<p>Prompt: In recent years, many schools have adopted a "Great Books" - based curriculum. These schools require students to study certain designated classic books of Western civilization, arguing that the familiarity with these "Great Books" is essential to the education. However, opponents of this curriculum argue that forcing students to use only the "Great Books" curriculum, most of which is written by White, European authors, results in a biased view on the world. In your opinion, should schools adopt a "Great Books" - based curriculum?</p>
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<p>Many schools have hotly debated whether the use of the "Great Books" curriculum is an appropriate addition to student education. Such curriculum forces students to read classic books based on Western Civilization and its origins - an issue as such books may be biased or have varying political views. Although such books may emphasize learning about early western culture, the curriculum is flawed as it ends up forcing students to have extensive knowledge in solely one kind of civilization - ignoring the other civilizations such as those in the east.</p>
<p>Although becoming familiar with one's own civilization may be seen as paramount to student education, the knowledge gained by learning about various cultures and civilizations supersedes that gained by learning specifically about western civilization. Learning only about western civilization provides a one sided view of a multi-cultural world. Students should be aware of the civilizations around the world, and emphasizing the "Great Books" curriculum will create deficiencies in their knowledge of global culture.</p>
<p>Furthermore, most of the classic material read in the"Great Books" curriculum is biased and politically influenced. Such curriculum paints an inaccurate picture of the western world and will often provide students with incomplete knowledge of the past. Incomplete knowledge serves no purpose to the students and greatly downgrades the quality of student education.
Also, such biased curriculum can also put down other civilizations and make them seem inferior - further giving wrong impressions of other cultures. </p>
<p>The adoption of the "Great Books" curriculum has caused controversy among various schools, but refusing to adopt this curriculum will greatly benefit schools across the nation and ensure that the quality of education doesn't falter. This curriculum will prevent students from getting a better view of the world as it compels them to focus solely on western civilization. Even with a focus on western civilization, these books are often biased by European authors of the past, providing students with an artificial perspective. The "Great Books" curriculum serves as a bane to the education of students and should not be used in schools across the nation.</p>
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