and t he i d e a l s and p r a c t i c e s b f t he, pa s t t h at have. . shaped the

s oc i e t y t hey ent er . The f a u l t l i e s p r i nc i p al l y wi t h t hose of us whosebus i ness i t i s t o educat e t hese s t udent s . We have bl amed o t her s , but t he

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s ours . Not by our wor ds but by our act i ons , by our

i nd i f f e r e nc e, and by our i n t e l l e c t u a l d i f f i d en c e we have brought about

t h i s c o nd i t i o n. I t i s we t he educ at or s not s c i e n t i s t s , bus i ness

peopl e , o r t he gener a l pub l i c who t oo o f t en have-g i ven up t he great ,

t as k of t r a ns mi t t i ng a c ul t u r e t o i t s r i g h t f u l . h e i r s . Thus, what we have

on many of our campuses i s an unc l a i med l egacy , a cour se o f s t ud i es i n

whi ch t he humani t i es have been s i phoned o f f , d i l u t e d, o r so adu l t e r a t ed

t h a t st udent s gr aduat e knowi ng l i t t l e , of t h e i r her i t age.

I n p a r t i c u l a r , the study group was di s t ur bed by a number o f t r ends

and devel opment s i n h i g he r e du ca t i o n: * '

Many of our co l l eges and u n i v e r s i t i e s have l o s t a c l e a r sense of

t he i mpor t ance of t he humani t i es and t he ; purpose o f educat i on, ' a l l owi ng

t he t h i ckness o f t h e i r c a t a l ogues t o s u b s t i t u t e f o r v i s i o n and a

phi l o sophy o f educat i on.

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o The humani t i es , and p a r t i c ul a r l y t hes t udy of West er n

c i v i l i z a t i o n , have l o s t t h e i r c e n t r a l pl a ce i n t he under gr aduat ec ur r i c ul u m. At be s t , t hey ar e but one s u bj e ct among many t ha t s tudents

mi ght be exposed t obe f o r e g r a duat i ng. At wors t , and t ooo f t e n, t he

humani t i es ar ev i r t u a l l y absent .

A s tudent cano bt ai n a bac he l or ' s degr ee f r o m 75 percent of a l l

Amer i can co l l egesand un i v e r s i t i e s wi t ho ut hav i ng s t udi e d Europeanc

h i s t o r y ; f r o m 72 per cent wi t hout hav i ng s t ud i ed Amer i can l i t e r at u r e or

h i s t o r y ; and f r o m 86 per cent wi t hout havi ng s t udi ed t he c i v i l i z a t i o n s o f

c l a s s i c a l Gr eece and Rome.

Fewer than ha l f o f a l l c ol l eges and u n i v e r s i t i e s now r e qui r e

f o r e i gn l anguage st udy f or t hebachel o r ' s degr ee , down f r om near l y 90

percent i n 1966.

The s o l e acquai nt ance wi t h t hehumani t i es f o r many

undergraduates comes dur i ng t h e i r f i r s t t wo years o f c o l l e ge , o f t e ni n

ways t h at d i s c our age f u r t h er s t u dy .

The number of s t udent s choosi ng maj ors i n t hehumani t i es has

pl ummet ed. Si nc e 1970 t he number of maj or s i nEngl i s h has de cl i ned by 57

pe r c e nt , i n phi l o s ophy by 41 p e r c e n t , i n h i s t o r y by 62 p e r c e n t , and i n

moder n l anguages by 50 p e r c e n t .

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Too many s tudents ar e gr aduat i ng f r o m Amer i can c ol l egesand

u n i v e r s i t i e s l ac ki ng even t hemost r udi ment ar y knowl edge about t he

h i s t o r y , l i t e r at u r e , a r t , andp h i l o s op hi c a l f oundat i ons of t h ei r na t i o n

and t h e i r c i v i l i z a t i o n .

The dec l i ne i nl ear n i ng i n t hehumani t i es was caused i npar t by

a f a i l u r e o fner ve and f a i t h on t hep ar t of many c ol l ege f a c ul t i e s and

a dmi n i s t r a t o r s , andpe r s i s t s because o f a vacuum i ne duc a t i o na l

l e ade r s h i p . A recent s tudy o f c o l l e ge p r e s i d en t s f ound t h at o nl y 2

percent ar eac t i v e i nt h ei r i n s t i t u t i o n s ' academi c a f f a i r s .

I n o rder t or e ve r s e t hed ec l i ne , t hest udy gr oup recommended:

The nat i on' s c o l l e ge s andu ni v e r s i t i e s must reshape t he i r

undergraduate c u r r i c u l a based on a c l ear v i s i on o fwhat c ons t i t ut esan

educat ed per son, r egar dl ess o fmaj or , and on t hest udy of hi s t o r y ,

phi l osophy , l anguages, and l i t e r a t u r e .

Col l e ge andu ni v er s i t y pr e s i dent s must take r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r

t he educat i onal needs o f a l l st udent s i nt h ei r i n s t i t u t i o n s by maki ng

p l a i n what t hei n s t i t u t i o n stands f o r andwhat knowl edge i t r egar ds as

e s s en t i a l t o a good e duc at i o n.

Co l l e ge s and un i v er s i t i e s mus t reward e x c el l e nt t eac hi ng i n

h i r i n g , pr omot i on, and t enur e d ec i s i o ns .

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F a c u l t i e s must put a s i de narrow depar t ment a l i s m and i ns t e ad wor k

wi t h a dmi ni s t r a t o r s t o shape a c ha l l eng i ng c ur r i c ul um wi t h a c o r e of

common s t u di es .

Study o f t h ehumani t i e s and West er n c i v i l i z a t i o n mus t t a ke i t s

pl a ce a t t he h ea r t of t he c o l l e ge c u r r i c ul u m.

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I . Why s tudy t he humani t i es?

The f e d e r a l l e g i s l a t i o n t hat e s t abl i s he dt heNa t i o na l Endowment f o r

t he Humani t i es i n 1965 def i ned t hehumani t i es as s p e c i f i c d i s c i p l i n e s :

" l anguage, bot h moder n and c l a s s i c a l ; l i n g u i s t i c s ; l i t e r a t u r e ; h i s t o r y ;

j ur i s pr udenc e; ph i l osophy; a rchaeol ogy ; compara t i ve r e l i g i o n ; e t h i c s ; t he

h i s t o r y , c r i t i c i s m, and t heo r y o f t hea r t s " ; and " those aspects o f t he

s o c i a l s c i ences whi ch have humani s t i c content andempl oy humani s t i c

met hods. " But t odef i ne t hehumani t i es by i t e mi z i n g t heacademi c f i e l d s

they embrace i st oo ver l o ok t heq u a l i t i e s t h a t make them uni q ue l y

i mpor t ant and wort h s t udy i ng . Expandi ng on a phr ase f r om Mat t hew Ar n ol d,

I woul d d es c r i be t hehumani t i es as t hebes t t hat has been s a i d , thought ,

w r i t t e n , and o t her wi se expr essed about t he human exper i ence . The

humani t i es t e l l us how men andwomen o f our own and o ther c i v i l i z a t i o n s

have gr appl ed wi t h l i f e ' s endur i ng, f undament a l quest i ons : What i s

j u s t i c e ? What s houl d be l oved? What deserves t o be def ended? What i scourage? What i snobl e? What i s base? Why do c i v i l i z a t i o n s f l o u r i s h ?

Why do t h ey d ec l i n e?

A.

Kant def i ne d t heessence o f t hehumani t i es i nf o ur ques t i o ns : What

can I know? What s ho ul d I do? What may I hope f o r ? Wl pat i sman? These

qu es t i o ns ar e not s i mpl y d i v er s i o ns f o r i n t e l l e c t u a l s or pl a yt hi ngs f o rt he i d l e . As a r e s u l t of t he ways i nwhi ch t hese quest i ons have been

answer ed, c i v i l i z a t i o n s have emer ged, n at i ons have devel oped, war s have

been fought , and peopl e have l i v e d c o nt e nt e dl y or mi s e r a bl y .

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I f i de as ar e i mpor t ant ' , i t s u r e l y f o l l o ws t ha t l e ar n i n gand l i f e

ar e poorer wi t hout t he humani t i es . Mont ai gne wrote:

A p up i l s h oul d be taught what i t means t oknow somet hi ng, andwhat

i t means not t oknow i t ; what s h oul d be t he des i gn and end of

s tudy ; what v a l o r , t emper ance, and j u s t i c e ar e; t h e d i f f e r e nc e

bet ween a mb i t i o n andgreed, l o y a l t y ands e r v i t ude, l i b e r t y and

l i c e n s e ; andt he mar ks o f t r ue and s o l i d cont ent ment .

F u r t h e r , t he humani t i es canc ont r i but e t o an i nf or med s ense of

communi t y by enabl i ng u s t ol ea r n about andbecome p a r t i c i p a n t s i n a

common c u l t u r e , s ha r e hol der s i n our c i v i l i z a t i o n . . But our goa l shou l d be

mor e than j u s t a common c ul t u r e even t e l e v i s i o n and t he c omi cs can

gi v e us t hat . We s houl d, i n s t e ad , want a l l s t udent s t oknow a common

c u l t u r e r o ot ed i n c i v i l i z a t i o n ' s l a s t i n g v i s i o n, i t s hi g he s t s har e d

i d e a l s and a s p i r a t i o ns , and i t s her i t a ge. Pr o f e s sor E. O. Hi r s c h o f the

U n i v e r s i t y o f V i r g i n i a c a l l s t he beg i nni ng o f t h i s achi evement " c u l t u r a l

l i t e r a c y " andr emi nds us t h a t "no c ul t u r e e x i s t s t ha t i s i gnor ant of i t s

own t r a d i t i o n s . " As t hel a t e p hi l o s op he r Ch ar l e s Fr a nk e l once s a i d , i t

i s t hrough t he humani t i es t hat a c i v i l i z e d s oc i et y t a l k s t o i t s e l f about

t hi ngs t hat mat t er most .

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I I . ' How shoul d the humani t i es be t aught and l ear ned?

Manki nd' s answer s t oc o mpe l l i ng ques t i o ns ar eav a i l a b l e t o us

t hr ough t he wr i t t e nand spoken wor d books, manuscr i pt s , l e t t e r s ,

p l a ys , and o r a l t r a d i t i o n s and a l s o i nnon l i t e r a r y f or ms, whi ch J ohn

Ruski n c al l e d t he book o f a r t . Wi t h i n them are exp ress i ons o f human

greatness and o fpat hos and t r agedy . I nor der t o t ap t he consc i ousness

and memor y of c i v i l i z a t i o n , onemust c o nf r o nt t hes e t e x t s andwor ksof

a r t .

The member s of t hes t udy group di s c u s s ed a t l engt h t hemost

e f f e c t i v e ways t ot each t hehumani t i es t oundergraduates. Our d i s c us s i o n

r e t u r ne d c ont i nua l l y t o t wobas i c pr e r e qu i s i t e s f o r l ea r n i ng i n t h e

humani t i es : good t e ac hi ng and a good c ur r i c ul um.

( a) Good t each i ng

Good t eac hi ng i s a t l ea s t as e s s en t i a l i nt he humani t i es as i n

other f i e l d s o f l e ar n i ng . I n t h i s c onnec t i on, i t i s c r i t i c a l t o po i n t

out t hat o f a l l under graduat e c r e di t hours taken i n t he humani t i es , 87

percent ar et aken i n t hef r eshman and sophomor e y e a r s . Because

nonhumani t i es maj or s account f or t hel a r g e s t par t of these c r e di t hours ,

courses taken a t t hei nt r oduc t o r y l e v el a r e t hef i r s t andonl y c ol l e g i a t e

exposure t o t he humani t i es f o r many s t ude nt s . T he r e f o r e , we shoul d want

t o extend t o t hese s t udent s t he most at t r a c t i v e i n v i t a t i o n t o t he

humani t i es po s s i b l e . T hi s r e qu i r e s t eac her s who can make t he humani t i es

l i v e and who cangui de st udent s t hrough t hel andscape of human thought .


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J us t as s t udent s can be dr awn t o t he humani t i es by good t e a c h e r s ,

t hey can be chased o f f by poor ones. "Students come t o l e a r n i ng t hrough

t h e i r t eac her s , " w ro te Obe r l i n Co l l ege Dean Robert Longsworth, "and no

l i s t o f g reat wor ks nor any set of c u r r i c u l a r r equi r ement s can do t he

wor k of a good t eache r . " Al t hough i t can t ake many f or ms, we a l l know

what poor t e ac hi ng i s . I t can be l i f e l e s s or t endent i ous , mechani ca l or

i d e o l o g i c a l . I t can be l a c k i n g i n c onv i c t i on. Perhaps mos t commonl y, i t

can f a i l t o have a sense o f t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t he ma t e r i a l i t pur po r t s

t o s t udy and t each. I t can bo r e and deaden wher e i t means t o qui cken and

e l e va t e . Gi v i ng one exampl e, Harvar d Pr of essor Davi d Ri esman poi nt ed out

t h a t poor t eachi ng can masquer ade as good t ea chi ng when i t " i n v i t e s

s tuden ts to j o i n a c l ub o f s ophi s t i ca t ed cyn i c s who a re w i t t y , a br a s i v e,

and somet i mes engr oss i ng; many t eacher s i n t he humani t i es parade and

g l o r i f y t h e i r e c c en t r i c i t i e s , and onl y on r e f l e c t i o n and at some d i s t a nc e

does one r e a l i z e that they are r e a l l y l i f e l e s s . "

What c har a ct er i z es good t each i ng i n t he humani t i es? F i r s t , and

f or emost , a t eacher mus t have ach i eved mast er y o f t he ma t e r i a l . But t h i s

i s not enough; t h e r e mus t a l so be engagement . Pr of es s or Wi l l i a m

Ar r owsmi t h of Emor y u n i v e r s i t y de s c r i be d good teachers as " commi t t ed t o

t ea c hi ng what they have l ear ned t o l ove . " I n one c r u c i a l way, good

teachers cannot be di s p as s i o na t e . They cannot be di s p as s i o na t e about the

wor ks they teach ass umi ng t hat t hey ar e t eachi ng i mpor t ant works.

Thi s does not mean they advocate each i dea of ever y aut hor , but r at her

that they are moved and a r e seen t o be moved by t he power o f the wor ks

and ar e abl e t o convey t h a t power t c t h e i r s t ude nt s . J us t as good

s c h o l a r s h i p i s i n s p i r e d , so mus t good t eachi ng be.

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( b) A goo 1c ur r i c ul um

I f t he t eac her i s t he gui de , t h e c ur r i c u l u m i s t h e pat h. A good

c ur r i c ul um mar ks t he p oi n t s o f s i g n i f i c a n c e so t hat t he st udent dees not

wander a i ml e s s l y ov er t he t e r r a i n , dependent ; s o l e l y on chance t o d i s c o v er

t he l andmar ks of human achi evement .

Co l l eges and u n i v e r s i t i e s have a r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o des i gn genera l

e duc a t i o n c ur r i c u l a t h a t i d e n t i f y t hese l andmar ks. Davi d Savage o f t he

Los Angel es Ti mes expr ess ed t he consensus of t he st udy group when he

s a i d : "Most s t ud ent s en t e r c o l l e g e e xpe c t i n g t h at t he u n i v e r s i t y and i t s

l e ader s have a c l e a r v i s i o n of what i s wor t h knowi ng and what i s

i mpo r t a nt i n our h er i t a ge t h at a l l educat ed pers ons shoul d know. They

a l s o have a r i g h t t o expect t hat t he u n i v e r s i t y sees i t s e l f as mor e t han

a ca t a l ogue o f cour ses . "

Al t hough t he st udy group embr aced t he p r i n c i p l e t hat a l l

i n s t i t u t i o n s s houl d accept r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r dec i di ng what t h e i r

graduat es shoul d know, most member s be l i e v e d t h at no s i n g l e c ur i c ul um

c oul d be ap pr o pr i a t e i n a l l p l aces . The study group recogni zed t he

di v er s e na tu r e o f h i gher educa t i on under whose umbre l l a ar e i n s t i t u t i o n s

wi t h di f f e r e nt h i s t o r i e s , p h i l o s o ph i e s , e du ca t i o na l pur p os es , s t udent

body c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , and r e l i g i o u s and c u l t u r a l t r a di t i o n s . Each

i n s t i t u t i o n mus t d ec i de f o r i t s e l f what i t cons i ders an educated per son

t o be and what knowl edge t hat per son shoul d poss ess. Whi l e doi ng so, no

i n s t i t u t i o n need a c t as i f i t wer e o pe r a t i n g i n a vacuum. There are

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ID

s ta nda rds ofj udqment : Some t hi ngs ar e mor e i mpor t ant t oknow than

o t h e r s . i

The c hoi c es a c ol l ege or u n i v e r s i t ymakes f o r i t s cor nnscr . c u r r i c u l u m

s h ou l d be r o ot e d f i r ml y i n i t s i n s t i t u t i o n a l i d e n t i t yand ed uc a t i o na l

purpose. I ns u c c es s f ul i n s t i t u t i o n s , an awar eness o fwhat t hec o l l egeor

u n i v e r s i t y i s t r y i n g t o do ac t s as a un i f y i ng p r i n c i p l e , a t h r e ad t h at

runs th rough and t i e s t oget he r t he f a c u l t y , t h e c ur r i c u l u m, t he s t u d e n t s ,

and t h e a dmi n i s t r a t i o n. I f an i n s t i t u t i o n has no c l e a r l y co ncei v ed anda r t i c u l a t e d sense o f i t s e l f , i t s e f f o r t s t ode s i g n a cur r i c ul um w i l l

r e s u l t i n l i t t l e mor e than an e du c at i o na l garage s a l e , po s s i b l y

s a t i s f y i n g mos t campus f a c t i o ns but s er v i ng no r e a l purpose and addi ng up

t o no t h i ng o f s i g n i f i c a n c e . Devel opi ng a common c ur r i c ul um wi t ht he

huma ni t i e s a t t h e c or e i s no easy t a s k . I nsome i n s t i t u t i o n s i t w i l l ' be

d i f f i c u l t t oa t t a i n . But mer el y b ei ng exposed t o a v ar i e t y of s u bj e c t s

and p o i n t s o fv i ew i s no t enough. L ea r n i n g t ot hi nk c r i t i c a l l y and

s k e p t i c a l l y i s not enough. Be i ng we l l r ounded i s no t enough i f , a f t e r

a l l t he sharp edges have been f i l e d down, di sc er nment i s bl unt ed and t he

graduate i s l e f t t ob el i e v e wi t hout j udgment , t ode c i d e Wi t hout wi sdom,

or t oa c t wi t ho ut s t a nd ar d s .

The s t udy group i d e n t i f i e d s e v e r a l f e a t u r e s common t o anygoodc ur r i c ul um, r e ga r d l e s s o f i n s t i t u t i o n a l p a r t i c u l a r s :

( 1) Ba l ance bet ween b rea d th anddept h. A good c ur r i c ul um s houl d

embody b o t h wi de r e adi ng and c l o s e r ea di ng . St udent s s hou l d s t udy a

number o f i mpor t ant t e x t s and s u bj e c t s wi t h thoroughness and c a r e . They

'v.

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I

- u -

s houl d a l s o become acquai nted wi t h o t her t ext s and subj ect s capabl e o f

g i v i n g them a broader v i ew, a cont ext f o r under st andi ng what they know

w e l l . Excess i ve concent r a t i on i n one a rea , however , of t en abet t ed by

nar row depar t ment al i sm, can pr omot e p r o v i n c i a l i s mand pedant r y' ;

Co nv er s e l y , as Wi l l i a m Ar r ows mi t h war ned, goi ng t oo f ar t oward br eadt h

c oul d make t he c ur r i c ul um a mer e "bus t r i p o f t he West " c h a r a c t e r i z e d by

" s hal l ow g en er a l i z a t i o n and s t e r e ot y pe s . "

( 2) Or i g i n a l t e x t s . Most member s of the study group b el i e ve d t ha t

t h e c u r r i c u l u m s h oul d be based on o r i g i n a l l i t e r a r y , h i s t o r i c a l , and

p h i l o s op h i c a l t ext s r at her t han on secondar y wor ks or t ext books. By

r eadi ng such works, r e f l e c t i n g on t hem, di s c us s i ng t hem, and wr i t i n g

about t hem, s t udent s w i l l come t o under st and t he power of i de as .

( 3) Cont i nu i t y . The undergraduate ' s s t udy o f the humani t i es shoul d

not be l i mi t e d t o t he f r eshman and sophomor e y ea r s . Rat her , i t s ho ul d

ext end t hroughout t he under graduat e car eer so t hat cont i nui ng engagement

wi t h t he humani t i es w i l l compl ement and add per spec t i ve t o cour ses i n t he

maj or f i e l d as we l l as c ont r i b ut e t o s t udent s ' i n c r e a s i n g i n t e l l e c t u a l

ma t u r i t y as j u ni o r s and s e n i o r s . P r o f e s s o r L i nda Spo er l of Hi g hl i n e

Communi t y Col l ege s a i d : "The i dea t hat gener al educat i on r equi r ement s

shoul d be s a t i s f i e d as qui ck l y as poss i b l e bef o re t he s t udent goes on t o

t he ' r e a l ' p a r t o f e du ca t i o n does everyone a d i s s e r v i c e . 1 1

( 4) F a c ul t y s t r e ng t h . Because a good c ur r i c ul um must r es t on a

f i r m f ounda t i on o f good t e ac hi n g, i t f o l l o ws t h at t he nat ur e of t ha t

c ur r i c ul um shoul d r espect ar eas o f f a c u l t y compet ence and exper t i se . As

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Davi d Ri esman poi nt ed out , i t does l i t t l e good t o r e q ui r e s t udy o f

Shakespear e i f t her e ar e no sc hol ar s on t he f a c u l t y who c an t eac h

Shakespeare wi t h i n s i gh t and cont agi ous a ppr e ci a t i o n. On t he ot her hand,

any i n s t i t u t i o n t hat l a c ks f a c u l t y e xp er t i s e i n t h e ba s i c f i e l d s and wor k

of t he humani t i es shoul d t ake i mmedi ate st eps t o f i l l t hose gaps o r t o

devel op such compet ence i n e xi s t i ng f a c ul t y .

( 5) Conv i c t i on about t he c e n t r a l i t y o f t he humani t i es . F i n a l l y ,

t he humani t i es must not be ar gued f or as somet hi ng t hat w i l l make our

s t ud e n t s r e f i n e d , nor s houl d t he humani t i es be pr esent ed as a nonr i gor ous

i nt e r l ude wher e t he young can chew over t he i r f ee l i ngs , emot ef or rehash

t h e i r op i n i ons . The humani t i es ar e no t an educat i onal l uxur y , and t hey

ar e not j u s t f o r ma j o r s . They are a body of knowl edge and a means of

i n q u i r y t ha t convey ser i ous t r u t h s , def ens i b l e j udgment s , and s i gn i f i c an t

i de as . P r o p er l y t a ught , t he huma ni t i e s b r i ng t o ge t her t he p er e nni a l

q ue s t i o ns o f human l i f e wi t h t he g r e a t e s t wor ks of h i s t o r y , l i t e r a t u r e ,

ph i l o s ophy, and ar t . Unl ess t he humani t i es ar e t aught and s t ud i ed i n

t h i s way, t her e i s l i t t l e r eason t o o f f e r t hem.

Based on our di s c us s i o ns , we r ecommend t he f o l l owi ng knowl edge i n

t he humani t i es as es s e nt i a l t o a c o l l e ge e duc a t i o n:

Because our s oc i e t y i s t he pr oduct and we t he i n h e r i t o r s of

West er n c i v i l i z a t i o n , Amer i can st udent s need a n unde r s t a ndi ng of i t s

o r i g i n s and devel opment , f r om i t s r oot s i n a nt i qu i t y t o the p resent .

Thi s under s t and i ng s houl d i nc l ude a gr as p of t he maj or t r ends i n s o c i e t y ,

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-13-

r e l i g i o n , a r t , l i t e r a t u r e , and p o l i t i c s , as we l l as a knowl edge of b as i c

chronol ogy .

A c a r e f u l r e adi n g o f s e v e r a l mast er wor ks o f Engl i sh , Amer i can,

and European l i t e r a t u r e .

An unders t andi ng of t he most s i g n i f i c a n t i deas and debat es i n

t h e h i s t o r y of phi l o s ophy .

Demonst r abl e p r o f i c i enc y i n a f o r ei gn l anguage ( e i t h e r moder n or

c l a s s i c a l ) and t he a b i l i t y t o vi ew t hat l anguage as an avenue i n t o

anot her c ul t u r e .

I n addi t i on t o t hese ar eas of f undament al knowl edge, s tudy gr oup

member s recommended t hat under graduat es have some f a mi l i a r i t y wi t h t he

h i s t o r y , l i t e r a t u r e , r e l i g i o n , and phi l osophy of at l ea s t one non- West er n

c ul t u r e or c i v i l i z a t i o n . We t hi nk i t b et t e r t o have a deeper

under s t andi ng o f a s i n g l enon- West er n c u l t u r e t han a s u p e r f i c i a l t a s t e of

many. F i n a l l y , the study gr oup t hought t hat a l l st udent s shoul d st udy

t he h i s t o r y o f s c i ence and t echno l ogy .

What s houl d be r ead?

A c ur r i c ul um i s r a r e l y much s t ronger than the s y l l a b i of i t s

c o ur s e s , t he a r r a y s o f t e x t s s i n gl e d out f o r c a r e f u l r e adi n g and

d i s c us s i on . The s y l l a b i shoul d r e f l e c t t he c o l l e ge ' s bes t j udgment

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c o nc e r n i n g s p e c i f i c t e x t s wi t h whi c h an educated per son s houl d be

f a mi l i a r ands houl d i n c l u de t e xt s wi t h i n t hecompet ence and i n t e r e s t of

i t s f a c u l t y .

Study group member s agr eed t hat an i n s t i t u t i o n ' s s y l l a b i s h oul dnot

be se t i n s t one ; i ndeed , t hese s y l l a b i s h ou l d change f r om t i me t ot i me t o

t a k e i n t o account t he exper t i seo fa v a i l a b l e f a c u l t y and t he r e s u l t o f

c ont i nui ng s c r ut i nyandr e f i nement . The t a s k , however , i snot t o take

f a c u l t y beyond t h e i r compet ence and t r a i n i n g , n or - t o d i s p l a c e s t ude nt s '

i n d i v i d u a l i n t e r e s t s andc ar e er p l a nn i n g, but t or each and i nhabi t common

ground f or a whi l e .1

We f r e quent l y hear t hat i t i sno l onger p o s s i b l e t or each a

consensus on t he most s i g n i f i c a n t t h i nk er s , t he most c oup el l i ng i de as ,

and t he books a l l s t udent s shoul d r ead. Cont empor ar y Amer i can c u l t u r e ,

t he ar gument goes, hasbecome t oo f r agment ed and t oo p l u r a l i s t i c t o

j u s t i f y a b e l i e f i n common l e ar n i n g. Al t h ough i t i s e as i e r ( and mor e

f a s hi o na bl e) t odoubt than t obe l i ev e , i t i s a gr ave er r o r t obase a

c o l l e g e cur r i c ul um on such doubt . A l s o , I have l ong suspected t hat t her e

i s mor e consensus onwhat t hei mpor t ant books ar et han many peopl e have

been wi l l i n g t o'


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I r ec ei v ed r ecommendat i ons f r o m mor e than f i v e hundr ed i n d i v i d u a l s . They

l i s t e d hundr eds o f d i f f e r e n t t e x t s and a ut ho r s , yet f o ur ~ Shakespear e ' s

p l a ys , Amer i can h i s t o r i c a l document s ( t h e Co ns t i t u t i o n, De cl a r a t i o n of

I ndependence, and F e d e r a l i s t P ap er s ) , The Adventures o f Hu ck l e be r r y F i n n ,

and t he B i b l e ~ wer e c i t e d a t l e a s t 50 pe r c ent o f t he t i me .

I have no t done a compar abl e sur vey on what c o l l ege graduates

s ho ul d r ead , bu t t he po i n t t o be made i s c l e a r : Many peopl e do b e l i e v e

t h a t some books ar e mor e i mpor t ant t han o t he r s , and t her e i s broader

agr eement on what t ho s e books a re than many have supposed. Each

c o l l e g e ' s l i s t w i l l v a r y somewhat , r e f l e c t i n g t he c ha r ac t e r o f t he

i n s t i t u t i o n and o t h er f a c t o r s . But t h er e woul d be, and shoul d be,

s i g n i f i c a n t ov er l a p.

I am of t en asked what I b e l i e v e t o be t he most s i g n i f i c a n t wor ks i n

t he h uma ni t i e s . T hi s i s an i mp or t a nt q u es t i o n , t o o i mpo r t a nt t o a v oi d .

Some wor ks and t h e i r au t ho r s have p r o f o undl y i n f l uenc ed my l i f e , and i t

i s p l a i n t ha t t h e same wor ks have i n f l u en c ed t h e l i v e s of many o t her s a s

w e l l . I n p r o v i d i n g a l i s t o f t hes e wor ks and aut hor s i t i s not my

i n t e n t i o n ( nor i s i t my r i g ht ) t o d i c t a t e anyone' s c u r r i c u l um. My

purpose i s not t o p r e s c r i b e a c our s e o f s t u di e s but t o answer , as

c a n di d l y as I c an , an o f t - a s k e d q ue s t i o n .

The wor ks and authors* I ment i on v i r t u a l l y d ef i n e t he devel opment c f

t he West er n mi nd. There a r e , a t a number of i n s t i t u t i o n s , s t r o n g

i n t r o d u c t o r y c our s e s a l r e ad y i n p l a c e whose s y l l a b i i nc l ude such works.

Thes e i n s t i t u t i o n s do not expect undergraduates t o r ead most o f t he

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- 16-

maj or wor ks o f these au tho rs . They have l e ar n ed, however , t hat i t i snot

unr easonabl e t oexpect s t udent s t or ead wor ks by some o f them and t o know

who t heo t h er s wer eand why they ar e i mpo r t a nt .

The wor ks and au tho rs I have i nmi nd i nc l ude, but ar e not l i mi t e d

t o , t hef o l l owi ng: f r o m c l a s s i c a l an t i qu i t y Homer , Sophoc l es ,

Thuc ydi des , P l a t o , A r i s t o t l e , and Ve r g i l ; f r om medi eval , Renai ssance, and

seventeenth -cen tu ry Eur ope Dant e, Chaucer , Ma c hi a v e l l i , Mont ai gne,

Shakespeare, Hobbes, Mi l t on , and L oc ke; f r o m e i g ht e en t h - t hr ough

t we nt i e t h - c e nt ur y Eur ope Swi f t , Rouss eau, Aust en, Wor dswor t h,

Toc quev i l l e , Di ckens , Geor ge E l i o t , Dost oyevsky, Mar x, Ni et z s c he ,

To l s t oy , Mann and T. S. E l i o t ; f r om Amer i can l i t e r a t u r e and h i s t o r i c a l

document s t heDec l ar at i onof I ndependence, t heFe de r a l i s t Papers , t he

Co ns t i t u t i o n, t heL i ncol n - Doug l as Debat es , L i nco l n ' s Ge t t ysburg Addr ess

and Second I naugur al Addr e ss , Ma r t i n L ut her Ki ng, J r ' s . " L e t t e r f r o m t he

Bi r mi ngham J a i l " andH

I have a dream . . ,w

speech, and such aut hor s as

Hawt hor ne, Me l v i l l e , Twai n, and F au l k ne r . F i n a l l y , I must ment i on t he

Bi b l e , whi c h i s t hebas i s f o r s o much subsequent h i s t o r y , l i t e r a t u r e and

ph i l o s ophy. At a c ol l egeo r u n i v e r s i t y , what wei ght i s gi ven t o whi ch

a u t h c r s mus t o f cou rse depend on f a c u l t y compet ence and i n t e r e s t . Buti

s houl d not ever y humani t i es f a c u l t y possess some member s q u a l i f i e d t o

teach a t l e a s t s omet hi ng o f t hese aut hor s?V

, Why t h e s e pa r t i c ul a r books and these p a r t i c ul a r au tho rs? Because

an i mpor t ant par t o f educ at i on i s l e a r n i ng t o r ead, and t hehi gh es t

purpose of r eadi ng i s t o be i n t hecompany o f gr eat sou l s . Ther e ar e , t o

be s ur e, many f i ne books and i mpor t ant aut hor s not i nc l uded i n t he l i s t ,

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17

and t hey t oodeser ve t hes t udent ' s t i me and a t t e nt i o n . But t o pass up

t he o ppo r t u ni t y t ospend t i me wi t h t h i s company i s t omi ss a f undament al

expe r i ence ofh i g he r e d uc a t i o n.

Gr eat s o u l s do not expres s t hemsel ves by t hewr i t t e n wor d onl y ;

t hey a l s o p a i n t , s c ul p t , b u i l d , andcompos e. An educat ed pers on shoul d

be ab l e not onl y t o r e c ogn i z e some of t h e i r wor ks, but a l s o t o under st and

why t hey embody t hebest i n our c ul t u r e . Shoul d we be s a t i s f i e d i f t he

-graduates of our c ol l egesand u n i v er s i t i e s know no t h i ng o f t h e '

Par t henon' s t i me l e s s c l a s s i c a l pr o po r t i o ns , o f t het extbook i n medi eval

f a i t h and phi l os ophy t h a t i s Cha r t r es c a t h edr a l , of Mi che l a nge l o ' s

S i s t i n e c e i l i n g , o r o f t hemusi c of Bach and Mozart?

I I I . How we l l a r e t hehumani t i es bei ng t aught and l e ar ne d on t he

nat i on' s campuses?

Our exper i ence i nh i g he r educat i o n and s tudy of e mp i r i c a l d at a

co nv i nce us t h a t t hehumani t i es ar ebei ng t aught and l e ar n ed wi t h uneven

success . Some i n s t i t u t i o n s do an o ut s t a ndi n g j o b, some a poor one. At

most c ol l egesand u n i v e r s i t i e s t hehumani t i es ar e taught both we l l and

po or l y , wi t h i n s p i r a t i o n i n one c l assr oom, e xc r u c i a t i n g dul l nes sor

pedantry i nanot her . Ov er a l l , however , bot h t each i ng and l e a r n i n g i n t he

humani t i es ar e not what t hey shoul d be or can be, and they ar e n ei t he r

taught as we l l nor s t udi ed as c a r e f u l l y as they deserve t o be.

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18-

Ev i dence f or t h i s d ec l i n e i s c ompel l i ng. P r e l i mi na r y f i n di n gs f r om

a 1934- 85 survey by t heAmeri can Counci l on E duc a t i o n i n d i c a t e t h a t a

student canobt a i n a bac hel or ' s degree f r o m 75 percent o f a l l Amer i can

c o l l e g e s and un i v e r s i t i e s wi t h ou t h av i ng s t u di e d Eur opean h i s t o r y ; f r o m

72 per cent wi t hout hav i ng s t ud i ed Amer i can l i t e r a t u r e or h i s t o r y ; and

f r o m 86 per cent wi t hout havi ng s t ud i ed t he c i v i l i z a t i o n s of c l a s s i c a l

Gr eece and Rome. TheModer n Language As s o c i a t i o n r e po r t s t h at bot h

ent rance and gr aduat i on requi r ement s i n f o r e i gn l anguages have been

weakened s i g n i f i c a n t l y s i nc e 1966. I n t h a t y e a r , 33 percent of a l l

c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s r equi r ed some f o r e i gn l anguage st udyf o r

admi ss i on. By 1975, on l y 18 per c ent r e qu i r e d a f o r e i gn l anguage, and by

1983 onl y 14 pe r cen t . The p i c t u r e i s s i mi l a r f o r gr a du at i o n

r equi r ement s . I n1966, 89 percent o f a l l i n s t i t u t i o n s r e qui r e d f o r e i g n

l anguage st udy f or t hebachel o r ' s degr ee, d ropp i ng t o 53 percent i n 1975

and 47 percent i n 1983.

Convent i ona l wi sdom a t t r i b u t e s t hest eep dr op i n t he number of

s t u d e n t s who maj or i n t he humani t i es t o t h e i r conce rn f o r f i n di n g

good-payi ng j obs a f t e r c o l l e g e. Al t hough t her e i s some t r u t h i n t h i s , we

b e l i e v e t h at t he r e i s a no t h er , e q ua l l y i mpo r t a nt r eas on namel y, t h a t

we i n t heacademy have f a i l e d t obr i ng t hehumani t i es t o l i f e and t o

i n s i s t on t h e i r v al u e. From 1970 t o 1982 t he number of ba che l or ' s

degrees awar ded i na l l f i e l d s i nc r e as e d by 11 per cent f r om 846, 110t o

952, 998. But dur i ng t he same p e r i o d, A gr e es i nEng l i sh d ropped not by a

f ew per cent age po i nt s , but by 57 p e r c e n t , i nphi l o s oph y by 41 pe r cen t , i n

h i s t o r y by 62 p e r c e n t , and i n moder n l anguages by 50 p e r c e n t .

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-19-

I n d i c a t i o n s a r e t h a t t h e d e c l i n e i s c ont i nui ng. From 1975 t o 1983 t he

number o f h i gh sc hool s eni or s who t ook t he SAT exam and s p e c i f i e d an

i n t e n de d c o l l e g e maj or r os e by 14 per ce nt . Over t he- same e i ght - year

pe r i o d, t he number who pl anned t o maj or i n t he humani t i es f e l l by 42

p e r c e n t . Pr o s pe ct i v eh i s t o r y maj or s decr eased by 60 per cent .{

I f f u r t h e r ev i dence o f s t udent s ' es t r angement f r om t he humani t i es

i s r e qui r ed , one need on l y r e f e r t o t he Amer i can Counc i l on Educat i on' s

1983 sur vey of academi c deans a t c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s . T wo - t h i r ds

of t hose sur veyed i n d i c a t e d t h at t he most abl e ent er i ng underg r aduat es

wer e t u r n i n g away f r o m t he huma ni t i e s t o o t h e r f i e l d s , mai n l y

p r o f e s s i o na l and t e c h n i c a l . T hi s i s not mer e l y a r e j e c t i o n o f a ca r ee r

\ i n t h e h uma ni t i e s , but a r e j e c t i o n o f t hehumani t i es - t hemse l ves . The

f o rmer i s not a cause f o r a l a r m; t he l a t t e r i s .

I mp r e s s i o n i s t i c o r a necdo t a l evi dence f o r t he d e c l i n e o f the

humani t i es sur f aces ever y t i me I t a l k wi t h c o l l e g e p r o f e s s o r s , academi c

o f f i c e r s , and s t udent s . Such ev i dence i s f a mi l i a r : s t udent s who

graduate f rom c o l l e g e unabl e t o wr i t e l u c i d l y o r reason c l e a r l y and

r i g o r o u s l y ; st udent s who ar e pr eoccupi ed ( even obsessed) wi t h v oc a t i o na l

go al s at t he expense of br oadeni ng t he i n t e l l e c t ; s t udent s who ar e

i g no r a n t o f phi l osophy and l i t e r a t u r e and know and ca r e l i t t l e about t he

h i s t o r y o f t h e i r na t i o n and t h e i r c u l t u r e . For exampl e, I know of one

u n i v e r s i t y phi l osophy p r o f ess or who admi n i s t e r s a s i mp l e t e s t t o h i s

s t udent s at t he begi nni ng of c l as s es each year t o det ermi ne how much

p r i o r knowl edge he can pr esume. The t e s t c o n s i s t s o f ^i d e n t i f y i n g t went y

i mpor t ant names and event s f r om h i s t o r y ( such as Shakespeare, S t .


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-20-

August i ne, Beet hoven, t heP r o t e s t a n t Re f o r ma t i o n, and Rembr andt ) . On t he

most r e c e n t t e s t , h i s s t udent s mai n l y sophomor es and j un i o r s - -

c o r : : e c t l y i d e n t i f i e d an average o fonl y s i xo f t he twenty.

I must emphasi ze her e t hat our ai mi sn ot t oar gue f or mor e maj or s

i n t he humani t i es , but t os t a t eas e mpha t i c al l y as we c an t h at t he

humani t i es shoul d have a p l ac e i n t hee du ca t i o n of a l l . Our nat i oni s

s i g n i f i c a n t l y e nr i c he d by t heb readt h and d i v e r s i t y o f i t s pr o f e ss i ons

and occupat i ons and t hei n t e r e s t s of i t sc i t i z e n s . Our u n i v e r s i t i e s

s h ou l d c o nt i n ue t oencourage i n s t r u c t i o n i n a f u l l v a r i e t y of f i e l d s and

c a r e e r s . But we du ar gue t ha t , what ever endeavors our s t udent s

- u l t i ma t e l y choose, some s u b s t a n t i a l q u a l i t y i n s t r u c t i o n i n t he humani t i es

s h ou l d be an i n t e g r a l p a r t o f ever yone' s col l egi af ucat i on. To~st udy-

t he humani t i es i n no way d e t r a c t s f r o m t heca r eer i n t e r e s t s of s t u d e n t s .

Pr oper l y t aught , t hey w i l l enr i c h a l l .

The s t a t eof t e ac hi ng i n t he humani t i es

I f l ea r n i ngi n t he humani t i es i s i ndec l i ne , a t l e as t some of t he

bl amemust be a s s i g ne d t o those who t each t hehumani t i es and t oacademi c

a dmi ni s t r a t o r s who deter mi ne t hea l l o c a t i o n of i n s t i t u t i o n a l r e s o u r c e s .

The s t udy group c r i t i c i z e d some u n i v e r s i t i e s f o r s ur r e nder i ngt he

t e ac hi ng o f i nt r oduc t o r yand l ower d i v i s i o n courses t o graduate

a s s i s t a n t s or adj unc t , par t - t i me f a c u l t y . I nmaki ng t hese c r i t i c i s ms t he

s tudy group r e c og ni z e d t h at c l a s s e s t aught by adj unc t f a c u l t y and

gr aduat e s t u de nt s a l l o w t hei n s t i t u t i o n t os e r v e mor e s t udent s per

f a c u l t y s a l a r y d o l l a r , and t hat i t i s nec es sar y t og i v e f u t u r e pr o f e s s or s

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- 21-

exper i ence I n t he c l a s s r o om. Ne ve r t hel e s s , t hes t udy gr oup was concerned

t j hat such per sons ar e not , as a group, t he bes t t eachers t hemost**

exper i enced, most accompl i shed, andmost i n t e l l e c t u a l l y mat ur e. Theya r e

not capabl e o fext end i ng t he most a t t r a c t i v e i nv i t a t i o n t o t he humani t i es

t o t hose l ower di v i s i o n s t ud e n t s who ac c ount f o r nea r l y 90 percent o f e l l

humani t i es c r e di t hour s t aken. I fs t udent s do not exper i ence t hebest

t he humani t i es have t oo f f e r e a r l y i n t h e i r undergraduate car eer s , t hey

ar e u n l i k e l y t o come back f o r mor e. Uni v er s i t yofChi cago P r o f essor

Wayne Boot h s a i d i n h i s 1982p r e s i de n t i a l address t o t heModer n LanguageAs s oc i a t i o n:

We have chosen no one r equi r e d i t o f us t o s ay t o t hewo r l d,

al mo st i n s o many wor ds, t h a t we do not c ar e who teaches t he

onmaj or s o r under what c ondi t i ons , so l ong as t he t r oubl esome

hordes move on andout : f or c ed i n by r e qui r e me nt s , f o r c e d out by

di scour agement , or by di s gus t , or by l i t e r a l f a i l u r e . The g rea t

pub l i c f e a r s o r d es p i s e s us because we h i r e a vas t ar myo f

underpai d f l u n k i e s t o teach t hes o - c a l l e d s e r v i c e c our s e s, so t h a t

we cangl a dl y t e ac h, i n our advanced courses , t hose p rec i ous sou l s

who s ur v i ve t hega un t l e t . Gi ve us l over s and we wi l l l ove t hem,

but do not expect us t os t udy c our t s hi p. I f we had dec i ded t o r un

up a f l a g on t he quad s ay i ng t hat we c a r e not a whi t whet her our

s oc i e t y c ons i s t s o fpeopl e who p r a c t i c e c r i t i c a l under s t and i ng, s o

l ong as we ar eI f f t f r e e t o t each advanced courses , we c oul dnot

have gi v en a c l e a r er mess age.

And Frank Vand i ver , P r es i dent ofTexas A&M Uni v er s i t y , r e cent l y

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ana l yzed t he probl em t h i s way: " The l i b e r a l a r t s . . . have a l l o we d t h i s

t o happen t o t hemsel ves. They have al l owed t hemse l ves t o s i t behi ndi v y- c ov er ed wal l s and say, 'We ar e t he l i b e r a l a r t s and t o h e l l wi t h

you. ' "

The pr obl em i s mor e t han j u s t who does t he t e a chi ng; i t i s a l s o how

t he humani t i es a r e t aught . Too o f t en i n t r oduc t o r y humani t i es cour ses ar e

t a ught a s i f t hey wer e i n i t i a l p r e pa r a t i o n f o r maj or s r a t h e r t han as

genera l e duc at i o n f o r a l l s t ude nt s . Thi s o f t e n - c ont r i but es t o a

f r agment ed, c ompa r t me nt al i z e d c u r r i c u l u mi n s t e a d o f an i n t e g r a t e d ,

coherent one. When the humani t i es ar e pr esent ed as a s e r i e s of i s o l a t e d

d i s c i p l i n a r y packages , s t udent s canno t pos s i b l y see t he i n t e r r e l a t e dn e s s

of g rea t wo rks , i deas , and mi nds.

The s t udy gr oup was al ar med by t he t endenc y of some humani t i es

p r o f e s s o r s t o p resent t h e i r s u bj e c t s i n a t e nde nt i o us , i d e o l o g i c a l

manner . Somet i mes t he humani t i es a r e used as i f t hey wer e t he handmai den

of i d eo l o gy , s u bo r d i na t e d t o p a r t i c u l a r p r e j u d i c e s and v al u ed or r e j e c t e d

on t he bas i s o f t h e i r r e l a t i o n t o a c e r t a i n s o c i a l s t a n c e .

At t he ot her ext r eme, t he humani t i es are dec l ar ed t o have no

i n he r e nt meani ng because a l l meani ng i s s ub j e c t i v e and r e l a t i v e t o one' sown pe r s p ec t i v e. Ther e i s no l onger agr eement on t he val ue of h i s t o r i c a l

f a c t s , e mp i r i c a l e vi de nc e, o r even r a t i o n a l i t y i t s e l f .

Both t hese t endenc i es devel oped i n t he hope t hat we w i l l a ga i n show

s t ud en t s t h e r e l e v an c e o f o ur s u b j e c t s . I n s t e ad o f de mo ns t r a t i ng

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23

r e l e va nc e , however , they condemn t he humani t i es t o i r r e l e va nc e t he

f i r s t , by subor d i nat i ng our s t udi es t o c ont empor ar y pr e j ud i c e s ; t he

second, by i mpl y i ng t hat t he gr eat wor ks no l onger have anyt hi ng t o t each

us about ou r s e l ves o r about l i f e . As Davi d Ri esman s a i d , some s tudents

ar e capt i vat ed by t hese approaches and t hi nk them modem or

s o ph i s t i c a t e d. But t he vast maj or i t y o f s t udent s have c o r r ec t l y thought

ot her wi se and have chosen t o vot e wi t h t h e i r f e e t , s t ampedi ng out of t he

humani t i es depar t ment s. We cannot bl ame t h i s on an i n s u f f i c i e n t number

of s t u de nt s , or on t h e q u a l i t y o f s t ud ent s , o r even on t he car eer

a s p i r a t i o n s of st udent s. We must bl ame ou r s e l v es , f o r our f a i l u r e t o

p r o t e c t and t r ansmi t l egacy our st udent s deserve J f o know. .

E f f e c t s . o f graduat e educat i on on t eachi ng

I nst ead of ai mi ng at t ur ni ng out men and women of br oad/ knowl edge

and l i v e l y i n t e l l e c t , our graduate school s produce t oo many nar r ow

s p e c i a l i s t s whose t e ac hi ng i s o f t e n l i f e l e s s , s t i l t e d , and pedest r i an.

I n h i s r e ce nt l e c t u r e t o t h e Amer i can Counc i l o f Learned S o c i e t i e s , Yal e

P r o f e s s o r Maynar d Mack t ook gr aduate school s t o t ask f or f a i l i n g t o

educate br o ad l y :

When one r eads t hought f u l l y i n t he wor ks by Dar wi n, Mar x, and

Freud, what one f i nds most i mpress i ve i s not t he compet ence t hey

show i n t he s t udi es we assoc i a t e them wi t h, t hough t hat i s of

cour se i mpr ess i ve , but t he range of what they knew, t he st agger i ng

br eadth o f t he r eadi ng whi ch t hey had made t h e i r own and wi t hout

whi ch, one comes t o under st and, t hey coul d never have achi eved t he

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24-

i n s i g h t s i n t h e i r own a r eas t hat we honor them f o r . Today, i t

seems t o me, we ar e s t i l l movi ng most l y i n t he oppos i t e

d i r e c t i o n , d e s p i t e h e r e and t her e a r eassur i ng r e v o l t . We ar e

narr owi ng , not en l ar g i ng our hor i zons . We ar e shucki ng, not

ass umi ng our r e s po n s i b i l i t i e s . And we communi cat e wi t h f ewer and

f ewer because i t i s e a s i e r t o j a bber i n a j a r g on t han t o e x pl a i n a

compl i cat ed mat t er i n t he r e a l l anguage of men. .How l ong can a

democr a t i c nat i on a f f o r d t o suppor t a na r c i s s i s t i c mi nor i t y so

t r a n s f i x e d by i t s own i mage?

U n i v e r s i t y of Or egon Oean Robert Berdahi descr i bed t he pr obl e m as

one o f a c c u l t u r a t i o n and u n r e a l i s t i c . e x p e c t a t i o n s . Dean Ber dahi obser ved

t h a t most of t oday' s c o l l e ge f a c ul t ywer e t r a i n ed du r i ng t he 1960s and

e a r l y 1970s, a pe r i o d o f r a p i d growth i n t he academi c sec t or and

i n c r e a s i n g p r i v a t e and gover nment support f or r esear ch . As a r e s u l t ,

t hey ar e o r i e nt e d mor e toward r es e ar c h, p ub l i c a t i o n , and t eac hi ng

graduate students than toward educat i ng nonmaj or s and g e ne r a l i s t s . "The

s u c c e s s f u l c a r e e r t o wh i ch one i s t aught t o a s p i r e , " wrote Dean Be r d ahi ,

" i s t o end up at an i n s t i t u t i o n l i k e tha t a t whi ch one r ecei ved one' s

d o c t o r a t e , wher e t he ' r e a l wor k' o f t he pr of ess i on t akes p l ace and wher e,

i f one mus t t each under gr aduat es, one need onl y deal wi t h maj or s or very

b r i g h t s t udent s . "

When t hese f ormer gr aduat e st udent s s ecur e j obs i n our c ol l ege

c l assr ooms, t hey f i n d t hemsel ves poo r l y equi pped to teach under

graduat es . Agai n , Robert Be rdahi :

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E n g l i s h p r o f e s s o r s i n s i s t t h a t t h t y ar e not abl e t o teach

composi t i on, so t h a t mus t be l e f t t o graduat e st udent s or a gr owi ng

group o f under pai d i t i n e r a n t i n s t r u c t o r s . Hi s t o r i ans who used t o

be r e s pons i bl e f o r t e ac hi ng t he e nt i r e sweep of West er n

c i v i l i z a t i o n o r t he Survey o f Amer i can Hi s t o r y now i n s i s t on

t e ac hi ng o nl y t h at po r t i o n o f i t t h a t c or r es ponds t o t h e i rI

s p e c i a l t i e s . F or e i gn l i t e r a t u r e s p e c i a l i s t s c ons i der i t a wast e o f

t h e i r t a l ent t o t eac h f o r e i g n l anguage c l as s es . Lower d i v i s i o n ,

gener a l educat i on cour ses ar e t hus o f t e n c o nc e pt u al l y nod i f f e r e nt

f r o m t t r e upper d i v i s i o n cour s e s o f f e r e d f o r maj or s and graduate

s tudent s ; t hey ar e onl y br oader . I ns tead o f a s k i n g: "What shoul d a

s t udent l e a r n f r o m t h i s ' Ci v' c l as s or ' I n t r o t o L i t ' c l as s i f t h i s

i s . t he onl y hi s t o r y or l i t e r a t u r e c l a s s he or she w i l l take i n f o u r

yea r s? " , we as k: "What w i l l best prepare t he student t o take-

advanced l i t e r a t u r e or h i s t o r y c l a s s es ? "

Graduate educat i on' s t endenc i es toward what Mel l on Foundat i on

P r e s i d en t J ohn Sawyer c a l l e d hyper - s pec i a l i z at i on and s e l f - i s o l a t i n g

v oc abul a r i e s " o f t en r e s ul t i n a f a cu l t y t hat , even a f t e r s e ve r a l year s o f

advanced s tudy , ar e no bet t er educat ed t han t he undergraduates. J ohn

S i l b e r , p r e s i de nt o f Boston Un i ve r s i t y , wr ot e i n a l e t t e r t o me:

The Ph. D. i s no l onger a guarantee t h at i t s hol der i s t r u l y

educat ed. Ever yone has seen t he consequences of t h i s : How

f r e q u e n t l y we now meet Ph. D. ' s who a r e i nc a pa bl e o fwr i t i ng

c o r r e c t l y or speaki ng e f f e c t i v e l y ; who a r e so narrow i n t h e i r

i n t e r e s t s t h a t t he c i v i l i z i n g e f f e c t of t hehumani t i es appears t o

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have been e n t i r e l y l o s t upon t hem; who ar e s o j ej une i n t h e i r

r e s e a r c h i n t e r e s t s as t o c a l l i n t o q ue s t i o n t he e n t i r e s c h o l a r l y

e n t e r p r i s e .

a

I n a r e cen t a r t i c l e , Har vard Pr of ess or Wal t er J ackson Bate war ned

t h a t " t he humani t i es a r e not mere l y ent er i ng , t hey a re pl ung i ng i n t o

t h e i r wor s t s t a t e o f c r i s i s s i nc e t he mocl ern u n i v e r s i t y was f or med a

c e n t u r y agoi n t he 1880s. ' J P r o f ess or Bate went on t o exhor t gr aduat e

humani t i es depart ment s t o exami ne t h e i r p r i o r i t i e s :

The s ubj ec t mat t er t he wor l d' s gr ea t l i t e r a t u r e i s

u n r i v a l e d. A l l we need i s t he chance and t he i mag i nat i on t ohe l p

i t wor k upon t he mi nds andc h ar ac t e r so ft he mi l l i o n s o f s tudents

t o whomwe ar e r e s po ns i b l e . Askt ha t t he peopl e youar e now

br eedi ng up i n depar t ment s, andt o whom you now- gi ve t enure

appoi nt ment s, becapabl e o f t h i s .

T r a i n i n g good r es ear c her s i s v i t a l t ot he humani t i es and t o t he

mi s s i o n o fevery gr aduat e sc hool . But many gr aduat e school s have become

so p reoccup i ed wi t h t r a i n i n g narr ow r esear ch s p e c i a l i s t s t ha t t hey no

l onger addr ess adequat el y t he mor e p r es s i ng need ofh i gher educa t i o n f o r

good t e ac h er s , br o adl y v er s e d i n t h e i r f i e l d s , i n s p i r e d by t he power o f

t h e i r s ubj e ct s , andcommi t t ed t o maki ng t hose sub j ect s speak t o t he

under graduat e. Unl ess our gr aduat e sc hool s r oaxami ne t h e i r p r i o r i t i e s ,

much o four t each i ng w i l l r emai n medi ocr e andour s t udent s i n d i f f e r e n t .

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-27 -\

\

The s t a t e o f t he human i t i es c ur r i c ul um

The pas t t went y ye a r s have seen a s t e ady e r o s i o n i n t he p l a ce o f

t h e h uma ni t i e s i n t h e undergraduate c ur r i c ul um and i n t he coherence of

t he c ur r i c ul um g en er a l l y . So s e r i o us has t h i s e r os i on become t h a t Mar k

Cur t i s , pr e s i d ent o f t he As s o c i a t i o n o f Amer i can Co l l e ge s , wrote: "The

c h a o t i c s t a t e o f t he ba c c al a ur e at e c u r r i c u l u m may be t he most ur gent and

t r oubl i ng p r obl em o f hi g he r e duc a t i o n i n t he f i n a l ye ar s of t he t we nt i e t h

c e nt u r y . " Cl a r k K er r has c al l e d t he undergraduate cur r i c ul um " a d i s a s t e r

a r e a, " and P r o f e s s o r F r e d er i c k Rudol ph o f Wi l l i a ms Co l l e ge has wr i t t e n :

. . . when t h e p r o f e s s o r s abandoned a c ur r i c ul um t hat t hey thought

s tu d e n t s needed t hey s ub s t i t u t e d f o r i t one t h at , i n s t e a d, c at e r e d

e i t her t o what t h e p r o f e s s o r s needed or what the s tudents want ed.

The r e s u l t s c o nf i r me d t he a u t h o r i t y o f p r o f e ss o r s and s t u de nt s but

they robbed t he c ur r i c ul um o f any a ut h or i t y at a l l . The r e a c t i o no f s t u dent s t o a l l t h i s a c t i v i t y i n t he cur r i cu l um, was b r i l l i a n t .

They c onc l ude d t h at t h e c u r r i c u l u m r e a l l y d i d n' t mat t er .

A c ol l e c t i v e l o s s o f nerve and f a i t h on the part o f both f a cul t y

and. academi c a dmi n i s t r a t o r s d ur i n g t he l a t e 1960s and e a r l y 1970s was

undeni abl y d e s t r u c t i v e o f t he c u r r i c u l u m. When s t u d e n t s demanded a

g r e a t e r r o l e i n s e t t i n g t h e i r own educ at i ona l agendas, we eager l y

responded by abandoni ng cour se r equi r ement s o f any k i nd and wi t h them the

i n t e l l e c t u a l a u t h or i t y t o s ay t o s t ude nt s what t he out come o f a c ol l e g e

e du c at i o n ought t o be. Wi t h i n t e l l e c t u a l a ut h or i t y r e l i n qu i s h ed , we

f ound t hat we d i d not need t o worry about what was wor th knowi ng, wor t h

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d ef e nd i n g, w o r t h b e l i e v i n g . The c u r r i c u l u m was no l o ng er a s t at ement

about what knowl edge mat t er ed; i n s t e a d , i t became t he product o f a

p o l i t i c a l c ompr omi se among compet i ng s c h o o l s a nd depar t ment s, o v e r l a i d b y

mar ket i ng c o ns i d er a t i o ns , i n a r e c e nt a r t i c l e F r e d e r i c k Rudol ph l i k e ne d

t h e c ur r i c u l u m t o " a bazaar and t h e s t ude nt s [ t o ] t o u r i s t s l o ok i n g f o r

cheap b a r g a i n s . "

Once t h e c ur r i c u l u m was d i s s o l v e d, c o l l e ge s and u n i v e r s i t i e s f ound

i t d i f f i c u l t t o r e c on s t r u c t because o f t h e p r e s s u r e s o f t he mar ket p l ace .

A l l b u t . t h e most s e l e c t i v e i n s t i t u t i o n s must now compet e f o r s c a r c e

f i n a n c i a l r e s o u r c es s t u de n t s 1 t u i t i o n and e nr o l l me nt - d r i v en s t a t e

s u b s i d i e s . As a consequence, many a r e r e l u c t a nt t o r e i n s t a t e meani ngf ul

cours e requi r ement s f o r f e a r of f r i g h t e n i n g away p r o s p e c t i v e a pp l i c a n t s .

( I b e l i e v e such a f e a r i s mi s p l a c ed , but mor e on t h i s l a t e r . )

I n t e l l e c t u a l a u t h o r i t y came t o be r e p l a c e d by i n t e l l e c t u a lr e l a t i v i s m as a g ui d i n g p r i n c i p l e o f t he c u r r i c u l u m. Because c o l l e ge s

and u n i v e r s i t i e s b e l i e v e d t h ey no l o nge r c o u l d o r s ho ul d a s s e r t t h e

pr i macy o f one f a c t o r o ne book over another , a l l knowl edge came t o be

seen as r e l a t i v e i n i mpor t ance, r e l a t i v e t o consumer o r f a c u l t y

i n t e r e s t . T h i s l o s s was acc ompani ed by a s h i f t i n l anguage. The d e s i r e d

ends o f e du c at i o n changed f r o n t knowl edge t o " i n q u i r y , " f r o m c o n t e n t t o

" s k i l l s . " We began t o s ee c o l l e g es l i s t i n g t h e i r o bj e c t i v es , as t e ac hi ng

such s k i l l s as r e a d i n g , c r i t i c a l t h i n k i n g , and awar eness o f o t h er p o i n t s

o f v i ew. These a r e unde ni a bl y e s s e n t i a l ends t o a c o l l e g e e du c at i o n, but

t h e y a r e n o t s u f f i c i e n t . One s t udy group member s a i d , "What good i s

knowi ng how t o wr i t e i f you ar e i g no r a n t o f t he f i n e s t exampl es o f t h e

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l anguage? " F a i l u r et oaddr ess cont ent a l l ows co l l eges and u n i v er s i t i e s

t o beg t heq ues t i o n o fwhat an educated man o r woman i n t he1980s needs

t o know. The wi l l i ngnes so f t oo many c ol l eges t oa c t as i f a l l l ea r n i ng

wer e r e l a t i v e i s a s e l f - i n f l i c t e d wound t h a t has i mpa i r e d our a b i l i t y t o

def end our s ubj ec t s as nec es s ar y f o r l e a r n i n g or i mpor t ant f o r l i f e .

E f f e c t s o f t hec ur r i c ul um on secondary educat i on

I t i s no t s u r p r i s i ng t hat once c ol l eges and u ni v e r s i t i e s deci ded

t he c ur r i c ul um d i d not have t o represent a v i s i o n o f an educat ed pers on,

t he secondary school s (andt h e i r s tudents) took t he cue and reached t he

same c o nc l us i o n. Va nde r b i l t Un i v e r s i t y P r o f es s o r Ches t e r F i nn po i nt e d

o ut t h at c o l l e ge ent r a nc e r e qui r ement s c o n s t i t u t ede f a c t o h i g h s c h oo l -

e x i t r equ i r ement s f or h i gh school g raduates now near l y s i x of every

t en who seek post secondary educat i on. Wi t h e x i t r equi r ement s r e l axed ,

co l l ege- bound s t udent s no l o nge r pe r c e i v e a need t o t ake l ect i ves i n

E n g l i s h and h i s t o r y , l e t al or r e f o r e i gn l anguages . I ns t ea d, t hey choose

courses thought t oo f f e r i mmedi at e v o c at i o na l pay of f . C l i f f o r d Adel man

desc r i bed r e search f o r t heNa t i o na l Commi ss i on on Ex c el l e nc e i n Educat i on

t hat dr a ma t i c al l y i l l u s t r a t e s t h i s t r e n d . From 1969 t o 1981 t he

humani t i es have dec l i ned as a percentage of t o t a l h i gh s c hoo l c r e d i t s

taken , a d ec l i ne p a r a l l e l t o t ha t i n t hec ol l eges . Cr edi t s i nWest er n

c i v i l i z a t i o n ar e down 50 per c ent , i n U. S. h i s t o r y down 20 pe rcen t , and i n

U. S. gover nment down 70 pe rce n t . My own ex per i enc e a t t e s t st o t he woef ul

s t a t e o f the. h i gh schoo l c u r r i cu l um. Re ce nt l y I met wi t h sevent y hi gh

schoo l s t udent l eader s a l l e x c el l e nt s t udent s ~ f r o m a l l over t he

coun t ry . When I asked them how many had heard o f t heF e de r a l i s t Paper s ,

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\

. -30 -

onl y seven r a i s ed t h e i r hands.

As enr o l l ment s i n bas i c h i gh school humani t i es cour ses f e l l o f f , i t

became mor e d i f f i c u l t f o r t he s c ho ol s t o j u s t i f y keepi ng t hem.

The r ef or e, many s c ho ol s dropped huma ni t i e s c our s es f r o m t he c u r r i c u l um.

When h i gh s choo l gr aduat es ent er c o l l ege , t hey a re poor l y pr epared i n

b a s i c knowl edge o f t he, humani t i es as we l l as i n such es s ent i a l s k i l l s as

, r eadi ng and wr i t i ng . The r emedi al cour ses needed by t hese st udent s c ut

i n t o t he c o l l e ge c u r r i c u l um, e f f e c t i v e l y r educ i ng t he amount o f a c t u a l

. c o l l e ge l e ve l course wor k t hey can t ake.

*

Twent y years ago, Wi l l i amArr owsmi t h wr ote: "Our ent i r e

e du c at i o na l e nt er pr i s e i s . . . f ounded upon t he whol l y f a l s e pr emi se

t h a t a t some p r i o r s t a ge t he e s s e n t i a l e du c at i o na l wor k has been done. "

S adl y , t h i s i s s t i l l t r ue t oday. The humani t i es mus t be put back i n t o

t he h i gh s chool c ur r i cu l um, but t h i s i s u n l i k e l y t o happen unl ess t hey

ar e f i r s t r e s t o r e d i n t h e c o l l e ge s . I f co l l e ge s t a ke t he l ead i n

r e i n s t a t i n g humani t i es cour se requi r ement s , t he h i gh school s w i l l s u r e l y

r espond. Evi dence of t h i s was r el at ed by Pr of ess or Noel Reynol ds of

Br i ghamYoung Un i v er s i t y , who descr i bed how col l ege prepar at or y cour se

enr o l l ment s i n Ut ah' s h i gh s chool s rose a f t e r an announcement by t he

s t a t e ' s two l a r ges t u n i v e r s i t i e s t hat pr e f e rence f o r admi ss i on woul d be

g i ven t o s t udent s who had compl eted co l l ege prepar at or y , i nc l ud i ng '

humani t i es , courss. Some Utah secondary schoo l s r epor t ed an i ncr ease i n

f o r e i g n l anguage en ro l l ment s o f a s much as 200 per cent , and onl y s l i g h t l y

l e s s dr a mat i c i n c r e a s es i n E ng l i s h and h i s t o r y .

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- 31

Br i g h t s pot s i n t h e c ur r i c ul um

3. '

The s t ud y gr oup exami ned i n dept h t he gr aduat i on r equi r ement so f

numer ous c o l l e g e s andu n i v er s i t i e s . The gr oup f ound enor mous v a r i e t y ,

r a ngi n g f r o m no cour se r equi r ement s of any k i n d t os equences o f h i g hl y

p r e s c r i p t i v e c o r e co u r s es . Types o f c ur r i c u l a d i d no t seem t o be

a s s oc i a t e d wi t h t y pe s o f i n s t i t u t i o n s . Some o f t he l e a s t coherent

c u r r i c u l a wer e t hose o f n a t i o n a l l y p r e s t i g i o u s , h i g h l y s e l e c t i v e

i n s t i t u t i o n s , whi l e some o f t he most c a r e f u l l y de f i ne dwer e f ound a t l e s ss e l e c t i v e l o c a l o r r e g i o na l i n s t i t u t i o n s . Themost common t ypeof

c ur r i c ul um was t h e . " d i s t r i b u t i o n r equi r ement s" model , i n whi ch s t udent s

s e l e c t e d c o u r s es f r o m a l i mi t e d l i s t o f r egu l a r depar t ment a l o f f e r i n g s

w i t h i n a f ewbroad i n t e r de pa r t me nt a l c l u s t e r s . T y p i c a l l y , " t h e

humani t i es" i sone of t he c l u s t e r s , o f t en t he humani t i es r equ i r ement can

be s a t i s f i e d by t a k i n g such courses as speech, r emedi a l wr i t i n g , or

pe r f o r mi ng a r t s . Even i n i n s t i t u t i o n s wher e t he humani t i es ar e de f i ned

mor e ~


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Br o ok l y n Co l l e ge , pa r t o ft heC i t y u n i v e r s i t y o f NewYor k sys t em,

has about 14, 000 undergraduates, many o f whomar er ecent i mmi gr ant s .

Most maj or i n p r o f e s s i o na l f i e l d s such as pr e - l a w, a c c oun t i n g, and

communi cat i ons. Yet s i nc e 1981 a l l ba che l o r ' s degr ee candi d at es ,

r e ga r d l e s s o fmaj or , have t aken a sequence o ft en co re courses , seven o f

whi ch ar ei n t he humani t i es . Many o ft hecour se s emphasi ze o r i g i n a l

t e x t s . For exampl e, Cor e St ud i es 1, " C l a s s i c a l Or i g i nso f West er n

Cu l t u r e , " r e qu i r e s r e adi ngs i nHomer , Sophoc l es , Herodotus , Ar i s t ophanes ,

A r i s t o t l e , V e r g i l , and o ther w r i t e r s o fc l a s s i c a l a n t i q u i t y . Br o ok l y n' s

s ucces s wi t h t hec or e c u r r i c ul umhas surpassed a l l e xpe c t a t i o ns . The

c o l l e g e r e po r t s t h at i t s f a c u l t y ( 50per cent o f whom t ea ch i n t he c o r e )

a r e e nl i v en ed i n t e l l e c t u a l l y by t e ac hi ng t hecor e cour ses andt ha t

s t u d e n t s 1 wr i t i n g has i mpr oved cons i der ab l yas a r e s u l t o f a " Wr i t i ng

Acr oss t he Core" pr ogr am. St udent s , t o o , ar ee xc i t e d by t he new

c ur r i c ul um. They say t hey ar ea bl e t os ee r e l a t i o n s h i p s among f i e l d s ,

and t hey t a l k about a r enewed sense o f a communi t y o f l e ar n i n g, acommuni t y t hat i nc l udes f a c u l t y , s t u d e n t s , anda dmi n i s t r a t o r s . The

admi ni s t r at i on' s commi t ment t ot hec ur r i c ul umcanbe seen i n t he f a c t

t h a t b o t h t he p r e s i de nt andp rovos t t each cor e cour ses .

Al t hough i t i sa v e r y d i f f e r e n t k i nd o f i n s t i t u t i o n , St . J os eph' s

Co l l e ge i nI ndi ana has devel oped a s i mi l a r c ur r i c ul umwi t h equal l y good

r e s u l t s . S t . J os eph' s i sa Ca t h o l i c s ch

report by the national endowment for the humanities on the humanities in higher education - 1984...

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