Summary Of Why We Need The Liberal Arts By Joseph R. Fargo

Edmundson, Mark. "On the Uses of a Liberal Education." From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and a Reader. Ed. Stuart Greene and April Lidindsky. Bedford/ St. Martin’s: New York, 2008. 322-337. Print

Higher education in modern day America has become a debated topic, with some saying that it is not worth it due to the debt it leaves upon leaving, and some saying that it opens opportunities that surpass the results of obtaining one. A resulting view from this conflict is that certain forms of education aren’t as beneficial as others. A primary example of one of these less valuable educations is the study of Liberal Arts. Author Sanford J. Ungar discredits this view in his article The New Liberal Arts where he discusses the many misconceptions that have come to form this interpretation. To convince the reader of these misunderstandings, Ungar uses the appeals of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, with heavy appeal to logic (Logos) over the other two. Each misconception uses and focuses on more of one appeal than others, and by doing this, he is very successful in influencing the reader into considering that these misunderstandings are present.

The essay “A New Liberal Arts,” which was written by Sanford Ungar, first appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education on March 5, 2010. In his essay, Ungar uses many different rhetorical strategies to convince his reader that a degree in the liberal arts is not a lost cause but can actually be very beneficial and lead to success. In Ungar’s opinion, there are many wrong ideas and misunderstandings about the usefulness of a degree in the liberal arts. In the essay there are seven specific misperceptions that he addresses specifically. By listing out these misperceptions, Ungar is addressing them individually in order to give each one proper attention. He offers explanations to why people may think these things and why he believes that they are incorrect. Ungar’s use of style, format, and emotional and logical arguments help him to create a persuasive and influential essay for his audience and convince them to agree with his opinion.

The topic of the essay is liberal and STEM education, which is a very broad topic. He hits the main points and gives examples of why liberal education is better than STEM education. He wrote this essay because the country has shifted toward teaching more job specific and technical skills. Zakaria explains that liberal arts education made the United States have one of the strongest economies in the world. The countries that solely rely on STEM education can’t accomplish as much because the STEM education doesn’t provide workers who are creative and

For our first essay, I selected the topic group “Is College the Best Option” from They Say, I Say. I chose the group for a few key reasons. I have read, streamed, listened, and watched many different forms of the discussion on higher education, hearing many compelling arguments from both sides on the issue. The education system in the United States of America is a topic that I continue I strive to learn about whenever the opportunity presents itself and it did just that with this assignment. Although I had never read any of the selections from the three authors that I chose, I had heard of the President of The University of Maryland, Freeman Hrabowski, but I had never read any of works or realized that he was a writer. It was an enriching experience to read more about the subject from new perspectives. I believe that the insights I gained from the readings have helped shape my views on the topic and will help me in the near future.

Ungar believes that the new Liberal Arts program is powerful because it develops character, lifelong learning, and values. He further explains that creating confidence and developing positive patterns is essential to life. He believes that, “Through immersion in liberal arts, students learn not just to make a living, but also to live a life rich in values and character”.On the other hand, Gitlin believes that learning from history ensures common ground and helps people socially accept their lives as well as those of others. He states that “Students need “chaff detectors.”They need some orientation to philosophy, history, language, literature, music and the arts that have lasted more than 15 minutes”. He does agree with Ungar that Liberal

William Cronon’s Article “Only Connect…” The Goals of a Liberal Education is about his view about a liberal arts education. In his article Cronon states the values in character that a person with a liberal arts education possesses. His views however are obscured. Cronon believes that there are certain values that set liberal arts educated people apart from other people. When looking at the values one can see that any person could hold these values not just those who are educated in the liberal arts. Why would you chose a liberal arts education? Why did I choose to fly across the country to come to Southern Virginia University and get a liberal arts educated? Part of the answer lies in Cronon’s article, but

As we move out of the 20th century into a world where technology is changing the way we work and play and are educated, college enrollment is at an all time high. But based on the SAT and ACT scores, academic achievement has declined leading to the question in Joyce Baldwin's article, "Liberal Arts for New Millennium", of whether or not a liberal arts background should still be included in the definition of "an educated person".

To discuss the value of liberal education, there should be a mutual understanding that investing in college means to invest in oneself. Furthermore, while some consider this investment to be a critical stepping stone to success, others dismiss it, explaining that school simply cannot prepare someone for the “real world.” Sanford J. Ungar and Robert Reich explore both of these subjective values in their essays “The New Liberal Arts” and “College is a Ludicrous Waste of Money.” Ungar, the president of Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, discusses why a liberal education should be sought after; he does so by introducing common misconceptions about liberal arts and, using argumentative persuasion, proves their insignificance. On the other hand, Reich, the former secretary of labor, argues against the conventional belief of college being the only road to financial wellbeing; rather, he explains why a two-year education may better accommodate many college students, especially those in need of immediate work or those that simply cannot afford a four-year education. In all, although both Reich and Ungar generally discuss liberal education, their perspectives differ when it comes to its practicality in the current economy. Also, to express their different views about liberal arts, the authors use contrasting tones to present their ideas to different intended audiences.

“The New Liberal Arts” is an article written by Sanford J. Ungar, who is a president of Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. In the beginning of his article, Ungar wrote, “Hard economic times inevitably bring scrutiny of all accepted ideals and institutions, and this time around the liberal arts education has been especially hard hit.” In other words, Ungar means that recent economic recessions have made a huge impact on what people think of going for a liberal arts degree. In his essay, Ungar lists seven misperceptions and how he reacts to them. The most common misperception that Ungar identified is that liberal arts degrees are no longer affordable. The cost for liberal arts education is very expensive while

While the term liberal education is heard from the most prestigious university to an inner city community college, the phrase itself has a hazy definition at best. While educators across America struggle with the definition of the phrase, William Cronon uses purpose, structure, and appeals in his essay "Only Connect: The Goals of Liberal education," to define a liberally educated being and the characteristics that such an education should impart. Cronon capitalizes on inductive structuring to lead the reader along, gently building each new statement upon a foundation of previous ideas. This effectively leads the reader to a strange

The value in John’s essay is “going to be a more reflective and engaged individual, and an active, responsible contributor to my community capable of succeeding in leadership position.” (Nicholas Jones) John provides a good evidence to argue Liberal art degree is not useless, “There’s god evidence that Liberal Arts majors tend to earn high salaries by mid career.” (Nicholas Jones) from 2012 study from Georgetown University. People nowadays in their mindset, only appear one sentence which is “if a degree doesn't make a person good money, a Liberal Arts degree is pretty useless.” (Nicholas Jones) Many pieces of evidences prove that although Liberal Art is useless, just like for the new employee, and “starting salary between people with Liberal Arts degrees and Health or Business degrees is about $13000 per year.” (Nicholas Jones) Sooner or later, the salary will grow in the mid-career. Sometimes, think about if people know computer pays well, others are not majoring in Computer Science,

The liberal arts are subjects that I consider a platform for life. You acquire knowledge and assimilate lessons that will guide you in overcoming obstacles that may hinder you. Weather it be critical reading skills or the way you interpret a painting in a museum the prowess that you accumulate from liberal arts will consistently aid you.

In focusing so much on how many people are not intellectual, and how wrong a liberal education is for most students, or how it might not be a great idea, and how it’s the social norm, Murray overlooks the positivity of a liberal arts education and how it can impact our society in a great way for many people.in one instance Murray deliberately tries to debunk the B.A degree by stating the numbers of those who don’t successfully achieve stating “a rheid of all those who entered college hoping for B.A leave without one”(252). He fails to state the figures of those who succeed in getting a B.A degree compared to high school students and the positive of rate of return for a person he’s blinded and doesn't show the attributes of getting a B.A the

One of the defining characteristics of a liberal arts education is the broad range of subjects taught, which, aside from gaining a comprehensive knowledge base, allows students to learn material they may have never thought they’d be interested in. Broader topics will allow me to make more informed decisions regarding potential degrees and careers in the future. New interests I develop in college may lead me to a completely different degree than the BA in economics I plan on pursuing. Additionally, an undergraduate degree earned from a liberal arts education will provide me with more choices when determining which graduate program to take.