Journal Entry # 5- Separation Between Theory and Practice in American Universities.

One debate that arose from the text, English Studies was Dewey’s elaborated viewpoint to the fact that universities should assume the responsibility of promoting pedagogy. As he states, “To decline to recognize this intimate connection of professions in modern life with the discipline and culture that come from pursuit of truth for its own sake, is to be at least one century behind times (MCComiskey 12).” Dewey argues that to promote social democracy, the universities must bridge the gap between mind and matter, class and function and one’s destiny. His belief is that the distinction between professions should be viewed as equal importance. In that, the labor force, jobs should not be demoralized based on practice, but rather, there must be seen as an equilibrium based on common intellect. Thus, fostering professional life to flourish on an equal scale amongst students and the quality of education to drastically improve. Dewey notes that, unless this practice is adopted, universities are doomed to failure because dissolution of distinction between knowledge conquers the educational system.

Dewey cared about interdependence in the working world because he saw that devaluing education and intellect amongst the educated to be a form of social barrier and inequality.
If each student receives the same quality of education, then why should the field of practice or specialty which he chooses be more important than the other?
For Dewey, it was imperative to uphold the distinction between intellectuals and the working world, in order to maintain “old-school elitism” which was beginning to decline at the turn of the nineteenth century.