It’s Time Harvard Indoctrinates Learning

Harvard is often vilified for allegedly indoctrinating students. Perhaps it is time the University leaned into these accusations — not for political purposes, but for the sake of education.

Two weeks ago, Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 expressed his disappointment at the lack of knowledge among Harvard students who expressed strong views about the Israel-Palestine conflict. It seems he was particularly struck by their lack of interest in learning the facts of the matter.

Garber, like most of the wider world, likely assumes that Harvard students automatically have an urge for informed discourse. But unless our pedagogy actively inculcates the ideology of learning, this expectation is quixotic to say the least. The University must take an active approach to ensure its students develop an innate enthusiasm and curiosity for learning across a range of academic disciplines.

Most students arrive at Harvard after finishing high school, growing up within the ideologies of their families and communities. Often, Harvard is the first time a student has encountered perspectives that are different from their own. Apparently taking for granted that students can have open conversations on controversial topics given the right environment, Harvard has recently shifted its focus to creating an environment conducive to civil discourse.

Yet, these conversations are hardly happening. According to a University senior survey, only one-third of Harvard’s Class of 2024 felt comfortable expressing their opinions about controversial topics during their undergraduate experience. Thinking and learning are fundamental preconditions to discourse, and we often assume students are already endowed with these “ideologies” when they come to campus. From what I have seen during my first year, this is not the case.

But these values can be taught. We cannot expect learning and critical thinking to flourish outside the classroom unless our classrooms become the mechanism for their development.

On the surface, it seems Harvard is taking steps towards recentering academics. Just last year, the College eliminated the ability for students to take General Education courses on a pass-fail basis, and a faculty committee recently proposed policies in an attempt to curb grade inflation. However, it’s unclear whether these policies are being pursued in response to outside criticism of Harvard’s academic rigor or for the sake of learning itself. Such approaches merely succeed in creating an appearance of improved learning rather than actually convincing students to enjoy learning.

An inquisitive academic culture begins in our classrooms. Currently, policies such as the use of artificial intelligence and attendance are largely left to instructors’ discretion and the honor system. While this flexibility allows for pedagogical autonomy, it also produces inconsistent expectations across courses.

Crucially, a love of learning cannot grow if there is no one present or paying attention in the classroom. Therefore, Harvard needs to adopt a College-wide policy requiring students to attend all classes and sections and banning all unnecessary electronic devices during class.

And within the bounds of the classroom, Harvard needs to persuade its students to broaden their academic perspectives. With a culture largely motivated by grade outcomes — no less exemplified by the College’s obsession with grades — it seems most students stay within the proximity of the academic interest they came to college with, or worse, look for the easiest classes to take.

Thus, in the spirit of broadening students’ perspectives, the College should also design more interdisciplinary courses, and all concentrations should require a number of these courses to fulfill graduation requirements. General Education courses should be restructured to be broader courses that bridge multiple fields, rather than the overly specialized departmental courses they often are now.

This focused attention on interdisciplinary learning can help build a courage for unknown pursuits both in and out of the classroom. Within the classroom, it can give students from different concentrations common topics to converse about. Beyond the classroom, novel pursuits give us new perspectives on our world, which pushes us to cultivate and be respectful of diversified views.

And in the libertarian spirit, if students have the choice to explore their curiosity free of major expectations or commitments, I believe they will take that choice. There is so much Harvard can do: bring back shopping week, make academic debates a ubiquitous part of our courses, encourage auditing, and more. While these measures are often rejected on logistical grounds, they are necessary to build a classroom culture that actively teaches thoughtful, well-informed engagement.

It’s about time Harvard deliberately taught its students to fall in love with learning.

Adnan Bin Alamgir ’29, a Crimson Editorial comper, lives in Stoughton Hall.