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Ing a college education contributes to many aspects of a persons life
Ing a college education contributes to many aspects of a persons life
Ing a college education contributes to many aspects of a persons life
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There is constant back and forth on whether or not liberal colleges should add career focused courses to their institutions. Mark Rose author of “Making Sparks Fly”, Victor Ferrall, author of the article, “Can Liberal Arts Colleges Be Saved?”, and John B. Bennett author of “Liberal Learning as a Conversation”, immensely discuss on education and their opinions on how it should be run or corrected. Taking a closer look into the author’s views and opinions, there is clear problem they all mention that colleges face, the division between liberal education and career-focused courses. Though the authors disagree on this topic, I believe there is a bridge between liberal and career focused courses because of the influence and combined beneficial education the two can give to students. Colleges should consider including liberal and career-focused education in their curriculum because of the personal growth reached in the two educations, the combined enriched education provided by both styles, and the common outcomes the two educations can offer.
Liberal arts and career-focused courses are pushed apart for the different reasons a student pursues a type education but in fact personal growth becomes the sole purpose for both methods of education. Ferrall claims “a purely materialistic motivation for getting an education is now the norm, not the exception” (par 4), Rose on the other hand claims that money is not the only factor, but reasons such as growing or becoming a better person are high factors for a student to pursue career focused courses (2). Although Ferrall is correct in money becoming a purpose to pursue education, Rose proves that personal growth is the primary motive in career-focused coursed and can be seen in a liberal educat...
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...ypes of courses. Students enter these educations in hope for personal growth, once again connecting not dividing the two educations. Bennett, Rose, and Ferrall might disagree on whether or not there should be a separation, but from reading their articles I have come to believed that there is bridge between the educations and colleges should highly consider offering liberal arts and career focused courses in their curriculum.
Works Cited
Bennett, John B. “Liberal Learning as Conversation.” Liberal Education 87.2 (2001): 32-39
Association of American Colleges and Universities. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.
Ferrall, Victor. "Can Liberal Arts Colleges Be Saved?" Can Liberal Arts Colleges Be Saved? Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed, 11 Feb. 2008. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
Rose, Mark. "Making Sparks Fly." The American Scholar:. The American Scholar, Sept. 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
One idea that I disagree with is the idea that colleges themselves have sold their soul. William Deresiewicz tells us that it is neoliberalism and the way it impacted society pressure students to major in fields that typically provide more money. Such as business or STEM fields. In my opinion, the role of a college is to provide a higher education for those who want to pursue a certain career. Just because students prefer STEM and business fields doesn’t mean that colleges have sold their soul to the market. Many students want to major in STEM and business fields so colleges provide more classes to accommodate them. That doesn’t mean colleges have given up on liberal arts. Colleges still provide liberal arts majors and there are
Liberal educations benefit students in the long run, long after students have paid their loans. People are able to be informed on national topic, while also being able to be self dependent. Two qualities that are essential in the modern society. I believe it is important to have such a basic understanding of education and knowledge, just like what Nussbaum agreed too in her essay. However, I also believe the curriculum should be centered around making students a better person. Institutions should try to produce good people with the right intentions instead of just focusing on testing intelligence, similar to what Cronon focused on in his essay. If we can incorporate both of these important features into our liberal education system, then and only then, will we be thriving as a society. Graduates will have a good understanding of knowledge from an array of different fields, as well as having important traits that will carry on for the rest of their
Critics argue that “overemphasis on liberal arts can be detrimental to people” and ask “why doesn’t one just go to technical school to get what they are really after?” It’s because most jobs require the mental capacity to adapt as time passes. This mental capacity is obtained through studies of the liberal arts. For example, one might ask: what possible use could an executive IT (information technology) Manager have for a class like history 2393: Japanese history?
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
In the past several years, there has been a growing trend in the number of college-bound individuals getting two-year degrees from community colleges or earning certification for their desired career field at vocational schools. Such schools certainly seem to have some valuable qualities: all boast of having lower costs than other colleges, of their absence of student loans, of allowing people to make more money quicker, of being narrowly focused so students don’t have to take classes they don’t need. They attempt to point out apparent weaknesses in liberal arts colleges as well, claiming that such an education is unnecessary in today’s world. However, for every reason to go to a community or two-year college, a vocational track, or an apprenticeship, there is another, stronger reason for going to a traditional, four-year college, and the liberal arts degree gained at four year colleges far outstrips the degree gained at a two year school or through a vocational track.
Now, let us define liberal arts or liberal education. According to Michael Lind, liberal arts should be understood in its original sense as “elite skills” (54). We all know that liberal arts include cour...
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.
Ungar, S. J. (2010). The new liberal arts. In G. Graff, C. Birkenstein, & R. Durst (Eds.). “They say, I say”: The moves that matter in academic writing with readings. (2nd ed.). (pp. 190-197). New York: W. W. Norton. This article looks to prove that liberal arts education is just as valuable as “career education” because contrary to general belief, career education doesn’t guarantee high-paying jobs after they graduate.
As people try to begin to understand liberal arts from a Christian point of view, there have been many writers that have written on this topic and have many different opinions about it. Three of the most famous writers are Holmes, De Gaetano, and Cross. A Christian liberal arts education makes us better leaders, people, and followers of Christ because it helps us know right from wrong. A liberal arts education teaches us to distinctly know the difference between right and wrong, and the path that God has chosen for us to follow. This type of education also gives students the freedom to become everything God has granted us with the ability to become.
A liberal arts core or curriculum is defined as the areas of study or learning that cultivate intellectual thinking and ideas rather than technical work or skills. By providing work within this curriculum students can achieve excellence throughout their college career. Although there is this aspect, a liberal arts core is often questioned if it is really necessary for a successful college career. This paper will discuss how and why a liberal arts curriculum is important as well as how this curriculum can lead to pursuing excellence during a college career as well as having success after college.
Pascarell, Ernest T. “Liberal Arts Colleges and Liberal Arts Education”. ASHE Higher Education Report 31.3. Ed. Kelly Ward. 2005. Wiley Periodicals. Print.
Lynch, Ed.D. Matthew. "Historically Black Colleges and Universities Are Worth Saving." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Sept. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
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.
Centuries ago during the Renaissance especially, learning the liberal arts were extremely important and deeply rooted in the education system. St. Kate’s requires its students to take courses in that are in the “humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and formal sciences” departments in order to receive a degree. My TRW class allowed me to be given the feel of English, Theology, History, and Theater classes and expand my knowledge of the four. If a college were to only have students take the courses needed for their desired major, they would miss the opportunities to broaden their horizons. This curriculum fueled my brain to think more critically and never settle for less. I became close to those in my small discussion