The Value Of A Liberal Arts Education

Is going to college really worth the cost ? Attending college should be about getting a higher education and figuring out what career students would pursue that they would enjoy after graduating. College should help students grow in a positive direction. Yet instead students go to college because that is expected of them after high school. Not knowing the difficulties they would have to face. Most students do not know what they truly want to do with their life. Which can be a very bad venture, especially since college is so expensive. Although opponents claim that college is a good investment, it honestly is not worth the cost because it does not guarantee employment, it burdens students with student loans, and it does not prepare students for the workforce after graduation.

Critical thinking means to think correctly in to find knowledge that is relevant and reliable. In terms of a liberal arts education critical thinking is crucial because a liberal arts education teaches students skills that are needed in the rapidly changing world that usually requires a lifetime of self-learning and understanding. Critical thinking is something that people usually must learn on their own; however, as a liberal arts school it is taught, so we have a better understanding of thinking critically.

Martin Luther King Junior said, “Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” Higher education does not exist for the sole purpose of preparing students for future jobs; it’s there in order to prepare individuals for life where they are expected to participate in their community, their government, and the lives of those around them. Liberal arts, in particular, exist for the broadening of students’ minds in order for them to be successful not only in their chosen career but also in their lives outside of it. Liberal arts lost their past popularity during the last few decades, but they shouldn’t be disregarded in favor of technical and professional degrees because they still provide students with skills that are perhaps less tangible, but no less necessary for life in modern world.

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There has been a lot of research trying to figure out what type of education is more beneficial to students in post-secondary education. The two types that are most often talked about, and debated about are liberal arts education, and vocational education. Does one have more advantages that the other? Or are both in moderation more beneficial to students? After researching, and reading many articles, and journals, I’ve comprehended that many authors support liberal arts, and want it to be incorporated into our education system because it helps students tremendously. In contrast, there are also authors that disagree, and believe that choosing a liberal arts education is a mistake that students should avoid because it doesn’t bring much good

A liberal arts education promotes freedom and exploration: students are advised to explore the breadth of the curriculum before choosing a major, and the requirements are flexible enough to allow students to pick courses according to their interests. Thus, a liberal arts education accomplishes two goals: avoids the danger of early specialization, and encourages students to have a wide array of interests and develop into well-rounded scholars, able to combine multiple perspectives from diverse fields. As such, a liberal arts education has a global outlook, succesfully combining breadth and depth.

So, if your major doesn’t matter, how do you choose? I think if you consider your passion and interests, as well as job prospects (but don’t obsess over them) you are setting yourself up for success. If you choose a liberal arts degree, prepare yourself for some unfair scrutiny. Our society tends to cut the value of some degrees, such as the 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

The existence of liberal arts education makes a significant contribution to the whole society. According to the “Why a Liberal Arts Education Matters”(2012), liberal arts colleges’ purposes are to “mold students into well-rounded, well-informed global citizens with a wide skill set”. People need to be resilient in order to “invent creative solutions” and liberal arts education can help them about that. Liberal arts education help young people build exploring spirit and learn invaluable skills to make life interesting and worthwhile. The gifts liberal arts education offer students include abilities, skills, confidence, attitude, spirits and so on, which can contribute to their whole life. The development of society depends on a new generation who accepted liberal arts education. Therefore, a liberal arts education plays an important role in society, so government and people should place considerable value on it.

Today students major in areas such as medicine, economics, engineering and business yet, not many major in liberal arts. Why is that? Steve Pearlstein, a writer and a Robinson Professor of Public Affairs at George Mason University, in his article “Meet the parents who won’t let their children study literature” (2016), argues that college students should be able to pursue on the major they want rather than listen to what their parents want for them. He supports his argument by providing testimonies, statistical evidence, and studies. The author’s purpose is to encourage all students to consider becoming a liberal arts major. Out of all his appeals, his strongest were both logical and ethical because he provided an amount of sources that build up his credibility. In the other hand, the article lacks on emotional appeal. Overall, he delivers a well structured article that hits the points on why we should consider majors like liberal arts and how students take majors that their parents prefer.

Throughout the history education, America was leading in post-secondary education because of its incorporation of liberal arts into their education system but, it’s slowing starting to shift away, more into vocational education. The reason why they have started focusing more on vocational education is because those are the careers that are higher in demand so they wanted students to excel in science and math related occupations. They want students to be more economically competitive which could not be achieved solely through a liberal arts education. But, research proves that liberal arts help students adapt easier, and quicker into the real world after graduation. This is because liberal arts focus on developing skills that cannot be studied or memorized; they have to be practiced to perfection and will take years to master. According to sources, Asia is adopting liberal arts education because they have realized the potential that a liberal arts education will provide for students (Lweis). Many countries like China, Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong are adapting liberal arts because they have recognized the its importance, and realized that liberal arts will provide a better education to prepare students for the workforce. Most people argue that a liberal arts education is more beneficial to students than vocational education because it helps students be all-rounders which is what employers want. “Liberal arts education is best accomplished by not just lectures, but small

A liberal arts education is an essential necessity to one’s self-development, however, the high demands to integrate technology has a threat to the future of the liberal arts institution. A liberal arts education will increase the intellect, imagination, and critical thinking skills of each student. The world is progressing rapidly and the demand for innovative educated people is at an all-time high. There is a heightened demand for individuals with a liberal arts education; however, the future demands are not as intense for individuals who has majored in a specific academic subject. Thus, they will become increasingly valuable in the job market after graduating from college. Studying a specific skill set in modern day society does not equate to a lifetime of success; neither will it lead to more desirable employment opportunities. Therefore, the individual who decides to major in a liberal arts education can expect to live a life of completeness, joy, contentment, success, and happiness. A liberal arts education is crucial in the modern day, there is a high demand globally for every person who has a liberal arts education. The institution of liberal arts has been experiencing severe challenges compared to its ancient antecedents the Greek and Romans era.

The goal of a liberal arts education is for giving greater knowledge and understanding of those who want to be prepared for the complicated studies of the STEM education. In “The Liberal Arts are Dead: Long Live the Liberal Arts”, an article that was written by the Provost of Hillsdale College, David M. Whalen argues that liberal arts education is dying as STEM subjects are taking over its values and significance. Whalen bases his argument on an essay by G.W. Thielman, who is trying to persuade readers by being satirized as how liberal arts aren’t useful to STEM education. Whalen then argues that without liberal arts, STEM people would not know how to argue and become easily persuaded. Whalen uses rational appeals to show us facts and logical reasoning to why this is important. Then, persuades readers with appeals to beliefs and feelings of higher emotions. Also, Whalen gives a sense as being fair and credible.

A liberal education provides the opportunity to be exposed to a multitude of different subjects. Therefore, college students are required to be exposed to a diverse curriculum. This in turn develops very well-rounded graduates with a basis of knowledge in many different areas. This is important not only because these students will have the ability to be aware and understand different aspects of modern life, but also students acquire certain skills necessary to succeed. For example, a science major might hate English classes, but the act of writing papers and reading might come in handy as they begin to look for jobs and are able to be well spoken and organized. Also, this diverse curriculum allows students to contemplate matters in from different areas of academia. For example, learning about science, economics, and literature will help students to thing about international issues is dynamic and complex manner rather than contemplating

“Oh, you are a liberal arts major. Doesn’t that mean you are working at a coffee shop?” and “You should probably have a backup plan” are only two of the hundreds of mocking phrases heard by students studying in the liberal arts. The public has this misconception that majoring in the liberal arts is a mistake, and a degree in this field correlates directly to low job prospects and an even lower income. In comparison to STEM majors of science, technology, engineering, and math, who appear to offer more to society, the humanities and social sciences are perceived as unimportant and negligible. As a result, the liberal arts bear constant ridicule in the United States exemplified by the public’s mockery of the false perceptions of vocational failure surrounding the program of study. Nevertheless, Allan Bloom, author of The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students, states that it is the liberal arts—most notably the humanities and social sciences—that offer the necessary background knowledge to improve society. Through the rise in liberal arts, students will begin to formulate new ideas and values that will resurrect the country’s impoverished souls and values. Similarly, Corey Robin, author of The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin, asserts that comprehending the liberal arts and correctly applying the major ideas of philosophy, history, and various social sciences is