Preview

Mark Edmundson Uses Of Liberal Education Summary

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
241 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mark Edmundson Uses Of Liberal Education Summary
“On the Uses of Liberal Education” written by Mark Edmundson offers this notion that the college network is becoming something more of a pay-n-go than an institute of higher education and students are more disconsolate. It is becoming less about the education and more about filling seats and acquiring money. Parents could be partially blamed for their children who grow to be too scare to stand up or be criticized, they would rather stay quiet and let the professors be their entertainment. “I want some of them to say that they’ve been changed by the course”, this made me realize that this doesn’t happen enough and I agree with Edmundson that it’s somewhat due to imperturbable students since this new American culture has become “devoted to consumption

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis

    • 1438 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Today in America many people question whether or not college is truly worth the stress, time, and cost it throws on an individual. With these “burdens” comes alienation from the outside world with little fun and fulfilling experiences. Some people even say that many college students have zero creativity, and are proud of it. This idea of self-growth and freedom along with a diverting experience, while going through college, is something that Rick Perlstein himself has had the opportunity to do. Unfortunately, Perlstein experienced this in his days, and has come to realization that, “College as America used to understand it, is coming to an end” (Perlstein). With this article being published in the liberal magazine, New York Times, many people, mostly ones who have gone through college, completely disagreed with his opinion. One of those insulted people being Liz Addison. Addison’s claim argues that college is yes, much different, but in a positive way, especially in the community colleges. All together in her one sided- argument, she includes several rhetorical devices to persuade, inform, and emotionally prove her claim. These devices being ethos, and pathos, gives her a strong foundation and effective argument to the liberal audience she is writing her article to.…

    • 1438 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    First Generation Students

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages

    They think all of higher learning is about more responsibility for them, and ignore other more important aspects of the campus life. As they would not ask for explanations why they are involved in important aspects of the campus life, “however, there is some evidence” (Jones & Hill, 2003) “indicating that in the USA involvement at the university level is a manifestation of dispositions and attitudes (i.e. culture) acquired prior to university”. Furthermore, these students miss classes or don’t complete all of the class homework or assignments. “these lapses are variously viewed as a result of simple lack of intrest, poor attitude, or first generation ignorance of how to do academic work. I think this behavior is more complex; many of these students work too hard in their lives outside of school and are too bright for the explanations to suffice” (Theron P. Snell, 2008). These are reasons that students have low academic expectations as those whose parents never experience higher…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Students worldwide seem to have this need to support change in society. Entering a college environment with other such intellectual people who probably share liberal views possibly provokes this political vigilance. It brings to mind a quote attributed…

    • 506 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As of today United States faces a lot of socio-economic problems. One of the most critical is the alarming rise of college tuition. Universities are operating more like businesses than actually higher learning institutions, student population not being ready to take college level classes (remedial), numbers College graduates are in a constant plummet, and students demonstrate no improvement in skills ranging from critical thinking to writing. In the book Academically Adrift, Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa discuss these issues and also propose us how we can solve these problems that require imminent action. This book is an extensive research by these authors to demonstrate what is wrong with American University systems, to support their research…

    • 189 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Marty Nemko’s article, “We Send Too Many Students to College,” he analyzes and questions whether college is truly worth the money. Marty “holds a Ph.D. specializing in the evaluation of education from the University of California, Berkeley, and subsequently taught there” (martynemko.com) as well as published five successful books. In addition to his novels, he previously was a columnist at San Francisco Chronical and The Atlantic Monthly, also a contributing editor at several other well-known companies. Nemko’s purpose is to convey the idea that, even though there may be reasons one would attend college, the complications overshadow the benefits. He adopts an impassionate tone in order to convince his adult audience to take a hard look at whether it is worthwhile for their children to attend college.…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In his book Why Teach?, Mark Edmundson has written an essay in which he approaches an argument about the paradoxical consumer culture surrounding education. The university professor takes a stance on the problems that he has both experienced in his own classroom and observed on campuses, and he assigns these problems—his claims—appropriate blames. Enough logic is used to make these “blames” more factual, and he often claims how things are and offers several reasons as to why. His essay, “Liberal Arts & Lite Entertainment,” originally written in 1997, begins with his own university before branching out to all those across the country, and it is followed by a deduction of student culture and professors. He gives hope to the idea of the acceptance and praising of “genius” (as opposed to the alienation students indorse so well) closer towards the end, narrowing his argument down to a more specific change…

    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mark Edmundson is a professor of English at the University of Virginia additionally, he is the author of the article “On the Uses of the Liberal Education: As Lite Entertainment for Bored College Students.” In the article, he describes how the students perk up during the evaluation of him as a teacher. The student evaluations commend him as being interesting and humerous which leads him into the rant about what he thinks of college students today. The article describes students as having “little passion and little fire” and indicates their more devoted to “consumption and entertainment.” Edmundson argues students education would be more effective if it is treated as a privilege rather than a commodity.…

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although I agree with the vast majority of Frank Bruni’s claims about the benefits of the ideas of community and diversity, I believe some of his prescriptions in Demanding More From College to solve the polarizing and alienating effect of the internet on the individual in our modern society are perhaps a bit naive and misguided although for the most part a good first step. Most people agree that college is supposed to be one of the most fun times of one’s fine where one meets those who are to be one’ friends for the rest of one’ life, the Frank Bruni, author of Demanding More From College thinks “there’s another dimension to college.” In our politically bipolar landscape, Bruni suggests that college students are a crucial part of solving the problem. Bruni say that we must “confront and change political and social aspects of American life that are as troubling as the economy.” I completely agree, seeing as how…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In recent discussions of “The College Dropout Boom,” David Leonhardt made some interesting points on the works of society and it’s modern day views on education. Many of the ideas he presented were controversial to me, considering my previous perspective of social status’ having nothing to do with someone’s chances at graduating college. However, there are many ideas in which he presented that I agree with, such as the belief that obtaining a college degree doesn’t necessarily promise a well-paying job. Growing up in a household where nobody has ever earned a college degree, I can say personally that it is extremely important to have one, regardless of the immediate outcome. It’s better to be safe than sorry.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Owen And Sawhill Analysis

    • 1827 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In the most recent debates regarding higher education, a particular issue of whether a liberal arts education can benefit students is relentless. While most people directly connect a liberal arts education to a bright future in terms of a career, others argue against that. On one hand, Sanford J. Ungar strongly believes that despite some hardships that come along with college, everyone should take the opportunity to go. On the other hand, Charles Murray, Stephanie Owen, and Isabel Sawhill suggest that it can depend in terms of money and only those that are academically capable and enjoy learning should attend college. My view is that although some students…

    • 1827 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In loco parentis v

    • 262 Words
    • 1 Page

    Four major changes in the U.S. which moved higher education away from an “in loco parentis” mode into what Bickel calls a “bystander era”.…

    • 262 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Charles Murray emphasizes in his essay “Are Too Many People Going To College?” that while the number of bachelor’s degree graduates increases, the opportunities for them suffer from the opposite effect. People have conceived the idea that higher education is a requirement to be a successful person. Consequently, students are being forced to pursue a degree to please society’s, but not personal, expectations. Murray makes various points, where I completely agree, of why too many people are going to college. Murray states, “[i]t would be nice if everyone could acquire a fully formed liberal education, but they cannot” (226). Liberal art education teaches you not only how to make a living but also how to be a better human being. However; many students are simply not…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    For our formal writing project, we not only need to analyze one of the articles that we choose from, but must also consider a specific focus that can help bring our writing project to a more academic style of writing. So what sort of focus should we use when writing our project? Well first and most importantly we need to ask ourselves this: is the focus we are going to be discussing of any importance, and can you back it up with relevant evidence? In my opinion, if one is to make a point that relates to or is directly related to the topic of the essay the student chooses, then that focus should be valid throughout the writing and is able to make good points that contributes to the main focus. For example, if I were to choose and essay that talks about math being too hard for students, then I would make the main focus either why the math is too hard, or supporting the side that believes math is too hard. So where am I getting at with this?…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    College Education Flaws

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages

    These writers set the stage for what people should look for in education and the flaws that we should fix. Andrew Delbanco, director of the American studies program and Julian Clarence Levi Professor in Humanities since 1995 at Columbia University, is another author who writes on higher education. Delbanco’s 2012 “College at Risk” article builds off these authors’ philosophies to write about the purpose and flaws in modern day college. Delbanco illustrates the purpose of college while pointing out the flaws of college today to show the importance of college education, which builds off other authors’ stances on education.…

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people in the U.S. have different views on whether college education is worth it. To some people college education is the gateway to a better life and a future but, to some they are able to become successful without a college degree. A degree from college shows how intelligent that person may be. It may also show how wealthy and elite they are. As for people without attending college demonstrate how uncivilized they are. Or so they say. Some degree pays for themselves off some don’t. The debate over if college education is worth it may have begun when the colonialist arrived from Europe and founded “New College” in 1636. People who argue that college is worth it contend that college graduates have higher employment rates, bigger salaries, and more work benefits than high school graduates. They say college graduates also have better interpersonal skill, live longer, have healthier children, and have proven their ability to achieve a major milestone. People who argue that college is not worth it content that the debt from college loans is too high and delays graduates from saving for retirement, buying a house, or even getting married. They say many successful people never graduated from college. Colonial colleges were mainly founded and attended by wealthy Puritans, and followed the models of…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays