...The Bright Side of a Liberal Arts Education Now that I am in college, I have pondered upon whether a liberal arts education is better than a vocational education; a topic that did not cross my mind in high school. A liberal arts curriculum includes the studies intended to primarily provide general knowledge such as language, philosophy, literature, and abstract science and to develop general intellectual capacities, such as reason and judgment, as opposed to professional or vocational skills (merriam-webster.com). As students wanting to achieve a higher education, we have to think about what we want for ourselves. Either you want to grow as an individual and obtain a major in whichever field you chose, or just learn what best interests you. People have many misconceptions toward what the liberal arts are and how they can benefit you. We often hear things like, “A liberal arts degree will not get you a real job.” or “A liberal arts degree is a luxury not a necessity.” Although this is what the majority of the people who are not aware about the actual facts say, this is not true. An examination of, The New Liberal Arts by author Sanford J. Ungar, and Are Too Many People Going to College? by author Charles Murray, will reveal to us why one gains more knowledge at a liberal arts school. Murray argues that a liberal arts education is only for the elite, but I believe that they shouldn't be the only ones to attend because my vision of a liberal arts college is one where all students...
Words: 1437 - Pages: 6
...THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING HUMANITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: IN DEFENSE OF LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION A Thesis Presented by Victoria Pleshakova to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Education Specializing in Interdisciplinary Studies May, 2009 Accepted by the Faculty of the Graduate College, The University of Vermont, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of niIaster of Education, specializing in Interdisciplinary Studies. Thesis Examination Committee: . 2 M d Johnson, 111, D.P.A. ,G!krMb. %.&I;-; Patricia A. Stokowski, Ph. D Interim Dean, Graduate College Date: March 4,2009 ABSTRACT The humanities have always been under attack in the higher education of the United States of America. Corporate culture of the university requires the most money distributed towards research and specialization, while making employability of the graduates the main goal of education. With two thirds of all majors being in business and finance, humanities don’t seem to play a big role in higher education overall. This work makes an attempt in defense of liberal arts education to our students, and the importance of teaching the subjects like English, Literature and Philosophy independent of a student’s major concentration. Even in our age of specialized and corporatized education, these courses are of great importance. These subjects can help...
Words: 17805 - Pages: 72
...When first attending UW Oshkosh as a freshman the values, and core principles of a liberal arts education were highly discussed on my first day, and as time progressed the meaning of a liberal arts education became more than just a simple definition displayed on a piece of paper. It became apparent that a liberal arts education prepares you, and even shapes you for whatever journey you end up embarking on in life. Whether you are going to school for Chemistry or business a liberal education gives an advantage. Being liberally educated helps you see different viewpoints and, gives you the capacity to relate to those views. Ultimately a liberal education is about “being able to see connections that allow one to make sense of the world” (Cronon...
Words: 1219 - Pages: 5
...Higher education has undoubtedly been plagued by many problems in recent years, and one of the most pressing problems is the drastic termination of liberal arts programs across the country. The problem does not arise solely from the closure of liberal arts colleges, but more commonly from many liberal arts colleges changing their curricula in order to be viewed as less traditionally liberal arts and more vocational. Although liberal arts schools only comprise of a small fraction of higher education institutions, (they only educate at most 2 percent of college students, according to the Huffington Post) they make up an important fraction (in terms of accomplished graduates). This essay will include background information on the liberal arts,...
Words: 1245 - Pages: 5
...Liberal Arts Education With the economy the way it is today, there is much more pressure for students to get a good education and be able to have a successful career. Students across the country have a few different types of high schools that they can choose to attend, including vocational and liberal arts. A vocational school focuses on training for a specific job, while liberal arts schools teach general information about many different subjects. Both liberal arts schools and vocational schools are a better fit for different types of people, but a high school that emphasizes liberal arts would better prepare students for a global economy because it teaches skills that are valuable in any career; it makes graduates more desirable to some employers and helps students to find a career that would suit them best. A liberal arts high school teaches skills that are valuable in any career, instead of just one. Newsweek magazine found that the average American changes careers eleven times before they reach age forty. People have to change careers more than ever because the job market is becoming increasingly competitive. A liberal arts education would allow students to change careers more easily because they wouldn’t have been trained in only one profession. Liberal arts not only teach students general information, but they also teach them how to think and learn. In A Talk to Teachers, James Baldwin says, “The purpose of education, finally is to create in a person the ability...
Words: 1359 - Pages: 6
...As Arthur Holmes asks questions pertaining to liberal arts education, he asks “What can it do to me?” A liberal arts college has many positive aspects with few downfalls. I believe that a liberal arts college can be very key to into shaping a person because it is beneficial for multiple reasons, it should prepare one for the future, and one gets out of it what they put into it. First, a liberal arts education is extremely beneficial to ones collegiate experience for multiple reasons. Many state colleges and universities focus on the student getting the degree the student has selected as a major in the shortest possible time with all the courses being driven solely for the degree. With fewer students in a class, the student to teacher ratio...
Words: 811 - Pages: 4
...CONCEPT OF CHRISTIAN LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION Purposes of Liberal Arts Education Liberal Arts Education can better equip young adults for the future. It broadens students’ knowledge and further open more opportunities for students to make connections with others whether in the career or social life. This generation is geared to international standards; which becomes even more competitive. Various fields of study in Liberal Arts Education provide different angles to grow and challenge students. The students will work through both subject matters that they are familiar as well as the non-familiars. Different expectations within different courses will build their common sense as well as their work ethic and characters....
Words: 268 - Pages: 2
...Liberal Arts education and a changing time Today, an education is deemed necessary to get a good paying job, at least that is what our parents told us growing up. Although, our parents failed to mention the most important part, an education is more than going to school to get a job that pays well, it is where you find your place in the world, where some find lifelong friends, and many find what they love in life. With all of the new technological advancements going on around us, it seems that with all that change, education is also evolving. Back when only high class men attended universities, the middle class moderate never had a chance to get a higher education. Things like, “How quickly do i want to achieve my degree?” And “What do i want to major in?” Were not topics of conversation, but that is not the case in this modern world. Now a days, there are hundreds of Vocational “training” schools popping up what seems to be everyday. They are career specific schools, with little or no emphasis on the humanities. They are broadcast frequently on our television commercials with catchy slogans and songs, “Get your degree online in less than 10 months” and “Don’t wait! call now for a quick, easy and affordable college degree!” Are all of these readily accessible “training schools” really helping our society flourish? Or are they having a negative effect on the future of our country? But I must debate that college is a place of development, and should not be a school of fast paced...
Words: 1772 - Pages: 8
...What exactly is a liberal arts education? It is most commonly believed to be an education that encompasses a wide range of topics, providing it’s students with broad general knowledge. According to Burk, it entails much more than that. He highlights three ways in which the liberal arts program at Creighton University extends beyond simply taking the courses in The Magis Core curricula. It broadens your horizons through the opportunity to take different elective courses. You are also encouraged to engage in extracurricular activities that will supplement your development in a non-academic setting. Lastly, and most importantly, he shines light on the certain ways of teaching and distinct relationships between the people who make up this university. You will have passionate teachers who consider teaching to be more than just a job. Larry Sanger, the founder of Wikipedia,...
Words: 517 - Pages: 3
...LIBERAL ARTS BREADTH AND MY EDUCATION 3 Liberal Arts Breadth and My Education There are many benefits to getting a Liberal Arts degree in today’s economic market. It is a message to your employer that you are willing to take on new information, and learn more then what is necessary to succeed. It shows initiative and the ability to expand your horizons beyond yourself. In a Liberal Arts education there is more purpose then just learning the career field of choice. It is a program that teaches critical thinking and self-thought. It teaches the student how to learn and teach themselves, to achieve more than just memorization of facts. In the Ottawa University Liberal Arts degree they have four breadth areas that are required for completion of their program. The breadth areas are as follows: Art/Expression, Social/Civic, Science/Description and Value/Meaning. Art/Expression According, to the official curriculum laid out by the school this category is that is highly concentrated in being capable of expressing self through art or speech. It spans from painting, to music, dance, language and communication. The manual’s description is, “how we express ourselves in spoken and written communication and the arts, looking at strengths, experiences, and new opportunities for challenge and growth.” Like, most people art has always been a part of my life. It followed me through my elementary school years to high school. I took ceramics, painting and woodworking 1, 2, 3, and 4 though...
Words: 1217 - Pages: 5
...In the article, Gerald Greenberg compares the liberal arts to the concept of ‘Tao’ expounds on the breadth of what a liberal arts education is. He states that everything is a part of ‘liberal arts’ and the liberal arts are a part of everything. Thus far, I agree with him. I, however, do not think that a liberal arts education is the best form, or the only form of education that will lead to a successful and empowering life. Both liberal arts and STEM have their own merits and demerits. Both of them provide a different base, and are designed to equip student differently. A liberal arts student will explore a variety of subjects (‘breadth’), while a STEM major will mostly be exploring a single subject in its depth, It is difficult to conclude which of these is better, since a liberal arts major will probably not hold the same jobs as a STEM major....
Words: 498 - Pages: 2
...Wallace begins by talking about why a liberal arts education is helpful and important. In his speech, he refers to people who have already graduated. By sharing his experiences, he is not only preparing them for adulthood, but he is speaking from experience with an informative tone. Wallace is trying to be a leader and gives them some advice that college is another world; it is the real world in which he is trying to prepare them as best as he can. The meaning of a liberal arts degree is that it has actual value that it is not just a piece of paper. He is trying to tell the students to be proud, value education, and be their own person. Wallace uses ethos through his job as a writer that people know. He says, “but if you're worried that I plan to present myself here as the wise, older fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please don't be”(Wallace1). Wallace is not trying to be pushy with his experiences,which makes the audience trust him more. By telling the students to think for themselves, he gives them the option to trust him. Wallace uses pathos through strong language and emotion. He wants to show the audience that they are important, which is why he addresses them. Wallace says, ”the degree you are about to receive has actual human value instead of just a material payoff” (Wallance1). He says this...
Words: 460 - Pages: 2
...Gandhian liberalism M. K. Gandhi (1869-1948) requires no introduction even to the layman. “The Father of the Nation”,”Bapu”, and numerous other honorifics have long been affectionately applied to him by the citizens of India. His appearance on the Indian political scene in 1915 changed the face of Indian liberalism and made him the most influential and prominent liberal in India and I aim to shed more light on his theory of liberalism in this section of the essay. Gandhi acknowledged Gopal Krishna Gokhale as his political mentor. He took Gokhale’s strict liberal position and adapted it to fit what he believed to be India’s needs. The most radical departure was that Gandhi believed that the only way to ensure the British acceded to Indian demands was by non-violent protest or what he termed “Satyagraha”, unlike the traditional liberal who strictly adhered to the system and never attempted to work against it. Simply put, the liberals that preceded Gandhi such as Gokhale and Ranade were heavily shaped by western liberal movements and the British Whigs while he was able to provide Indian liberalism with its own distinct ideas. Gandhi heavily emphasised features of negative liberty in his agenda for the political, social and economic transformation of India. He favoured a government which was minimalistic in nature and occupied itself with maintaining law and order. He strongly believed in the maximum freedom of the individual as well. One distinctive feature of his thinking was...
Words: 429 - Pages: 2
...1.0 The Liberal Approach to Understanding Economic Relations In the field of economics, a Liberal approach relates itself to the various classes of economics. They are the classical economics, neoclassical economics, the Australian School of Economics, and the Chicago School of Economics. Liberal approach seeks to analyze the role of financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank in the world of economics. The approach examines the economic relations with the three views, such as; 1.1 Realistic View Most scholars often prefer the use of game theory in order to give an explanation that relates the final outcomes with a result from the negotiations. The simplest being the issue of the discussions that entails two characters in it. Liberal in the early 21st century was the nationalist approach. The earliest school of thought during this time is the mercantilism. 1.2 Marxist View It analyzes the international meetings of the G-20 nations that took place in London in the year 2009. This creates a wider understanding of the many other various kinds of approaches. These may have negligible similarity with the view that Marx presents in the lecture room. However, it stresses the strong belief in the public power. The labels of approaches that this view put into its consideration are the feminists, and the radicals. They include the structuralisms, the critical, low developments, and the systems of the world. It is, therefore...
Words: 678 - Pages: 3
...every day. But if fact everyone has a different way of dealing with those changes. Liberalism, Romanticism, Feminism, and Social Darwinism all had their own individual ways of thinking and dealing with what was happening around them. Each way different, but as unique as the next. Liberalism became popular during the Industrial revolution especially with Factory owners, as the demand for workers was always much less than the supply. Capitalism was all the justification they needed to operate their factories and deal with their employees as they saw fit. Liberals didn't believe in violence to take action. Liberals of tthis time era believed the government give society freedom as they tried to figure themselves out as individuals. Liberal also believed that the prices of goods should be based off the demand for the product. Which clearly what was going on with the ruling and working class was going against everything the liberals believed in. Throughout this modernization it brought about many major changes in the way society lived. One of the many influences was the awakening of the female mind. With the rapid changes being brought about in the financial industry and the woman movement, a lot of attention was being brought to this all around. The typical role of woman that everyone was used to; the traditional submissive, dependent and the childbearing quickly changed to the modern woman demanding equal rights, authority, and independence. Modernization changed the roles of...
Words: 422 - Pages: 2
