By The Editorial Board

In the time since most of Fordham’s undergraduate students were born, the world has become an increasingly small and connected place.

With the rise of the Internet and the introduction of social media as a common form of communication, people separated by multiple time zones can more easily interact with one another than ever before.

Companies now exist on an international scale and require employees who are comfortable working across oceans and continents. In such a world, holding extensive knowledge of various cultures is often extremely advantageous.

The Jesuit education offered at Fordham presents students with the opportunity to learn about many different — and sometimes conflicting — schools of thought. Particularly in the areas of religion and philosophy, Fordham students can gain exposure to numerous ideologies. Having this kind of knowledge can provide enough context to break down barriers that have existed across cultures for generations and serve as the keystone for building bridges of understanding.

While acknowledging that Fordham does serve the community through the Jesuit mission in many ways, we at The Fordham Ram believe that the academic curriculum is not as extensive as it must be to maximize its potential. Philosophy and theology in particular lack a greater availability to modes of thought beyond Western culture; classes on Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism are offered far less frequently than classes focusing on the New Testament, the Old Testament or Christian Hymns.

There is no individual class based on the Bhaghavad Gita, for instance. Comfortable in the knowledge that Fordham is a Catholic institution with a foundation in Christianity, we look to the Jesuit mission as reason to believe that, even in this environment, our school could do more to cater to the interests of people who want to look beyond the familiar.

In the same way, philosophy classes expound the eudaimonia of Aristotle’s virtue ethics, Mill’s utilitarianism and Kant’s deontology, but there is little to no mention of the equally influential Neo-Confucianism of Imperial China. African philosophy is almost completely absent from the core and Islamic ways of thought are rarely covered, among other neglected cultures.

For the most part, exploring foreign modes of thought beyond the level of a freshman survey does not exist for anyone but philosophy majors. The English department could similarly benefit from offering more courses that encourage students to venture outside the prescribed British and American literature to explore, for example, African Literature or Latin American Literature.

The Honors Program at FCRH would also benefit by embracing a more global perspective. The program currently focuses on European literature, philosophy, history, music and art as it evolved through the Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern and Contemporary time periods. There is room, however, to incorporate other cultures to participate in dialogue with the important Western thinkers and authors.

Fordham’s website says that magis, the Jesuit principle that calls for ever-greater personal excellence in all aspects of life, “accounts for the rigor of intellectual exchange and the varied challenges you will experience in New York City and the world beyond.” In order to prepare students for “the world beyond,” to compete in a global market and to interact with other cultures in a way that does justice to the principles of the Jesuit education, Fordham must incorporate a more pluralistic attitude in its academics.