Hi Richard,

It's worth pointing out, in case your readers don't have a subscription to the Chronicle for Higher Education, that Prof. Lewis has also posted the article on his website:

http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i02/02b02001.htm

Like his book, and his comments at the final faculty meeting, this article is a thoughtful and responsible discussion of the hard issues surrounding the general education debate. If I had to sum up Prof. Lewis's position, I would say that he thinks Universities have a responsibility to their students that goes beyond simply offering them a nice menu of classes from among which they are permitted to choose. Indeed, in some general sense he believes in the very old-fashioned idea that Universities have a responsibility for the character, and not just the intellect, of their students. This is such an old-fashioned idea that it verges on radical. But I think it is probably right. It is hard to get the details down, of course, and there is plenty of room for discussion and debate. In this article, for instance, Prof. Lewis emphasizes the importance of teaching students about the responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society. This seems to me important, but perhaps not the only, or even the central, issue. I gave my own proposal in the Crimson last February:

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=516991

But the big point is not about the details; it is about the general thrust of Prof. Lewis's position. A good college education should be about more than learning skills and facts; it should be about developing into a whole individual. Because there is no longer any place for this kind of development in typical college curricula, Prof. Lewis is right to describe the college experience as devoted to "Excellence without a Soul" (the title of his book). Moreover, it seems to me that many, many of the undergraduates whom I meet sense that this is precisely what is lacking in their college experience. They crave this from their education, and we are failing to offer it to them.

So I say: Here's to Harry Lewis's attempt to re-invigorate this discussion! Because it seems to me one that should be at the center of any University's examination of itself.

Sean
 

Nice post, Sean. All very well said.
 

Few will argue that college should be about developing character. However, is a core curriculum the answer? When college career counselors (apologize for lack of reference) at top schools are encouraging recent graduates to stay home with their parents for a few years after living on their own to help save money and get out of debt, it's no wonder our young are immobilized.

Further, the Huxleyian Brave New World environment of college campuses today has done of excellent job of promoting self-indulgence for four years: drinking, drugs and promiscious sex. Does four years of a lifestyle dedicated to encouraging such behavior prepare anyone for the real world? (Two might suffice:)

While a curriculum helps build the mind and soul, we can not forget the extra-curricular ambiance of college campuses and their contribution to character. While I've gone off on a tangent about the core curriculum, academics shouldn't rely on it to build character; however, a core curriculum education nationwide could be used as a way to standardize the fundamentals of a quality college education.
 

6:07,

Lay off the sauce when you're posting.
 

No sauce Standing Eagle. Just a dose of reality of what's really happening at a lot of colleges today. Look at how successful liberal arts colleges have been with "core curriculums"; many students write them off as a waste of time and another way for schools to extract hard-earned money.
 

Evidence?