Most US colleges and universities have a core curriculum in arts and sciences that is typically justified with the claim that a broad education better prepares a person to be a citizen in a free democratic society. When I was in Turkey this summer, I observed that their colleges lack such a curriculum and there are serious questions about how democratic Turkey is. On the other hand, the UK also lacks such a broad college curriculum but most people think it is pretty democractic and their citizens no less prepared for freedom than US citizens.

Can anyone think of a simple question or test that might verify or falsify the claim that our broad college curriculum helps college graduates be better democratic citizens? The question or test would have to be posed to college students who have taken at least some of these core courses.

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