Today more than ever college students face an uncertain future.
We hear more and more about the importance of a top-notch education and how increasingly, studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics offer the only promise of a successful road forward. But as the pragmatism of STEM fields is professed, and the ivy leagues declared the place to study them, has the importance of the humanities been forgotten?
In his controversial new book, Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life, author Bill Dereseiwicz claims that it has. He paints a bleak picture of these schools, not only by arguing they discount the humanities, but also by saying they promote such fierce competition and fear of failure that it actually takes a toll on their student’s mental health.
Does a more relaxed environment and a humanities education truly lead to a happier and more meaningful life? Or are we living in an age where such things can no longer compete in America’s ivy league classrooms -- forced to take a backseat in order to make room for more practical and profitable concentrations?
This hour, we look at the educational approach of elite institutions: their role in shaping the minds of America’s best and brightest and what they might be missing in the process.
This show originally aired on March 5th, 2015.
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GUESTS:
- William Deresiewicz- American author, essayist, and literary critic. He’s also a former professor of English at Yale University and the author of the book, Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life
- Bryan Garsten- Professor of Political Science and the Humanities, and Chair of the Humanities Program at Yale University. He is the author of Saving Persuasion: A Defense of Rhetoric and Judgment
John Dankosky and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.