Quote:
Originally Posted by vxf
The fact that we dedicate college classes to what is, basically, entertainment, is a sad testament to how dumb this society is getting, how little we expect of our children, and how much we are wasting money that should be used to teach REAL skills.
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Hmmm. Reading can be entertaining. But at its best, it does more than that. Reading opens up our minds to new ideas, new places, and new ways of thinking about things. If done critically, reading books that are entertaining can grow us in ways almost nothing else could. However, if you just read to pass the time and don't examine the books you read, in effect making them entertainment, then you miss out on the greatness of reading. And not everyone just intuitively gets how to read for deeper understanding, so it must be taught.
Movies are our cultures new books. They are the shapers of peoples' thinking and ideologies far more than books are today. I think this is a loss because the visual medium does much better at reaching the emotions than the intellect, and we end up with people who feel deeply and think little.
There is little demand in the market for critical readers, but there is much demand for people who have considered the deeper thoughts and continue to grow in their understanding over time, a process greatly facilitated by reading and understanding good books. As part of a liberal arts education (one that strives to make the whole person better, not just train them in a useful skill) I think a class on modern books could be very helpful. However, as a major, it would be sorely lacking.