In "Dehumanized: When Math and Science Rule the School", Mark Slouka addresses the lack of humanities in the American educational curriculum, in contrast with the overwhelming focus on math and science. For the Western education system, this results in an unbalanced approach to teaching students how to think creatively and authentically. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "...the problem today is imbalance. Why is every crisis in American education considered an economic and never a civic threat?" (37) While Slouka certainly uses many rhetorical techniques in his article to criticize the focus on math and science in American education, this may be the most surprising one. Why does the recovery of education automatically equate to the recovery of the economy? Why doesn't the public see progress in education as progress in the student's ability to think more creatively or analyze problems more critically? Slouka suggests paying less attention to the educational crisis as a “civic threat” because: “ I don't have the language to do so. Our attention is paid to the usual economic indicators, nor are there any generally agreed upon warning signs of political vulnerability, even if the incapacity of more than two-thirds of our graduates. of reading a text and drawing rational inferences could be seen as the political equivalent of escaping inflation or rising unemployment.” (37) As Slouka stated, economic crises are quantifiable, while civic crises usually are not and thus there is a disappointing focus on the humanities in the education system. By “civic indicators,” Slouka refers to signs that help highlight troubling issues that could impose disastrous consequences on the human values of citizens in the country. In Slouka's sense, civic indicators could also refer to the degree of democracy in the economy. . Slouka argues that “political freedom, whatever market evangelists may tell us, is not an automatic byproduct of a growing economy” (36). Through this statement, Slouka is trying to convey to us that a developed economy does not automatically translate into high level of political liberation. Therefore, to solve this problem, policymakers should attach more importance to the humanities in education and let the “human” aspects of students grow along with their quantitative abilities that could potentially drive economic production. The humanities can help us reach this middle ground and strengthen and liberate the student's political point of view because the humanities, unlike mathematics and science, teach us “not what to do but how to be”. (37) But aren't there enough warning signs of civic crisis out there, not enough to motivate politicians and the government's board of education to start orienting the country's education system toward the humanities? Many times in Dehumanized, Slouka highlights issues concerning due to the lack of humanities subjects in schools. He quotes Brent Staples, of the New York Times, who argues that “the American education system is failing” to produce the fluent writers required by the new economy. (34) The State Education Commission issued a report stating that “state and local leaders are realizing that arts and culture are vital to economic development” and several states.
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