Evening star., 1948-08-11
In Defense of COLLEGE Courses

To the Editor of The Star:
Elizabeth Bentley laid her lack of education
in American history and civics at the feet of
vassar College and Columbia University where
she said, they did not offer these courses dur
ing her matriculation.
Miss Bentley could not have had a very avid
interest in either subject or she would have
looked through the course Of study bulletin
of each of these institutions and discovered
that never in the history Of either place has
the curriculum been without courses in Amer
ican history, government and political thought
These courses were not, of course, required
for the theory behind college education IN
America long has been that the student should
be free to select his courses and his field OF
specialization They were there for the asking
however, and Miss Bentley apparently did not
bother to ask.
Since there are people like Miss Bentley who
do not feel that it is a duty OF any American
to make it his own responsibility to learn
about his country, then the new trend in
educational theory in this country would seem
to be very good thing The former complete
freedom of selection offered the university
student in this country no longer exists in the
more farsighted universities and colleges to-
day. There is new movement in these insti-
tutions called the core curriculum. This
requires that each student during his first
two years take the same eight basic courses.
These courses embrace world history and gov
eminent, world literature, the natural and
physical sciences. languages (the only group
in which you have choice, and philosophy
and mathematics. BY the time the student
reaches his junior year under this plan OF study
he has not only been exposed to every depart
ment of learning, but certainly should have
q grasp of the general principles Of each. The
theory behind this movement is that all stu
dents should have certain common fund
of knowledge in every field to enable them
to make more intelligent selection Of their
field for specialization, and also to insure
that, although they will go into one subject
for intensive study, they will not suffer any
glaring chasms of ignorance about all the
other subjects.
This core curriculum plan was initiated
very early by Columbia University. 1t more
recently has been adopted oy Harvard, Rad
cliffe Smith and good many other eastern
colleges. Under the new plan no student no
matter how Indifferent to his responsibilities
to his country can escape as did Elizabeth
Bentley from some knowledge of the United
States
That our school system needs looking into
would certainly seem true If Miss Bentley's
statement were valid-that she never appreci-
ated America because she never had a chance
to learn what it was. But she cannot blame
her sins on faulty curriculum. The courses
were there and the failure was hers for not
realizing her burdens as a citizen and taking
them. In the more advanced institutions of
learning today, however, there is no chance
that such as Miss Bentley will be allowed to
fail in this way even If they would so chose.
Under the new requirements system there is
no reason for any student who finishes his
first two years to be found lacking in know
ledge Of his own Government and of other
governments with which to compare 1t.
M. B. S.