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Professor

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Education

Introduction

Education plays a vital role in the lives of any person around the universe. When one is brought into the world, he or she learns from the time he, she is born until the time he, or she passes out. Education takes place in different settings, different levels, and have different qualities. For instance, in the traditional African setting, people underwent informal education before the arrival of the missionaries. The missionaries introduced a more advanced form of education normally referred to as formal education. Formal education has different education levels from early child education, primary education, high school education, junior college education, senior college education, and university education. In the higher education level, university, there also different levels, which include the undergraduate and the post, graduate education. This research work navigates, synthesizes, and compares three types of education readings pointing at their similarities and differences. The three readings are from the scholarly discourse unit (Barber, Bloom, Mantsios), putting their ideas in conversation with one another and demonstrating through analysis how the three texts are related.

Body

In the reading, liberal education, the author narrates and explains how liberal education plays a vital role in shaping the way one lives their future life after clearing education. By referring the to the education system as liberal education, the author implies that the education has liberal qualities and does not conform to a particular mode of doing things. The author uses the term to refer to university education, which shapes the life of a toddler to an independent man with vision and mission of succeeding in life. He narrates the way once an individual joins the university system, he or she has to leave the dusty path he or she came from and focus on building his or her life.

The reading focuses on the areas one ought to learn in order to be referred to as educated. It separates the student from the vulgarity of the outside life shaping the students and giving them a purpose and a goal in life. In the reading, liberal education, the author Points out that university institution ought to possess a meaning since this motivates the students as it makes them realize that they are in the institution for a purpose and not as a rite of passage. The reading shows that the purpose of joining university education is for an individual to make his or her future life better and improve the living condition of his or her life and for the society around him or her. Just like the other two readings, this reading, liberal education, shows the clear purpose of education. They all show that an individual does not receive education as a rite of passage but for making his or her life better. They all show that university education ought to posses some meaning since this acts as a motivation and a reminder for the students that they are in the institution for a certain purpose.

In all the three writings, all the authors agree that the university does not restrict the students to strict rules; they are left on their own with all the freedom needed. It is therefore upon one to plan his or her life according to his or her needs. This freedom is dangerous when abused since it may lead to immoral and uncultured behaviors such as prostitution among other ill vices. However, when students make good use of the freedom, they become well shaped for after university life. The mention of the freedom is covered in all the three writings/readings with the first reading, liberal education covering the topic wider than the other two readings.

Superiority battles in the learning institution are also covered in all the three writing with the first writing, liberal education pointing out at the possible causes of the battle for superiority in these senior learning institutions. The battles of superiority are always manifested in three fields, arts, philosophy, and religion. From research and experience, the battle for superiority even in the world from the ancient times to the present times always revolved around these three areas. Different religions have always locked horns battling for superiority in the society. For instance, in Nigeria the Muslims and the Christians groups are always locked in boundary battles. These battles have led to massive loss of lives with bombing of mosques and churches taking place almost daily. The battles in arts and philosophy are outlined in the second two writings deeply with the author giving out different possible reasons for such battles. The first reading, liberal education, however, just mentions these two other areas of supremacy battles in the higher learning institutions.

In the first reading, the author points out at the following argument regarding battle of supremacy in the higher learning institutions. The serious intellectual life was for him the battleground of the great decisions, all of which are spiritual or “value” choices. One can no longer present this or that particular view of the educated or civilized man as authoritative; therefore one must say that education consists in knowing, really knowing, the small number of such views in their integrity.

This distinction between philosophical and superficial, which takes the place of good and bad, true and false – provided a focus for serious study, but it hardly held out against the naturally relaxed democratic tendency to say, “Oh, what’s the use?” The fist university disruptions at Berkeley were explicitly directed against the multiversity smorgasbord and, I must confess, shortly and partially engaged my sympathies. From this argument from the author, one realizes that with education one finds it difficult to argue based on the religious front since it is not measurable in terms of education but the belief strength one has based on his or her religion.

Conclusion

From the analysis and synthesis of the three readings, one realizes that all the writers share the same views regarding higher learning institution or university education. They also have some divergent views on the same university system. For instance, in all the three readings, the authors agree that university education shapes the future and the quality or lifestyle one will have after he or she is through with their education dream. For example, the author of the first reading, liberal education, points out that once in the university one has to leave the dusty life he or she lived and focus in building his or future. The writings also agree on the availability of supremacy battles in the university institution, the areas of this supremacy battles include arts, philosophy, and religion. The first reading, liberal education only focuses on the battle for supremacy in the religion sector not pointing out on the detailed information on the other two areas. The other two writings, however focuses on the other two areas. It is clear that the readings have certain similarities and different idea arguments.