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Questioning the ‘E&D for all’ policy

April 30, 2010

by Jordan Eagan

“Read great texts. Write strong papers. Get helpful feedback. Engage in lively discussions. Learn who you are, and what you can do. That’s E&D at Lewis & Clark in a nutshell.”
—From the E&D Homepage

Yes! That’s everything I want out of college!

Only, wait. Don’t I already know how to read critically, write papers, get feedback and hold discussions? Didn’t I learn that in AP English? Yes, I think I did.

So why did I just spend my first year of college being taught how to do what I already learned, instead of learning how to develop those skills by applying them subjects that interest me?

And what about “learn who you are, and what you can do?” That sounds exciting—but hold on a second. How am I supposed to learn about myself as an individual when I’m stuck in a class that’s required of every first-year student? In a class that’s aimed at the entire first-year class, where is the room for personal growth and discovery? We all came to college to learn who we are and what we can do—but those are things we have to learn for ourselves, by making our own decisions and exploring new specific ideas for ourselves.

E&D’s first goal, to ensure that all LC students have a good grasp of critical thinking and composition abilities, is an important and necessary one. But many, if not most, students come to college already with these concepts fully in hand, ready to take the next step and apply them. It’s in application and exploring subjects that interest us, rather than required subjects, that we really grow. For many people, E&D only stands in the way of other chances to do this.

There should be exceptions to the rule of “E&D for all.” For the basic math prerequisite, various options are available, from taking Math 055 or the Quantitative Reasoning Exam to showing a good SAT math score or a high school transcript with a grade of B or better in an advanced course.

I propose that E&D should work in somewhat the same way. For example, an AP English test score or a transcript of a good grade in an AP English class should exempt students from E&D as a requirement.

If we already know the basics, now it’s time for us to explore and discover new ways to use them – on our own.