In February, the Iowa House Higher Education Committee passed a bill requiring students in the state’s public universities to take American history and government courses as part of general education requirements.
Many other states, including Texas, have mandated that college students take these courses, and it is great that Iowa is attempting to follow suit. The bill still needs to pass the Iowa Senate and be signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Even if this bill does not ultimately become law, students at Kirkwood should take these courses in order to be better informed about the civic traditions of the country we live in. Additionally, many international students come from countries where they do not learn our history and government. These students should make an effort to learn about the country they have chosen to study in, similarly to how immigrants are required to pass a citizenship test.
In the wake of the addition of required diversity courses to general education curriculums, including Kirkwood’s, higher education has forgotten about helping students understand the basic foundations of America’s history and government.
It is true that many students in high school are required to take courses in both subjects, including here in Iowa. But, when these students get to college, they are repeatedly failed by loose history and nonexistent government requirements that do not help students delve deeper than their surface-level high school coursework.
At Kirkwood, liberal arts students have the option to take American history courses as part of the History and Cultures requirement and an American government course as part of the Social Sciences requirement. However, they can instead decide to take courses in religion or African American history for the former requirement and sociology or international relations for the latter requirement.
Of course, this is not an attempt to denigrate the important things that one can learn through these courses. But, if students are only exposed to our history through the lens of a narrow group and not exposed to our government at all, it leads to a surprising lack of literacy.
According to a survey by the nonprofit American Council of Trustees and Alumni, fewer than 33% of college students surveyed could not identify events in American history ranging from the Emancipation Proclamation to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal reforms.
In terms of government, another survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center showed that while most adults could name the three branches of government, fewer can name more than one right guaranteed in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
A lack of knowledge about our history and government can have many consequences, from people failing to understand their basic rights when encountering law enforcement to skipping elections due to not knowing the importance of voting.
Overall, learning about American civic traditions through the study of history and government leads not only to a better informed populace but one that has more trust in our government and an appreciation for our country.
Categories: Opinion
