I used to be an athlete. Before high school, I played almost every sport under the sun. As I moved into a more competitive environment, I gave up athletic involvement to prioritize academics. Four years later, I found The College of Wooster, an institution which promised to promote a balance of all its students’ interests, thus cultivating well-rounded graduates ready to face any challenge the world would present them. During my time here, that is not the environment I’ve readily found. The disjointed relationship between majors does not match the marketed image of the College.
As a theatre major, I’ve learned a lot about the discipline required of those who truly wish to pursue a career in the arts. Not only is this discipline largely unrecognized (and undervalued) by those outside of theatre, it has become arduous to uphold in the Wooster atmosphere as it stands. The environmental pressures at a liberal arts school prevent students from developing an unadulterated focus on their disciplines. I believe this deserves recognition and celebration.
Here at Wooster, we promote a liberal arts education that we then scorn students for pursuing. As a person who has varied interests, I came to this school so I wouldn’t have to pick just one, but have found myself pressured to choose nevertheless. As a senior, I am understandably locked into my major, but I wish the structure of the curriculum had not just encouraged but also demanded my participation across majors. Disconnects of many natures exist on this campus, but what may help remedy others is correcting the disconnect of majors.
Often we fail to understand the details of the work that goes into each major. Thus, many students glorify their field of study and write off others without taking time to truly understand the specifics of the subjects they dismiss. Isolating ourselves in this way limits our thinking, and we become trapped in ruts that prevent creative problem-solving.
In my mind, a liberal arts curriculum aims to create the “Renaissance person” — a person with working knowledge of many fields, which allows them to utilize various aspects of their education in any situation they may face. Each area of study has something unique to offer. I see this most notably in the splits between art (where I spend most of my time), science and athletics. Although there are many more fields than these, I limit myself in this discussion for the sake of scope. I have seen first-hand how art allows expression, reflection and empathy-building. I have heard from friends more scientifically-inclined how science encourages students to think critically and plan careful approaches to problems. Athletics promote team-building, strong work ethics, focus and resilience.
One could argue that each of these could be found in each discipline; however, exposure to different environments also has its benefits. If we restructure our curriculum to incorporate every aspect of life on campus in this way, our students can truly achieve the ideal of a liberal arts education: “jack of all trades, master of none; but better than a master of one.”
We’re not here to be experts. We’re here to be excellent at bridging gaps and educating ourselves in more than one area of study. For this reason, we should change our curriculum in the future to require learning across disciplines in a way that is lacking now.
Our requirement of “subject-types” works to a certain point, but we shouldn’t disregard areas of study just because we think we have no interest in them. Who knows? We may just find a new lifelong interest. To the administration: I suggest we add physical education requirements. Add cultural competency requirements. Add art and music requirements in addition to the value already given to scientific fields. This approach would cultivate students with an ability to fully utilize their brains across subjects, thus promoting better learning, more creative problem-solving and more understanding and empathy both inside and outside of the classroom. The best part about this new curriculum is it could open positions for, *cough*, new and present faculty of color to fill.
Marisa Adame, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at MAdame17@wooster.edu.