Feb
6
Tuta Libertas
February 6, 2013 | Tagged Dickinson, Latin, Liberal Arts | 2 Comments
Tuta Libertas. ”A bulwark of Liberty.” These are the words that John Dickinson used to describe Dickinson College. These words are important because they help guide Dickinson’s mission of a useful and progressive liberal arts education. Literacy can be defined as the ability to read and write coherently, and the ability to think critically about what you are reading and writing. Dickinson’s liberal arts education incorporates literacy into its curriculum by teaching students to think, read, write, and analyze coherently, critically, and freely.
A central part of this liberal arts education is the “writing culture”, which deepens critical thinking skills. The ability to read and write in this way gives students powerful tools to help them succeed in life beyond Dickinson, regardless of their major. In fact, the completion of a writing intensive course is required for graduation. Writing can be found as a component in most of Dickinson’s courses, from the first year seminar, to the writing intensive courses, up until the senior seminar. There are also additional resources available for students such as the Norman M. Eberly Writing Center and the Multilingual Writing Center. As we continue our Dickinson education, we become more and more literate across disciplines and in different fields of study. Tuta Libertas- the freedom to think, read, write, and analyze creates the basis for Dickinson College. Without it, Dickinson would not be what it is today…It’s no wonder that literacy plays such an important role in defining the character of Dickinson College.
Comments
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I find this an extremely compelling post. I never considered Dickinson’s writing culture before, but now that I do think about it, writing has always been something that has been emphasized at the college. As a writing tutor myself, I often see the flip-side of this. Oftentimes, I see students who come into the writing center because they are required by a professor. They have been “forced” into this writing culture and are reluctant to willingly participate. I think that the writing culture at Dickinson is very important, but it is very interesting to see students who do not want to be a part of such literacy and must anyway. This makes me wonder if there are other types of cultural literacies in which people do not want to participate, and whether these types of literacies ultimately benefit or harm such people.
Michelle, Taylor, you won’t be surprised to hear that I wholeheartedly agree in the importance of Dickinson’s writing culture! Michelle, your harkening back to the Latin motto of the College invites revisiting of the recent debate on campus about whether Dickinson diplomas should still be in Latin. The College (spurred largely by an op-ed in the NYTimes by Prof. Christopher Francese) opted to move to English diplomas. After all, for all of the writing you do in your solid liberal arts education, you no longer have to learn Latin. What do you do with a diploma you can’t read?
Check out: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/opinion/15Francese.html?_r=0