But ethics classes alone are insufficient to help students develop a clear moral compass so that they can rise above ideological catchphrases and wrestle intelligently with moral dilemmas. Instead, colleges and universities need to be more self-critical and rethink what it means for students to be educated. At the same time, academia has become more hesitant: We often avoid challenging our students, avoid putting hard questions to them, avoid forcing them to articulate and justify their opinions. This flies in the face of what a “liberal education” should be. Liberal education should be built around honing critical thinking skills and moral and logical reasoning so students can emerge as engaged citizens.

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Persons: Georgetown —, ” M.I.T, “, ” Organizations: Georgetown, Liberal, The American Association of Colleges, Universities