Analysis Of Should Undergraduates Specialise

The Argument of Patrick Allitt in Should Undergraduates Specialize We’ve all heard the saying “one size fits all,” but when it comes to our education should one size really fit all (Allitt 3612)? Patrick Allitt, a professor of history at Emory University in Atlanta wrote the essay “Should Undergraduates Specialize?” published in 2006 in the Chronicle of Higher Education, he argues that American colleges should give students the chance to choose between a liberal arts education or one that is more specialized to those who want it. Allitt provides an effective argument by building his credibility with personal experiences and feelings, different viewpoints of the argument, and explaining the advantages and disadvantages between the two different

He then continues by discussing in detail the different aspects of both the British and American education system including the cost, the type of classes required for each system, and why each has their own pros and cons. Even though it seems as if Allitt prefers the British education system over the American one he suggests that the problem is not that one is better than the other, but that one type of education is not for everyone. While the British system may be better for “students who already have a clear vocational objective” the American liberal arts system might be a better option “for those who prefer it and don’t yet have a clear sense of direction

He tells us that when he was in school he and another student met with a tutor every week, after reading each of their paper’s the tutor would then tell them “in blistering detail” what each of them should have taken from the readings and written without showing any “delicate concern” to their feelings (3610). In contrast, his daughter, Frances will participate “in discussion groups with professors and teaching assistants, all of whom have been trained in sensitivity and diversity (3611).” Along with Allitts’ subtle appeal to pathos, he appeals to logos throughout his argument by listing the advantages and disadvantages of each education system. Allitt first mentions that the British systems “governing idea was that intelligent people were a national asset and that the nation was investing wisely by educating them, no matter their social origins