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If voil are nrenarinp to enter
Carolina, you are probably looking
over the Academic Advising Manual
you received in the mail. If you are
already enrolled at Carolina, you are
probably thinking about which
classes you are taking in the fall. But
no matter where you are in your
studies, two words are very impor
tant to your scholastic plans: pers
pectives requirements.
At first glance there seem to be
a lot of requirements. During'
General College, a student has to take
courses in five perspectives natural
sciences, social sciences, Western -historical
non-Western compara
tive, aesthetic, and philosophical.
Then, if the student goes on to the
College of Arts and Sciences, he or
she must take one more course in
each perspective.
Many 01 you may leej lrustrated
that you cant just get on with your
major because of all these require
ments. You may wonder what
ancient philosophy has to do with
organic chemistry or Russian govern
ment with marketing. You may
Ihcrfno Cowan
Staff Writer
simply be trying to make heads or
tails of what you have to take. But
before you complain about the
requirements, think about the rea
soning behind them.
The perspectives requirements
were instated for three main reasons.
The first is to strengthen the student V
writing. Some students have gone
through Carolina without ever hav
ing written a paper after freshman
year. They have learned to think in
terms of zeroes and ones, but not in
terms of passable English. Writing a
paper does take effort, but it forces
you to think through your subject,
and original thinking is the most
effective (and the most rewarding)
method of learning.
The second reason behind the
Moderation makes
stadents average and
extremely boring
Incoming freshmen are treated to
a plethora of redundant and contra
dictory advice: "get involved" "don't
get involved," "have a good time
(these are the best years of your life)"
"study (the best years are ahead)" and
my favorite "do everything in
moderation." Thus we have the
creation and nernetuation of the
x K
"Moderites" people that blend into
a spectrum of the most narrow of
parameters.
Sex, drugs and rock & roll exist
in many incantations at UNC as do
politics and religion. Many students
dabble in all five areas (sometimes
simultaneously) as they tend to go
together. But the Moderites view
these various activities as separate
and isolated from each other. Mod
erites conduct their lives on campus
and the hereafter in a compartmen
talized fashion.
What makes a Moderite a
Moderite?
Status quo is the operative mode.
It is the protective medium through
which these people move. Neutrality
is the guiding light and "I dont brake
for questioners" the bumper sticker
for those who ride in the Moderite
buggy.
The way Moderites make friends
is a perfect exemplification of com
partmentalized behavior. Moderites
have a lot of friends, tons preferably,
hundreds at least. A Moderite bes
tows friendship upon unsuspecting
individuals, often other Moderites.
Moderites "bump" into their friends.
God forbid they have any contact or
conversation beyond the bump lest
they be forced into a conversation
that becomes an actual discussion.
IVe never figured out why Moderites
act this way.
They remind me of a story about
a newspaper photographer who
comes into the newsroom screaming,
"I just shot 20 rolls of the most
incredible fire." To which his editor
replies, "Didn't you have the time to
concentrate on taking just one?"
John cCaVillo
The Port Bow
The compartmentalization con
sciousness is reified by the recipe-like
process through which undergradu
ates take classes. Take one part
science, two parts English, one part
philosophy courses and the Moder
'te, steeped in introductions and short
m depth is well on his way to
nediocrity. The Moderite might as
well have gone to what Father Guido
Sarducci called the "Five-Minute
College". An institution whose
alumni are able to speak on many
different subjects for five minutes,
tops. In their quest for the creation
of the Renaissance man the univer
sity and the student have created the
Moderite.
The attempts of instilling knowl
edge in many different areas are
indeed noble and spending time in
various extra-curricular activities
most worthwhile.
But if the true all-around graduate
is to be produced then one must take
the course of going to extremes in
a given area. By exploring the limits
of a given discpline one encounters
a realization that cannot be taught.
Simply that the boundaries of the
different schools touch and inter
penetrate each other a discovery
that leads one to holistic thought, the
mind of the Renaissance man.
Moderation is the safe way to play
it. If you want out of here in four
years with good grades, with the
requisite amount of time spent in the
various compartments and expose
yourself to a minimum of vulnera
bility, then moderation is the means
to such a resume. But moderation
is boring and it creates boring,
uninteresting people who are vastly
underprepared for the extremes of
the real world.
perspectives requirements is to pro
mote better communication between
students and professors. Too many
students have hidden in lecture
classes of 100, and too few have taken
advantage of the wealth of knowl
edge, thought and creativity which
their own UNC professors have to
offer.
The third reason is to strengthen
jach of the skills the General College
offers. An English major may never
have taken an upper-level biology
course, and many chemistry majors
have missed out on the perspective
philosophy gives to life.
There are lots of reasons not to
specialize too quickly. When you get
out of college, you will use not just
math or speaking skills, but all of
the skills you learn here. If you want
to go into business, you will need to
not only how advertise, but also how
to understand trends in the economy.
If you want to be an administrator,
you will need to know not only how
to keep records on a computer, but
also how to help employees work to
their potential. If you want to be a
doctor, you will need to know not
only how to work organic chemistry
equations, but also how to talk with
patients. Your college education
should not put you on one track, but
should define the different tracks of
a whole.
Moreover, on the job, it is the
people with the broad liberal arts
education who rise to the top.
Executives have to make all kinds
of decisions dealing with all kinds of
issues daily. The person who has
learned how to see many different
sides of a problem is more equipped
to deal with this than the person who
has learned about only one way.
Often, people with technical training
only get to mid-management levels,
and stay there.
But the most important reason for
taking advantage of the perspectives
requirements is to make your college
experience as meaningful as possible.
If you are a biology major, take
Greek histnrv and learn more about
the cultural roots of western civili
zation. If you are a business major,
ake psychology and learn more
about why people buy what they buy.
If you are an art history major take
chemistry and learn more about the
make-up of the atom.
While you are planning your
curriculum, take a look at capstone
courses. These courses give you a
chance to be in a small class with
a top-notch professor teaching a field
he is knowledgeable about. Most
capstones are interdisciplinary and
all offer an exciting and original
approach to whatever subject most
interests you.
Carolina means activities, friends
and parties, but it also means aca
demics. You're paying for it. Get
something you can remember out of
it.
Catherine Cowan is a senior
English major from Chapel Hill
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