The United States as a power in education and information

I was flipping through one of my old books, Barron’s 2001 Profiles of American Universities, the other day and once again noticed several unique characteristics of the United States as the world’s educational powerhouse.

First, the United States is a distinct educational destination that values ​​pluralism. In addition to the tens of thousands of educational institutions that house students from the United States and around the world that dot the landscape of this gigantic country, the United States offers a whole world of university courses. These programs are relevant to the American population. Eskimo studies, Jewish studies, Native American studies, Hispanic and Mexican American or Chicano studies, and, in recent years, Filipino studies, are some of the unique programs offered in American universities that reflect the history and heritage increasingly multicultural and pluralistic. of the American people (it can also be inferred that the old colonial masters offer courses in their universities that reflect their imperial past. In the UK, Egyptology is a course offered at Oxford University and Cambridge University. This scenario expresses British interest in Egypt, which was historically one of the colonies in the spheres of influence of imperial Britain). As a resident of Boston, I am well aware that the United States, especially Boston, Massachusetts, is the cornerstone of global education. For example, shop at a local Abercrombie and Fitch store and you’ll be met by hordes of multicultural youth. You can hear them speaking Central European, French, Japanese, British English, and thousands of other lingua francas, demonstrating how the United States is the world’s quintessential educational hotspot. You’ll also find a group of well-dressed Japanese tourists politely volunteering to take a photo of me as I strolled down School Street in Boston, thinking I was a visitor like them. Or a volunteer from the Red Cross mistaking me for a student and asking me for my contribution. I agree with LL Cool J, a well-known rap artist, in pointing out that regardless of whether the United States faces financial and political turmoil, the superpower will always be number one in the world primarily because it is a creative hub. Given the millions of citizens of this growing and educational heartland, imagine the sheer creativity this population can produce.

Second, no country in the world is as democratic as the United States. Academic freedom prevails everywhere. Students are encouraged to get involved and express their views as early as elementary school. The popularity of talk shows airs during the day, prime time, and night, suggesting you’re in Oprah country.

Third, in the United States, the right to information is highly respected and observed. America is a reading society. Publications and documentation are valued for their purpose of keeping the American public abreast of knowledge and events that affect their daily lives. Also, if you are curious about something in particular under the sun, expect that when you google it, a lot of information will be available for that topic that has already been posted or blogged about. I particularly experienced this when doing my research on this contemporary phenomenon of students doing study abroad programs or going abroad to study at university. Lo and behold, I realized that the United States has institutionalized the topic of my graduate thesis and has even coined the term for it: international education. And boy, institutions like the Institute of International Education in New York City (where I asked for my necessary references to complete my study) and international education experts have been around for a long time! Also, another scenario for how this information center works is that just two months after the 33 Chilean miners were trapped in the century-old copper and gold mine in Chile, the book The 33 Men by American author Jonathan Franklin had already been published. . Indeed, the United States is the place to be when you need a wealth of information for your research paper or simply enjoy learning and discovering more. In addition, art films abound that focus on the vast tendencies of human nature, such as the ballet psychodrama Black Swan starring Natalie Portman, Michael Fassbender’s film about sex addiction explained in Shame, and the story of love between a young student and an old Lolita style. The film An Education, starring Peter Sarsgaard and Carey Mulligan, makes it easy for your inner humanity to unfold tremendously if you live in the United States. This educational heart enables an individual’s intention to be highly educated, civilized, elegant, and cultured.

Fourth, apparently Americans have a role and a voice in almost every field of human knowledge and interest. They take an interest in, discover, and document anything under the sun that everyone knows them by, like naming dinosaurs (19th-century Yale scholars are credited with this), mooing cows for the benefit of industry (Thanks to Temple Grandin, an American prodigy in animal science and animal behavior), and National Geographic’s informative stories in its magazine about the lavender-laden perfume fields of Provence, the aquatic wonders of the Galapagos Islands, the dramatic spill of Exxon Valdez oil in Alaska and the tea-colored Orinoco waterway in the heart of Venezuela. The United States certainly allocates substantial funds to defend not only its citizens, but also the people of the rest of the world, the inalienable right to know.

Fifth, being the Mecca of Education of the world as it is, the United States is an acclaimed investor in people. It provides opportunities to anyone who intends to do whatever it takes to achieve their life plans, regardless of their background. For example, Temple Grandin, a typical Boston resident, was diagnosed with high-functioning autism at a young age. Later in her life, she became an expert in animal science. Dr. Grandin is an American physician specially trained in animal science and behavior. Gifted and versatile, she has gone on to become a professor at Colorado State University, a best-selling author, a consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior, and the inventor of the hug machine, designed to calm hypersensitive people and a mode of stress relief therapy. In 2010, Dr. Grandin’s life story was made into a movie under her name. The inspiring film won a Golden Globe for Claire Danes, the actress who played the title role.

Finally, the American offering of Scandinavian studies, British studies, Canadian studies, Dutch and Polish studies in some of its tertiary institutions shows the intention of the United States to extend its appendages of influence, be it political, economic or cultural, to the territories treated by these. study programs. Furthermore, it is in the ideals of the United States to strengthen its established diplomatic relations with its allies, with the goal of gaining a better knowledge and understanding of these countries. In the American TV show, Rick Steves’ Europe, I am surprised to come to the conclusion that American expats are everywhere, studying and becoming better acquainted with the other transients of this world. Rick Steves is an American author, historian, and television personality who hosts his Eurocentric travel show. The episodes feature Mr. Steves traveling through strange but amazingly picturesque places, such as the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, the Balkan side, and other delights of the Adriatic. In one of the episodes, he met a fellow American writer and permanent resident of Slovenia who wrote a travel guide about life and times in the land of southern Europe. Additionally, an American scholar, David Timberman, vividly captured a lucid account of the Philippine socio-cultural landscape in his book A Changeless Land: Continuity and Change in Philippine Politics, one of my required readings in grad school. As an observer, these scenarios present the United States as projecting an international presence similar to the Roman Empire. So you might expect that if you traveled to unconventional tourist destinations like Greenland or Iceland, you could always expect to find hints of Americanness.

This is how America functions as the educational center of the globe. I must say that any enthusiastic observer and willing learner could develop intellectually in a fertile land for educational activities that is the United States.