Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters

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An eloquent defense of liberal education, seen against the backdrop of its contested history in America Contentious debates over the benefits or drawbacks of a liberal education are as old as America itself From Benjamin Franklin to the Internet pundits, critics of higher education have attacked its irrelevance and elitism often calling for vocational instruction Thomas Jefferson, by contrast, believed that nurturing a student s capacity for lifelong learning was useful for science and commerce while also being essential for democracy In this provocative contribution to the disputes, university president Michael S Roth focuses on important moments and seminal thinkers in America s long running argument over vocational vs liberal education Conflicting streams of thought flow through American intellectual history W E B DuBois s humanistic principles of pedagogy for newly emancipated slaves developed in opposition to Booker T Washington s educational utilitarianism, for example Jane Addams s emphasis on the cultivation of empathy and John Dewey s calls for education as civic engagement were rejected as impractical by those who aimed to train students for particular economic tasks Roth explores these arguments and , considers the state of higher education today, and concludes with a stirring plea for the kind of education that has, since the founding of the nation, cultivated individual freedom, promulgated civic virtue, and instilled hope for the future. Best Read [ Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters ] author [ Michael S. Roth ] – kino-fada.fr Beyond the University is a brief, scholarly history of the philosophy of higher education in America, excerpting from some of the best and most intriguing figures of the past 200 years The author, Michael Roth, is the current president of Wesleyan University disclosure I am an alum and his book comes as a response to, in part, an increasingly specialized economy, global access to courses via the internet, and assertions that the value of higher education should be measured by immediate Beyond the University is a brief, scholarly history of the philosophy of higher education in America, excerpting from some of the best and most intriguing figures of the past 200 years The author, Michael Roth, is the current president of Wesleyan University disclosure I am an alum and his book comes as a response to, in part, an increasingly specialized economy, global access to courses via the internet, and assertions that the value of higher education should be measured by immediate marketable skills, and that choices about colleges and content are essentially market choices whose primary measure should be ROI return on investment To his credit, Roth readily admits that the worth of education should be examined He tells of the current tensions between people who think the goal of higher education should primarily be to develop workforce skills or measurable educational results, versus to foster something broader, with benefits beyond ...This book was not bad I had to read this book for my Liberal Arts Studies class and I thought it was wrote in a way where the average person who is not in the academic field can understand it I thought Roth made som...Roth writes an excellent little overview of the philosophical undercurrents of liberal arts education in the United States The book draws comparisons between the liberal arts concept and the advent of the modern research university He traces the liberal art tradition s origins back to Jefferson and Franklin, finding interesting links to their philosophical ideas and the founding of the Universities of Pennsylvania and Virginia He traces the liberal arts concept throughout the 19th and 20th Roth writes an excellent little overview of the philosophical undercurrents of liberal arts education in the United States The book draws comparisons between the liberal arts concept and the advent of the modern research university He traces the liberal art tradition s origins back to Jefferson and Franklin, finding interesting links to their philosophical ideas and the founding of the ...Many will be familiar with Michael S Roth from his popular Coursera courses, and many others will have heard his name from his current position, President of Wesleyan University However, I must confess that I had only heard of him from a reference in Martha Nussbaum s work, Not for Profit, dealing with this same issue, the continuing importance and relevance of a liberal education I gladly took her recommendation and what a fantastic recommendation it was, this volume is a fantastic history Many will be familiar with Michael S Roth from his popular Coursera courses, and many others will have heard his name from his current position, President of Wesleyan University However, I must confess that I had only heard of him from a reference in Martha Nussbaum s work, Not for Profit, dealing with this same issue, the continuing importance and relevance of a liberal education I gladly took her recommendation and what a fantastic recommendation it was, this volume is a fantastic history of the American discourse on the proper type of liberal education that has existed since the very foun...The takeaway in the 21st century, liberal education can no longer be perceived as the activity of the cloistered scholar Liberal education must energize the student, creating habits of action from a spirit of broad inquiry This book is a delightful, cursory journey into the history of our notions of liberal education, and its associated controversies and critics, since America s founding Well worth the read if you are an educator, a student, or anyone who still believes that humanistic The takeaway in the 21st century, liberal education can no longer be perceived as the activity of the cloistered scholar Liberal education must energize the student, creating habits of action from a spirit of broad inquiry This book is a delightful, cursory journey into the history of our notions of liberal education, and its associated controversies and critics, since America s founding Well worth the read if you are an educator, a student, or...This took me awhile to read I didn t finish it before it expired on Overdrive and then I wasn t driven to pick it up again quickly It was an interesting book, just perhaps not what I expected More history of education at the college university level, less concrete action points in terms of how to do...The title, of course, begs the question what is a liberal education Michael Roth is aware of this and devotes the majority of his book to framing, if not answering, the question The discussion focuses on American pedagogy, with a short but necessary detour to include Berlin research university concepts It is an historical journey, starting with Jefferson and Frank...I read this for my Blow Your Mind Book Group and while it didn t blow my mind, it prompted some interesting discussions and did a good job of defining liberal education This book and I assume most of the educational system defines liberal education as two fold 1 making students critical thinkers and 2 providing knowledge whether history, philosophy, art or science that forms a collective culture For better or for worse, TV and movies have taken the place of education when it comes to I read this for my Blow Your Mind Book Group and while it didn t blow my mind, it prompted some interesting discussions and did a good job of defining liberal education This book and I assume most of the educational system defines liberal education as two fold 1 making students critical thinkers and 2 providing knowledge whether history, philosophy, art or science that forms a collective culture For better or for worse, TV and movies have taken the place of education when it comes to our collective culture I guess it s a good thing that TV and movies seem to be in their hayday One interesting topic that came out of the book group discussion was the idea of Trusted Experts and what their responsibilities are It is very difficult to be educated enough to realize that you don t actually know anything about a particular subject People tend to form an opinion regardless of what the facts might say based on t...Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Book Beyond the University Why Liberal Education Matters is a short book less than 200 pages with notes and an index that briefly delves into the debates involving the importance of liberal education The author, Michael S Roth, president of the Wesleyan University, describes a diverse historical account of American education, providing the reader both the strengths and weaknesses of different thoughts.Since the founding of Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Book Beyond the University Why Liberal Education Matters is a short book less than 200 pages with notes and an index that briefly delves into the debates involving the importance of liberal education The author, Michael S Roth, president of the Wesleyan University, describes a diverse historical account of American education, providing the reader both the strengths and weaknesses of different thoughts.Since the founding of the United States several hundred years ago, American education was instrumental into its international growth Students from around the globe flock to our country since highly ranked schools are found here, making American higher education the envy of the world Yet, the author cautions us that important to our future besides technological breakthroughs and preparing Americans for ...This is a must read for anyone wishing to understand the connection between a well educated, engaged electorate and a democratic republic And how the republic falls apart without that well educated, engaged electorate.

Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters
  • English
  • 08 June 2018
  • Hardcover
  • 240 pages
  • 0300175515
  • Michael S. Roth
  • Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters