Purpose of Friends World

This a can of worms if there ever was one. Different opinions about Friends World's purpose(s) and its praxis towards achieving that purpose have run riot ever since the late sixties, when students' disagreement with the faculty and administration about Friends World's methods prompted a restructuring of the whole school.

Among the priorities you have to consider are those connected with various social and moral agendas (on a variety of levels), independent study vs. guidance by faculty, multicultural education, relatively non-hierarchical governance, survival (financially), dialogic education, competence in any of a number of skills, and so on. These different priorities of purpose lead to two areas of contention: First, because education is one way of continuing or changing a social system, people with different social agendas approach learning differently. For every point made in this Guidebook, it would probably not be hard to find someone who disagreed with it, perhaps vehemently. Second, even those who agree on a purpose may have priorities when it comes to achieving that purpose, and the same issues come up. These differences are a part of the history of Friends World, going back to the mid-sixties and continuing through every World Conference, every Community Meeting, every compromise in an advising relationship, and every "classroom revolution."

Some sociologists hold that disagreement is a natural part of a living, evolving community. Issues surface, are eventually resolved one way or another, and the community changes and grows. A community (including our Learning Community) that never questions its own underpinnings is probably as good as dead.

That is why all of this has been hedging around the question of the purpose of Friends World-- it is an issue to be explored dialogically, not expressed in a workbook. Talk to people about it. Just for reference purposes, here are the Statement of Purpose and Mission Statement of Friends World:

The purpose of a Friends World Education is to encourage men and women from every nation:

to treat the entire world as their university
to take the most urgent human problems as the basis of their curriculum
to seek together designs for a more human future, and
to consider the whole of humankind as their ultimate loyalty.

The Friends World Program Takes as its mission the development of well-educated world citizens, men and women from a broad spectrum of nationality and social class who participate in an undergraduate liberal arts program that enables them:

To combine first-hand experiences of diverse cultural realities with the critical study of academic disciplines and human and ecological problems
To test intellectual theories and skills against the demands of practice and service
To carry out specialized field study under expert guidance that sythesizes cross-cultural observation and analysis while promoting cross-cultural understanding; and
To develop a broad world view and a level of achievement in a chosen field sufficient to prepare for a life of committed action in the interest of the world community.

Workshop Discussion Sparks

What are the purposes of Education? (as a social phenomenon?)
What are the purposes of college education?
What are the purposes of Friends World?
What are the purposes of YOUR education?
What are the differences between these and can they be reconciled? Should they be?
What is the role of the Portfolio in fulfilling any of these purposes?

Inspired and Creative

This topic is really huge. Almost any endeavor relating to it will require a lot of stamina. Examinations of the history of Friends World and it purposes, studies of educational pedagogy, and whatever other issues are all around you-- these are all potential projects to spend (possibly vast amounts of) your time on.

Rigorous Training

As huge as these issues are, a look at them is important in making your Learning Plan, particularly in the description of your goals in education and life. The goals statement of your Learning Plan is a medium-scale project that can get you used to thinking about goals and purposes. Do a priority grid, to see which aims of Friends World (or of your own) are most important to you (see PRIORITIZATION(G.3) in this Workbook)

AAAAAGGGHHHH!

If you are in a tizzy about the purpose of Friends World, chances are you've just had an argument about it, an identity crisis of one kind or another, or an especially frustrating Community Meeting. Sometimes a mediator or a good facilitator (in meetings) can help. The important thing to remember when you get frustrated and cynical with this is: you are not the first by any means. Friends World has continued through and even thrived on heated dissension over what aspects of itself are the most important. Keep your Student Coordinator and Student Executive informed of what you think so that they can do something about it, and above all, don't let it burn you out. Some things are important, but if it drives you up the wall, you're going to be no help to yourself or to anyone else. If you're having trouble figuring out your own priorities, get a good sample of a variety of other people's and work from there; do a priority grid if you want.

See Also

The Student Handbook: sections on the mission statement, the defining characteristics of Friends World, the Learning Plan (esp. the Goals Statement)
LEARNING PLAN: GOALS STATEMENT (A.2.a)
LEARNING PLAN: LEARNING OBJECTIVES (A.2.b)
PROCESS AND PRODUCT (C.6)
PRIORITIZATION (G.3)
STRESS (HA HA) (H.3)
QUESTIONING ASSUMPTIONS (C.2)
ADVISING (I.3)
DIALOGUE (D.2)
COMMUNITY MEETINGS (J.2)
EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION/LEARNING CYCLE (C.1)
Kirk Wattles' 1982 Senior Thesis, a history of Friends World until then
heated and lukewarm discussion in past Mooncycles and Center Newsletters

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