Major in Religious Extremism, with a minor in Land Usage

An interesting piece from the Sunday Times on reforming the American university.

Much of the arguments focus on restructuring PhD programs and better regulating departments, which, while probably necessary, would likely require the hiring of additional oversight administrative staff (unlikely in these times of budget cuts) or demand that academics, opposed to the policies themselves, act as enforcement officers (less likely, still.)

But, one innovative idea that I like quite a bit:

"Abolish permanent departments, even for undergraduate education, and create problem-focused programs. These constantly evolving programs would have sunset clauses, and every seven years each one should be evaluated and either abolished, continued or significantly changed. It is possible to imagine a broad range of topics around which such zones of inquiry could be organized... Consider, for example, a Water program. In the coming decades, water will become a more pressing problem than oil, and the quantity, quality and distribution of water will pose significant scientific, technological and ecological difficulties as well as serious political and economic challenges. These vexing practical problems cannot be adequately addressed without also considering important philosophical, religious and ethical issues... A Water program would bring together people in the humanities, arts, social and natural sciences with representatives from professional schools like medicine, law, business, engineering, social work, theology and architecture."

As a product of an interdisciplinary program, I'm obviously partial towards them, but this goes far beyond the liberal-artsy offerings of my undergrad education (religious studies and politics? and history? Hold on to your hat!). A couple years out, one of the major criticisms my peers and I have of our education was how unprepared it left us for the practical demands of our early careers ("what's a pivot table?"), yet I don't think any of would be quite willing to trade the immersion in ideas, reading, and writing, either.

I could certainly get behind the approach of pairing coursework in business administration and theology, especially as it relates to the study of a single critical issue. That sort of program would graduate students with the same "learning how to think" skills as a liberal arts program, but also conversant in a number of useful fields.

And more importantly, as the author notes, the world itself is interdisciplinary. It follows that our students ought to be, as well.