more evidence against the liberal arts

[Arrian]

Insanity

It produces all sorts of neat stuff, and is often amusing. Unless, of course, the insane person is somebody you care about...

-Arrian

[Elok]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
The equivalent of a vocational school for compsci would be a MSc in computer science, I'm afraid.

Yes, but couldn't a lot of time and effort be shaved off by eliminating the distribution requirements like foreign language, social sciences, literature, art, etc. and concentrating on the "vocational" skills in question? At the BSc level, that is. I assume they don't pad graduate school with distribution requirements.

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by Elok


Yes, but couldn't a lot of time and effort be shaved off by eliminating the distribution requirements like foreign language, social sciences, literature, art, etc. and concentrating on the "vocational" skills in question? At the BSc level, that is. I assume they don't pad graduate school with distribution requirements.

I dunno about Canada, but where I'm from a MSc in compsci doesn't include any social science, literature, or art. As for foreign languages, you're required to've mastered English before getting into a MSc program (which is just as well, what with much of the course literature being in English and all).

[Dinner]

Fachidiot is a good word.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Last Conformist

I don't know about France, but in the sane world we don't have mandatory physical education at tertiary level.

I was talking about secondary education.

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by Spiffor

I was talking about secondary education.

Ah, sorry for misunderstanding.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Elok
Asher: I don't know Comp Sci; fair enough. But seeing as you hate and have no appreciation for, well, everything other than Comp Sci (at least, that's the impression you give), wouldn't it be better if you'd gone to the equivalent of a vocational school?

They do not teach higher level "pure math" at vocational schools.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Elok
I also feel that everyone should give to charity.

We do. It's called taxation.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Elok
Spiffor: I agree that everyone should have an appreciation of the arts. I also feel that everyone should give to charity. But I still don't think we should make proof of a donation to the Salvation Army/Red Cross/Toys for Tots/whatever a prerequisite for the majority of jobs, for two reasons: first, it's completely irrelevant to the ability to do the job, and second, it's a lot less meaningful when people only do it as a means to getting employment.

Well, I'm talking about secondary education here. Arts, like sports, should play a significant part of primary and secondary education, as school isn't only here to teach you to be some working drone, but also teaches you to be a functioning and social human being.

It's not only for the good of the individual, but also for the good of society when school conveys arts, among other things. Just like it's good even for non-scientists to get taught a basic grasp of maths, physics and biology: less likely to fall into some nutjob crap, and helps to create a sane society.

[Fake Boris]

Elok thinks the only thing there is in the worls is typical puns.

[Elok]

Originally posted by Asher

They do not teach higher level "pure math" at vocational schools.

Which is why I said "the equivalent of." As in, a school focusing entirely on the stuff you want to learn for work, whatever that may be. Or a program at a university that lets you concentrate on such things and ignore all the knowledge that doesn't somehow involve or relate to electrons bouncing through, over, or around bits of engraved silicon. That info might as well have been taught to a chimp, for all the good it did you. You'd be much happier, and so would many of us, if you'd never had to encounter it.

Spiff: I'm not sure how effective said programs are for people who didn't have a preexisting interest in them. In my last Art History class, for example, you could easily tell the people who were genuinely in love with the evolution of aesthetics and ideals from the ones who were just memorizing the names of painters and paintings in order to match them up on the quiz, and then instantly forget them.

Cort Haus: The part of taxes that go towards "charity" are pretty close to wasted. $%#! FEMA didn't do squat for NOLA, and the aid projects in Afghanistan reportedly spend most of their time sitting around indoors trying to think of a plan of action that doesn't violate the draconian regulations they're under. Charity and culture both work much better when they're done voluntarily, for their own sake.

[Elok]

Originally posted by Oncle Boris
Elok thinks the only thing there is in the worls is typical puns.

Not true. There are also speling erorrs and half-assed strawmen, just for starters.

[Fake Boris]

Such as people who think that the problem of 'being' is limited to a difference between 'to be' and 'to exist'.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Elok
Which is why I said "the equivalent of." As in, a school focusing entirely on the stuff you want to learn for work, whatever that may be. Or a program at a university that lets you concentrate on such things and ignore all the knowledge that doesn't somehow involve or relate to electrons bouncing through, over, or around bits of engraved silicon.

You just described the Computer Science program at my school...

[Asher]

Originally posted by Oncle Boris
Such as people who think that the problem of 'being' is limited to a difference between 'to be' and 'to exist'.

intellectual masturbation!