Oscar A. Rudenstam | Why we need both theory and practice in education

The Idealistic Pragmatist | We can do more to embrace theoretical and practical approaches in education simultaneously

By Oscar A. Rudenstam 03/02/15 10:22pm

As students at Penn, Benjamin Franklin’s espousal of both practical and theoretical education and their intersection in the foundation of the University has hardly escaped us. While this approach was not there right away from Penn’s foundation, it has since become a defining characteristic of the University — one repeatedly emphasized by President Amy Gutmann, numerous deans and others speaking for the University. To some, this excitement about interdisciplinarity between academic areas may appear but a marketing trick for the University to attract students who are indecisive about their majors, but to others, the idea is imbued with a far greater importance, one which it indeed deserves.

In many other systems of higher education around the world, students are to choose one subject to study before applying to college, and they subsequently have to apply specifically to a program exclusively devoted to that particular subject, with little flexibility thereafter. The liberal arts system popular in the United States is different in the sense that it gives students the ability to explore, combine and connect subjects in a variety of ways, a freedom which has a value often overlooked. At a place like Penn, the access to a range of both the more theoretical academic subjects as well as the more applied and practical subjects provides us with a multitude of opportunities to build interdisciplinary bridges — opportunities embraced by some, but left uncontemplated by others.

Ben Franklin himself, a true polymath, exemplifies the power of interdisciplinarity and diversity in both knowledge and application. To anyone who has read about his life, the seeming ease with which he moves to whatever new intriguing problem or cause that catches his interest is — even more than it might seem — astounding and a source of inspiration. When I myself read Walter Isaacson’s popular biography about Ben’s long life, I found his ability to make a difference by applying himself to different areas and causes, motivated by a desire to make a change, surprisingly refreshing. This may seem like a cliche, but especially in the rationalized society of today — where constructed and imagined barriers exist in universities and elsewhere — reminding ourselves of this possibility to apply ourselves in a wide range of ways is, I believe, quite warranted. While we are no longer in the 18th century, and while it is more difficult to be strong across the disciplines, striving to find diverse applications to specific causes important to us should still be highly regarded, and we should by no means limit ourselves in this respect.

By thinking about their knowledge and skills in terms of how they can apply it to some cause with the intent of making a difference, and tailoring their curriculums accordingly, some students at Penn are already finding the benefits in this approach, but many still have not seized the opportunity. A traditional idea in progressive education, going back to advocates like John Dewey, is the role of the practical end of the things to which we dedicate ourselves, no matter whether it is in a more applied or theoretical subject. Acknowledging that making a difference in the 21st century often depends on the conception of novel and innovative approaches, the value of an approach characterized by the importance of interdisciplinarity and the marriage between the theoretical and applied sides to knowledge, with its aptness for finding new insights, is not difficult to grasp. Indeed, a place like Penn not only offers the ability to pursue this very path, but with its active advocacy of approaches of this nature, offers an extraordinary opportunity to do this.

Elementary as this message may seem, the fact remains that many of us remain constrained by barriers in terms of both our acquisition and application of knowledge and skills. Much like Ben Franklin did in his time, we would do well to move across these if we want to bring about substantial change and make an impact.

OSCAR A. RUDENSTAM is a visiting junior from Tokyo, studying economics, sociology and business. His email address is osru@sas.upenn.edu. “The Idealistic Pragmatist” appears every other Tuesday.

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