Why Liberal Arts Education Matter?

Critical examination of the four liberal arts breadth areas, in their natural state, demonstrate that each area of study brings value and purpose to life. It is important to focus on developing weaknesses to gain fulfillment while using strengths to help others succeed.

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.

Throughout Ungar’s essay, he talks about the cost of liberal arts education, not necessary the financial part of a liberal arts education, but the cost of not having a liberal arts education and how you won’t be best prepared for the changing job market and how that can negatively effect the individual. Ungar talks in essay about the misperceptions of liberal arts education, he talks about how career education is important, but also how jobs and technology are changing and the jobs that might be in demand know, might change or become obsolete. Liberal arts college isn’t something that is deemed necessary for low income and first generation students but Ungar believes that with a liberal arts education, those students can achieve success and move ahead quickly helping ‘shape civil discourse’. Ungar believes that cost of education is out of control and although it’s a problem, the cost of going to a small liberal arts education will be worth it

There are many benefits to getting a Liberal Arts degree in today’s economic market. It is a message to your employer that you are willing to take on new information, and learn more then what is necessary to succeed. It shows initiative and the ability to expand your horizons beyond yourself. In a Liberal Arts education there is more purpose then just learning the career field of choice. It is a program that teaches critical thinking and self-thought. It teaches the student how to learn and teach themselves, to achieve more than just memorization of facts.

Today many argue that changing the Liberal Arts is essential to creating a better society. Mulcahy argues the Liberal Arts should look to empower students (pp. 478 Mulcahy). It should try to give students the confidence to lead, the skills to organize, knowledge to fix problems, or change their world. Some colleges have this as part of their goals within their liberal education programs. This is vastly different from the traditional Liberal Arts education that is still prevalent today. Where traditional Liberal Arts educations taught to inform and give students the skills to work in society, the new version also looks to set students up with the ability to change their society. The newer version of a liberal education creates students who are

In the” Are college worth the price of admission “Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, Professors of political science and international relationship at Queen College, focus on what Liberal arts college are doing good .They urge different things college have done to promote high education and give examples of college that are putting effort in liberal arts education .The authors also note the most important thing of liberal arts education are the small environment , affordability and the religious affiliation .Finally the author argues that liberal arts education is promoting higher education

Patrick Awuah, the founder of Ashesi University, explains that the purpose of a liberal arts college is to educate free men and woman to become leaders. Ashei was the first non-profit liberal arts college in West Africa. Patrick saw the need for a liberal arts education because he felt that the current leaders of Africa did not have the creative thinking skills necessary to fix the problems threatening Africa. He believed that a liberal arts education teaches students how to confront complex problems and create new and important ideas. The key trait of a liberal arts education is that it teaches students how to think creatively and allows them space to develop their own thinking skills, it creates a good balance between societal and scientific knowledge. -new sentence/rephrase

Liberal arts helps create a well-rounded person. Mr. Ungar described how liberal arts promotes the perceptive of looking at a problem on another angle rather keeping one track. Furthermore, he mentioned liberal arts, as

One way or another, all agree that a graduate of the liberal arts will be far better equipped for the uncertainties through the influence of a liberal arts education; however, they do not share similar views concerning how that outcome is acquired. Ungar holds the view that a liberal arts education is receiving more scrutiny than necessary while Hacker and Dreifus scrutinize the structure of current college education. Meanwhile, Wallace does not suggest that a problem exists in education, but rather, the problem is the misconception of what results. Of course, it is impossible to create a perfect form of education; not every person can be satisfied with the current state regardless of what changes are made, and in my view, it is best to acknowledge this reality and shift the focus of scrutiny elsewhere—such as the views of Ungar and Wallace. Although Hacker and Dreifus offer wonderful advice, I still maintain that the focus of scrutiny should be on the education itself; however, structural improvements of education should never stop. In sum, I support Hacker and Dreifus in their concern to improve the quality of higher education; however, to me, satisfaction will always be the unattainable

The earning of liberal arts degrees is not simply luxury that you can't afford, rather it's a skill that is earned and used in everyday life. The common misconception that the author goes into is that liberal arts degrees are simply a luxury that we cannot

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

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.

This is the reason why liberal arts education has been incorporated in the curriculum that is being taught in school over the years. When students have mastered all the skills and abilities that they need to know to help them in today’s modern society. They need to know how to use those skills for effective critical thinking and they also have to know that for one to solve a problem effectively, it requires strong analytical and creative processes, which can be develop through liberal arts education. When students plan to continue their education, the best thing for them to do, especially if they are not college ready, is to start out at a community college. Community college has a lot to offer for instance, they have smaller interactive classrooms with well qualified professors who will teach their students how to challenge their minds and promote further development before they transition into a four year university, where courses are a little more challenging and students have to learn how to be more independent. “One challenge is aligning trends with course credits; free course and massive open online courses, as well as prior learning experience, are all relatively new approaches to education that educators and policymakers have to address when discussing college credits and transferring credit, according to the AACC brief” (States Improve on Transfer Issues, but Gaps Remain, 2012,

Gradually the industry of liberal arts has developed with individuals concentrating more on intellectual entertainment and development. Liberal disciplines is a vast pace study composed of disciplines, humanities, natural science, public and archaeology, language and literature, social and political science, environment science…etc. The liberal art focuses on area of intellectual learning rather than technical or professional specifications. Liberal arts course attempts to educate the students to the history, society and culture and their internal linkages. In the present electronic age, use of technological innovation by liberal arts professionals has triggered the growth of the market by giving it new dimensions. Liberal disciplines majors

Liberal Arts also nurture other hidden talents that the student might not have realize before attending that said liberal art college.