Principia College - Sheaf Yearbook (Elsah, IL)

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The student who is so naive as to think that the past can be dis- missed as a 'failure' or as of no 'relevance' to himself is simply one Who has no understanding of the lessons which it can teach us. I believe it was Gen. George C. Marshall who said that he never could have understood the complexities of a land-sea-air World-Wide involvement in WW II Without having read T hucydides on the Peloponneasian War of the 5th Century BC. 'Plus ca changeg plus c'est la meme chose. ' HIS- ' TORY is especially merciless to ttllt , . pppynyciiy ,ny,n n y I TE those H15 who neglect it. One ple's of the gravest dangers of our times is peo- ignorance of the environment and its proh- lems. Therefore, the goal of the BIOLOGY DE- PARTMENT is to develop and promote an under- standing and appreciation of the living environment which surrounds man. JAMES Political Science A study of POLITICAL SCIENCE involves learning how human beings act in the political arena--how governments are organized, how political systems operate, how governments carry on relations. In addition, the 'Poly Sci' Department places special emphasis on how in- dividual citizens and officials can have a posi- tive impact on society through governmental and political activity.

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Emphasis in Academics The problem with our learning right now is that none of it is clicking. We're all told, 'Don't Worry, you'll understand it. ' I don't think stu- dents ARE Luiderstanding what this broad liberal arts training has led them to. If you say it's led you to be a better learner, it seems like an empty victory--especially when your pockets are empty, and you' re looking for employment and all you can say to an employer is, 'Well, I'm a learner. ' The difficulty as evidenced in employment problems after college, is that We've been so obsessed with learning how to learn that We've forgotten to apply it. We've forgotten to learn anything. it's a more profound problem than just the fact that there aren't any jobs, because there ARE jobs. There aren't any employees. The World wants skill 3 the world wants intelligence, energy, and a demonstrated ability to achieve. The need is two-fold. We need a wide aca- demic breadth, the whole man. We need a man who KNOWS what it's like to run a mile, what it's like to do a lab, what it's like to analyze a poem, what it's like to learn a language. How- ever, this breadth sometimes can lead to great shallowness. Therefore we also need to have a depth experience. Unless you know what concen- trated Work in a field is, you'll never be able to concentrate in any area or field. Simply intellectualizing about the learning pro- cess isn't going to make you a learner, isn't going to make you learned. We'Ve got to realize that learning to learn does not necessarily pre- clude the acquisition of knowledge. It seems to me that We are so hung up on talking about how to learn to learn that We forget there's another Way--learning. l think this move toward the understanding that learning is more than a teacher filling empty vessels is a marvelous progression. But at the same time we run the danger of over- reacting, of saying, in fact, we're all empty vessels. 'Education' comes from the Latin 'educere'--to lead out. Leading out implies to me coming from something and going to something, not just realizing that you are walking. --Clark Beim- Esche aa: uri. -J' -, - Xlygzga- tr. . 5 1 mil' J K s 5, Q i, ! ' . 3 ' '.- 1 f ' ffl. 'a-f paw ' 31' ' 1, ': i.Q5 g :gsx 'sx N L zpftiaf ll ',' I 23 ' K' ,I fi: J' 6'5',' z' : 2 'Q ,az .5 Q -I 5- Q . '1 u-.ul

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A study of SOCIOLOGY, the field of human re- lationships and group inter-actions, should pro- vide an opportunity to use the scientific method in the social sciences and a lesson in objective thinking. It should encourage the student to build insight and constructive attitudes, to cultivate a respect for others and a desire for the greatest possible development of others, and to help eli- minate feelings of prejudice. As each of us will find ourselves Working with people throughout our lives, an understanding of human motivation and behavior is invaluable. Course work and counseling in the MATHE- MATICS DEPARTMENT are career-directed. However, our objective is two fold: first, to prepare students to use math as a tool in the natural or social sciences, second, to see the relation and impact of math on the rest of socie ty. In this way We can guard against any deci- sions which would use math or science to en- slave rather than to liberate mankind. 415'-I