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Why should Universities feel bound to fulfill your second task? Do you also think that Universities are similarly bound to not allow students to major in field
by mlinsey 18y ago
Why should Universities feel bound to fulfill your second task? Do you also think that Universities are similarly bound to not allow students to major in fields that aren't useful for functioning in the workforce?
It is, of course, the University's (and in particular the deparment's) prerogative to set basic expectations for grading that their professors must follow. But I don't see how the University itself owes anything to employers. Until 1997, UC Santa Cruz didn't give out any letter grades. If students were worried that this would make it harder for them to get employed, they were welcome to enroll elsewhere.
- TomOfTTB 18y agoYou're honestly saying Universities should feel no obligation to prepare students to function in the workforce? I honestly don't even know how to respond to that. I guess, because the workforce only exists for the furtherence of society. So if a University's stated goal is to improve society than they owe it to society to prepare students for the workforce
- sanswork 18y agoYes. If you want to be trained for the workforce go to a vocational school. You're stating that the only way for a university to improve society is by providing a workforce. This is A way for a university to improve society but it shouldn't be the way.
- TomOfTTB 18y agoOK, one more clarification question then, do you (or anyone else who has this argument) believe the majority of people share your opinion? In other words, when the majority of parents pay their kids tuition do you think they're primary goal is to "open their childs mind" or to "prepare them for a career"?
- sanswork 18y agoI think the majority of people go to university now a days because they think everyone else is and that they will lose a certain amount of status if they don't. They aren't preparing for a career when most don't have a clue about what they want to do and they aren't opening their minds as most don't care about their education beyond grades.
- TomOfTTB 18y agoI think you’re evading the question. If people are going to University because everyone else is than they are in turn going to University based on what they think everyone else's reasoning is. So "because everyone else does" can't be their specific purpose. The purpose of my question was to make this point: Universities exist to serve society. It’s Government, Donors and Tuition payers who keep Universities open and their opinion of the University’s purpose is its purpose (if not than the University is fraudulently taking their money) So if we assume the majority of tax payers and donors are also those who went to College (and hence paid tuition) than that group determines the University’s purpose. If the majority of those people believe that purpose is to prepare people for a career than that is what the University’s purpose is.
- euccastro 18y agoIf people are going to University because everyone else is than they are in turn going to University based on what they think everyone else's reasoning is. Doing something because everyone else does it doesn't imply any consideration for everyone else's reasons. It indeed suggests the opposite.
- TomOfTTB 18y agoHow so? Let's take what most would consider a shallow action. Say a high school student start wearing a certain type of shoes because everyone else is wearing that type of shoes. In that example the crowd's motivation for wearing those shoes is to look cool. Wasn't the high school student who wore them because everyone else did also trying to look cool? Or for a more adult example, take the last election. There were people on my corner holding up Barack Obama signs. Signs, by their nature, are an act of peer pressure (since you can't make a full, reasoned argument on a sign). So the question is this, would those people with the signs be happy if I joined them in holding up a sign but then turned around and voted for McCain? Of course not, because their goal was to get me to adopt their cause not just mindlessly follow them.