Pressured by the Core
Many college students feel forced to take classes that don't seem to correlate with their majors; many college students have put the idea that the only way to be successful in life is by being book smart. This has led to college students failing those unwanted classes, lack of motivation to put in the effort to pass the class, and constant doubts/lack of confidence in one's self. If students don't have an understanding of why these curricular requirement classes are beneficial for their degree plans, they will continue to have zero interest in the subject. What many college students want to know is, "Do curricular requirements define an educated person?"
It seems as if universities are no longer pushing for students to have human freedom when it comes to our education. Willliam Cronon in "Only Connect... The Goals of a Liberal Education" states that, "Our current culture wars, our struggle over educational standards are all ultimately about the concrete embodiment of abstract values like "freedom" and "growth" in actual courses and textbooks and curricular requirements." (Cronon, pp. 1). Cronon believes that curricular requirements should not determine if we walk across that stage on our graduation day. "All the required courses in the world will fail to give us a liberal education if, in the act of requiring them, we forget that their purpose is to nurture human freedom and growth." (Cronon, pp. 2). As students, we are too focused on the books for these curricular courses. Many are letting others and themselves let the books do the talking for them. We forget that, "...education in particular is about nurturing human freedom—helping young people discover and hone their talents—and this too sounds as if education exists for the benefit of the individuals." (Cronon, pp. 5).
When it comes to Cultivating Una Persona Educada: A Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Vision of Education by Laura I. Rendon, Laura expresses an educated person as, "…well educated, thoughtful individuals possessing a good measure of internal and external equity. These individuals are intelligent in a broad sense of the word. They are book smart, yet reflective and discerning; good critical thinkers and problem solvers, yet intuitive and perceptive; good decision makers who can act swiftly when necessary, yet keenly aware of taking risks that carry unforeseen consequences." (Rendon, pp. 2). Rendon is not saying that we don't need books at all or that they have zero importance; she is saying that college students are taught one way, and are expected to dedicate our educational lives to that one way. Education is not solely about the core curricular requirements. Rendon agrees that we should have a say in what we want in our education, a say in how we can make a difference in the society/world of college/lives of college students, what we believe we can bring to the student affairs profession, and specify how we want to continue their graduate education.
In the article, Universal Course Requirements: Some Thoughts Regarding Higher Education by Kenneth C. Petress, just like many college students, Petress questions why all these course requirements are needed. "For our academic institutions to insist that they are positioned to fathom what is needed to be a "well rounded" or a "truly educated" person sounds pompous. Genuine claims to know what is needed to succeed in advanced work would be credible if professional and graduate schools had admission standards requiring a similar or identical set of admission requirement. Such is not the case." (Petress, pp. 332). Petress believes that if we're going to have course requirements, they should be relevant to ALL college students' majors. Another concern is the fact that universities each have similar, yet, different requirements. Petress has done some research of his own to justify that something smells fishy about these mandatory course requirements. He searched 326 college and university core curriculums and discovered that not one of the college and university's core listings were the same, all were different in ways. This causes us students to question a university's integrity.
As college students, we are taught to play by the book rules, we aren't given the chance to add in some flavor of our own, that strengthens our education, intelligence, and mind. We aren't given the chance to express or discover all our own talents. Success isn't all about which student can solve multiple math problems, which student memorized all the scientific theories in the world, which student got accepted and graduated from Harvard, which student didn't have to repeat their core curriculum requirement classes. Yes, it's remarkable for a student to be able to say that, but, every graduate student doesn't need to say that to be successful in their lives. Every student does not need to be able to do all those things required by the college to graduate with their desired degree.
Majority of college students think core curriculum requirements are bullshit, and I'd like us college students to know specifically why from college students themselves. The interview provided below is conducted on two college students. I focused on a specific subject: art. One student is an art major, and the other is an art minor. I asked them 15-20 questions, allowing them to tell me how core requirements were beneficial to art. The goal of the interviews was to find: any differences/connections between the two student's answers, disagreements/agreements with core requirements, if any disagreements, reasons why.
The questions I will be asking are:
How does math and/or science tie into the history of art and how an art tool is used?
Steven: Science can tie in with chemistry, and chemistry can tie into mixing colors, how certain colors are made and how certain images are processed. When I sculpt, physics ties into help balance, and math ties in with graph layouts.
Marisa: When referencing art history, I most associate math and science with architectural pieces of art. For example, I was taught in my Art History I Survey class that the Hagia Sophia, which was once a basilica and mosque in Turkey, was built by some of the most important mathematicians in the world at the time. Art tools can also tie in with math; for example, artists use rulers and pencils to create perspective, proportions, and to project the illusion of space.
Why and/or how are numbers, angle-degree measures beneficial/useful when doing an art project?
Steven: They can help you visualize the sketch of a drawing or painting. I mostly used geometry to create details for a sketch; this would input the detail over the sketch.
Marisa: Numbers and angle-degrees are necessary when making art. Personally, when I make a sculpture, I know that dimensions (width and height) have to be measured so that representation is accurate and intentional. For a simple example, numbers (specifically measurements) let me know if my sculpture will fit through the door.
How can mixing chemicals in science bring knowledge to mixing colors when painting?
Steven: There are certain colors where you need to mix metals and solvents where neither the metals or solvents do not look like the color you need in the end product. When they are mixed and heat is applied you get the paste, which can be transformed to oil paints or inks.
Marisa: I know that when you mix chemicals in science, you get different reactions based on what kind of chemicals you are mixing together. The same thing happens when you mix one paint color with another; different colors will give you different results. Sometimes you need to experiment with the colors you are mixing until you get the exact reaction you are looking for.
How does physics apply to art?
Steven: Well, when you're making a structure you want to balance the object whether it's made of clay or rock, and then, you want to be able to ground the object so it doesn't tip over with any force. So, you essentially have to weigh the entire object, then put that weight on the bottom so you have double the weight just so the weight is shifted to the bottom.
Marisa: You have to plan when working with three-dimensional art. You won’t be prepared to know how to make your piece stand if you don’t know how to build it; you have to have knowledge on how to structuralize a 3-D form. Problems like making an art piece support its own weight pushes artists to be engineers.
What are some mathematical strategies you have used when sculpting?
Steven: To create a sphere, or the size of a sphere that I wanted, and to create a cylinder.
Marisa: When you are trying to sculpt something, proportions are important to keep in mind. Sizing sculptures from big to small, or small to big imply mathematical problem-solving and preparation. To know how big your piece is going to be, you must plan and knowing what its function is.
How do you think mathematics is implemented in graphic design?
Steven: With graphic design you can alter the images with the proportion, you would need math to calculate.
Marisa: Mathematics is always being implemented in graphic design. For instance, to create an artwork, I have to understand the X, Y, and Z axis in software. I have to keep math in mind when I am creating three-dimensional art or turning artwork into vectors. In addition, math also helps an artist understand the economical statistics needed to charge our clients. Creating an artwork and determining its price is the artist’s job.
How have/do you think the laws of physics are applied to you/someone when doing an animated project?
Steven: The law of physics can apply to how you animate the process. If you have water, you're going to want it to act like water by animating.
Marisa: Animation requires the use of physics to accurately depict space, motion, and fluidity. This is especially true when giving the illusion of speed (velocity) is trying to be depicted.
How do you think the laws of physics are implemented when creating a graphic design?
Steven: The law of physics can be applied with the same concept as when animating. With liquids, solids to see how hard your structure is going to look, and then so you can get that detail to as close to how a solid looks.. Opaque or anything.
Marisa: Physics helps me understand 2-D or 3-D perspectives and how I am using the software. For example, it is helpful when I am creating a rendered image using the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis. This is especially important when I am trying to manipulate a piece of art or an image.
How has/do you think geometry helped you/someone create a portrait?
Steven: Geometry helps with the basic sketches to be able to draw your later, finished project. So, you'd use like a circle or an oval for the head. For the arms and body, you'd use a rectangle or some oval shape.
Marisa: Geometry has everything to do with creating a portrait. The face is made up of many different shapes. The face structure usually starts out as a circular shape for reference. Depending on a person’s face, different shapes can be used for different face structures.
How has/do you think geometry helped you/someone when sculpting?
Steven: In sculpting, it'd be the same process. It's just more detailed. You have to be more 3D instead of 2D.
Marisa: Geometry is vital in sculpting, especially because three-dimensional art becomes geometric and takes up space. Calculating how much space a project will take up, how heavy it will be, and what dimensions it will have all ties into geometry. Deciding what kind of shape and form the sculpture will have makes an artist consider the geometric aspects of a piece of work.
How has anatomy affected the way you or someone sculpts?
Steven: Anatomy has helped with how realistic a piece looks, or to know how the proportions are with everything so it'd look sort of cartoonish when you're trying to create realism.
Marisa: Sculpting anatomic forms, whether it is plant-like, human-like, or animal-like, requires attention to detail and an understanding of form. Proportions are important to consider when sculpting a structure. Anatomy also has a lot to do with geometry and the “shape” of what is being sculpted.
How is/do you think chemistry is applied to the you/someone oil paints?
Steven: The same process, again. Different metals and different solvents can create different colors, so if you want to create two different colors that aren't alike at all or something that's completely different.
Marisa: Chemistry is an essential part of oil painting; for example, consistency is a key element in oil painting. You can keep a constant form of thin or thick paints. Oil paints usually start off as a pigment or powder. The minerals used in oil painting are added with special types of glue or oil. The reaction that happens by mixing these materials allows the paint become much more adhesive.
How has U.S History been implemented in the way a cartoonist illustrates?
Steven: There have been times where they would include politics in their cartoons so they could try and teach kids about was going on in those current events.
Marisa: U.S. History has always played an important part in cartooning. For example, political cartoons are and have always been a way that artists communicate how they feel about particular historical events that happened in their lifetime. Even today, we have cartoonists depicting their attitudes towards the recent presidential elections.
How is/do you think chemistry is applied in ceramic art?
Steven: In ceramic art, it's a lot more about knowing your substances to know how long you cook it without breaking it.
Marisa: Ceramic art is, in many ways, a chemical process itself. Ceramic artists use the heat of a kiln to finish off their artwork.
How do you think/has U.S. History been implemented in the way you have sculpted or painted?
Steven: With U.S. History, there was the age of Enlightenment which helped how the U.S. was created, leading to specific way artists painted or sculpted things.
Marisa: U.S. History matters in painting or sculpting. For example, if you choose to paint a specific event or sculpt an object with historical context, it is important you have all the facts. Research is very necessary when referencing historical symbols or depicting important events that not everyone knows about.
Like history courses, many general requirement classes have a certain impact on most majors. That doesn’t mean that it may pertain to all. Yes, subjects such as math, science, history have plenty to do with art, but that doesn't mean that those subjects will mold a talented artist. Those subjects will not mold an educated artist. There are many people, who have been amazing painters, sculptors, designers since early grade school, and it all comes down to one reason: their natural talents. By eye balling, how much of the two colors to mix together to get the desired color, how much plaster to sculpt a sculpture. General requirement classes and their textbooks will only help grow your knowledge, not give you all knowledge for courses like the fine arts.
Take theatre and dance majors for example, how is college algebra going to help a dancer start their career? How is college algebra going to get a theatre major on Broadway? Knowing every scientific equation/theory is not going to get to get a dancer a job. When dancing and acting, education should be about discovering ways to help these college students hone their talents. What's sad is that if they don't pass a core course, college algebra for example, that can create a barrier towards graduating with their dream major. Their requirement classes should be more about teaching them how to better their dancing, strengthen their acting, inform them about acting techniques/dancing techniques rather than worrying about the core classes that have nothing to do with a student's major.
Yet, as of right now, these tough subjects are here to stay. And yes, it's also safe to say that general requirement classes may be more useful to some majors (biology, computer science, nursing, etc...). As of right now, we have a choice: to not like the subject, give up and fail. To not like the subject, but to still attempt to pass and get it over with. If we fail these subjects, that doesn't mean we're uneducated or not a "well-rounded" student. Universities set the bar really high when it comes to these courses, and as college students we should already know that. A solution would be to try an accept that these general requirement classes will always be required and to focus on what's really important, getting the college credits needed for the class. That doesn't mean that these courses should speak for a college student, have a huge impact to the point where they aren't able to graduate/pursue the career they wish to.
If college students weren't taught to revolve their whole educational lives around the general core requirements, this could change the way a student thinks when it comes to general requirement classes and their own knowledge. College students would be able to tackle these core requirement classes. Too many college students get the belief in their head that they're too "stupid" to chase after their dreams of being a doctor, or a police officer, nurse, journalist, etc... and it has a lot to do with what a university says they have to know in order to be just that. That belief kills the motivation a student may have to at least try and seek for help to improve their knowledge. When their motivation is killed, you see the G.P.A's drop, you see the grades go down, you even see the university student population go down. You don't have to get an A in college algebra, statistics, biology to be an educated person. General/core requirement classes do not and will never define an educated person.
Work Citation:
William Cronon. "Only Connect... The Goals of a Liberal Education." The American Scholar, volume 67, no. 4, Autumn 1998.
Laura I. Rendon. "Cultivating Una Persona Educada: A Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Vision of Education." Journal of College & Character, volume 12, no. 2, May 2011.
Petress, Kenneth C. "Universal Course Requirements: Some Thoughts Regarding Higher Education." Education, vol. 113, no. 2, Winter92, p. 331. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9303030017&site=ehost-live.
