Jane Jacobs Individualism In Education

Hunter Rawlings, the author of College is not a Commodity, protests society’s view of the importance of college and argues the necessity of an education instead of the college title. Rawlings boldly exhibits stereotypical views of college as being unaffordable, creating too much debt, and simply not being worth the hassle. He then goes on to explain his contributing factor the the article, “The value of a degree depends more on the student’s input than on the college’s curriculum.” (paragraph 4) Rawlings displays that a college degree is not just handed to the student, however the expertise of that degree is dependent on the level of education that the student sought to receive. The author inevitably argues that college is not a commodity like

In the article, “Only Connect: The Goals of a Liberal Education,” by William Cronon, William lists and explains the qualities of an educated person that he admires the most. While reading this article, I related to a lot of the points that he listed. William lists qualities that I value in myself and in others around me. As I read through the article, I also noticed that I am starting to see these qualities in me and that they are growing as I get older and as I complete a higher education.

John Spayde’s article What Does it Mean to Be Educated (June 1998) offers insight into the world of philosophical questions and studies of our educational system. Spayde shares and responds to the opinions of different novelists, journalists, professors, and colleges that have taken a stance on what it means to be educated. His article briefly covers topics such as; educational decisions, financial division, entitlement, humanities, and technology. Spayde also discusses the importance of being connected and learning from a real-life experience. Spayde believes that having a connection to the world around you allows you to use any experience as a learning mechanism to further your education.

In “The Shock of Education: How College Corrupts” Alfred Lubrano uses his personal experience with college education and his parents to come up with the statement: “Every bit of learning takes you further from your parents". In his writing, he goes over how his eyes were first opened to the idea that school could bring you further from your parents, when he read a book titled “Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez”, where the writer was quoted as saying: “Home life is in the now, school life exists on an altogether different lane, with an eye towards the future”. Alfred’s belief throughout his article is that school brings you to a reality that separates and distances you from your parents and home-life.

In the article, “What Is College For? (Part 2)” written by Gary Gutting we see a description of his ideal vision to improve education and the intellectual culture of our citizens. Mr. Gutting emphasizes that preparing students for employment should be the job of the elementary, middle and high school rather than college. He argues that higher education is basically unnecessary for the practice of many professions.

When it comes to embarking on post secondary education the views of it’s importance and relevance is controversial. In Murray’s Op-Ed piece, “Should The Obama Generation Drop Out”, he believes a college education is unnecessary. I, however disagree with Murray’s notion. College is necessary according to a person’s career choice and it’s requirements.

The article “Credentialing vs. Educating” by Jane Jacobs showed the credentialing’s purpose in higher education and how the credentialing affected Americans’ perspective of their future’s life. Additionally, she gave explanation about the appearance of “credentialing [as] an indirect legacy of the Great Depression of the 1930’s” because people noticed that credentialing was the vital prerequisite from rising out of poverty. (pg. 167) People wanted to get a degree for a better job.

Based on today’s society to the 20th century, you can conclude that the two-time periods are very much alike dealing with discrimination, unequal rights, and gender inequality. Although many may not recognize it by turning a blind eye, when a protest does erupt, that is when people come to a realization which then becomes too late. This ideology connects to how wars are often started amongst individual’s beliefs and differences. With references from different professors and publishers, you are able to put together how the world was back then to how it has evolved to today’s modern society.

In USA Today essay, Yes, “A College Education Is Worth The Costs”, writer Rodney K. Smith begins his essay by painting a very vivid picture of a student in debt, and angry about his lack of job. Coming from a family that values education, the writer stands for pursuing knowledge in order to succeed in life. With this believes, the writer’s purpose for this essay is to reassure and reinforce the necessity of education in life. Smith hopes he can help push people to go to school, and have a good career which provides for themselves or even their families. Also, he wants to give them a better understanding of the importance of an education. Smith uses both logos and pathos in his essay to help enforce his argument.

Caroline Bird’s essay “College is a Waste of Time and Money” explains her beliefs on why, for some people, going to college is an ineffective and inefficient use of their time. She states that many students do not belong in college because they are there for the wrong reasons and they are not happy learning. She also gives evidence to suggest that going to college and getting a degree does not actually allows a person to make more money in their life time. Her final claim is that college does not prepare most students for the real world and the jobs they will have once they graduate.

Rose’s background and credentials give him the credibility he needs in order to effectively express and backup his claims about blue-collar workers. As a professor who specializes in literacy and learning, Rose applies his studies and presents it to the audience in order to establish a high level of authority. Rose explains how his mother quit school in seventh grade and how his father never earned a higher education as well. As for Rose, he proved his education by saying, “I went back to graduate school to study education and cognitive psychology and eventually became a faculty member in a school of education” (246-247). By this alone, the reader can see Rose went farther in formal education than either of his parents did. Rose acquired extensive knowledge throughout his academic years. His studies revolved around human behavior and psyche, which created the basis for analysis of his own family who endured a life of blue-collar community. By including this in his article, Rose is letting the reader know that he can back up his own life stories with studies. Rose willingly exposes his childhood life as a way to express the complexity of such jobs, and to clarify that those jobs contain much more than just the physical aspects of it. While, yes Rose believed his mother’s job was more than just physical having seen her work first hand, that

​"Education is the movement from darkness to light". In The Closing Of The American Mind, by Allan Bloom, Bloom argues that higher education has been drastically modified over the years and has ruined the psyche of today 's students. Once upon a time Americans dreamed of a better and brighter future, one that could transport them into a perfect utopia of societal bliss. Higher Education was the enthralling stepping stone for happiness. It inspired students to find their voice, while drawing from the past. It was a place where they could make mistakes and change their major once or twice. Today, higher education has become more about the career path and how it is more necessary than before. Higher education is no longer an adventure that allows the student to embark upon a journey of discovery and self-expression as it once was. This is due to the vigorous demands of the general society and how students today are required to maintain focus on a career that is valuable and not adventurous. Basically, we have lost touch with what makes this country so great; the impossible becoming reality. The creativity is gone. The belief that our imagination can grant us happiness if we work hard enough and believe is nonexistent. Higher education has separated the extraordinary and left us with dedicated, intelligent drones working towards the path that pays the most and will always have job security.

Cities are generators of economic life and source of changes in the world. Thereby, Jane Jacobs in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities puts into relief the role of cities on the social and economic levels, while denouncing the disastrous consequences of urban renewal programs. To that extent, in chapters 2 and 3, she discusses "The Uses of Sidewalks”, arguing that over all people need safety and trust in their city. Therefore, first she claims the necessity of keeping streets and sidewalks safe because they are the “vital organs” of cities (29). Secondly, she argues that the functioning of cities should be organized in order to foster human interaction in which “casual public

1) An individualist is considered to be someone with personality and character, someone who is not easily intimidated by social pressure or customs, someone with a personal opinion and a singular view of the world. Because modern society finds it important that people think independently, decide autonomously and take personal initiatives, the concept of individualism has acquired a positive connotation. However, individualism is also linked with the tendency to withdraw from social life and turn in towards oneself.

After high school, a choice that many students have to make is whether to go to college or not. There are many factors that go into one’s decision. There are pros and cons to going to college and also there are pros and cons for not going to college. But the decision that will give someone the better opportunity to have a more successful life is to go to college. The money that one will earn after getting a college degree will be more than the money a person will make without getting a college degree. As our society has continued to evolve, education has become the optimal route to professional success: pursuing a degree is the best way to receive training, to gain expertise in a given field, and even to guide you and help you make choices