Recently, my friend Adam Wolf wrote a column for Page Two in favor of Mark Twain’s wry take on epistemology, specifically regarding his quote: “I never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Although I think that public and private houses of higher education are (for the most part) effective contrivances of any advanced society, I also tend to agree with Mr. Wolf and Mr. Twain that there exist certain forms of education, which are necessary to be a well-rounded individual, that cannot become manifest within a formal classroom.
In some of my Communication Arts classes, we have discussed in depth the concept of enacting citizenship. It has been argued, notably by Professor Robert Asen of our own Com Arts department, that citizenship is “a dynamic mode of public engagement” and that people enact citizenship in a plethora of ways, e.g. voting, choosing certain (maybe more “green” friendly) shops to spend their money at, discussing local politics with a friend, etc.
Professor Asen’s concept of citizenship has prompted me to philosophize about a concept that is near and dear to all of us here on campus, namely “college studenthood,” or what it means to be a college student.
I suspect it rather implicit in the term “student” that one who holds that title devotes significant time to studying. But I would also argue that a college student who only studies is not enacting college studenthood in its fullest. If the only task at hand in college was to earn a high GPA, then my theory would face strong opposition. But the fact is, we go to school with 44,000 students, each with a unique personality, each with a unique background, and a major reason we are here is to interact with each other outside of the classroom.
My argument is not only that viewing highly anticipated public speakers or attending extracurricular academic events and engaging in stimulating discussion is this “type” of education outside of the classroom. But rather, I think that watching and analyzing the latest episode of “Mad Men” or practicing your rendition of the “Gangnam Style” dance with a friend is also engaging in college student-hood.
This is because these are salient issues for the average college student. Just as a good citizen should be aware of the political candidates and their stances on important issues, a good college student should at least have some degree of knowledge regarding the day’s most pervasive popular culture. That way, when we do want to host discussions with others from a different background, we will all possess some common element on which to begin a conversation.
It seems a bit ridiculous to think that deep conversation and philosophical debate could stem from discussion regarding Kanye West’s gaffe during the Taylor Swift acceptance speech at the 2009 VMAs, and it may be, but it happens.
Pop culture is blatantly not the only outlet by which we can commence novel conversations, and knowledge of it is only one of many responsibilities of the college student. We are also committed to a basic degree of knowledge of our school’s sports teams, where the best bars and restaurants in town are, and dialogues pertaining to where the freshmen Coasties will live after Statesider can no longer host them.
I would like to reiterate that formal higher education, the institution that pushes us to think critically about the world around us, really is a wonderful thing. There are certain channels of thought that can only occur within the classroom setting. That is the foremost reason that we invest our fortunes on college degrees. But to disregard the world outside the classroom, the one in which sound bites and images propel the realm of non-academic discussion, is to do a grave injustice to the meaning of college studenthood.
Do you agree that a well-rounded education includes being up-to-date about things like “SNL’s” most recent episode? Tell Zac at zpestine@wisc.edu.
