Emily Gustafson

Professor ​​Boyle

ENG 170-34

May 12th 2022

Critical Reading Assessment 

In the article :”Why Colleges Should Require a Gap Year” published by Jonathan Zimmerman, Zimmerman first introduces the idea of past presidential candidates proposing a bill that requires teens to enlist in national service after highschool. Both times this bill was proposed, it didn’t even make it to the floor vote because the Constitution bars involuntary servitude. Zimmerman proposes that instead of having it be a legal requirement, colleges should begin to require a service dedicated gap year before allowing students to graduate. This is because in doing so colleges would produce better students for a better country, crafting hardworking and dedicated Americans. 

The thesis of this article is “Even if a national-service bill miraculously passed, the courts might strike it down. That’s why our colleges and universities need to step up. Although the federal government is unlikely to require national service, we could. And the benefits would be extraordinary- not just for our students and our country, but for higher education itself” because this is the main claim that the article builds off of. Zimmerman not only spends the entire introductory paragraph building up this idea but then builds his smaller claims off of this statement.

One smaller claim that Zimmerman makes in order to back up his claim is that in requiring students to take a gap year they would be creating better students and a better country. Zimmerman supports his claim by listing all of the things students would be able to accomplish, stating “Our students would clean up our parks and rivers. They would visit senior citizens. They would serve food at homeless shelters, soup kitchens and prisons. They would assist teachers in kindergartens and elsewhere at schools. They would help disabled. Along the way they would meet thousands of people who are not like them. That would burst their college bubbles, where they are too often surrounded by the like-minded”(Zimmerman). In proposing all of the ways that students could volunteer their service to help those in need, he is able to propose a convincing argument to his audience.

Another smaller claim that Zimmerman makes in order to back up his thesis is that in doing so they would crush the stereotype of gap years being reserved for the privileged. In the article the author states that most gap year projects are “often expensive sponsored trips” and “making service compulsory for everyone would erase the elitist shine of gap years which are way too often reserved for the privileged”. In this claim, he is stating that he understands how not everyone is able to afford a higher education  let alone a gap year trip dedicated to service. In doing so, he is backing up his claim by proposing that making it a requirement would give all students the equal opportunity to serve without all the expenses. 

Throughout the article, Zimmerman connects and appeals to his audience by proposing logical reasons as to how his claim would be able to make America go back to the way it used to be. The use of logos is a very strong theme throughout the article because all of his claims logistically makes sense. It would make sense to make students dedicate a year to national service because community service is already a requirement for most majors. In having students get out into the real world, it would teach them far much more than a professor in a classroom can do. Zimmerman connects to his audience by basing his main claim off of the idea and emotions surrounding bringing back American pride. By basing his article on claims that support old fashioned American values and everything that higher education facilities vouch for, he is able to grasp his audience’s attention. 

Throughout the article, Zimmerman gives multiple reasons as to why it would make sense for colleges to require a gap year dedicated to service work, whether it is in natural habitat restoration or military service. In doing so, it does make sense because a lot of majors require community service and field work before being eligible to find work. It would also break down the stereotype of only rich people being able to take the opportunity to go on service trips. I feel as though Zimmerman’s idea is a fantasy that could slowly but surely become a reality. If the government can’t make this a legal requirement because it counts as involuntary servitude, it doesn’t make it any better if colleges begin to try to get away with the same. I feel as though gap years shouldn’t be legally required to graduate, but should be strongly encouraged based on your major. For example, as an education major myself I feel as though it would be important to get involved in field work as soon as possible for the sake of building up experience. In making it highly encouraged and allowing for benefits from it, such as paying less for school or field work that caters to your major, I could see this becoming a part of higher education systems in the future.