In an earlier post, I looked at how research is suggesting that Americans are hardly as scientifically illiterate as some people have thought. But why? The answer may lie, of all places, in college general-education science courses (the ones that students take even if they aren't science majors).
Unlike Europe, American universities have long embraced general education, the theory that scientists need to know about history, artists need to know about biology, and so on. Professor Jon Miller, who studies science literacy at Michigan State University, expanded on the topic in not one but two sessions at the AAAS conference last weekend, emphasizing that general-ed classes are crucial.
But there are hitches. The classes don't have a lobby: "students aren't demanding more courses for non-science majors," Miller said. Also, "the people who take it aren't grateful at the time they take it."
And university departments aren't too interested in teaching non-majors how to do things. "The pressure is because we take care of our majors first, because we all want to clone ourselves," he said.
