Aronowitz

The sections from Aronowitz’s “The Knowledge Factory”, basically state his beliefs in why education is set-up the way it is in America today. He believes that all of the things taught to us are there to strictly prepare us for the industrial world ahead of us. The other thing he states is that even from a young age school is there to just make sure we start to fit into society. It says that it is there is discipline us and make sure that we are obedient to our elders. I personally see all of what he is saying as true, but I don’t think that it is a bad thing. If it didn’t teach us these things then what would its purpose be. He thinks it would only be there for us to learn real materials such as math, writing and other such fields. Then I sort of lost him when he started talking about how kids were rebelling and fighting the system. That whole section sort of lost me. I did like how in the final section he talked about how immigration has had an impact on the education system. Overall he did a good job of using facts and statistics to begin the topic of education and economics. The numbers really show how our education and economic growth were closely linked in growth at one point. Now it just seems that our education keeps growing a little bit at a time while our economy has sort of leveled off. Aronowitz talks about how universities today are similar to corporations which would agree with Readings. He talks about how students today should teach each other their own insight to become creative and imaginative. The positive side to having education in universities become a corporation throughout the world would be that it helps students to accuire the "skills" needed in society and also eases them into the economy. Education in a large university, especially one like Purdue, introduces thousands of students to various beliefs, traditions, and people. Education passes on one culture to another, and supports social and political integration. Having the knowledge of multiple cultures, beliefs, political viewpoints and also religions allows for better opportunities when it comes to finding a job. “Numerous sociological studies have revealed that increased years of formal schooling are associated with openness to new ideas and more liberal social and political viewpoints.” (Robin Williams) Sociologist Robin Williams states, “better-educated people tend to have greater access to factual information, more diverse opinions, and the ability to make subtle distinctions in analysis.” I disagree with what Aronowitz says about going back to focusing teaching on science, philosophy, and literature. The times have changed and education should prepare you for more than those basic subjects, especially with the variety of occupations out there. I think universities do a better job than what Aronowitz gives credit.