Wildcat editorial missed point of general education courses for college students

Editor:

The anonymous author of the opinion piece that appeared on Friday questioned the relevance and meaning of general education courses. As an example, the author mentioned Middle Eastern Humanities. I believe the author has missed the point of a university education, which is to produce educated people who have some knowledge of the world around them.

One week ago I heard Gareth C. C. Chang, Corporate Senior Vice President of Hughes Electronics and President of Hughes International say, "Many Americans believe it is up to others to understand us, not the other way around. These people couldn't be more wrong. The truth is that the world is becoming more intertwined than ever before. Those who fail to broaden their horizon beyond American borders will be left behind... prominent economists have said, nowadays knowledge provides the only true competitive edge. In this Age of Information, the importance of international education can only grow. With the global marketplace, and eventually the global mall, international education will become an absolute essential." We have much to learn from the world around us, including new ways of thinking. The more we are curious, the more creative we will be.