Introduction

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"What you can do and who you can be the qualities of your skills and of your soul - are two separate questions that aren't

quite separable. And.... college was a pretty good place to work out some answers to both."

- Kwame Anthony Appiah

What is the purpose of a college education? In your reading for this discussion, philosophy professor Kwame Anthony Appiah offers us two

models: Is it "utilitarian"- to prepare students for a particular job or career path, or is it "utopian"- shaping students' character and values to

prepare them not just to be good workers, but also good thinkers, good citizens, and positive contributors to our communities? This has been

and will continue to be one f the fundamental questions facing the future of higher education in the United States.

In this module, we Icarned a lot about the value of general education skills, like writing, ethical reasoning, global understanding, and quantitative

reasoning, for students' current and future career paths. Excelsior's general education career competencies even include "career" right in the

title to emphasize their utilitarian value. But is that the only value of gencral education? Is that the only value of an education in general?

Begin by reading pages 5.1-5.7 of chapter 5 of the webtext on general education and Appiah's article The College Crossroads

Instructions

Your Initial Post

By Thursday of Module 5, create an initial post of at least 250 words that responds to each of the prompts below:

• Do you believe the true purpose of higher education is utopian or utilitarian in the United States? Why?

• Do you believe colleges and universities have a responsibility to teach gencral education competencies like global understanding, cultural

diversity, and expression? Why or why not?

Choose one other country to examine. How does the United States' higher education system differ from this other country in its priorities,

values, or end goals for students? Do you think each system prepares students adequately for a globally interconnected society and

workforce?

that speaks to higher education in another country.