We are all welcome to our own opinions and I guess my experiences with high school history guide my choice. However, while you bring up a great example of US history, I still think a subject, such as ecology, that provides an understanding of life that is applicable to every human being across the globe, greatly trumps a subject that applies solely to a single society. That is not to say that the latter subject need not be a significant part of the curriculum, but rather that ecology may be more important. While I do believe that it's important to understand how the government works and the history behind why, I find my ever growing knowledge of the interactions between living creatures, their environments and their peers, to be far more valuable.
Best, Jonathan On Tuesday, February 2, 2016, David Mellor <[email protected]> wrote: > I like your gumption Jonathan, but I think your point that outdated and > superficial history curricula are a reason to toss it aside in favor of > more eco/evo is way off base! Even though I think that many core concepts > in eco/evo are really necessary for an MD, or for any reasonably informed > citizen, I think that history trumps that more often than not. As a example > (US focused, my apologies), there is virtually no understanding of how the > lessons of the fall of the Roman republic and the rise of the empire shaped > the framing of the US constitution. This was the basis of the education > system for those who wrote the constitution, and it shows up in the > electoral college, the roles and responsibilities of the executive and > legislative branches, and in the requirements for office holders. This > ignorance is painfully obvious in the social and traditional media during > any reasonably sized political news story: major pieces of legislation, > supreme court decisions, and of course, elections. > > There is so much that a reasonable person *should* know, but it is very > hard to translate that into a reasonable sized curriculum that helps every > student grow into a healthy and conscientious adult. > > Best, > David > > David Mellor <https://osf.io/qthsf/> > Center for Open Science <http://centerforopenscience.org/> > @EvoMellor <https://twitter.com/EvoMellor> > mobile: (703) 967-4512 > > On Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 10:06 AM, Jonathan Giacomini < > [email protected] > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected]');>> wrote: > >> I've never understood why ecology isn't a core requirement during high >> school (9 - 12th grade). To be honest, I think history should be swapped >> with ecology. That's not to say that history isn't an extremely important >> topic, it most certainly is important. However, in my opinion, much of the >> standard history curriculum is out dated and too narrowly focused, often on >> false representations. >> >> Regardless of which classes should be swapped, perhaps it's time that we >> start the conversation of ecology as a core high school requirement. >> >> Best wishes, >> J >> >> >> On Monday, February 1, 2016, Kay Shenoy <[email protected] >> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','[email protected]');>> wrote: >> >>> Does anybody have ideas on how to promote Ecology among Biology >>> undergraduates? We are finding that Biology majors are increasingly >>> focused on health-care fields; many students consider Ecology >>> “unimportant” for their future careers, and it is not addressed in the >>> MCAT exams, so they give it a low priority. How does one increase >>> enrollment in Ecology courses, and particularly in schools that do not >>> have dedicated Ecology departments? Any thoughts would be welcome! >>> >> >
