Importance Of Liberal Arts Education

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Recommended: Annotated bibliography of pedagogy of the oppressed by Paulo Freire

Prior to studying at Antioch University, I completed an Associate 's Degree at Seattle Central College. This experience whetted my appetite for academia. There, I learned that because of my life-long love of reading, I am adept at writing. I felt motivated to continue on to receive my bachelor 's degree at a college offering a four year program that suited my interests. My admiration for the arts and humanities made attending a liberals arts college greatly appealing. To me a liberal arts education means providing students with a strong knowledge of the arts, humanities, and natural sciences with an emphasis on self knowledge and social justice, to foster intellect, personal development and social responsibility. I feel these are essential …show more content…

One of the foundations of a liberal arts education is the ability to explore topics across several disciplines. I took some depth psychology classes and found them fascinating. Furthermore, I could see how the study of psychology was useful to me as a writer and also a powerful tool for creating change, by learning what motivates people, and how we think about ourselves and the world. After changing my concentration to psychology, I still found plenty of time for writing. This switch did not hinder my studies, but helped me have diverse and dynamic academic experiences that are central to a liberal arts education. Now, at the end of my journey to earning a four year degree, I am working as a preschool teacher and loving it everyday.
One of my memorable academic experiences at Antioch was reading Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed in Liberal Studies Seminar. Freire (1970) articulated how education can be liberatory, but lack of access to it can perpetuate oppression (p.54). His work taught me that I can not teach students to be liberated, I must help provide the tools for them to liberate themselves. In my work I aim to integrate education theory, social justice and developmental psychology to create the best possible circumstance for my students to grow into liberated and intelligent leaders of the

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