Notable & Quotable: Restore Western Civ at Stanford- Students seek a vote on requiring two quarters of study.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/notable-quotable-restore-western-civ-at-stanford-1457395939
From the Stanford Review editorial board’s “The Case for a Western Civilization Requirement at Stanford,” Feb. 21:
National debates erupted over Stanford’s decision to remove Western Culture requirements during the 1980s. We believe the University must reignite a national debate and reinstate a Western Civilization requirement. Therefore, the Stanford Review is petitioning to place an initiative on the undergraduate spring ballot urging the Faculty Senate to instate a two-quarter Western Civilization requirement, replacing Thinking Matters. The initiative text reads:
Western civilization, more so than any other, unleashes disruptive technology on the world; and Western history brims with examples of technological revolutions and their effects on warfare, politics, culture, economics, and poverty. Technologists and policymakers working on driverless cars, for example, would surely benefit from knowledge of how transportation innovations impacted urbanization patterns, employment, and culture.
But these future business and government leaders will not have this insight. 59% of Stanford’s Class of 2019 intends to major in engineering. These students will not know the history that society needs them to grasp. Stanford must equip these students with the knowledge necessary to attain “direct usefulness in life,” as our Founding Grant requires.
The problem of engineers uninformed about Western history closely relates to a second, broader problem: the rise of academic populism. Universities empower students to select their own courses of study, and for good reason. People have diverse passions and skills. Yet Stanford’s majors have core classes because they recognize that education requires some paternalism. In many instances, educators must tell students what they need to learn to master a field.
However, academic populism ironically reigns supreme for Stanford’s WAYS (general education) requirements. Tens, even hundreds, of classes satisfy each WAYS specification. Stanford tells students what they need to learn before they can choose upper-level classes within their majors; it should do the same for the rest of its students’ education. Students need help to determine what they should learn for future careers. . . .
Reasonable people may disagree about policy, but on a deeper level, Western societies have the best track record in enhancing individual well-being. Without a deeper appreciation for these values, society will neither be prepared to meet the demands imposed by liberty nor will it be able to sustain economic growth.
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