- The first topic for debate that Boyer brings up when it comes to general vs. career-focused education is that the career-focused majors are too new and tradition should be valued over these new majors. Boyer goes on to make the point that, “Overlooked in such debates was the fact that most disciplines that now have status within the academy-modern languages, laboratory sciences, for example-were themselves once considered too novel for the academy to embrace.” Here he is saying that the areas of study that are now the core of education, were also once questioned because they were new to the academy. I agree with Boyer on this and I don’t think that we should instantly shut down the idea of incorporating new disciplines into the system just because they are “too new.” The world we live in is always changing and with technology constantly advancing, we are going to need to adapt to these changes within our education system by adding in new areas of study.
- In this text, Boyer presents the idea of an enriched major. Essentially, an enriched major combines general education with specific majors by focusing on the history and tradition, social and economic factors, and the ethics and morals of the field. Boyer explains this concept as, “encouraging students not only to explore a field in depth, but also help them put their field of special study in perspective.” The reason why we need enriched majors is because many people in different fields have found that they need to take into account factors that aren’t just technical. The enriched major goes more into depth on the “why” of the field.
- The first major offered here at UNE that I looked at was sociology. I think that this major would be considered as enriched because on the UNE website, it states that the program focuses on, “the origins and evolution of human social interaction.” That alone shows that the program incorporates social and historical context. The description goes on to say that in the program, students take a look at challenges in society and how we can be a part of the solution, which also addresses the moral/ethical aspect of an enriched major. The other major I decided to look into was environmental science. Like sociology, I also think that this major would be considered enriched. The description states that the program includes social sciences and focuses on economic sustainability. From personal experience in my environmental issues course, we’ve even taken a look at history and how the past has affected the environment we live in today.
