Sean Schriever

Professor Emerson

Eng 110 section c

January 23, 2018

Higher Education Views

        The point of a higher education is to open your eyes to a broader world, it is supposed to show you that the world is not black and white, but in fact gray. The world is not what we think it is and in order for us to realize this we need the opportunity to open our minds and broaden our horizons.

        Barnett’s views on higher learning is that students need to be challenged. Their views and the world as they know it needs to be changed. Their higher education needs to be unsettling, it needs to be hard for them to fathom, and they should not feel comfortable with what is going on all around them. Students need to realize that not everything is as it seems and that no matter what they do there will always be questions that need answering.

        Barnett’s views relate to Nussbaum’s are similar to each other because they both showcase how the first few years of higher education require students to learn about the world around them so that when they finish their higher education they can apply their new knowledge to help the world more with what they have learned about the world. However they do have some differences in the reasoning behind their beliefs and as to why it is beneficial to go to a liberal arts college.

        I believe that part of the college experience is increasing your political and worldly views. In order to do that you need to take classes that challenge your beliefs. You need to take risks and challenge yourself. One of the few ways you can do this is by going to college and taking courses that challenge you, that make you change the way you think, and see the world. While challenging someone’s beliefs are good learning experiences, it ultimately is not as beneficial compared to studying one thing and perfecting it so that you are able to carry that into the real world and benefit the world in that one area. There is no definite answer on what the best path is to choose because ultimately each path has its benefits and its flaws. No matter what someone studies they will receive the eye opening experience of college while receiving the focused curriculum that is unique to that students area of study. My beliefs on college are similar to Barnett’s. this is because I came from a small town in Massachusetts where everybody had the same spiritual and political beliefs, and I think the decision of going to a liberal arts college was the most beneficial thing I could have ever done because it allowed me the opportunity to try new things and think differently and have different beliefs as my peers, while still being able to take a set of classes that challenge me and prepare me for my future career after I leave college. I agree more with Barnett because I believe that people need to experience new things and get outside of their comfort zones.