Last Monday night's communication class was very intense because of an e-mail I sent to my classmates. The class is called "group communication and problem solving". We have a project, which is to answer the controversial question, "Is the war in Iraq justified?"

The topic was chosen through a group brainstorming and elimination process. We were instructed to choose a controversial topic question. This is so that we have to overcome obstacles to communication in order to successfully complete the project. The way the project has been organized, each person is responsible for doing some research, communicating within their small group, and also communicating with the larger class as a whole.

We were further instructed to come up with five sub-topic questions, the answers to which would help us decide the answer to the main topic question. The subtopic questions are (let's see if I can remember them all):

1. Is America more secure as a result of the war in Iraq?
2. Is the administration providing good reason for the war?
3. With the national debt increasing, can we afford the war?
4. Are the Iraqis better off as a result of the war?
5. Is democracy in a foreign country worth fighting for?

I got stuck with question 5 because my small group thought it was "philosophical". Oh joy.

I have a problem which is that my mind is in a whirlwind about what it would take to actually answer some of these questions - if answers are even humanly possible. This is of course the wrong attitude (for lack of a better word right now) for this class. The professor is certainly not worried about the answer - she is worried about whether we can overcome our political differences in order to work together. In general my classmates are not interested in doing a lot of research. They want to type in keywords and get easy answers from the internet.

I am incensed by the whole process. This is a very serious topic. What really gets me going is the total lack of critical thinking skills in the group. My classmates are getting their information and rationales from political speeches and interviews. They are using quotes from the administration without asking themselves if the reasoning makes sense (which it doesn't). Moreover, the hard evidence that was used was irrelevant, and yet it was presented as if it answered the question.

If these years of college have proved to me one thing, it is this: America's high schools are pursuing the wrong educational philosophy. I am a prime example. I thought I got a good education, and in some ways, that was true. But critical thinking skills were not a part of it. I had to come to college to get that. Everyone should get that in high school. There's too much emphasis on "the three R's". Everyone should have a handle on those by the fifth or sixth grade. After that, they should be trained to think for crying out loud.

Ah well, this has turned into a rant. See how easily I fall into that trap. I didn't even tell you about the e-mail I sent to all my classmates that got them all emotional. Maybe next time.

Now my picture isn't at the top anymore. See how I will inevitably and inexorably descend lower and lower.