Liberal Arts: Necessity or Luxury?
There is a debate about if liberal arts are still applicable in today’s society. Well, Sanford Ungar, in his work “The New Liberal Arts,” unveils eight misperceptions of modern day liberal arts in our post-secondary educational institutions. Society has labeled liberal education as too expensive, unnecessary, and out of date. Liberal arts are the baseline for education and the author exploits the untold truths of the benefits of obtaining a liberal arts degree. Ungar reveals to us that liberal arts still hold a worthy place in society ranging from communication skills, better writing, and having a degree that covers a wide range of topics that could be applied to a plethora of jobs in the work force. He tests
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Ungar believe finances shouldn’t play a significant role in whether or not you are able to get a liberal arts degree. Ungar says “Misperception No 1: A liberal arts degree is a luxury that most families can no longer afford (227).” Ungar is saying that it’s actually feasible and easily obtainable. I have to disagree because it is common knowledge to see that the current costs to attend a university is rising annually. The cost of community college is also increasing even though it is at a slower pace than private universities. The idea that this type of education is at everyone’s finger tips is false. It’s important to realize that not every human (or every American) has the privilege of receiving a baseline liberal arts education. Ungar believes that “we cannot assign different socioeconomic groups to different levels of education (229)”, and I agree but we also can’t expect everyone to want or pursue this degree. We can’t let one race or ethnic group flourish in the academic setting but we also can’t pressure the opposite group to pursue a costly degree they don’t want just so they can keep up. There are other fields of work we can push people, all people, to be …show more content…
There are the STEM careers, medical fields, and even the arts. Ungar believes that “the liberal arts encompass the broadest possible range of disciplines in the natural sciences (229).” Ungar is implying that liberal arts spans across an array of different majors and career paths. Liberal arts can equip you with better reading, writing, and communication skills but you don’t need a liberal arts degree to learn those good qualities that an employer is looking for. The reality in this situation is that if we spent more time on basic life skills like public speaking and reading things besides Shakespeare and Dickinson at the high school we would all be able to have a tool belt full of liberal arts knowledge without paying top dollar for a baseline education. Ungar has the bar set pretty high for the liberal arts degree and I agree that those skills are very critical in the work force but I think the real issue here is that people do not want to spend any amount of money on obtaining skills they should’ve received for free in their previous twelve years of free public education. We shouldn’t have to backtrack and work for a whole separate degree before jumping into what we actually want to do if that particular degree is something outside of the liberal
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
If they are taught correctly, liberal arts classes have the potential to help “students cross social boundaries in their imaginations. Studying a common core of learning will help orient them to common tasks as citizens; it will challenge or bolster… their views and, in any case, help them understand why not everyone in the world (or in their classroom) agrees with them,” explains Gitlin in his article “The Liberal Arts in an Age of Info-Glut.” By exposing students to this in high school, they will be more prepared when this moment occurs in their careers. I, along with many students throughout the country, have been exposed to incorrectly-taught liberal arts classes. Students taking English, for instance, must read specific novels while assessing a theme that is already pointed out to them. Then, they must answer a question that has only two answers. This type of curriculum not only eliminates the development of opinions, but it keeps the students from being exposed to most of the author's beliefs and the author’s point of view, which is the main purpose of liberal arts classes. Without this exposure, students are left incapable of working with others and accepting their opinions in order to develop solutions to
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.
A common misunderstanding about the liberal arts is that they are leisure studies, and in the time of recession students should be looking for STEM degrees. Ungar states that the liberal arts will be a better
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,
In his article Ungar explains that one common misperception about obtaining a liberal arts degree is the cost. Many individuals argue that a liberal arts degree is an expensive luxury that most could not afford. Ungar disagrees when he writes, “But because of their commitment to expand need-based financial aid, the nets cost of attending a small liberal-arts college can be lower than that of a large public university.” (Ungar par. 19). This quote shows that achieving a liberal-arts degree can be more affordable to college
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
Sanford J. Ungar, a journalist and president of Goucher College, is one of those faculty members actively trying to disprove the accusations against liberal arts colleges and educations. In his February 2010 article from the academic journal The Chronicle of Higher Education, Ungar gives readers many examples of common misunderstandings about liberal arts and then informs them why those examples are incorrect. Appropriately titled, Ungar’s “7 Major Misperceptions About the Liberal Arts” is an easy go to guide when a person wants to learn more about liberal arts. These readers, mainly students and parents looking towards a higher degree of education, can read Ungar’s essay and find new knowledge about the liberal arts discipline.
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.” Liberal arts education produces analytical thinking, and professions are looking for that as an alternative of just being specialized in one subject. “Who wants to hire somebody with an irrelevant major like philosophy or French,” but in reality everyone is finding it harder to find a job in this economy, not just liberal arts majors. He then answers the question about “being low income, or first generation college student,” and Ungar begins to state that it is ignorance to consider that just because an individual is the first generation that they cannot be given the same kind of education as someone else who is not a first generation. Some may
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.
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...
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.
If more people went to college, and less went the vocational route, jobs will take a momentous hit. Today, companies will not even touch an application that does not include a Bachelor’s Degree; even if the Bachelor’s Degree has nothing to do with the job being applied for. Attention is not given to whether the hopeful applicant qualifies for the job; all that matters is that the applicant has a Bachelor’s degree. Murray best sums up the American job market when he says, “Employers do not value what the student learned, just that the student has a degree” (Murray). However, if less people obtain a Bachelor’s Degree, employers will be forced to base applicants on their skills, and abilities. Furthermore, important vocational jobs that lie vacant will be filled. Good electricians, carpenters, and construction workers will always be in
Our society so values education that sociologists have recognized the problem of "over-education" (Hadjicostandi). Many people are spending years pursuing degrees which they simply do not need for the jobs they perform. It is therefore prudent for students to question whether pursuing a liberal education is really as important as our society believes. What is the point of a college education? Does it have any purpose beyond its material benefits. Are these benefits worth their cost? These are important questions that need answering. In the end, we may see that there is far more to this debate than simple accounting. Perhaps what makes education worth pursuing is that it gives us the freedom to makes these kinds of decisions about what is best for us.
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.