KentNewsNet.com

Originally posted by

It's Simple

The LER requirements are not a carefully thought out system that has years of education research research behind it. The university simply looks at departments that have low class enrollment and low students interest and puts on them on the LER list or the "special courses needed for this degree" list. These classes are usually cultural diversity courses that are completely WORTHLESS to most majors. Courses such as Anthropology, Black Experience, World Music, basically any fine art,and foreign language. Also many outside educational interests groups lobby and put pressure on colleges and universities to have certain enrollment numbers in these types of courses in order to meet quotas for funding.

The LER's also used a GATE KEEPER for colleges within the university. Look at the Business College, they require Calculus and Trigonometry for all business majors. Even though most business careers don't require this advanced used of math on a daily baises, by requiring it gives the college a feeling that only the "best and brighest" can be business majors.

College of Arts and Sciences is another that requires two whole years of a foreign language for degrees like History, Political Science and natural sciences. It justs makes no sense for these careers, if the student wants to persue a foreign language, than more powerful to them. But classes should't be filled with 80% of students just being there to meet the requirement with no aspirations of applying the knowledge in their career. It's just a waste of everyone time and MONEY.

Originally posted by

Michelle

Hello, It's Simple. I'd like to share the first line of the KSU mission statement with you: "The mission of Kent State University is to prepare students for responsible citizenship and productive careers, broaden intellectual perspectives and foster ethical and humanitarian values."

While I could go on at length about the benefits of a liberal arts education and also point to some very large holes in your argument, since you are a practical person, I can skip all of that and just say: if you don't buy into the mission of the instituion, then find somewhere else to go/work/complain about.

Originally posted by

Michelle

Hello, It's Simple. I'd like to share the first line of the KSU mission statement with you: "The mission of Kent State University is to prepare students for responsible citizenship and productive careers, broaden intellectual perspectives and foster ethical and humanitarian values."

While I could go on at length about the benefits of a liberal arts education and also point to some very large holes in your argument, since you are a practical person, I can skip all of that and just say: if you don't buy into the mission of the instituion, then find somewhere else to go/work/complain about.

Originally posted by

Michelle

Okay, Robin, maybe the Like it or Leave it sentiment is a bit too much, but if you ask me, so is your idea that the public's "whims and fancies" should determine the type of education KSU provides. The State of Ohio provides a variety of options for the education of the public--many of which do not include a liberal education curriculum--and it is my job (as a consumer) to find the institution that fits my personal goals.

I certainly think there is room for improvement in the current LER structure, but this is not to say that there is no value in it! And I certainly wouldn't blame the LERs for the retention problem.

Originally posted by

Nelson Angstrom

It's interesting that the opening example in this article is a Social Studies (I believe that is one of the Social 'Sciences) major complaining about having to take a science LER. Read the academic journal articles from the social 'sciences' discipline and you will find they claim to be studies based on the scientific method, control groups, variables controlled and/or accounted for etc. As a person holding a degree in Zoology, I've always found it somewhat oxymoronic that Psych and Soc are considered 'sciences'. Nice to know that at least one student in the social science program recognizes that science has nothing to do with it.

HOWEVER, LER's or general requirements, as they used to be known, are the core of a liberal arts education. As Michelle states, you don't have to attend a liberal arts college. Given today's job market and the projected job market of the future, though, you might just find that those 'useless','unrelated to my major' courses will come in handy when you get laid off from your, let's say, MBA position and find that, gee, there are alot of jobs in the health field (eg pharm research, genetics research) that require a college degree, but not necessarily a science degree, just some degree of academic and/or work experience in the sciences.

At least the non-science majors have those flaky, blow-off courses like Seven Ideas... to use for the LER's. Science majors are stuck taking REAL social science courses to meet their LER's.

Finally, if you really want to be concerned about getting the right stuff for your buck at state universities like KSU, demand that the administration reverse its dumb it down to retain students policy and return to the real grade earned for real work based on strict standards that used to apply before about the mid-eighties. Throw out the freshman forgiveness, now all forgiveness, try, try again without penalty. Go back go 94-100 grade scale and quit smacking down faculty members and instructors for actually 'giving' failing and/or not so good grades to students.