Question 1: What do the arts and humanities mean to you? What personal experience have you had that would make you a good candidate for this community?
The arts and humanities is the study and expression of the human experience, and I think one of the best ways to do so is by reading and understanding the classic literature out there that represents some of the best of what has been thought and said by centuries of thinkers. The Arts and Humanities at Dartmouth program, for me, offers not only an opportunity to read and analyze classic texts but also an environment to discuss the implications of what I’ve read with other dedicated students. Through discussions with my peers, I hope to further my understanding of each text and develop my own opinions on each idea. During high school, I enjoyed texts like the Odyssey, Huckleberry Finn, and MacBeth, all of which reveal a different aspect of the human experience, whether it be historical or character related. In regards to the arts, I am also an avid classical musician, and I hope to share my passion for classical music will contribute with the Humanities LLC community. Question 2: What is your idea of the liberal arts? What do you hope to get out of your Dartmouth education?
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From the natural sciences to the arts, I believe that exposure to multiple different ways of thinking and viewing the world will allow students to develop new perspectives and think with more open minds. As an intended environmental engineering major, the majority of my studies will probably be oriented around the maths and sciences. But with a liberal arts education that taps into all disciplines, I hope to leave Dartmouth with a more holistic view of the world, one I can look at with not just math and science lenses, but also with historical, literary, and art
Sayre, Henry M. The Humanities Culture, Continuity, and Change. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc., 2008.
The view of what college is and what the experience of college offers, differ dramatically between an individual and the society he or she lives. College has traditionally been viewed as the place young adults go to find themselves, find their career, and start their adult lives. Some have argued that education has veered too far away from tradition, while others argue that the whole idea of Liberal Education needs to keep evolving to meet the demands of the modern world. Those in favor of change argue for more diversity within the curriculum, such as more non-western world education and feminist thought. However, the traditional educational ideal has not completely vanished. At the majority of colleges in America the Liberal Arts, or General Education, is the core requirement that every student must take regardless of major. A liberal education studies the idea of what it means to be a good human being. The Liberal Arts are important to everyone because it tries to grasp each individual’s uniqueness and find their place in society. These classes aim to challenge students to become better people, better citizens, and overall create a better society. Liberal Arts try to grasp the knowledge and skills humans have used to rationally understand human existence for thousands of years. By creating culturally diverse campuses and studying topics like philosophy; students learn to question life, question society, and find answers to what it means to be a good person. All of these innovations together along with better informed and intelligent students help form societies focused on equality and the future of human civilization.
Experience in the Humanities. New York: McGraw Hill, 2014. (MPN) Virgil, Aeneid, Trans. Robert Fitzgerald.
A college education gives a person the opportunity to be successful in life, either financially or morally dependent on the goals that they set for their life. They will choose a college that offer programs for the major of their choice, where they will specialize and receive a degree. The decision to pursue a higher education will give the opportunity to earn a better income over someone who does not have a degree. College is more of life preparation course that will help make sure a successful career. If a person pursues a career in engineering, physics or mathematics their curriculum would include more liberal art preparation courses, in order for them to earn their degree, so someone pursuing a degree in these types of careers are attending college for job preparation. On December 10, 2009 at Hamilton University in Clinton, New York, college professors debated current college curriculum (Liew). They talked about how their college could make a leap from being good to being great. At the 22nd American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges conference held in Long Beach California on November 14, 1996 the topic of changing curriculum was discussed (“Mich”). The University of Louisiana, Lafayette, is eliminating its philosophy major, while Michigan State University is doing away with American studies and classics, after years of decline in enrollments in those majors (Zernike). The purpose of a college education is to meet the student's liberal art’s needs so that they can compete and understand the connection between a degree and a job that will enable them to compete with other world economies, give them a well-rounded education that will enable them to earn a higher income, and retain a lifetime full of knowledge.
When it comes to the individual choice on college education. Each student is motivated by a different branch of knowledge. Some have the goals of becoming lawyers, doctors, bankers, others choose to learn more about the liberal arts and its influence in building their personal characteristics with the world around them. This is precisely why institutions offer a large variety of programs to attract many high school seniors when it comes to deciding which institute to attend.
Will education in the humanities for college students prepare them for their future? In the article, “What is the Value of an Education in the Humanities?” by Adam Frank; it states that this important subject of education will prepare college students for their future careers. During high school many college students decide the career they want to pursue, but may this subject change their decision. Humanities is a great subject in college education since students learn many different things about the cultures, and histories from the past. I believe the value of humanities are very big, since students get the opportunity to learn many new information, and also makes them understand how we truly are as humans.
Throughout my educational experience, I’ve found that I thrive best in the most advanced courses where less time is spent on learning information and more time is spent on discussion. For example, in my IB HL Math course students are encouraged to discover new theorems and tools through teamwork and class discussion rather than just being given these new theorems and tools. This has allowed me to understand calculus on a deeper level and has made it one of my favorite courses. My other classes operate similarly in that students lead the discussion while the teacher observes and occasionally moves the discussion along. Students are encouraged to connect curricula across subjects, such as when we discuss physics in math, human rights in biology, or psychology in literature. The interdisciplinary and challenging courses offered through Stony Brook’s Honors College will allow me to take courses like the ones I’ve
College success has become a most desirable goal. However, many students struggle through college. In fact, according to the Website Ask.com, approximately 15 percent of college students receive a degree. Because I’m willing to earn a degree like many other successful students, I find that college is the stepping stone to my dream goals. I know that college is difficult, but I realize that attaining my dream of a college education will require me to understand the benefits of what I’m learning, to prepare for obstacles, to seek advice, and to create effective and reasonable strategies will help me achieve my goals.
In summary, I personally believe that a Liberal Arts and Sciences education is a way of thinking, not a type of institution. Liberal Arts and Sciences students will have a broader view on subjects because of their multidisciplinary education and their extensive knowledge. This has many advantages over the regular undergraduate students. For example, these students will become more valuable community members, will lead to more innovations and will be more effective and disciplined in conducting research because they are trained in academic skills. One might think that a Liberal Arts and Sciences education is too broad to be a good foundation, but they usually are not knowledgeable. All in all, a Liberal Arts and Sciences education is a better undergraduate programme than a regular undergraduate programme.
1.Tell us about yourself, your family, community and why you have decided to pursue a post-secondary education and your field of study?
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is one of my favorite poems for many reasons, but recently it has started to gain new meaning as I face graduation. I have started to wonder how different my life would be if I had only chosen to travel down one road instead of sprinting down both roads at the same time. When I declared my biology major, my dad expressed concern that I was choosing one possible life and career over another possibility. He said he knew how happy writing made me and he wondered if I was doing the right thing in not pursuing that. He spoke the words I had not yet spoken out loud for myself. “You shouldn’t enter college worried about what you will do when you exit,” said David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, at a World Economic Forum panel discussion last week on the state of the humanities. Rubenstein’s words are true now and they were true then: I should not have worried about choosing so soon. After I arrived at Columbia College, I began taking English courses because I could not take biology courses without at least trying to explore my passion for literature and creative writing. Thanks to time at Columbia College, I started to see the value the required courses of the WPDM major more because of what they taught me about myself than what they taught me about the subject matter. Combined with my classes, my internship experiences have confirmed that I am indeed heading in the right direction. I could not become a successful writer and biologist without the valuable set of skills that I have gained through my time at Columbia College. I believe I made the right choice by choosing both roads.
“ I read and understood by myself all the books that I could find on the so-called liberal arts, for in those days I was a good-for-nothing and a slave to sordid ambitions. But what advantage did I gain from them? I read them with pleasure, but I did not kno...
2. Who are you? What is your background? What is your culture? What type of
Throughout the ages art has played a crucial role in life. Art is universal and because art is everywhere, we experience it on a daily basis. From the houses we live in (architecture) to the movies we see (theatre) to the books that we read (literature). Even in ancient culture art has played a crucial role. In prehistoric times cave dwellers drew on the wall of caves to record history. In biblical times paintings recorded the life and death of Christ. Throughout time art has recorded history. Most art is created for a specific reason or purpose, it has a way of expressing ideas and beliefs, and it can record the experiences of all people.