Opinion
A liberal-arts education is about learning how to be free
Far too many students (and adults) think of liberty not as a condition requiring virtue and wisdom but as a license to do whatever you want.
News
WFU professor resigns after post justifying violence from Hamas
Wake Forest Professor Laura Mullen has resigned after she sparked outrage with a since-deleted tweet that blamed Israel for the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants, specifically the murders at the Supernova Music Festival that killed more than 250 Israeli civilians. The private university publicly defended Mullen’s comments as an example of free speech, but...
Opinion
Oh the Humanities: Academics upset over new rule favoring STEM at NC universities
The humanities as an academic subject are vital to developing the minds of each generation and binding us together with common understanding of who we are, what we believe, and how we should act. But in a nation starkly divided on most foundational issues, is attempting to cobble together a coherent humanities curriculum even possible?...
Opinion
The importance of education in humanities
The United States education system is failing in almost every aspect, but nowhere is this seen more than in the humanities. In a recent poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, it was found that 44% of adults failed to name all three branches of government. Of these adults surveyed, 25% could not name even...
Opinion
Are college degrees losing their luster?
Employers in North Carolina and across the country are struggling to find qualified workers to fill key positions in their organizations. As they reconsider the minimum qualifications they are willing to accept, those screening candidates are increasingly setting aside the requirement of a four-year degree. Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday signed an executive order that...
Opinion
The enduring value of classical education
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made headlines for dodging a basic question: Should pornographic materials be in K-12 school libraries? Whitmer’s unwillingness to answer the question (which should be a resounding “No!”) is indicative of the state of mainstream education today. While many schools have excellent teachers who work within the mainstream system, public education in America is...
Opinion
I was once a National Conservatism skeptic, but the ideas are needed
I attended the third National Conservativism conference in Miami and was pleasantly surprised by what I heard. I went skeptical: “nationalism” left a bad taste in my mouth, and I was sure I would find rabid Donald Trump supporters, QAnon types, or people who despised those from other countries. None of my preconceptions were true....
Opinion
Fewer students major in humanities
Too many professors prefer to teach courses based on their own narrow, often idiosyncratic research interests rather than teaching about the great ideas, institutions, people, and works of art that students actually want to study.
Opinion
Take time to broaden the mind
From 2011 to 2017, the number of degrees awarded in history, religion, literature, philosophy, liberal arts, and the humanities went down, by 20 percent or more in some cases.
Opinion
Graphic novels are trending in English departments, and that’s a problem
Many English departments are beginning to offer courses on graphic novels, which integrate text and visual imagery. Graphic novels are increasingly studied alongside traditional literature, in some cases supplanting more standard text-based curricula. For example, one course at UNC Chapel Hill titled “The Visual and Graphic Narrative” can be taken to satisfy the literary appreciation...
Opinion
The English Department Self-Destructs
The number of English majors is shrinking dramatically, in part because English Departments are losing faith in the value of what they should teach.
Opinion
Higher Education Suggestions for GOP Leaders
University of North Carolina schools should do more than just prepare students for today's careers.
