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Liberal arts courses can benefit students
The importance of liberal arts in higher education
The importance of liberal arts in higher education
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In modern times, the importance of liberal arts is questioned. The article “Myth: A Liberal Arts Education is Becoming Irrelevant” by Carol T. Christ makes the argument that a liberal arts education provides a broader range of knowledge which is useful because it produces a critically thinking student. Obtaining a career is the main focus of college education. Knowing this, Christ emphasizes how a liberal arts education is useful when looking for employment. She refutes the conception that a liberal arts education is irrelevant in today’s society by identifying the useful qualities it provides the employers look for such as, “Flexibility, creativity, critical thinking, strong communication skills (particulary writing)” (Christ, …show more content…
Christ utilizes rhetorical devices to elevate the effectiveness of the article. In the opening paragraph the use of the rhetorical questions: “If Bill Gates and Steve Jobs never earned degrees, is college really necessary? Why should taxpayers foot the bill for “pointless” departments like anthropology?”, provides the reader with an understanding of what is to be answered in the essay. The second paragraph refutes the sentiment of these questions and gives an effective response by stating, “Yet, judging the value of a liberal arts education, even with a purely economic calculus, shows it to be more relevant than ever before” (Christ, “Myth: A Liberal Arts Education is Becoming Irrelevant”). By providing a counter response to the questions, the author is clarifying her main argument. Ethos, is another integral part of proving an argument. Christ uses facts including “the Association of American Colleges and Universities shows that more than three-quarters of employers would recommend an education with this emphasis to a young person they know,” which make her point that being liberally educated will make someone more employable (Christ, “Myth: A Liberal Arts Education is Becoming Irrelevant”). An important aspect of providing facts is validating them
All though “The New Liberal Arts”, Sanford J. Ungar uses seven misconceptions about liberal arts on why learning the liberal arts. And explain why is still relevant and will be for coming years. The first misperception that he advocates is that a liberal arts degree is no longer affordable. Vocational training is better alternative to liberal arts in today. In this recession it is a financially wise decision to obtain a career oriented education instead. Students may not able to find jobs in the field that they are training after graduate. Ungar argues that especially collage students find it harder to get good jobs with liberal arts degrees, which is not the case. Which is the second misperception is that graduates with liberal arts degrees
In an article originally published in May 2003 in USA Today called “College Isn’t For Everyone,” by W.J. Reeves combined these rhetorical devices to make a compelling argument that although colleges are easily accessible, higher education lacks students with the capabilities of academic success. To validate this claim, Reeves uses persuasive appeals to convey an effective argument by influencing the audience, however, he limits his reach because of the excessive pathos and condescending tone used to present his argument.
Since high school and now through my second year of college I have had one goal for my future, that goal was to graduate college with a degree in criminal justice. Not being interested in math or science, I was discouraged by the fact of taking classes that had nothing to do with my career choice. Thus being said, many people that I talked too felt the same way as I did. Which constantly led me to question what the importance of a liberal education was. After reading an essay called The Liberal Arts Are Not Elitist by Martha Nussbaum and relating it to an essay by William Cronon called The Goals of a Liberal Education, my perspective changed. An education is more than just a degree in your field of study, but an overall basic knowledge in which will inspire people to be the absolute best they can be.
It should not be a surprise that many people believe that a college degree is a necessity in today’s world. We are taught to believe this at a young age. The average citizen will not question this statement due to how competitive the job market has become, yet does graduating college guarantee more success down the road? Peter Brooks is a scholar at Princeton University and publisher of an essay that questions the value of college. He obviously agrees that college can help securing a job for the future, but questions the humanities about the education. He uses other published works, the pursuit of freedom, and draws on universal arguments that pull in the reader to assume the rest of his essay has valid reasons.
In Preparing for a Career, Bok said “The practical question then is not whether many students are unwisely choosing vocational majors, but whether both liberal arts and vocational programs could do a better job of reconciling the career needs of students with the other goals of a rounded undergraduate education” ( 341). According to Bok, many students majored in vocational college because it is more beneficial for them; vocational majors are in high demand and pay more than liberal arts. Bok argued that it doesn’t matter what majors the students chose but what can college do to help students in both field. According to Bok, “Employers who complain about the college graduates they hire grumble not only about the lack of sufficient technical and vocational skills but also about deficiencies in speaking, writing and other competencies long associated with a traditional college education” (343). Bok states that most college graduates are lack of writing, and speaking skills because students does not take liberal arts major seriously; they take liberal arts because it is a
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
In recent years, many have debated whether or not a college education is a necessary requirement to succeed in the field of a persons’ choice and become an outstanding person in society. On one hand, some say college is very important because one must contribute to society. The essay Three Reasons College Still Matters by Andrew Delbanco shows three main reasons that students should receive their bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, many question the point of wasting millions of dollars on four years or maybe more to fight for highly competitive jobs that one might not get. Louis Menand wrote an article based on education titled Re-Imagining Liberal Education. This article challenges the main thought many americans have after receiving a secondary education. Louis Menand better illustrates the reasons why a student should rethink receiving a post secondary education better than Andrew Delbanco’s three reasons to continue a person’s education.
College is a popular topic for most, and Sanford J. Ungar and Charles Murray have a unique way of explaining both their opinions. In his essay, “The New Liberal Arts,” Sanford J. Ungar advocates that the liberal arts should be everybody’s education, regardless of the fact that most Americans are facing economic hardship. The first misconception that he begins to explain is “a liberal arts degree is a luxury that most families can no longer afford”. Career education” is what we now must focus on.”
Essential to most commencement speeches is the topic of the value of a liberal arts education. We’re not taught what to think but how to think, and Wallace says that this cliché is true. However it is not “the capacity to think but rather a choice of what to think about” (Wallace 2005). Wallace suggests that we need to be aware of what’s going on around us and choose what we pay attention. He gives the example of the average adult work day and the tediousness that causes frustration be...
Over the past few years, people have begun to see going to college as a way to achieve the American Dream through career-readiness. People used to go to college, hoping to get a better well-rounded education. For most the well-rounded education, it usually came with the courses required for a liberal arts education. The courses would provide a level of analytical and in-depth understanding that would prepare the students for both life and whichever career path chosen. No matter the amount of money paid, parents would be willing to gi...
The article I chose to analyze is “Is College for Everyone?” In today’s society, everyone would say that education is the key to success. People would say that a person would not get far without having some form of a degree. In reality, college is just not for everyone. Some people would rather just get a job when they graduate high school. People say that a person might not be able to find a good paying job if a person does not go to college, but in reality there are a lot of jobs out here in the world that make plenty of money. There are a lot of people in college that cannot read. They get to college, and flunk out because it gets too difficult for them to continue. Pharinet, a college professor, explains why college is not for everyone. The purpose of this essay is to convince people that
My philosophy of higher education is that thus far we have realized that the gift of sharing knowledge is one of the keys to success in our society. We have learned from so many great philosophers, scientist, and researchers that have fueled our knowledge in a vast variety subjects. The importance of passing on this knowledge and improving our society has shown to be important in human survival and our growth in the years to come. As the years pass and technology is getting more advanced, the need for higher education is steadily rising. In the past years, a bachelor’s degree was viewed as one of the greatest accomplishments of that time. Now in today’s standards, only having a bachelors degree will not suffice. Thus proving that higher education is the pillars for growth in humanity. Similar to my philosophy, I believe my Christian experience relates to my views of higher education. For instance, as Christians, we have learned that the keys to success is reading and learning from the Bible. Just as we have learned from past philosophers, the Bible provides Christians with knowledge to continue to walk in the path that God has paved for us to go to heaven. In addition, talking and communicating with God helps us in times of need. He is our teacher and supervisor providing us useful knowledge to succeed. From that guidance, it is our job to pass that knowledge to other Christians to grow in our faith. In both higher education and Christianity, our job is to pass our knowledge and faith to others to maintain and improve human survival for years to come. Moreover, in today’s society, there is a growing need for Christ centered learning. I believe that CBU offers that and more. By combining my Christian experience and philosophy of ...
In Charles Murray’s essay entitled “Are Too Many People Going to College?”, he discusses the influx of Americans getting a college education. He addresses the topic of Liberal Arts education, and explains that not many people are ready for the rigorous challenges a liberal-arts degree offers. In addition, Murray explains that instead of a traditional degree more people should apply to technical schools. He believes that college should not be wide spread, and that it is only for those who can handle it. These viewpoints harshly contrast with Sanford J. Ungar’s views. Ungar believes college education should be widespread, because a liberal-arts degree is, in his opinion, a necessity. He argues that a liberal-arts college is the only place that
The liberal arts are becoming increasingly rare in schools and universities. However, Saint Catherine University makes it a priority to teach its students the core benefits to the liberal arts college. It requires students to take the course “The Reflective Woman” along with “Global Search for Justice” as an introduction and conclusion to a liberal arts education. Throughout this semester I became more knowledgeable on what the liberal arts truly are, honed my reflective judgment, developed my writing skills, and I now have a deeper and defined sense of self.