Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Continuing with the topic idea
Since the first time I wrote in this my topic ideas have changed a little. The analytical essay made me think of more and more ideas for what I would like to write about. The idea of who should pay for college and privatization. To go in more depth to see who deserves scholarships and who should pay for college out of topic would be very interesting to me. When searching through the internet, I came to notice how scholarships are so difficult to acquire these days and those who receive them should take full advantage of the privilege they are granted. Also, I check out the prices for college tuition, which are on the rise. College just keeps getting more and more expensive, meaning scholarships will be in higher demand. The other side of the debate could be how everyone deserves the right to an education, which I agree with but when people don't work up to their full potential they should have to pay for their education them self. In my research I found some of the most expensive colleges from 2008-2009. Including Sarah Lawrence which is $ 53,000 a year, according to http://www.campusgrotto.com/most-expensive-colleges-for-2008-2009.html. I will still venture other topics but this could be an interesting topic to choose.
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There are lots of interesting ways of approaching the topic of who should pay for college and how. You could focus on whether or not college is worth it (there is lots of interesting research on that) or is it an over-priced commodity? You could analyze the pressures that are pushing the price up and up every year (some of which are suggested even in that blog post you cite). But an interesting one that occurred to me is to analyze the way the rising cost of college is being discussed and "framed" in the media (including TV, radio, blogs, etc). Take the following piece by Jolie Solomon from her CBS Moneywatch blog, where she references a debate on NPR. Look at the way the issue is framed: as purely a private family matter that is between parent and child. As Tad Friend points out, that's not how it always has been. Previous generations saw generous government assistance (in the form of grants and not just loans) to help people pay for college. Having more people go to college was seen as a public good and it got public support. But now the decision of who should pay for college -- at least the way it is framed in the media -- has nothing to do with the benefits to society or the state. According to Solomon, it has to do with your relationship with your child and how much you, as an individual, can afford to pay. In other words, the question of who will pay for rising tuition is being framed in the media as a purely PRIVATE matter. The privatization of college is nearly complete when we cannot imagine another way of discussing the issue.
ReplyDeleteForgot to include the link I am referencing, which is "Tuition Help: Who Should Pay for College Costs?"
ReplyDeleteIsn't that a great title. You might think by the title that it is going to be about government assistance or scholarships. But it is not.