What Should Colleges Teach?

     I find myself torn between two view points after reading Stanley Fish's "What Should Colleges Teach?" My first thought is that learning composition is very important in order to succeed in today's society which heavily stresses communication. Being able to express yourself clearly on paper is a necessary skill, and it should be important on a collegiate level. Therefore, it seems like a good idea to have outside source monitoring curriculum in the classroom.
     However, my second thought is this: Is the American Council of Trustees and Alumni really the right way to monitor curriculum? In "What Will They Learn? A Report on General Education Requirements at 100 of the Nation’s Leading Colleges and Universities” the American Council of Trustees and Alumni based their scores "on whether students are required to take courses in seven key areas." These areas are composition, literature, foreign language, U.S. government or history, economics, mathematics and natural or physical science. Why do they have the right to make these seven areas the most fundamental to education? None of the arts are even included on this list, which many agree are also fundamental to a well rounded education.