AKA Review– January 20, 2023

From Foreign Affairs:
America’s Education Crisis Is a National Security Threat
By Nicholas Eberstadt and Evan Abramsky
A nation’s economic and productivity status is highly correlated with the education level of its populace. Examining data on higher education trends from 1950 through 2020 sheds considerable light on which countries will inevitably surpass the United States’ historic dominance in higher education. The authors argue that with a less highly educated workforce the United States will have less economic, political, and military heft with which to defend its interests and uphold Pax Americana. Read this article

From The Atlantic:
Academic Freedom Is Not a Matter of Opinion
By Tom Nichols
Writer and academic specialist, Tom Nichols, breaks down the statement from the President of Hamline University, Fayneese Miller, in response to the controversial "firing" of art history professor Erika López Prater following her use of an image of the Prophet Muhammad in an art history class. The author argues that adapting every class to the needs and wants of individual students defeats the purpose of higher education and the humanities. Read this article

From The New York Times:
The Dangerous Decline of the Historical Profession
By Daniel Bessner
Interpretation of the American past has not in recent memory been as public or as contentious as it is now, as recent debates over the nation’s legacy of slavery and what can be taught in schools about America’s founders illustrate. Yet despite such debates, the historical profession is in decline, with potentially significant consequences. The author argues that without investment in history and other humanities disciplines, we encourage a historic ignorance upon which reactionary views thrive. Read this article

From Big Think:
How the liberal arts can save higher education
By Gayle Greene
In this excerpt from her book, Immeasurable Outcomes: Teaching Shakespeare in the Age of the Algorithm, Gayle Greene examines the importance of the liberal arts and relationship building in higher education. She argues that computerized, job-focused learning undercuts the true value of higher education, which is better found in the liberal arts. The public’s emphasis on STEM and making students "job-ready at day one" can come at the expense of producing well-rounded students with the soft skills desired by employers. Read this article

From WIRED:
When Did the Anthropocene Actually Begin?
By Damian Carrington
Identifying when our current geological era, the Anthropocene, began is vital, as it represents "the moment when humanity became a geological superpower, overwhelming the natural processes that have governed Earth for billions of years." Defining this moment from evidence in rocks and sediments will bring together all the impacts of humans on the world, thereby providing a platform for understanding and, hopefully, repairing the damage. Read this article