Reasonable view of the challenges and value of classical science
January 05, 2022 09:11 Source: "China Social Sciences" January 5, 2022 Total 2323 Author: This reporter Wang Youran

In recent years,A reduction in funding for higher education in the US government、Unstable economic situation in the country and the world、Under the common impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the global factors such as global factors,The field of higher education in the United States is undergoing severe tests。In this background,profitability、Humanities with weak practicality have been greatly impacted,"Humanities are increasingly marginalized、Facing the crisis of survival "and other remarks are common。Where,The situation of classical science is quite representative。Classical science usually refers to the basis of studying ancient Greek and Latin,Research on the ancient Mediterranean world。On the one hand,Classical science is the cornerstone of Western humanistic disciplines,Education in Western、Cultural and academic traditions have a lofty status。On the other hand,Classical studies are often considered to live at the top of the ivory tower、Stay away from today's social reality、Not practical。The current situation and prospects of classical disciplines for American universities,This reporter interviewed the classical part -time professor at George Messon University in the United States、Michael B. Poliakoff。

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  "China Social Sciences":In the United States,Many people in education and academia,Including some classical teachers and scholars themselves have published "Classical Academic Disciplines are in trouble、Internal and external problems coexist "category,There are indeed some colleges and universities make large adjustments to classical disciplines。What do you think of this?

 Pollyiakov:Simply speaking,I don’t think classical science is in crisis。Most of the professional directions of some universities shut down ancient Greek and Latin are mostly for economic reasons,But even these universities still tend to open ancient Greece and ancient Roman history、Classical Civilization Course,At the same time, it often offers basic Latin courses。Long -term tradition of discipline、Strong college,Classical studies are still firm。For example,There are 22 full -time teachers at the Department of Classical Studies at Stanford University in the United States、38 graduate students; 34 full -time teachers at the University of Michigan University of Michigan、75 graduate students。One of the oldest institutions in the United States, one of the oldest institutions in the United States, has opened a "great work" course since 1937,Require all undergraduates to learn ancient Greek,in order to read Western classic text。other,Every year, there are important classical academic works and papers.,There are also colleges and universities that have set up innovative classical courses。

But there are really worrying situations,The total number of students registered with Latin and ancient Greek courses in American universities decreased,This trend is clearly visible in the report released by the American Modern Language Society in recent years。Report display,2006-2016,bet365 live casino games The number of students registered with ancient Greek language courses dropped from 22824 to 13264,The number of students registered Latin courses dropped from 32164 to 24886。but but,A report of the 2017 US International Education Commission display,At the same time,The number of students registered in the high school from the kindergarten to high school increased the number of students in Latin courses.,More than 210,000 people。

Different countries attach importance to ancient culture.。In the early days of the founding of the United States,People emphasize practical education,instead of ancient Greece、Elegant culture such as ancient Roman language and literature。But the founding father of the United States Alexander Hamilton、 James Madison、John Jey's article collection of "Federal Party Humanities Collection" on its articles about the US Constitution has been cited many times in ancient Greece and ancient Roman history,It shows that they are familiar with Western classical works。In recent years,The "decline" of classical studies is more common in the field of higher education,and the public to the book、Drama、Classical elements in the movie show strong interest。I think "decline" is just a phenomenon,It not only has a little impact on the future of classical studies,Even it can help people understand the importance of discipline research in classical era。

  "China Social Sciences":Western civilization originated in the ancient Mediterranean region,From this perspective,Is classical science more popular in the field of higher education in Europe?

  Poliakov:British and other European universities in the United Kingdom and other European countries、Engineering、The degree of attention of economics and finance is also rising,This is similar to the United States,But the status of European classical science is still stable。Classical undergraduate degree from the University of Oxford University now relaxes the application condition,There is no chance to learn Greek and Latin for those middle school stages,Students who are interested in classical learning,As long as you can pass the prescribed language test, you can also have an opportunity to be admitted。Data of the Data of the Council of Classical Studies in the UK University 2019-2020,The number of classical undergraduates and graduate students in British universities is increasing,The total number of undergraduates of a single degree and dual degree is the highest value since 2015-2016。In Greece,The admission criteria for classical degrees are stricter,Applicants must have less than 6 years of Latin and Greek learning experience。Obviously,Ancient history of a country、Rich archaeological sites can stimulate students to learn ancient languages、The enthusiasm of literature and history。In the United States,People lack a strong atmosphere of contacting classical culture from childhood,But the classical era still has a huge attraction to the public。

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  "China Social Sciences":What is the employment of classical students in American universities?

  Poliakov:American universities,Most students of classical majors have learned some Latin before entering college,But very few people studying Greek before college,Another students are interested in classical science after participating in Western classical civilization courses。After graduation, they can go to middle school to teach Latin course -many middle school students learn Latin,and the number of classical teachers in colleges and universities is very small。What is more important than bringing career opportunities in the field of higher education is,Classical degrees laid the foundation for a variety of occupational paths,Master the complex syntax、Analyze the ability of hard literary and philosophical works to prepare for other tasks。American medical scientist、Writer Lewis Thomas has vigorously emphasized the value of classical studies in doctors' education and training。Government、Law、Outstanding figures in many fields such as technology have classical education backgrounds。For example,Jerry Brown, the governor of California, has a classical bachelor's degree,It has been announced that in 2022, Harvard University Professor Danielle Allen, a professor of political science at Harvard University, has a classical undergraduate、Master and PhD。

Derek T. Muller, a professor of law at the University of Aiwa University in the United States, conducted a survey for graduate applicants at the American Law School in 2013,These applicants come from 142 undergraduate majors,Some of them practiced multiple majors。Mueller calculated the median score of each major applicant for the law school (LSAT) of each major and the average score points (GPA) medium number of the undergraduate stage。LSAT score and undergraduate GPA are the two most important conditions for applying for American law school。Analysis results show,bet365 live casino games The medium number of LSAT scores of the undergraduate majors of the undergraduate majors is 159.8 (full division of 180),The median of the undergraduate GPA is 3.477 (generally the highest is 4),The two scores are the highest among all majors。

  "China Social Sciences":In your opinion,What are the main challenges facing classical disciplines now?

  Poliakov:The biggest challenge facing classical science is the same as other areas of humanities and sciences- "Only the narrow preparation for specific occupations has a good return on investment",This is an wrong concept of education and learning,It is particularly wrong to think that occupational possibilities are fixed。Many professions currently existing may disappear in the next 10 years,But relying on international communication at a high height、The future world of the global market,The agility of intelligence、Critical thinking、The deep understanding of evidence will still be extremely important,The deep understanding of evidence will still be extremely important。Learning Classical Studies requires two difficult ancient languages、Deep literary and philosophical works,This brings students' intellectual advantages。

Investment Volkswagen Reading Writers、Robert G. Hagstrom, chief investment officer of the US Investment Management Company "Equity Pass", was proposed based on its many years of financial career experience in the book "Investment: The Last Humanities" book.,Only solid financial theory knowledge is not enough to make good investment decisions。He discussed the inspiration of investment concepts and practice in the humanities,For example,Using literary reading strategy in investment research can bring harvest。

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