<p>The students are responsible for their own choices, of course. But the colleges are responsible for theirs, too. If they are willing to put their imprimatur on folks that major in beer, we should publicly acknowledge that that is going on. Plus, individuals’ choices are always influenced by expectations. In other words, even motivated students are less likely to read assignments that are “recommended” versus those that are “required.” I know this always affects my course work.</p>
<p>This does affect people besides those students. Why should we give institutions a big tax break to run a resort, if that is what some of them are doing?</p>
<p>"If we are indeed interested in what it means to learn in a discipline–and the OP claims to be–then discussing what it means to have “exceptional or poor understanding” of the discipline in question seems to be rather relevant. "
-Do you know how to measure it besides standardized testing? If you really do, you are missing an opportunity to make whole ton of $$$ for youself. Plunge before anybody else is taking advantage, make sure do not sahre with anybody.</p>
<p>For the few jobs that specifically require history-major-specific knowledge and skills (perhaps jobs setting up exhibits in a history museum), presumably they would ask about the desired history. But history is a diverse enough field with relatively little in the way of “common core” topics that such questions would be tailored to the job and the specific type of history.</p>
<p>For other jobs that are just seeking people with a bachelor’s degree because it is perceived to be a better filter than a high school diploma or an associates degree, they would probably ask nothing in terms of major-specific questioning.</p>