The Fall of Rome – Lessons for Us

Professor Judith Adler at Memorial University in Newfoundland had a hunch that her students lacked basic geographical knowledge, knowledge fundamental to understanding the world around them--thus she decided to examine her hunch by testing her students. As reported in Canada’s National Post, under the headline, “Lost without a map: Despite a globalized society, university students can’t locate the Atlantic Ocean,” she reported: “I used to ask if they could identify France, England or Ireland--which is the background of a lot of students here, or Spain or Portugal, which is important for this part of the world, but I’ve stopped asking that.” (January 15, 2013) Over time, she simplified her questions. “I asked them to indicate where on the map South America is, where Africa is, and Antarctica, the Arctic, and to circle Europe, label Australia and show where Asia is and label the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans and Mediterranean Sea--and I’ve become much simpler in what I have asked over the years,” Ms. Adler says. How did her students fare? I think you can see ahead that they didn’t do very well, but why is this important? I’ll answer these questions in a moment. I’ll also be offering an important resource in connection with today’s program, so be sure to have writing material available to take down the contact information. Stay with me because I’ll give you the surprising answer to Ms. Adler’s quiz, and show you why this subject is important.