Erick Martinez

UWRT 1202-011

October 23 2017

Mrs. Suzi Spillane

Could the United States Do Away with General Education Curriculum?

As a current student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte I have asked myself

a number of time the reasoning behind our need to follow general education curriculum. Could

higher education in the United States do away with general education? Over the time as a student

as a requirement I have taken course based outside of my majors boundaries. I have come to

understand that students outside of the United States also follow a different approach in their

higher education. There is a reason why our country decided in its time to incorporate this liberal

perspective into its education, but what was its reason? Have students over the time in this

country benefited to this difference? In which ways have students in the United States have felt

that they have been affected by this curriculum in comparison to students outside of this country?

In approach to this situation I will be following to perspectives from professors in the United

States, outside of the country and students in the country.

We approach our higher education by choosing our major based on interest. This decision

will indefinitely determine the future of your education by deciding the classes you will be

enrolled in. Based on the curriculum that students in the United States follows he or she will also

tale part of general education courses that have been labeled as requirements for the students.

These courses stated by Dr. Cynthia A.Wells, from Messiah College, historically have had

turning points that have entitled both new theoretical interpretations of general education as well

a specific curriculum innovations (Wells). Education has had significant change due to a change
to institution involvements and demands in the social world. These courses were included into

the American curriculum a number of years ago which creates the question does education still

need these courses to be included? And Can we do any with these courses? [Look up

references to students in the United States that have a saying in the question (for or against)] As a

current student I have felt both in a positive and negative form towards these courses. That is

because in a way they teach [included research history on why they were brought in], but they

also take away the focus from the students major courses, that is significant to their education.

Although again giving positive and negative outcomes.

PERSEPECTIVES FROM PROFFESORS IN THE UNITED STATES

Professors in our higher education has a significant impact on how the student ends up

preforming throughout their educational career. Therefore, I believe that the professors in our

higher education in the United States have an idea of what courses would benefit the students. In

the Harvard Magazine, John S. Rosenberg states that students and faculty are often unable to

articulate the grounding principles of General Education (Rosenberg). This creates the thought

upon one of what is the reasoning through these courses? It is understood that whenever students

come in from high school to the end of their general education they do not have a complete

understanding of the curriculums purpose. It is understood stated in Bonings article, professor at

Jeffersons college, general education is described a s segment of undergraduate education

that prepared students for their professions(Boning). Stating that the students where place in

that time for preparation, but later it was understood that professions in the United States

changed. Revolution in these new jobs appeared to create it to become a difficulty for professors

to keep up with and have the ability to teach these students appropriately.
 Erick Martinez

UWRT 1202-011

October 23 2017

Mrs. Suzi Spillane

PERSPECTIVES FROM PROFFESORS OUTSIDE O F THE UNTIED STATES

The reason why I decided on this topic for my inquiry was due to my recent connections

to foreign exchange students. They informed me that the curriculum in their countries are

followed differently. There are a number of majors that can be completed outside of the United

States in a shorter time span. Reasoning to the fact that their curriculum does not include general

education as a significant requirement. [ include information about number of foreign countries

education (India, china, statistically higher educators around the world)]. As a student, also in the

United States curriculum I have heard from my peers that they do not put the same amount of

effort into these courses, because they find them to being insignificant towards their future. They

see these courses as easy As for their GPA instead of their educational purposes. Ive noticed as

a student in the American curriculum also that drop out within two years of their educational

career and in my perspective, these are the years that you are placed in these general education

courses which make me ask myself if these courses werent involved could a number of these

students have continued their education? As if these courses affected the students in a negative

form or was it beneficial because they would have not been able to complete courses in their

majors future?

CONCLUSION
 [Reasoning why foreigners decide to come to the United States for their education? Also

why does it appear to have been the cause to students not having apparent interests into general

education]
 Erick Martinez

UWRT 1202-011

October 23 2017

Mrs. Suzi Spillane

RESOURCES

Boning, Kenneth. "Coherence in General Education: A Historical Look." JGE: The Journal of
General Education, vol. 56, no. 1, Jan. 2007, pp. 1-16. EBSCOhost,
librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/login.asp
x?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=25178934&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Gross, Natalie. Education Writers Association. Highlighting Relevance in College General

Education Courses, 14 Mar. 2016, www.ewa.org/blog-higher-ed-beat/highlighting-
relevance-college-general-education-courses.

Grossman, W. Eric and Christine M. Fleet. "Changes in Acceptance of Evolution in a College-

Level General Education Course." Journal of Biological Education (Routledge), vol. 51,
no. 4, Dec. 2017, pp. 328-335. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/00219266.2016.1233128.

Rosenberg, John S. General Education under the Microscope. Harvard Magazine, 26 May
2015, harvardmagazine.com/2015/05/harvard-college-general-education-criticized.

Pregitzer, Michael and Susannah N. Clements. "Bored with the Core: Stimulating Student
Interest in Online General Education." Educational Media International, vol. 50, no. 3,
Sept. 2013, pp. 162-176. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/09523987.2013.831517.

Wells, Cynthia A. "Realizing General Education: Reconsidering Conceptions and Renewing

Practice." ASHE Higher Education Report, vol. 42, no. 2, Jan. 2016, pp. 1-85.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/aehe.20068.