The Importance Of Traditional Liberal Arts

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.

A liberal arts education should no longer be considered the “easy way out” when compared to a career-oriented education. A liberal arts education provides students with many benefits, as well as a well-rounded education. Although this is true, many people still have doubts about liberal arts educations.

Living in the "Digital Age" it is not uncommon to believe the STEM fields- science, technology, engineering, and mathematics- are far more superior degree choices than its outdated counterparts, the liberal arts. However, Sanford J. Ungar attempts to shed light on the highly scrutinized and critiqued liberal arts education by clearing up seven common misperceptions. In his essay, "The New Liberal Arts," Ungar strings together counterarguments on why a liberal education still holds value in a modern society (656-662). Despite some strong rationalizations, Ungar 's argument is rendered ineffective.

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.

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

In his article “The Public Value of the Liberal Arts,” John Agresto proposes that a liberal arts education is significant because it teaches one to think creatively. In his opinion, the skill of thinking for oneself feeds the desire to learn new things and gives the tools to do so. Therefore, people will look to find what is true and how they should live. In his own words, “All or almost all questions are already answered for us by our culture… Why would you question them? But the liberal arts... seek to discover what is really true through reason and reflection” (Agresto 40). His point here is that the analytical skills that a liberal arts education teaches aids one in revealing definite truth for themself instead of just accepting everything

Thought I concede that jobs are actually looking for people who are educate in liberal art. I still maintain that a liberal art education remains relevant in today’s world. For example liberal art also offer classes for student who are majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This is important because liberal art is not only concentration on those student majoring in the art field thy are also thinking of the rest of the student Although some might object that liberal art are in too general specific career , I would reply that liberal art offer great choice for every student and you don’t have to be majoring in the art field in order to attend to liberal art . the issue is important because some college student aren’t walking away with enough of a well-rounded education

In public schools we get a basic education which is essential, but college goes more in-depth. It helps to expand our minds, to discover something deeper and more intricate. The teaching of liberal art is the push for this expansion of knowledge and graduates are everywhere, examples of such in politics, culture, and the economy. It creates “...ideals into effective, productive work in the world.” (source B) Without higher education, the great minds of the world would not exist, causing a dwindle in wanting to learn, making our world abstract and distant.

Ungar insists that everyone attend a college that would equip them with an in-depth liberal education, rather than just training them for their job. Murray on the other hand, proposes this liberal education be started in advance before the student comes to college, and also promotes self-education. Although Ungar insists being grounded in the liberal arts would give college students special skills that would put them above the average, Murray makes the better claim. Following Ungar’s plan would restrict a full liberal education to only those who are privileged enough to receive a college education.

When I applied to college, one aspect when applying which was very important to me was to go to a liberal arts school. There were many reasons why this was important to me, from having heard about it from my counselors to finding it important to have a broad education. I chose Hope College as the school I wanted to go to because it brought together the importance of God and Christianity and it also is a liberal arts school. When arriving at the school, I began to find out more about how important a liberal arts education is to increase your knowledge.

Excellence for students is the ability for them to strive to be the best they can be. This is

The point is to determine who will rise and who will crumble under pressure. In this context, it is essential to know the “relationship between a desire for knowledge and the ability of knowledge to change society for the better.” Both aspects are great because knowledge is such a powerful thing; however, as a Christian, it is my task not only to desire knowledge but to rise when I am challenged with difficulties to learn things to affect society in a positive way. Liberal arts education goes further than just professional and technical subjects; and therefore, it is crucial for liberal arts to position with a moral framework. People who are being educated by a liberal arts method must have a moral framework in order to provide students who will better the world, rather than be oblivious or do harm. Finally, it is reasonable to expect the liberal arts to create “good citizens” because they are teaching skills than needed for a career, they are teaching ways of life and how to connect professionalism to everything else. In order to have this occur, liberal arts will need to ensure that their teaching can relate to the students in each class. No student is the same, and therefore, they will not learn the same way. Catering to the needs of each individual is key to produce “good citizens” from a liberal arts

The liberal arts are a vital subject for the curriculum of every school worldwide. However, numerous education reforms set in motion by American government have begun to take a heavy toll on the existence of art programs in schools. Subjects such as theatre, music, dance, visual arts, and many more are being sacrificed economically in lieu of basic subjects that are listed as more important by the state. As a result of these funding cuts to arts programs, students across the nation are beginning to lose crucial opportunities to take part in these traditional fields of study. The liberal arts programs across the nation’s schools provide more to students than can be attained in the basic classroom setting, and therefore should not be surrendered to other subjects that are deemed more prominent. Nearly every aspect of the arts has been in practice since the dawn of man. Before the existence of the world’s major technologies such as the television or the internet, people had to entertain themselves. As Efland writes in his research of the history of art education, “as long as the arts have existed, artists, performers, and audience members have been educated for their roles.” Perhaps the most well-known of the art practices are the visual arts. Everything from cave drawings, carvings, statues, tattoos, piercings, to even decorated dishes serve as examples of the earliest visual arts. These items often served as symbols for cultural deities, stories of the past, folklore, and

Liberal Arts is no longer what it used to be. Throughout the years it has lost the public’s support, and its importance has begun to be questioned. Although it has been looked down upon, liberal arts possesses many qualities that are vital to an exceptional education. Yale’s faculty claim that liberal arts aim is “not to teach that which is peculiar to any one of the professions, but to lay the foundation which is common to them all” This certainly does not exclude STEM education. A strong education in the liberal arts is key to longterm success in a STEM career incorporating the ability to think critically, to become better people and better working professionals, and to reinstall liberal learning to its proper place in higher education.

Many universities and institutions require their students to take a variety of liberal arts core classes in addition to the required courses in their major. Often times, students complain about these extra courses because they feel that they are a waste of time. However, what college students don’t realize is the importance of these liberal arts courses. These core classes are essential to the education of a college student because they instill a well rounded education in university students. If students only take classes in their major, they are limited to a contained education.