Journal Entry 5

The introduction to English Studies was interesting to me. The English professor was attempting to come up with an argument why his field was better than those of his colleagues. Most people just go through their day while studying in their field. When questioned, not many are able to quickly point out why their field of study is useful to humanity.

One problem among English studies is the problem of specialization. Each specialty no longer looks at itself as part of a larger field of study. Rather, each specialty thinks that it is its own field, its own discipline. Pride also can become a problem. For example, a professor of Specialty A believes that it is of more use and “better” than Specialty B. This may be true even if both A and B are part of a bigger field and are both equally important. Some scholars believe that specialization is needed to ensure that students learn the field and its knowledge. Other scholars point out and emphasize the negatives of specialization which were mentioned earlier.