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Japanese Universities to Cut Humanities and Social Sciences

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posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 12:13 PM
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originally posted by: stormbringer1701
on the contrary the point of electives is to pad the revenue of the school. it may indeed broaden the mind. and they may make some high sounding rationalization to that effect but it is an offer you cannot refuse. "nice degree plan you got there...it'd be a shame if something happened to it." try to get a degree just taking the core courses.


I don't think requiring students to take a math, history, or language elective is a bad idea. It's nice to shape adults who have at least a basic understanding of the above mentioned.
edit on 25-9-2015 by DantesPeak because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 12:16 PM
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originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: greencmp

One can indulge in any education one chooses. Just don't assume we should have to be burden with that cost.

Go to a private institution and pay for it yourself. Thus freedom of choice is maintained....



I am only addressing the dictatorial subject/syllabus issue.

I don't believe there should be any subsidy for any service or product. I don't believe there should be "education ministers". In fact, I don't believe that there ought to be public education at all in the first place.
edit on 25-9-2015 by greencmp because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 12:21 PM
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originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: greencmp

One can indulge in any education one chooses. Just don't assume we should have to be burden with that cost.

Go to a private institution and pay for it yourself. Thus freedom of choice is maintained....



I am only addressing the dictatorial subject/syllabus issue.

I don't believe there should be any subsidy for any service or product at all. I don't believe there should be public education. In fact, I don't believe there ought to be "education ministers" at all in the first place.


You don't believe in public education? So you would prefer to have a society where the parents educate their children, while working full time jobs? Given the quality of a sizable portion of parents out there, what do you think society might look like if children were raised without a structured education? Certainly, some parents would do a wonderful job educating their children, but I dare to say the majority would not.

I cringe to imagine a world where we allowed deadbeat parents and the internet to raise half the population.



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 12:23 PM
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a reply to: DantesPeak

Yes, I am not a statist, I wan't free and open markets for all goods and services including educational and tutoring services.

Centralized public education in this country is only 40 years old but, in that time, it has managed to severely damage the literacy and, frankly, the lives and well-beings of millions of children.

Why would you support such a destructive influence on society?
edit on 25-9-2015 by greencmp because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 12:32 PM
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My BA was in philosophy. While I was enrolled my school they were shutting down departments to take out tenured teachers and save money. My department was slated to be gone. We protested that our cost to the school was teachers. And we packed out every class offered. All we did was read and talk about it. We ended up saving our professors but lost the grad program, one of few hundred in the country. The truth is our education needs programs like this. Teach people to form their own ideas. Teach people to behave ethically. Have people check what behaving ethically means. Teach people how to think logically, with reason, and analyze in everyday life.



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 01:36 PM
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a reply to: greencmp

Hmm, interesting thought.

I would suppose basic education...the three "Rs" costs less in the long run than the chaos that would ensue as a result of zero public education.

The problem being, as is always the case, is where that line is drawn...and by whom. Certainly not the Federal gov't.



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 01:44 PM
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originally posted by: JIMC5499
a reply to: Metallicus

I support her right as well, but, why should I have to take courses in Romance Literature, Art Appreciation and Sociology to get a degree in Mechanical Engineering?


I agree with you.

You should not have to take these courses to get a technical degree. I believe that there are many associate degrees that allow you to get technical training without the liberal arts focus.



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 02:18 PM
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originally posted by: Sillyosaurus
My BA was in philosophy. While I was enrolled my school they were shutting down departments to take out tenured teachers and save money. My department was slated to be gone. We protested that our cost to the school was teachers. And we packed out every class offered. All we did was read and talk about it. We ended up saving our professors but lost the grad program, one of few hundred in the country. The truth is our education needs programs like this. Teach people to form their own ideas. Teach people to behave ethically. Have people check what behaving ethically means. Teach people how to think logically, with reason, and analyze in everyday life.


As to your last sentence about thinking logically, with reason, and analyzing everyday life... that's why we have mathematics.
edit on 9/25/2015 by TycoonBarnaby because: typo



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 02:39 PM
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a reply to: DantesPeak

Interestingly enough, my daughter home schools her two children, ages 7 and 12. She also works a 50-60 hour workweek!

Damned if she hasn't made it work! Two kids and one 'teacher' makes for quality intensive hours. On her days off, intensive studies, on workdays, assignments. They are far ahead of the equivalent kids in the local school. Very happy, loose scheduling with plenty of breaks, very well adjusted kids.

It certainly broke my stereo-typed view of education.

Of course it's not for everybody, but it can work given the right parents and circumstance.



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 02:59 PM
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originally posted by: greencmp
a reply to: DantesPeak

Yes, I am not a statist, I wan't free and open markets for all goods and services including educational and tutoring services.

Centralized public education in this country is only 40 years old but, in that time, it has managed to severely damage the literacy and, frankly, the lives and well-beings of millions of children.

Why would you support such a destructive influence on society?


I'm assuming you live in the United States. I can't speak for that education system as I'm from Canada, but I went through the public school system here and received a good education. It's beginning to be degraded now with all the PC leadership not allowing children to fail though.

All of my friends who went through the system with me, and 3 who were home school then went to public school for high school, are now either university or college graduates working as professionals in their respective field of study, or have gone on to graduate school, med school or law school.

It's been terribly destructive hasn't it?


originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: DantesPeak

Interestingly enough, my daughter home schools her two children, ages 7 and 12. She also works a 50-60 hour workweek!

Damned if she hasn't made it work! Two kids and one 'teacher' makes for quality intensive hours. On her days off, intensive studies, on workdays, assignments. They are far ahead of the equivalent kids in the local school. Very happy, loose scheduling with plenty of breaks, very well adjusted kids.

It certainly broke my stereo-typed view of education.

Of course it's not for everybody, but it can work given the right parents and circumstance.



I don't doubt there are capable, intelligent parents who can achieve the same result as your friend. However, there are scores more who could not, and majority rules a democracy. It would be a very different society if the majority of children did not receive an adequate education.
edit on 25-9-2015 by DantesPeak because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 03:21 PM
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a reply to: DantesPeak

Agreed. As long as the freedom of choice is available to home school I'm fine with public education being the 'norm'.

I AM assuming there isn't a personal gain in all this such as public sector union or some such. Those ilk have more harmed than helped public education from my experience...



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 03:28 PM
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It's obvious why the Japanese don't need to train their own social scientists. They can just hire any one of an embarrassment of unemployed American grads with those degrees.



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 03:28 PM
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originally posted by: greencmp

originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: greencmp

One can indulge in any education one chooses. Just don't assume we should have to be burden with that cost.

Go to a private institution and pay for it yourself. Thus freedom of choice is maintained....



I am only addressing the dictatorial subject/syllabus issue.

I don't believe there should be any subsidy for any service or product. I don't believe there should be "education ministers". In fact, I don't believe that there ought to be public education at all in the first place.



I dont agree with subsiding liberal arts or even arts degree BS in general.

But there needs to be some sort of scholarships available for the truly bright or you will only have those form already rich background going into the best professions like law, medicine ect.

You will have zero social mobility.

The poor will be born poor and die poor without the means to better themselves.


As for the no state schools in genreal?

Can you say Derp Derp land? The USA is already the biggest joke in the world for education! Get rid of compulsorily education and the USA really will be the dumbest nation in the world. Hell some areas in your southern states already have literacy rates of less than 60%!
Talk about sell your children's futures out!

Don't get me wrong here I think education should be decentralized across something as broad as the USA. But to abandon all education from 5-18 excepted for ONLY those with money? I cant see any bigger disasters !



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 03:33 PM
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originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: DantesPeak

Interestingly enough, my daughter home schools her two children, ages 7 and 12. She also works a 50-60 hour workweek!

Damned if she hasn't made it work! Two kids and one 'teacher' makes for quality intensive hours. On her days off, intensive studies, on workdays, assignments. They are far ahead of the equivalent kids in the local school. Very happy, loose scheduling with plenty of breaks, very well adjusted kids.

It certainly broke my stereo-typed view of education.

Of course it's not for everybody, but it can work given the right parents and circumstance.



Seeing as illiteracy is extremely high in some states how can a illiterate parent be expected to teach there children how to read?



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 03:36 PM
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originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: DantesPeak

Agreed. As long as the freedom of choice is available to home school I'm fine with public education being the 'norm'.

I AM assuming there isn't a personal gain in all this such as public sector union or some such. Those ilk have more harmed than helped public education from my experience...



That is one of the underlying points to most (if not all) of our public servant related problems. There are too many and they are not good.

Punitive legal actions and all manner of police enforcement of social engineering policies have blurred the line between "nudging" and enforcing if such a distinction could have ever been honestly made.



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 03:38 PM
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a reply to: crazyewok

He made a valid point though.

When we put our schools in the charge of the Federal Dept. of Ed. our literacy rates and our other education indicators walked off a cliff. We actually got worse.

Obviously, something about that move didn't work well at all.



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 03:40 PM
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a reply to: crazyewok

Huh?

Oh. You learnt. That qualifies as a 'feel good' story. Despite a multitude of personal challenges. It's an inspiration, I tell you, an inspiration!


edit on 25-9-2015 by nwtrucker because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 03:47 PM
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a reply to: crazyewok

Of course, I am talking about centralized federal public education, specifically the department of education here in the US.

I too initially went to public school but it was at the tail end of the vestiges of what pre-existed the new federal mandates and before the public sector unions got their claws buried deep into the torso of the institution. I also left very early.

Were Colonial Americans More Literate than Americans Today?

When I tried to grab some modern data, the first results all seem to halt their assessments at 1979. Curious as that is about when the first real evidence of failure begins to reveal itself.



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 03:50 PM
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Wow... I thought that members of ATS would support the Humanities and Social Sciences... guess I was wrong... the intellectual elitism in this thread is astounding!

Having been a university lecturer for close to a decade, now a secondary role, I left tenure due to this exact mindset about education... this is the coporitisation of education, and it has some very frightening long term implications, just one of which is controlled information distribution.

During my time at university (both as a student and as a lecturer), I saw pretty much every university in Australia close its Philosophy Departments, and in the same period I saw a major reduction in the critical thinking of graduates.

There is so much to be said on this subject, i could easily write a doctorate on the subject... oh that's right... it wouldn't be funded... only subjects that have a financial return to the governments and their associated corporations should be allowed to be taught.

Education should be free!

It's sad that we live in a society where wanting to educate and better oneself costs so much to the point that the majority of citizens can't afford it at all... and because education is financially driven, there is no impetus to provide holistic education, making well rounded individuals.

It is at the interstice of the technical and the philosophical that our true ingenuity and innovation is discovered, and by limiting education to purely technical we risk stagnating whole fields of study...

To take just one example: Architecture is considered a Humanity by most institutions, so it would suffer under the proposed cuts (and thought control). Architecture exists on the edge of both technical and creative, and the building of things has influenced our society to its core for thousands of years, creating industry, jobs, fields of study and altering the way we conceive of our daily activities. A building designed purely by engineers is a cold place, it takes creative thinking to make spaces that enhance our experience of the world around us. To foster that creativity we need a broad and balanced education system that allows students to explore the combination of subjects that leads to progress.

Products such as the iPhone don't come purely from the technical... they have an equal balance of creativity in the design thinking, which leads to innovations such as intuitive gestures and increased social connection.

The value of the intangible is being eroded to the point of non-existence... a world with no emphasis on the arts is a stifling to the human spirit.



posted on Sep, 25 2015 @ 04:08 PM
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I hope this doesn't catch on, but due to the comments on this thread it might very well unfortunately. So you don't really want an education, any more. You just want to focus on a trade.

Universities also have reputations to consider. If they are producing graduates who have never heard of Honore de Balzac, or Fyodor Dostoyevsky, or don't know a saxophone from a trumpet, or a Picasso from a Monet, it's really rather embarrassing and otherwise not much of "an education".

You will have a skilled trade, not a real education. Not that I think there is anything wrong with that, I don't, just call it what it is.




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