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Angel Perez, associate dean of admission:
Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform In Liberal Education, by Martha C. Nussbaum
For those of us who work at liberal arts colleges, we continuously reflect on our responsibility to produce students who are critical and reflective thinkers, strive for responsible global citizenship, and learn to adapt to an ever-changing interdependent and multicultural society. As educators, we seek new ways to engage students in these challenges. One book in particular, presented by Martha C. Nussbaum, a professor of law and ethics at the University of Chicago, illustrates how to engage responsible citizens of humanity.
In Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education, Nussbaum uses Socratic philosophy to illustrate that reflection is a crucial aspect of a liberal education. Nussbaum argues that there is a direct correlation between liberal education and citizenship.
Highlighted in the book are three key components that a liberal education can provide in an effort to cultivate a world citizen: (1) Socratic Self Examination, or the ability to engage in critical examination of oneself and one's own culture. Nussbaum argues that "the central task of education is to confront passivity of the pupil, challenging the mind to take charge of its own thought. All too often, people's choices and statements are not their own. They are the words and actions of the voice of tradition or convention, the voice of the parent, of friends or fashion." (2) World Citizenship, or the ability of students to begin to identify as citizens of the world and engage in other cultures, realities, genders, sexual-orientations, and socio-economic classes. The ability of students to define themselves in more universal aspirations and concerns is key. (3) Narrative Imagination, or the ability to use the written word and experiences of others through literature, assist us in "peeking" into the lives of others and developing a sympathetic ability to understand experiences different from ours.
This book reminded me of the exciting possibilities that await those students who are taught to think reflectively, and engage in cross-cultural experiences. Although liberal arts colleges are a small sector of the higher education landscape, they have a strong influence on creating responsible global citizens. Read Nussbaum's book, and you, too, will cheer as she reinvigorates your passion for setting a student's mind free!
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