Discussion: What’s the Purpose of Education?

Please complete the following as preparation for this discussion. Bring this, typed/printed or handwritten to class.

Materials

Questions

Answer the following questions, and bring your answers typed and printed to class. You can use these questions and any other notes you bring during the discussion.
  1. What is higher education like in your country or a country where you have studied? Are there similar issues in higher education as the ones the article discusses?
  2. Do you agree more with Peter Theil’s ideas, or with Vivek Wadhwa’s (the Duke professor)? Why?
  3. Thiel says, “We have a society where successful people are encouraged to go to college, but it’s a mistake to think that’s what make people successful,” and that “vocational careers pay very well today.” Safer, the reporter, says, “Some of the impractical things in life are the most valuable” (in other words, liberal arts education). Which do you agree with more, and why?
  4. Should governments provide “debt-free, taxpayer-funded” public higher education to all of a country’s citizens? Why or why not? Give reasons based on your own experiences and the video/article.

Structure

This discussion will follow the fishbowl structure, in which there is an inner “discussion” circle surrounded by an outer “audience” circle. Each inner circle will consist of 3-4 people and will spend a set amount of time discussing 1-2 of the above questions. Members of the outer circle will listen carefully, and then have a few minutes to ask questions of each member of the inner circle. Then, the circles will switch.