Liberal Arts Education Essay

The film Higher Learning is a call to action. It is a film that shows people as products of their environment. The film is set on a college campus, a place where most people learn about what they will do in their adult life to try to better the world or simply educate themselves in order to live a better life. However, life on the Columbus campus is not good; it is a battlefield between the races and sexes. I feel it is a bit exaggerated, but it allows people to see some of the issues that go on, on a college campus. The film focuses on three freshman (Malik, Kristen, & Remy) entering college. They enter a less than ideal new world that is filled with tension, anxiety and fear. Although the writer uses stereotypical characters, it

The American public educational system is filled with an assortment of problems. Most students are graduating with less knowledge and capability than similar students in other industrialized countries. Classroom disruptions are surprisingly common, and in some classrooms, nearly continuous. The public education system is having difficulty adjusting to the no child left behind act. The No Child Left Behind(NCLB) is a landmark in education reform designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of American’s schools.

Education is a process where one learns and apply the same learned information to a practical situation. Isaac Newton, a physicist and a mathematician, managed to discover the indescribable universe we now know, because of what we call liberal education. He did not study physics only but he learned other subjects including mathematics. He understood the basis needed to discover now called the imaginary world, universe. Moreover, author Sanford J. Ungar also portrayed the same idea about the importance of liberal education. He pointed it as a way to create capable and cultivated human beings. Liberal arts broaden the way humans think, such that we not only focus on one skill to tackle a problem but to look at range of skills. Additionally, the author also answered the wired misconceptions that are already in peoples’ minds by proving them wrong.

“I don’t mind if I have to sit on the floor at school. All I want is an education,” said Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist for female education. In today's society, many people don’t realize how grateful they should be for the education they receive. Even the slightest education is much more than people were receiving just three centuries ago, and even more than people in countries besides the United States of America. In specifics, women and African Americans were once unable to pursue any form of education in the United States, along with many other ethnicities.

Governor Jeb Bush initiated the nation's boldest voucher experiment in June of 1999 when he signed into law his Opportunity Scholarship Program. Florida is the first in the nation with a statewide plan allowing state-paid tuition for children in "F" graded schools to attend private schools or other non-failing schools. Opponents claim that giving parents the choice to use state education funds at private schools could end up bankrupting the public education system so many children rely upon. Proponents of vouchers argue the voucher program will give parents a way to help children trapped in failing schools. Matthew Berry, a staff attorney with the Washington, D.C. based Institute for Justice, believes, “As

Prior to African-Americans’ freedom in 1863, their way of life consisted of labor. Majority of the African-Americans in the south were uneducated and unskilled. Washington firmly believed he could provide education for his fellow race. His vision of providing vocational and skill trade education would soon come to past in 1880 when “an act of the Alabama legislature established Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School.” The primary object of the school was to train African-Americans to become teachers and masters of certain skills in the industrial or agricultural field. In return the graduates passed their knowledge to African-Americans who were unable to attend higher level education schools. Washington developed programs that taught

In his essay, “Only Connect…,” Cronon lists characteristics of a liberally educated person. These characteristics include being able to listen and understand, talk to anyone, write to persuade, read well, solve problems, and nurture and empower others (Cronon). These characteristics of liberally educated people directly align with skills desired by employers. People with these traits have the skills necessary to succeed in practical situations, like those encountered in the workforce. This essay helped me understand that by providing a liberal arts education, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is also providing students with skills needed to succeed in their future careers. Through examining the structure of a four-year education at the University and consulting the perspectives of a UW Oshkosh professor and an outside professor, I came to understand that the University integrates career preparation with liberal arts education throughout because a well executed liberal arts education will provide proper career preparation. At their core, liberal arts and workforce development have very similar

The author concludes that the debate of liberal education will continue throughout generations to come. That students should immerse themselves within liberal arts not to just make a living, but to become more complex and diverse, to find creative ways to solve new problems, and develop as a person as a person. (Ugar 196) By incorporating the gained knowledge of the liberal arts, undergraduates can pass it down to the future

I strongly agree with Alan Wildman’s article “We ignore the liberal arts at our peril” about the significance of a liberal art degree as the liberal arts and humanities maintain a crucial role in creating an active society that inspires and advances throughout different academic fields. Graduates of humanities and liberal arts have a better understanding of cultures and history and thus it creates a more open minded society and inspires scholars in other academic fields and prevents the society from repeating previous mistakes. Moreover, the liberal arts influence is the foundation of other fields as it provides the chance of thinking more actively and thus creates more original ideas that can be applied in other careers. For instance, authors write about fascinating gadgets in their fiction novels, which inspires scientists and engineers to create these inventions in real life.

Being slightly educated in liberal arts is essential to being a well-rounded person. Knowing liberal arts widens a person’s horizon, creating a different mindset. Although knowing some liberal arts is a good quality to take out into the real world, it is not necessary to get a degree in liberal arts if the person does not plan to pursue a job in the liberal arts field. There are more cons than pros in getting a full liberal arts education. Although a liberal arts degree makes for a well-rounded person out in the real world, it takes up a lot of time and money, and will narrow a person’s chances of getting a job.

For centuries, a liberal arts education was a sign of a well-rounded, creative individual. However, in an ever changing era, a liberal arts education is nothing more than an example of how little people enjoy change. Nowadays, numerous jobs require basic to intermediate computer skills, literacy in basic business and economic concepts, and a remedial understanding of geography, social customs, and current events. The core curriculum of a liberal arts education, which includes history, math, art, science, English, literature, and a variety of social sciences, needs to be expanded to encompass the subjects people encounter every day in the 21st century. This paper is directed towards a general audience dedicated to improving centers of

What is a liberal arts education? Many students think that a liberal arts education just teaches students what they need to know for their future job. However, according to Arthur Holmes, in his essay Liberal Arts, a Liberal arts education “concentrates on what shapes a person’s understanding and values rather than on what he can use in one or two of the changing roles he might later play” (Timmerman and Hettinga 387-388). Liberal arts does not focus only on developing the mind, but also developing the character of the student (387). A liberal arts education is practical because it reinforces the knowledge students should already know (Stull, Richard Allen 39). For example, in high school everyone was required to learn the history of the nation and the world, but upon coming to college, the student learns the history of his major. This year I am taking

As a student attending a post-secondary institution such as Dalhousie University, it is important to understand the crucial role the government plays when looking at how the daily university operations and programs are impacted. Although the role of the government may not initially appear to have a direct impact on a student’s life, it seemly has a large influence. The Canadian governments’ role primarily involves financial support which is under the responsibility of the Nova Scotian minister of education when it comes to Dalhousie University receiving government funds. Financial aid allows for universities to ensure: the education they are providing is high quality, the tuition fees they are asking are practical, class sizes are reasonably

Public education in the United States is perhaps one of the most critical issues we face as a nation. Once pronouncing the United States as a “nation at risk”, the educational institution began to implement one reform strategy after another. In efforts to improve schooling for K-12 students, education reform has fiddled with class size, revised graduation requirements, and created standardized testing just to name a few. Unfortunately, traditional public schools are still failing to provide students with a quality education. This is disheartening as we learn that the United States lags behind in math and science compared to our international counterparts. It is safe to say that educational reform has spent billions of dollars over the

Elementary teachers not only introduce their students to the basic concepts of core subjects, they also help pave the path to each student’s future success. Education to become a teacher is long and tedious, and while the income may not be the highest available, watching students develop a new skill or grow an appreciation for learning can be very rewarding. Because there will always be a need for education, even with the recent budget cuts, teaching jobs will always have to be available somewhere.