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Research Report
Prompt: Students will learn how to read critically, understand and select relevant information, report information neutrally, and deliver a sound evaluation of their findings. Students will understand the benefits, costs, and alternatives to earning a traditional bachelor’s degree and be able to explain these factors to potential college students. Students will adapt their writing style to meet academic expectations, fit specific genre, and complete assignment requirements.
For more information, please review the Research Report Document.
Course Materials
Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters by Call Number: LC1011 .R75 2014In this provocative contribution to the disputes, university president Michael S. Roth focuses on important moments and seminal thinkers in America's long-running argument over vocational vs. liberal education.
The "Preface" to Beyond the University is also available in your Canvas course.
- Do the Benefits of College Still Outweigh the Costs?In recent years, students have been paying more to attend college and earning less upon graduation—trends that have led many observers to question whether a college education remains a good investment. However, an analysis of the economic returns to college since the 1970s demonstrates that the benefits of both a bachelor’s degree and an associate’s degree still tend to outweigh the costs, with both degrees earning a return of about 15 percent over the past decade. The return has remained high in spite of rising tuition and falling earnings because the wages of those without a college degree have also been falling, keeping the college wage premium near an all-time high while reducing the opportunity cost of going to school.
- Pathways to ProsperityThe article discusses a 2011 report from the Harvard University School of Education’s Pathways to Prosperity Project titled "Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century," which claims that U.S. students are not equipped for college or careers because schools focus on preparing them only for four-year colleges instead of offering alternatives. The report suggests that high schools provide career counseling, both by hiring school counselors and by helping students find mentors in their field of interest. It also suggests that schools provide information on vocational colleges, associates programs, and technology centers. The report offers examples of European educational policies that U.S. schools can use in their own programs.