Practically Educated

As my regular column attempts to convey, without an understanding of the historical evolution of objects and processes vital to our daily life, we cannot understand their significance. The development of each product we consume, whether soda, soap, cheese, or paper, reflects the advancement of technology and the transformation of cultural values over time. We can easily gloss over such histories now that we use so many products in such abundance, but we then risk losing perspective on how our consumption reflects our cultural values.

As members of academia, our inclination to find increasingly esoteric academic niches allows students to ignore the vital components of our lives. Our lack of a practical education manifests itself in many ways. It appears in the gulf between our knowledge and that of the numerous staff members who run the school, from manipulating irrigation systems to managing payrolls. It appears in our inability to properly sort trash into the three clearly distinguished bins (paper, plastic, garbage.) We can discuss Marx’s theories of class consciousness, but aren’t sure how that applies to our reliance on low-paying service industries. We can engineer complex chemical concoctions in labs, but some of us can’t cook.

But most obviously, the hole in our education appears in graduating seniors, not necessarily those who lack plans but those who actively fear life after Columbia. In other words, we study, but upon leaving Columbia, what do we know? More importantly, what significance does our learning have for our collective future? If we compare the knowledge we are required to learn with the issues facing our country, we see the disparity in even greater light. For example, with climate change the main topic of discussion amongst Earth Institute scholars, why aren’t students required to learn about the environment?

I do not mean to undermine the value of the liberal arts education. With few exceptions, I have benefitted hugely from my classes at Columbia, enough to merit the price tag. However, I wish more students and professors would feel empowered to better balance classroom learning with practical experience.

My roommate recently commented, “After four years in college, computer mapping will be my only marketable skill.” I agree with her sentiment. Averaging five classes a semester, Columbia students already take more courses than the liberal arts school average of four, suggesting that our work ethic is not the issue. The problem lies in the subjects available to us and students’ opportunities to practically apply them while in school. Without making a direct connection between learning and applications of knowledge, students will never fully understand the significance of the subjects they study.

With so many students and programs, Columbia provides a variety of disciplines ranging from the practical to the abstract. Fields such as “construction administration,” “clinical psychology,” and “social work” explicitly state their purposes. In contrast, the core curriculum rests on a philosophical dedication to a somewhat arbitrary slew of classic themes and ideas. For undergraduates, the more directed graduate courses rarely apply.

Nonetheless, solutions to bridge the gap between the ethereal reaches of academia and a more practical education lie within reach. Since most classes and especially seminars entail large term projects or essays, it would be easy for more classes to couple practicum with coursework, particularly for undergraduates. The Gateway engineering class provides a model whereby outside organizations can utilize freshman SEAS students to engineer solutions to actual problems. As a mutually beneficial community service opportunity, other departments should replicate this model, whether they are technical in focus or not. To enable such initiatives, a centralized call board that allows students, clubs, professors, and outside organizations to post project opportunities could enable students to connect with community groups to apply their assigned work, such as research papers, theses, and engineering and design projects to address specific needs. Consequentially, Columbia students interested in community service can incorporate it into their coursework and minimize the burden of carrying full course loads and engaging in extracurricular activity, while the availability of opportunities would encourage students who otherwise wouldn’t participate in service activities. More importantly, students could see how their studies are useful in real-world contexts and Columbia could better share its academic wealth with the world at large.

How, you might wonder, do we start with the history of soap or a similarly banal object and end with a call to reform our educational standards? It is a question of whether we will acknowledge the importance of applying our knowledge and capabilities to improve the most basic components and activities in our lives. If we do so, we will see changes in the physical objects and processes that we rely on, which will reflect changes in our cultural values from concern for the esoteric to an understanding of what is relevant.

Becky Davies is a Columbia College junior majoring in urban studies.
Home Ec runs alternate Mondays.
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