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Cultural LiteracyAccording to E.D. Hirsch
According to E.D. Hirsch, to be culturally literate is to
possess the basic information to thrive in the modern world. It is
the ³grasp on the background information that writers and speakers
assume their audience already has.² In his book, Cultural Literacy:
What Every American Needs to Know, Hirsch sets forth 5,000
essential words and phrases of which each person should be
knowledgeable. The list ranges from idioms to mythology, from
science to fairy tales. Why has this list prompted a notable debate
on our country¹s educational standards? E.D. Hirschbelieves that
the literacy of American people has been rapidly declining. The
long range remedy for restoring and improving American literacy
must be to ³institute a policy of imparting common information in
our schools.² In short, according to Hirsch - the answer to our
problem lies within the list.Hirsch¹s book explains the importance
of the need of a higher level of national literacy. His main
argument is that cultural literacy is required for effective
communication and the ³cooperation of many people...² Communication
is what Hirsch sees is essential for success in today¹s society.
Communication is the key to equality in America. With increased
cultural literacy, an egalitarian society is eventually possible.
One common body of knowledge for everyone will be the glue that
holds society together.Hirsch also points out the senselessness of
concepts such as multi-culturalism a
nd multi-lingualism. He acknowledges the importance of the
numerous cultures and ethnicities of which United States is
comprised. Hirsch mentions the ³hyphenated American: the
Italo-American, the Polish-American, the Afro-American, the
Asian-American and so forth.² He points out that he is in favor of
each minority¹s protection, nurture, and respect; however, he
strongly feels that people need to decide what ³American¹ means on
the other side of the hyphen...what national values andtraditions
really belong to national cultural literacy.² American cultural
literacy should be based on our traditions -- morality of tolerance
and benevolence, the Golden Rule, communal cooperation, altruism
and freedom. It is in this way that Hirsch argues those in
opposition of cultural literacy. Many opponents question Hirsch¹s
view by questioning who would decide this common body of knowledge
for everyone. People debate what is included in ³the list² on the
basis of multiculturism. They ask, is the knowledge equally
important to every citizen of the Uni
ted States no matter what race, gender or religion? Hirsch
responds by puttingthe emphasis on the other side of the hyphen -
the American side.When reading Hirsch¹s book, I strongly agreed
with his big picture of cultural literacy and agree that it is
important to establish a common body of knowledge for students
consisting of important facts. However, I think Hirsch takes it a
step too far by comprising a sample list that intentionally
excludes Americans that are of different origin. Hirsch needs to
keep in mind that the United Stateswas founded on the ideal that
anyone and everyone should be free and equal -- no matter
where they come from or who they are. In essence -
multi-culturalism is a part of America¹s foundation and I
think that students should be educated on that ground no matter
what Hirsch¹s ³list² says. I believe that Hirsch¹s views
regardingmulti-culturalism and multi-lingualism are completely one
sided and too extremeto be applied in today¹s typical American
classroom.
Although it is simple to imagine the glorious outcome of a
nation that is fullyliterate and educated in several areas, one
must look at the details. In spiteof Dewey¹s revolutionary
philosophy on education, Hirsch stands completely opposite. Dewey¹s
philosophy stresses the crucial role of experience in a student¹s
education and development. His system would prepare the student for
life in the ³real world² -- for everyday interactions with peer and
co-workers. Hirsch criticizes methods advocated by Dewey and
Rousseau by saying that a child needs to ³learn the traditions of
the particular human society and culture it is born
into....American children need traditional information at a very
early age.² But what role does traditional information play in
today¹s society? Hirsch long
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s for the historic educational system of memorization. He plans
for the student to use this information when engaging in
somewhat intellectual discussions andreading materials by preparing
him for the author¹s brief allusions and references. For the
majority of Americans who are working blue-collar jobs --
traditionalinformation plays virtually no role at all. The
memorization of dates and names was simply a waste of time in
the classroom; their education is not being applied to their
lifestyles. This sort of education may be important for some
people in the United States, but not everyone can memorize
dates and names, the truthis - not everyone needs to. Therefore, I
think the best kind of education will combine the theories of
Dewey and Hirsch. This could be done by involving hands-on
experiences in addition to a lesson or lecture. Too much of either
type of education simply won¹t be advantageous to students
once they are out of school.I found Cultural Literacy particularly
interesting because of the fact that I am attending Colgate
University, a liberal arts school. It is the mission of a liberal
arts school to educate each student in several different areas and
for each student to become knowledgeable of a core curriculum. In a
sense, this is what Hirsch wants for every school in the United
States. From my experience, Hirsch¹s perspective does have
validity, but he has a tendency to underestimate the importance of
a student¹s interest in the learning processCoprights: Jens
Shriver
