By Quin Hillyer at the Washington Examiner;
Two articles published this week should make us bemoan anew the continuing decline of the humanities in prestige and popularity, on college campuses and beyond.
We are creating entire generations of ill-educated adults who devalue of what one author has called “ the really human things,” and who are monumentally ignorant of history and civics. In sum, we are producing bad citizens.
The first article, published at Campus Reform on Feb. 12, involved a very particular place and circumstance, but it serves as a proxy for occurrences nationwide. The presidents of the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University are fighting against a bill pending in their state’s House of Representatives that would make courses in U.S. History and U.S. Government, along with passage of a “citizenship test,” a requirement for graduation from state-funded colleges.
“According to the bill,” reported Campus Reform, “the citizenship test could be taken at any point throughout a student’s college career and there is no limit to how many times a student can take the test. The bill also effectively removes ‘free speech zones’ by making all outdoor areas at public institutions ‘public forums.’ If passed, the bill could also prevent harassment against ideological, political, or religious student organizations by the university.”
But the university presidents object, claiming financial concerns. The chairman of the South Dakota College Republicans disputes that forcefully, saying the law gives enough flexibility that it should not add to the budget. Moreover, it all seems a matter of priorities: The graduation requirements for South Dakota State University, for example, include 6 credits in Social Sciences/Diversity, six credits in Humanities and Arts/Diversity, and three credits in “Cultural Awareness and Social and Environmental Responsibility.”…
[The rest of this unfortunate tale of cultural decline is at this link.]
