|
Nowadays most of the chinese universities do not set basic science courses, like physics and chemistry,as the optional courses. Due to this situation, some people criticize that university students should obtain some rudimentary and essential science knowledge, therefore, they should take basic science course, regardless of their field of concentration. As far as I am concerned, the university should not force all students to take basic sciecnce course. In order to know the physical world better, we do need some basic science knowledge, but we can achieve that goal with some rudimentary knowledge which have been taught in our high school. It is needless to repeatedly teach these knowledge in university, where every student has been specialized. If there are students who are extremely interested in physics, for instance, they can aquire deepper physical theory through choosing optional courses or taking physics as the second major.
The other reason why I goes against with the suggestion to make basic science course obligatory is that though all students were forced to take the basic science course,
the ones majoring in social science, arts and humanilty, who are lack of outstanding mathmatic skills, still could not learn basic science well. Mathmatics and basic science tightly connect with each other. Seldomly can a student who fails in a mathmatic test get high score in basic science course. To students who specified in arts, learning these courses is so defficult that they even are not able to understand the basic mathmatic formula used in the basic science theory. In contrary, if they spent the time on composition, they would have made a euphonic music already. In additon, fairness may be jeopardised when the students from different majors are forced to study in the same course and take the identical test, becase their mathmatic ablility are in different level. It is needless and useless to set the basic science course as obligatory course. The university should be a place where everyone is able to find their own interests, unique blinking points and develop the ablility to maximum to be an expert in one or two field, meeting the requirments of specilized job market. |