Excellent sheep
Subtitle: the miseducation of the American elite and the way to a meaningful life
By: William Deresiewicz
Edition: First Free Press hardcover edition.
Publisher: Free Press
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 245
ISBN-13: 9781476702711
Subjects: SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General; Higher Education; Aims and objectives; Study and teaching (Higher); Elite (Social sciences); EDUCATION / Higher; Critical thinking; Social aspects; EDUCATION / Philosophy & Social Aspects; Education; Elite; Reasoning; Universities and colleges
Other titles: Xcellent sheep
Description: As a professor at Yale, Bill Deresiewicz saw something that troubled him deeply. His students, some of the nation's brightest minds, were adrift when it came to the big questions: how to think critically and creatively, and how to find a sense of purpose. Excellent Sheep takes a sharp look at the high-pressure conveyor belt that begins with parents and counselors who demand perfect grades and culminates in the skewed applications Deresiewicz saw firsthand as a member of Yale's admissions committee. As schools shift focus from the humanities to "practical" subjects like economics and computer science, students are losing the ability to think in innovative ways. Deresiewicz explains how college should be a time for self-discovery, when students can establish their own values and measures of success, so they can forge their own path. He addresses parents, students, educators, and anyone who's interested in the direction of American society, featuring quotes from real students and graduates he has corresponded with over the years, candidly exposing where the system is broken and clearly presenting solutions.
Notes: On jacket, the word "Excellent" has a big red "X" over the letters "Ex", making the title "Xcellent sheep."
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: Sheep. The students ; The history ; The training ; The institutions; title: Self. What is college for? ; Inventing your life ; Leadership; title: Schools. Great books ; Spirit guides ; Your guide to the rankings; title: Society. Welcome to the club ; The self-overcoming of the hereditary meritocracy.