Noah Jabusch
Economics tells us decisions are made based off of the next-best option and that a rational consumer will choose the most effective use of their time, effort and money. Phrased in these terms, students agree to pay exorbitant college tuition in the expectation that it will provide them with greater economic value in the future, in the form of higher-paying jobs.
Yet, the treatment of education as a commodity—something to be bought, used, and discarded—fails to adequately capture its true value. College aids students in developing critical thinking skills and a wide knowledge base, both of which are critical to responsible citizenship.
To this end, general education requirements are a powerful tool in ensuring that NC State’s engineers know how to interpret the written word and that our English majors understand the basis for humanity’s scientific knowledge. Granted, slogging through 100- and 200-level GEP courses is far from glamorous. A 200-person lecture lacks the capacity to truly engage students in the subject matter, but this speaks more to design flaws in the General Education Program than to the underlying philosophy.
This philosophy holds that an education means exploring intellectual passions as well as shoring up points of ignorance. Fully seizing all that college has to offer requires engaging in multiple fields of study with no relation to one’s major and building a diversity of knowledge that enables intelligent, critical thought about a wide range of topics.
While taking cross-disciplinary classes may satisfy this breadth of study for some, the lecture hall is not the only environment capable of broadening horizons. Many student organizations employ skill sets that a major may not, whether auditioning for a play, volunteering for an alternative service break or running for student government. Beyond these, engaging in research outside or even within a major can revise one’s understanding of the way knowledge is created, developed and shared with the rest of humanity.
NC State offers two programs which emphasize the pursuit of a more meaningful education: the University Honors Program and the University Scholars Program.
According to its website, the USP aims to expose students to the arts, contemporary issues and international exploration to promote their development as individuals, thinkers and leaders. Scholars students participate in the Scholars Forum, a platform where NC State faculty and national experts present, debate and perform about topics in contemporary society, with the aim of fostering intelligent discussion.
With these forums and other program-sponsored extracurricular learning experiences, the USP exemplifies an attitude of lifelong learning outside the classroom — a mindset consistent with a commitment to a broad education.
Meanwhile, the University Honors Program addresses breadth through its characteristic honors seminars. By closely examining topics from across academia, seminars encourage students to actively pursue discovery, both of these subjects and of their own aspirations and identity. The program’s focus on research with its capstone project enables students to begin creating knowledge during their time as undergraduates, reinforcing its guiding vision of spurring active, self-directed learners.
I am currently enrolled in an Honors seminar entitled “Religion and Freedom.” While I had not previously considered religion a particularly intriguing course of study, I have found this seminar enlightening and engaging. The class is largely discussion based, with assigned reading due each day to set the stage for dialogue. Although our discourse centers on specific themes from the readings, it evolves into conversations in an array of topics related to the general categories of religion, government and individuality.
Regardless of where the discussion leads, it maintains a nuanced and thoughtful heading. The dialectical method ensures that the students remain diligently engrossed, and its free-flowing nature allows us to form connections between seemingly disparate sectors of life. I believe this student-oriented style of instruction is immensely valuable for intellectual development, but it is far from the only manner of achieving academic vigor.
Both the Honors and Scholars programs augment the definition of education in a distinct yet essential manner. Both aid in NC State’s mission of molding new innovators, leaders, thinkers and doers. Nonetheless, the university offers resources to all students so they may fulfill their individual ideal of an effective education.
GEP courses and electives, though requirements for graduation, also serve as an opportunity for everyone to engage in study across disciplines and explore subjects in their major that they feel passionately. Each student has the responsibility to take charge of their education, to ensure these years cannot be summed up merely in the four corners of a degree.