We often hear instructors complain about Baruch students’ narrow orientation toward business. I think a couple of years ago it became a requirement for all Baruch students to take a certain number of liberal arts courses. And of course on different occasions we all have given students explanations of these courses’ immense significance in their education. Personally, for quite a while I used be terrified every time students tried to relate business concepts to their readings or writing topics; my mind would go blank when I heard of such concepts as “equity loans” or “mortgage backed securities.” Hardly anyone can ignore current economic troubles, and I found myself in the alien world of the business discourse this week, as I was trying to establish some connection between contemporary world and classical literature. I saw every one of my nine students make immediate eye contact with me rather than with their computer screens. The energy level in the class boosted and the discussion got lively. I’m never again throwing out the Business section of NYT.
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CAC.OPHONY is a weblog on communication-intensive instruction at the college level and its implications for students about to face the challenges of writing and speaking publicly in professional settings. CAC.OPHONY is written and edited by the Fellows of the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute, Baruch College, City University of New York.
Baruch College is the 2008 recipient of TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award in recognition of the Schwartz Institute's outstanding faculty development programs.
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My sense is that this is a significant development, not unlike what I think various members of the Business Advisory Council have been suggesting for some time.
The operative line in your post is, "I saw every one of my nine students make immediate eye contact with me rather than with their computer screens." And you were excited. Isn't that what we want, exciting discourse around a topic?
On the other hand, there is much in classical literature to be admired and to learn from. The business wonks need to get as excited by the classicists as they do about the Business Section of the NYT.
Teachers and students share an obligation to produce a product, the graduate, who has the potential for making a meaningful contribution in a world marked by an increasing rate of unpredictable change. I don't see narrowness of interest and purpose as being as useful as a more general view of the world.
I've no magic answer for developing this general view of the world beyond demonstrating its power by the example of ourselves and others, then providing the means for those who wish to pursue this path.
"Who the deuce ever did anything worth naming without sacrifice?" John Herschel 1830
I too have had similar experiences of needing to bridge the gap between myself and students oriented towards fields I know very little about…fields which I previously (to my own detriment, perhaps!) made few attempts to appreciate. Those of us working with the Fin/Eco department are frequently faced with Powerpoint presentations that serve as reminders of how tricky it can be to try to separate content from form when working on communication issues.
As a "theatre person," I've been frustrated in the past by the lack of business acumen that crippled so many of the artistic endeavors I've been involved in. It's not just the current financial crisis (crises?) that presents an imperative for me to "catch up" in some of these subjects, but also my own growing sense that collaborations between business-minded students (and faculty) and artistically-inclined ones should be encouraged whenever possible.