NILAI-NILAI KARAKTER MATA KULIAH UMUM (MKU) BAGI MAHASISWA

Sari

In curriculum structure of high education level, there is a group of courses, the existence of which is as if salt. Its presence is very desirable but it is not valued highly. Cooking with less or even no salt will have no taste. But when the salt becomes flavoring in for example gule kambing cooking, people will no longer remember its existence. What the people remember is the deliciousness of goat meat and its broth. Similarly, the existence of general course (mata kuliah umum = MKU) in the structure of high education curriculum is very important but it is not valued highly, even it is as if marginalized like stepchild. It occurs in various colleges, particularly in study program developing natural and reengineering sciences. Even in United States of America, MKU is perceived as the neglected stepchild of the undergraduate experience. Poor perception on MKU is in contradiction with the objective of organizing the course group, i.e. as the attempt of helping the personality development of students in order to serve as the members of society, nation, and state. Then, MKU also attempts to grow the students’ sensitivity to social problems arising in the society, and to provide basic knowledge to make the students capable of thinking in interdisciplinary manner, understanding various scholars’ thought thereby facilitating them to communicate. In contemporary terminology, MKU works to balance the three aspect of student ability known as the balance between Intellectual Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), and Spiritual Quotient (SQ). Nowadays, the most appropriate moment for the organizer of college to make academic repent by means of revitalizing the general course professionally. Otherwise, this nation’s moral actually deteriorates. Other evidences of deteriorated moral are: (1) poor mastery of national language (local area and Indonesia) as the result of language imperialism. (2) Excessive pride of foreign product (various cultural artifact). (3) Dissatisfaction with state in dealing with corruption, public service, government performance. (4) Intentional or unintentional brain drain. (5) No solid national education self-identity as the result of education imperialism.