I don’t know if Prelutsky has a degree, but I have a B.A. in English and one in French, an M.A. in linguistics, and a teaching credential, and I agree with him. I paid a lot of money for the privilege of being exposed to what was 20% literature and %80 marxist twaddle.
Remember reading the wonderful Langston Hughes...American Communist?
Thank You! And coming from someone who went for Communications...it seemed like the great decision at the time...everyone and their mother is “settling” on communications now as a fall back. An AA has become nothing more than a high school diploma on steroids.
I would tend to agree with you and Prelutsky. I don’t regret living certain experiences in college but MIchigan was awfully expensive and unless you’re going into pharmacy, medicine or engineering it’s just not worth it.
I remember dropping more than one class after discovering the political indoctrination that would occur.
I did have one wonderful professor who taught specialized in southeast Asia and also taught a Vietnam War course and actually said (at Berkeley Midwest!) that he felt the foreign policy of the US was usually oriented, even if awful mistakes or misapprehensions occurred, towards a positive ultimate goal.
However, I remember registering for a Japanese literature course and the professor was wearing all-black. NOt sure why, but I knew it was a signal. Then I read the syllabus and struggled to see where in all the queer, postcolonial and critical theory we were actually going to encounter JAPANESE LITERATURE. I dropped that immediately.
If you’re not in a field where your degree will provide instant entree into a profession, you probably paid too much.
Just read Money magazine and schools that had lagging enrollment RAISED tuition and INCREASED enrollment because now the fools have been convinced that it’s the cost that demonstrates the worth of the university.
A good friend of mine actually finished at U-M and his degree is essentially worthless compared to his time with management experience.
But to get access to those jobs you either stay in the SAME PLACE for a decade or two or you show off your fancy degree and make all the knowledgeable underlings hate you. :)