“Majoring In Fear” by Mark Shiffman analyzes a certain shift in the attitudes of today’s youth. He claims that students are choosing more practical pathways out of fear, sacrificing their genuine passions and interests in order to attain a safer career. Shiffman believes this sacrifice is detrimental to students because a liberal arts education catalyzes introspection and spiritual growth. By leaving behind opportunities for such growth, the youth of today lacks the capacity and resources for reflection on their lives. Shiffman further illustrates this idea with the claim that students who initially show an interest in the humanities later choose to further their education in Economics or Spanish (Shiffman 5). He recognizes that students forge
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.
In conclusion, Mark Shiffman wrongly holds fear responsible for the decrease in students studying the humanities. Students today pursue more practical fields of study because the interests of human beings are ever-changing, prioritizing one’s passions is more difficult than determining their objective strengths, and one should focus on their various callings in society rather than striving solely
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
“Itinerary” by Eamon Grennan depicts that humanities’ progression is dependant upon their ability to experience fulfillment by breaking through the iron bars of their own insecurities and fears, thus seizing control of their ultimate outcome and in turn, their happiness. “The child in the corner with his eyes clenched” shutting out the world filled with fear and insecurity “like a dog going round and round” “trying to find some comfort, something that says [they are] at home now”, evokes pathos as deep down every person is at times afraid of the world, searching for belonging. Too often, trapped by their own anxieties, a person doesn’t realize the need to “pray for the enlarging hush of the owl’s ear, the hawk’s high wide-angle lens
To put it in another way, schools need to take their students’ passions seriously and put them into a solid matter that grab student attention to conquer their lassitude over tiresome works. According to Graff, “Students need to see their interests “through academic eyes” is to say that street smarts are not enough”(269). The essence of Graff’s argument is that, students now need to put their interests into academic work, and in order for students to accomplish that, it is school duty to provide areas of study that match their interests. Still, this idea will not entirely get the student exactly where they want to be. Nevertheless, students don’t have to be completely pedagogical when they study the areas such as fashion, cars, animals or beauty whereas the mandatory is to think and understand them purposefully and critically, in a way that Graff proposes is to “see them as microcosms of what is going on in the wider culture”(270). Basically, he is saying that students should analyze their interests, observes and consider them as a small piece simultaneously with the extensive world. The world is too big, though, we are still asked to target details, and student are individuals who is need to be understood. Eventually, noticing students’ passion and backing them up will be supportive to lead their path on the
Is America’s youth too sensitive? Based off recent trends it would appear that they are becoming more perceptible to even the smallest unintentional comments. It would seem that the growing protectiveness and paranoia of parents is taking a growing toll on our youth’s mental processing. This trend continues to become a problem on university campuses as Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt point out in “The Coddling of the American Mind.” They analyze the negative results that the growing trend of coddling, microaggressions, and fortune-telling, seeing negatives in an everyday situation, are having on the future of America’s youth; and how universities need to stand up to their historical value of “freedom of the mind…to follow truth wherever it may lead” (Lukianoff 13).
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.
This notion of success limits creative innovation of thought and pressures people achieve a careers that they may be interest in (grammar problem?). Ho explores this idea in her essay (qtd Peterson 2002) “It’s been common knowledge that many of [Princeton] undergraduates join the financial realm every year, creating a kind of lighthearted, self-deprecating joke about becoming I-bankers and once hopeful novelists heading to Wall Street” (170). The environment around those students was able to force them to change their career options based on what is considered successful by their peers. Despite This idea of success being narrow and not inclusive to everyone, some students felt the need to give up on their dreams and give in to the pressure. This pressure is not exclusive to elite institutions, society as a whole experiences this pressure when trying to pursue a lesser value endeavors. Davidson explores the idea of exclusivity that is created by society when she says “This is the lesson of attention blindness yet again: If you measure narrowly, you see results just as narrowly. In other words, the more standardized our assessment, the more kids fail” (61). The standardized tests that the educational system uses narrows itself to specific skills and talents that society considers important. It limited what students can achieve based on the talents that they acquire. Artistic talents do not have the same value compared to conventional studies. Similarly, elite institutions like princeton and harvard, have also narrowed down what careers are considered successful or worth pursuing. Ho describes this phenomena in her essay “I found not only that most bankers came from a few elite institutions, but also that most undergraduate and even many graduate students assumed that the only “suitable” destinations for life after Princeton-the only sectors
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...
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
In continuation, Fridman, describes how, “even at a prestigious academic institution like Harvard, anti-intellectualism is rampant,” further driving the idea that those not involved in academics are valued more, (Fridman). As an institution founded on furthering the development of new ideas, and progressivism, Harvard continues spreading the view that parties and sports stand at a higher tier, than scholarly activities. Furthermore, the author details, how these sentiments impact students who prefer thoughtful hobbies; he elaborates on how children who prefer these hobbies often are forced to hide their interests. Fridman’s vivid illustration of an anti-intellectualist culture, allows the audience to understand the continual hardships that come with the title of
Welcome to the University of Sheltering Students, where the cost is high, and the education is low. It is where life is taught through a textbook, but is not actually taught at all. Some universities in the 21st century are being forced to rid the campuses of words, ideas, and subjects that might create tension, discomfort, or offense to the students that pay to learn there. Twenty-first century students are beginning to become a more sheltered society, where an uncovered truth is difficult to come by. University education explains the basics of school; such as the Periodic Table, how to write an essay, and how letters magically appear in math equations. Conversely, it does not even touch upon any subject that could be deemed “controversial”;
Many kids beginning the college - decision process may be feeling lost at first, and ”By telling all young people that they should go to college no matter what, we are actually doing some of them a disservice. ”(Owen and Sawhill 209) For a seventeen/eighteen year old, going to college is arguably the biggest decision that they have had to make in their life thus far, and having the facts that Owen and Sawhill produce can be invaluable to the decision-making process. It is clear that the purpose of their essay is to better inform these young adults and guide them on their journey that is life after high school. The primary claim that Owen and Sawhill attempt to drive in using rhetorical appeals is that on average, having a college degree will lead to a higher income than not having one; however, it is not universally
humanities ever advancing knowledge of our world, it can save lives, make us healthier and is
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...
In Caroline Bird’s “College is A Waste of Time and Money”, it’s argued that there are many college students who would be better off if they were to begin working after high school graduation. Colleges and universities can no longer ensure that one will go on to get a better job, getting paid more than they would have without a higher education. However, high school seniors still stress about where they will be attending college, how they’re going to pay for it and what they’re going to study for the next four years. Bird points out how college has changed over the past few decades and how, in turn, it has set many young adults up for disappointment, if nothing else.
... us making time in our busy lives to serve people in need, they too will learn the importance of self-sacrifice. Our actions speak louder than our words. We can preach to them all day long about service and sacrificing for others, but if they don’t witness our active participation in these acts, they will likely follow our example and not heed our words.