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Title: Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch Jr. ISBN: 0394758439 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: May, 1988 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.73
Rating: 2
Summary: The Trivial Pursuit Approach to Education
Comment: Hirsch, in his Introduction, argues that a four-word Shakesperean quotation, "There is a tide" (from "Julius Caesar," meaning "Act now!") would be a more apt business communication than providing a business audience with "lots of examples" and "reasons" to support the argument that it's essential to take action. Therein lies the problem, as Hirsch prefers canonical, elitist allusion to real argument. Hirsch's list of 5,000 items "that every American needs to know" is a fascinating collection of information that--it's clear--Hirsch *himself* has learned over the years. Whether WE need to know--for example--that cutting the Gordion knot means to "solve any complex problem quickly" is clearly debatable. One can't study Hirsch's list without feeling as if he's entered a time warp, as contemporary culture is almost wholly slighted (as are women and minorities, not surprisingly). There are few, if any, computer terms, only a handful of sports items--in a culture dominated by sports--and a list of musical performers that ends chornologically with The Beatles. Hirsch readily admits that he's advocating a "hazy, superficial" understanding of the terms on his list, but that doesn't stop him from positing that a recognition of those same items makes one culturally literate (and thus educated). No matter that each of us would create a different list of items that we think Americans should know. As the old joke goes, learning the items on Hirsch's list allows you to talk about anything for five minutes and nothing for ten. Nevertheless, this is a seminal work for understanding the thinking of those who've uncritically accepted the failure of public schooling in America. And it makes watching "Jeopardy!" a lot more fun.
Rating: 5
Summary: Essential reading for all concerned with education.
Comment: I read this book in 1995 and found it fundamentally correct with respect to two ideas: 1) that a core of knowledge is necessary to infer, read-between-the-lines, and to understand wholly much written material; 2) that *content* is vital in education - the mental organization of which (though association and other means) is essential to becoming educated. To demonstrate another assertion, namely that public education is largely failing, Hirsch claims that a majority of high school seniors can not correctly answer this question: "in what decades did the Civil War, World War I, and World War II occur?" I was 35 when I read this and asked it of a 25-year-old architect - who would not even attempt it.
Rating: 3
Summary: You may become the life of the party. More likely you'll
Comment: be a crushing bore if you follow Mr. Hirsch's path to cultural literacy. By his criteria we're all pretty cultural illiterate & the next generation still in school even more so.
So what?
We can accomplish much of what he wants through better schools & a well rounded, rigorous education for all students. Adding courses on cultural literacy is not going to happen nor is it necessary given the pinch in $$$ & time these days in most school systems.
Being culturally literate is fine, but it gives you no pratical skills or training except perhaps to make you more charming. However, Mr. Hirsch doesn't sound particularly charming.
The very arbitrariness of what constitutes cultural literacy according to Mr. Hirsch & his experts is flawed & quite off putting. He does not seem to acknowledge that cultural literacy constantly changes which makes a book like this obsolete before itis published. Subjects could be added & subtracted weekly. It should not merely be a list of historic factoids. When he decided to recite cultural words from a to z, I tuned out. For several cassettes & hours he droned on. I quit this audio version before he got to b.
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