American education

I am curious about the true nature of competitiveness in American universities. My friend and fellow blogger, Troubled Corinthian, suggests that our engineers could no longer put a man on the moon (and bring him home alive), at least not without help from foreign help. He's seen too many foreign engineers come to the States, and then take that knowledge back to Asia or India. So this drew my attention:

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/blogs/thenextgreatgeneration/2011/12/10_college_courses_you_wish_yo.html

Harvard: “Anime as Global Pop Culture”. If you grew up in 1990s or later, you've definitely watched an anime. I see you trying to deny it because it’s nerdy or whatever, but I don’t believe you. Even if you didn't like it, you’ve probably at least watched the PokémonTV show for two seconds, seen a Hiyao Miyazaki movie, or played a video game with anime-like stylings at some point in your life. Harvard turns a dorky guilty pleasure into an academic pursuit. Tip: Instead of flash cards, make ninja info cards.

Harvard: “HBO’s The Wire and its Contribution to Understanding Urban Inequality”. While most students use HBO as a way to escape homework, some would rather put their television drama-watching ways to good use. Harvard’s class about The Wire takes a critical look at the critically acclaimed show as a way to analyze urban inequality. Your homework will be to watch TV, and you’ll even learn something along the way.

I leave the rest of the contemplation on this to you.