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The importance of humanities education
The importance of humanities education
The importance of humanities education
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Today in most colleges in our country it is a very coming thing that most graduates have humanitarian classes before they earned their degree upon graduation. According to dalbert the Arthur and experienced student graduate of the ten Important Reasons to Include the Humanities in Your Preparation for a Scientific Career stated that “the reason why humanities classes in college is because it prepares you to fulfill your civic and cultural responsibilities what that means is that these classes help develop citizens in today’s society and not only that it also develops understanding about morals, ethical, political, and ideological forces.”(Dalbert) the second reason is humanities classes help students become familiar with their mind sets and
develop creative ideas so they can be successful in their job areas and one of the statements that I Agree with is that when he stated “Biography, literature, and history offer a window into the understanding of human nature and society” (Dalbert) What the author means in that statement is that in order to understand human behavior in our society we have to observe their actions and their emotions for example society changes from time to time from good to bad to worse based on human behaviors like what happened in Ferguson Missouri due to the riots. The mayor but the society on curfew or martial law to keep the rioters under control. The riot was caused after Michael brown was shot by Darren Wilson a local law enforcement officer on August 9 2014. One of the most important things of all in humanitarian classes is that you learn to communicate with others and work with them that part I Agree with the author to well because communication is used in most jobs today in our society and without communication how can we achieve our goals and we can’t achieve it if we are always quiet all the time and doing nothing. Not only in the school of humanitarian that you could do all those things could you learn foreign language and it is very useful since people from other countries are starting to come in to our country.
As I said before, math and science are important, but the humanities are just as important, if not more. “The humanities, done right, are the crucible within which our evolving notions of what it means to be fully human are put to the test; they teach us, incrementally, endlessly, not what to do but how to be” (Slouka). This quote taken from “Dehumanized” defines and truly puts Slouka’s beliefs into the perspective of what the humanities should teach students and how they should be taught, which I agree with fully. I believe that without the humanities, we, as humans, would all be the same and there would be no room to be different from one another. Whether it be by our culture, religion, or interests, not two people are alike. Individuals should not be bred into being something that they do not want to be or even like Slouka argues, students should not be a “capital investment” for the future of the economy. Students should be investing in themselves to express who they truly are, rather than being something that the economy expects them to
Shiffman believes that the drop in interest in the humanities results in the inability of students to have clear bearings amid life’s uncertainties. He believes that only by studying the humanities will students be able to introspect and recognize that endless achievement may not add up to a meaningful life (Shiffman 5). However, Shiffman fails to realize that this form of reflection need not be done solely by those majoring in the humanities. It can be done by all who try, their fields of study are no limitation. In fact, it may be this same reflection that leads to an individual’s decision to prioritize practicality. Not all those who choose the practical path are doing it for themselves. Many may do it for their families, as a safe and stable means of supporting their loved ones. Others may take this opportunity to give back to their community through the ways they are most skilled. Instead of pursuing a single interest in a certain field, they choose to follow their various callings. Doing solely what an individual loves is a self-centered view of the world. While it is important to chase happiness, it is also important to reflect on what one is doing to spread happiness to the rest of the world. One must find something that they are good at, and put that into the world. They should contribute to others and help the world be better, in addition to following their passions. An individual’s acts of service may just become one of their many passions.
One of the evidence that I found worthy of consideration in Zinsser's text is that "In the late 1960s", "the typical question that I got from students was 'Why is there so much suffering in the world?' or "How can I make a contribution?' Today it's 'Do you think it would look better for getting into law school if I did a double major in history and political science, or just majored in one of them?" (Zinsser 197) This evidence shows that the views on college education is transient and can be changed. At the same time it gives us an idea of what kind of college education Zinsser favors. Real purpose of a college education should not be forced by career or parental influences but by personal choices especially by taking classes in the fields of liberal arts.
In "Becoming a Real Person", Davis Brooks weighs on the notion of the purpose of college. He claims that there are three ways that college aims to lead us. The cognitive objective teaches us knowledge and how to correctly use it, the moral role helps us build a unique individual self, and the commercial role leads us toward a future career. These three roles play a part in improving an individual's future prospects. While I agree on the importance these roles take, Brooks undermines the significance of moral education in higher education.
Many times, high school students are assigned to write essays based on inspirational figures or literature read in class, often requiring the same rhetoric following fastidious rules of English and sprinkling decorative wording across pages. Obeying the formats demanded by teachers is easy enough, but it is not creatively challenging. Author of "What Should Colleges Teach?", Stanley Fish, claims it is to learn the proper ways of composition alone that allows students to flourish; however, I question if it is possible to follow these principles too closely. Can it be so that the curriculum being taught in high schools fail to allow students to realize the potential creativity that can be involved when writing? Instead students are possibly turned
Imagine a cardiovascular surgeon about to crack the sternum of a dying patient; tension is high while the clock of life ticks desperately slower and softer for the poor soul on the cold steel table that saw death the hour before. Is it logical that at that moment the purveyor of life is contemplating whether his freshmen philosophy class back at SMU has thoroughly prepared him for what he is about to do? Not likely. In higher learning institutions, liberal art classes like philosophy are not meant to be directly applied to one’s life or career; however, they are structured and devised to be a strong base that the individual can expand upon through scientific learning and experience. This is precisely the reason colleges and universities require and place much emphasis on these classes; nevertheless, there has been a shift away from the liberal arts towards the direction of highly specialized areas of science and business because of their growing integration in everyday life. Although people need a limited number of liberal arts classes to attain a basic understanding of ourselves and our evolution, state universities are aptly moving towards technical education, because, in this fast paced world, many people don’t have the time or money to spend studying the humanities alone.
In the article “The New Liberal Arts,” Sanford J. Ungar presents the argument of why liberal arts schools are still competitive and useful today. The beginning of the article immediately addresses the problem that Ungar is defending, “Hard economic times inevitably bring scrutiny of all accepted ideals and institutions, and this time around liberal-arts education has been especially hit hard.” The author provides credibility through his time of being a liberal arts presidents, applies statistics about the enrollment and job security outside of liberal college, he addresses the cost factor and how a student may find compensation, and that a liberal arts college is not preparing students for success. The article “The New Liberal Arts,” addresses
Why do college students need courses in the liberal arts? Is it beneficial or just a waste of time? Will it make them or influence them to become better workers once they graduate or will it just go down the drain and be useless? Student loans are increasing every year, and each student just wants to finish their degrees at a lesser price and a quicker pace, so they can start working and pay for those debts. In today’s society where some to most students are very much career – driven, they decide to specialize early on their degrees which means taking all the classes that are required in their respective majors. Students are only required to take minimal courses or subjects in the liberal arts such as humanities, philosophy, communication, etc. Also, students are more keen to focus on what they think or believe can offer high salary base pays professions especially in this current state of our economy. Even though students specialize early in the degree that they have chosen has its advantages, college students would benefit more if they are required to take core classes in the liberal arts to develop not only a well – rounded education but also prepare them for the real world. By taking subjects in the liberal arts along with their field of specialty, students will develop strong critical thinking skills that will be beneficial in problem solving once they have a job. They will also have competent oral and written communication skills that are necessary in any organization, and their creativity and innovation will be enhanced.
Imagine telling that to a student who just finished four years of hard, grueling, expensive work; or, even worse, a parent who paid for their child to finish that same grueling work. But, in some ways, that statement can’t be any further from the truth. College can prepare a student for life in so many more ways than for a career. However, in the way that college is supposed to prepare soon-to-be-productive students, that statement could be right on. As a student myself, I’ve found college to be a little bit of both. I often find myself asking, "How will this help me later in life?" But, then again, college gives me more control over my life and where I want it to go. In trying to figure out what exactly made college like this, and whether the way I felt was felt by others as well, I interviewed an Anthropology teacher at Las Positas College, Mr. Toby Coles, and I examined an essay by Caroline Bird called College is a Waste of Time and Money. The two sources offered interesting views from both side of the spectrum.
Going into this Humanities class, I had no idea what I was getting into. I didn’t know what the Humanities were and how it would impact my education at all. I had taken a number of history classes in high school and in college before and expected the Humanities to flow with my history classes in a sense. In my previous history class’s topics such as wars, The Great Depression, assassinations, the settling of different parts of the world, slavery, witch-hunts, and the use of animals were discussed. I thought that the Humanities would fall somewhere on the line with history. I wasn’t wrong with this assumption, but I wasn’t right either. The Humanities, I have learned, is so much more than the history that surrounds what people did, acted like, made as art, ate, and learned. The Humanities made all the different interactions between people clear. People to people, people to land, people to art, people to animals, and many other interactions that people come across. This class opened my mind to everything that art is and can be and to how important is it to learn from the past, grow for...
Centuries ago during the Renaissance especially, learning the liberal arts were extremely important and deeply rooted in the education system. St. Kate’s requires its students to take courses in that are in the “humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and formal sciences” departments in order to receive a degree. My TRW class allowed me to be given the feel of English, Theology, History, and Theater classes and expand my knowledge of the four. If a college were to only have students take the courses needed for their desired major, they would miss the opportunities to broaden their horizons. This curriculum fueled my brain to think more critically and never settle for less. I became close to those in my small discussion
Four-year Liberal Arts institutions pride their academic programs on giving students the life skills to be productive members of today’s society. Critical thinking, the ability to communicate globally, and a rigorous curriculum are the essential elements of a liberal arts program. These components allow graduates to become life learners who will enter the workforce with better skills than students who attend other institutions of higher education (Sullivan, 2016).
A crucial topic being debated on in today’s society is core principles and disciplines. When debated and discussed, these two immense topics bring up discussion on liberal art colleges and their education. “Liberal Arts” can be translated in many different ways depending on perspectives. So what exactly is a liberal arts college/education? Patrick Connelly states, “A liberal arts college is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences. It aims to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capacities for students” (Pg.18). Students who attend liberal art colleges experience broad and vast knowledge to create intellectual capacities that public universities will not provide. Essentially a liberal arts college gives a selected “Core” education to students to develop their skills and improve their weaknesses. Liberal arts are thought to be extremely necessary or very pointless depending on perspective. For example, two articles by two different authors explain liberal arts in a completely different way and opposite perspectives. The first
Anthropology gives us a chance to expand ourselves as human beings. I find that the information I left this class with will be a guideline for many different parts of my life and will help me to see things in different views. It will help me to uncover various parts of my own culture and how our everyday perception and understandings is blocked by not knowing what else is out there.
By the late 1960s, the USA had created a system of‘mass’higher education: approximately 30 per cent of the eligible age-group was enrolled in college (Jones, 32). Industrial capitalism, to function properly, required a growing mass of‘white-collar’workers, performers of‘mental labour’: scientists, technologists, administrators, lawyers, etc. This was the fastest expanding sector of the workforce, whose pay and working conditions were slowly converging towards those of ‘skilled manual’ workers, and the institution of the higher education looked to support this technical growth. Students studying in the humanities and arts programs, however, had a different definition of higher education. They expected their courses would offer some kind of effect on their critical development and on their capacities for social, moral and political generalization, rather than just preparing them for the workforce. These students were most likely incubated to expect the classical model of the University: a liberal institution promoting freedom of thought and expression, encouraging free debate and argument. The old upper class model depicted the university education as devoted to the leisured pursuit of ideas.