What's a Liberal Arts Education Good For?
Over the next few months, in homes across America, seventeen and eighteen-year-olds will be conferring with one another and with their parents about a life changing decision: What college to go to! After months of research, visits, and advice from "experts," these young men and women must now decide: Where will I be happy? Where will I make friends? Where will I get an education I can afford now, and an education that will remain valuable for years after graduation?
In this same time period, our government officials will be deciding where an investment in America's economic infrastructure will do the most good. Commentators from different political perspectives have often noted that one of the great advantages of America is its peerless higher education system. Although other sectors have diminished international roles, higher education in this country continues to inspire admiration around the globe. When politicians talk about this, they often emphasize the research output of large universities, but the focus should also be on American undergraduate liberal arts education. Liberal arts in the USA provide not only a pipeline of talented and prepared students to the great graduate schools, but also a model for life-long learning that other countries are beginning to emulate.
But in these challenging times, what's an education in the liberal arts good for?
Rather than pursuing business, technical or vocational training, some students (and their families) opt for a well-rounded learning experience. Liberal learning introduces them to books and the music, the science and the philosophy that form disciplined yet creative habits of mind that are not reducible to the material circumstances of one's life (though they may depend on those circumstances). There is a promise of freedom in the liberal arts education offered by America's most distinctive, selective, and demanding institutions; and it is no surprise that their graduates can be found disproportionately in leadership positions in politics, culture and the economy. A quick look at several members of President-elect Obama's leadership team can stand as an example of how those with a liberal arts education are shaping the future of our society.
What does liberal learning have to do with the harsh realities that our graduates are going to face after college? The development of the capacities for critical inquiry associated with liberal learning can be enormously practical because they become resources on which to draw for continual learning, for making decisions in one's life, and for making a difference in the world. Given the pace of technological and social change, it no longer makes sense to devote four years of higher education entirely to specific skills. Being ready on DAY ONE, may have sounded nice on the campaign trail, but being able to draw on one's education over a lifetime is much more practical (and precious). Post secondary education should help students to discover what they love to do, to get better at it, and to develop the ability to continue learning so that they become agents of change -- not victims of it.
A successful liberal arts education develops the capacity for innovation and for judgment. Those who can image how best to reconfigure existing resources and project future results will be the shapers of our economy and culture. We seldom get to have all the information we would like, but still we must act. The habits of mind developed in a liberal arts context often result in combinations of focus and flexibility that make for intelligent, and sometimes courageous risk taking for critical assessment of those risks.
The possibilities for free study, experimentation and risk taking need protection and cultivation. Looking around the world, we find no shortage of thugs who desecrate or murder those who seek to produce a more meaningful culture. And here at home we can easily see how mindless indifference to the contemporary arts and sciences facilitates the destruction of cultural memory and creative potential.
America's great universities and colleges must continue to offer a rigorous and innovative liberal arts education. A liberal education remains a resource years after graduation because it helps us to address problems and potential in our lives with passion, commitment and a sense of possibility. A liberal education teaches freedom by example, through the experience of free research, thinking and expression; and ideally, it inspires us to carry this example, this experience of meaningful freedom, from campus to community.
The American model of liberal arts education emphasizes freedom and experimentation as tools for students to develop meaningful ways of working after graduation. Many liberal arts students become innovators and productive risk takers, translating liberal arts ideals into effective, productive work in the world. That is what a liberal education is good for.
We were surprised last week to hear reports from several liberal arts colleges and universities that they had seen significant increases in 'early decision' applications. At Wesleyan, we were up almost 40%, an increase none of us on the staff would have predicted. Early decision applicants have already decided that if they are accepted at the one school to which they apply in the fall, they will attend that school the following year. Many of the highly selective schools like Wesleyan have robust financial aid programs, accepting students regardless of their ability to pay. In my next post, I'll write more about issues of affordability even with financial aid.
In these turbulent economic times, it appears that students want to know as quickly as possible if they are going to be able to attend their first choice school. Many of our talented high school seniors are doubtless deciding that the significant investment of time and money in a liberal arts education will give them the capacity for a sustainable and creative future. Perhaps they have something to teach us!
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I think everyone should be taught a trade or two inbetween high school and college. Hell, you can learn something in 2 years and if that's where you want to stay then fine! You're set. If you want to move on from there that's good too and then you'll always have something to do during the summers or during those long years when you are pursuing higher education and multiple degrees other than making coffee at Starbucks. It would give you real work and real life experience to balance with all the academics that will make you a brilliant well rounded and handy person.
The best course is to get a good education in science, so you can actually understand how the world works.
After that, you can educate yourself in the liberal arts.
The reverse course is not feasible.
Thus leading to much higher dropout rates.
Please provide citation for study proving last statement.
If you had spent more time in the humanities, you would know this is a fallacy of reasoning known as a false dichotomy. :)
A well rounded liberal arts education includes science components. Which is why my history major friends can speak intelligently about global warming, biology, and evolution. Unfortunately, I've encountered a number of "specialized" degree holders who can't tell you when the Civil War happened or why reporters keep referring to the "New New Deal" in the news recently. Nor can they explain why the Middle East is so full of turmoil.
So I respectfully disagree with your assessment. I think a liberal arts education should be the model for all higher learning.
My undergrad degree is Liberal Arts and Science.
"Science" -- at least biology, chemistry, math, physics, geology, etc. -- is a liberal art.
The liberal arts are composed of five main areas: Arts (drama, music, art), Humanities (languages, history, etc), Science (biology, math, chemistry, etc.), and the social sciences (psychology, sociology, economics, political science, etc.)
Why wouldn't we want our future generations to learn about ALL of these areas to intelligently hold conversations?
The better question for this generation may be: Should I go to college at all? I have a B.A. in Spanish and a Master's degree from an academically rigorous institution. I practice psychotherapy in an outpatient setting, which was profitable a few years ago, but not so much given the HMO's and the state of the economy. Maybe the value of a liberal arts education is not what it used to be a decade ago. I have $80,000 in student loans and I'm struggling to pay bills despite having extraordinary work ethic and considerable talent in my field. I'm pretty sure my landscaper makes more money than me.
I have a bachelor of arts degree in music, a master of arts degree in education and a master's degree in Library and Information science. I also type 75 wpm.
I can also sweat copper pipe, lay ceramic tile and tailor clothes.
I don't judge my "success" by how much money I make a year. But I'll never be unemployed. What I don't know I can learn. My education means I'll never have to rely on my brawn to be employed; I can use my brain.
I do my own landscaping.
My husband has a BA in English. He graduated in 1990 but there was a recession. He first took a job after college for a rental car company. It was horrible. He became an IBEW Journeyman. He is having a difficult time remaining employed throughout the year and often has to travel state to state on word of mouth that there is work.
His wonderful paying job (when he can get the work) has also given him chemically induced asthma. When it is triggered, he gets asthmatic bronchitis which produces shortness of breath and gives him decreased activity and temperature tolerance.
For those who have not worked blue collar, you should understand the treatment these men get. They aren't allowed to use the bathroom facilities, they must use the port-a-potties; they cannot eat at the cafeteria in the building, they eat food brought from home (or hotel room) sitting on a bucket in the cold; they do not get to submit an expense report for hotel fees, gasoline, tolls and meals--they must budget it out from their paycheck; there is no paid sick time, holiday time nor vacation time.
Another poster wrote about gaining practical skills but not neglecting or devaluing higher education that can open doors to satisfying yet less taxing physical work -- don't neglect the mind while using the body because they body wears out faster.
A liberal arts education is everything Michael said it is, but it's not for everyone. In most instances it will change the way you look at yourself and the world.... in a word, it will make you more liberal. Subjects like comparative religion, cultural anthropology and modern philosophy can be quite a culture shock for someone coming from a structured or conservative background. Regardless, one should incorporate some LA subject matter into any degree path to develop valuable critical thinking skills.
I agree, but what kind of a job can you expect after grauation?
I graduated from Wesleyan a year and a half ago, with honors in History. I currently work as a project coordinator for a national research firm (can't say which b/c of the politically sensitive nature of my work). I interviewed for the job a week after graduation, and was offered it the day after my interview. My employers were really impressed with breadth and depth of my educational experience, and trusted that I'd be able to handle whatever they threw at me because of my intellectual ability.
My boyfriend graduated with high honors in music, and was working in finance till his company started downsizing. An LA degree can't prevent that. But he's happy for the opportunity to spend more time on his music, and now has great resume experience combined with an excellent education. We're doing a lot better than many in this economy, and feel really blessed.
While an engineering degree may get you a job, once you get it how will one know how to interact with people; how they think, how they feel, the relative value of your projects to humanity; the greater good. How will you know if you are not re-inventing the wheel? This may sound silly, but watch about 5 episodes of Dragon's Den and one can easily see why a liberal arts education would have been beneficial to some of these "inventors".
Libral education is about learning how to learn, and is therefore never obsolete.
A brilliant piece
As a newly minted grad with my Masters in History, fortunate enough to be teaching a a community college this semester, I am a big booster for Liberal Arts. I spent the first 25 years of my life pursuing a very successful career in a fortune 500 company and always wondered what it was about engineers and MBA's that left me feeling that some aspect of their education was lacking. After returning to school and starting with an associates degree in Liberal Arts the answer is now very clear. On the whole most of them had had the creative skills driven out of them by empirical doctrine and a value system of conformity. Give them a project or a goal and they were fine, immoral to a large degree when it came to people management but perfectly capable of meeting their objectives.
I much prefer the creative questioning of liberal arts students who decides to explore engineering, In the end you end up with a much more creative and thoughtful engineer.
Paulo1, thanks for your comment. I'm glad to see someone else following a path to a Masters and persuing community college teaching. After having been in the workforce for as long as you have in another field, did you find the transition to teaching difficult? Did colleges impose any roadblocks? Had you taught before? Just curious. I just started an MA in poli sci with an eye toward teaching and am coming from the television business.
Thanks again for the positive post.
Mitkaase
I found that as a returning adult student the road actually seemed a little smoother. My instructors were incredibly supportive and the younger students took years off my world view age. It was very refreshing.
The only depressing thing about the whole experience was seeing how many young people were in college solely because of expectations. They knew they needed a degree to succeed but were plodding through technical degrees in fields they barely had an interest in because someone had put away money for their education or hounded them into a field before they were ready. I felt very sad for them. I am teaching at a Community College because I found that the students there were the most motivated. Many are struggling either financially or academically and really appreciate every tiny bit of help they can get. I get many more thank you's per day than any teacher at a four year school.
What's practical here though? Can your B.A. grad spend another 3 years or so getting the fundamentals needed to pursue and engineering career or grad level engineering. Thoughtful explorers are nice, but we don't all have rich parents willing to foot the exploration bill.
The B.A. grad may not need to spend another three years or so getting the fundamentals, not if the B.A. grad did a 3 + 2 engineering program at a liberal arts school in cooperation with an engineering school.
Believe me, I have worked for more than 10 years overseas promoting US higher education to international students. I have seen what can happen in countries where the education was strictly focused on professional degree programs with a narrow focus. The cost of losing liberal arts as a corner stone of our American education, is a cost that we cannot afford. This is America, I am sure that we can do both.
This advice is of limited value. It's great for students who are fortunate to gain admission to an elite institution and graduate at the top of their class, because they may encounter job opportunities that will let them make a difference in the world. What about others who pursue a liberal arts education? Well, far too many of them will view college as a four-year party, thanks to the Greek system and a culture of drinking. Students who don't get into a top school and/or do not place well in their class may well find themselves struggling to establish themselves in the economy and questioning the value of their degree.
Students who don't apply themselves in college and coast through programs at schools not known for their academic rigor will struggle no matter what they major in. No one wants is champing at the bit to hire half-ass engineers and dimwit business majors from East West Central Podunk U.
Full Disclosure: I did these things, but avoided the Greek System. However, later in life when I decided to do something serious with my life, I discovered that the education I had dabbled in, had provided me with a fantastic foundation to go further in life. I really regret that I was not more prepared for college, but I still believe that I got a great deal out of my education in the liberal arts.
I agree with you Michael; but you seem to be presenting a false choice between "business, technical or vocational" and liberal arts.
Engineering and Science or graduates with solid core fundamentals are likewise needed to take on the tremendous technical challenges we face. These students aren't learning skills that are going to become obsolete, but the underlying fundamentals to all of technology, and the natural world.
We have a problem with our leadership today. Our congress is filled with lawyers, many who probably started out with liberal arts degrees. Too few of them understand the hard science behind climate change, and our energy challenges. We need more philosophers there, I agree, but also more engineers and scientists.
The point is, with a rigorous liberal arts education, I have learned how to learn for life, and am at no disadvantage in business, technical, and vocational venues. Vice-versa is problematic.
I don't know what you call technical venues, but you won't find liberal arts grads in my field.
The problem I have with this piece is that Michael seems to be excluding scientists and engineers from the critical-thinking-skills and life-skills crowd, as if what they learned will be obsolete when the 2.0 version is released. I couldn't disagree more.
I am a registered professional engineer with a liberal arts degree. My liberal arts education gives me a whole different perspective on the profession of engineering along with a lifelong habit of critical reading and thinking. Plus it allows me to enjoy the arts and appreciate those engaged in pursuits other than engineering. A person who is willing to make the commitment will find the rewards very satisfying.
As someone who has had a quality education in engineering, I would say that my education is no more about a specific skill then a liberal arts education is. We too learn about critical thinking, how to learn, and make trade offs, but we also learn problem solving, and how what we do affects the world around you.
Instead of extolling the virtues of any specific path of education, I support any program that takes what you are passionate about, and uses it as a path to the larger world around you, and to the foundation skills that are common accross a wide number of fields and interests.
A liberal arts education teaches us not only how to do things, but why, and when not to. It gives us a sense of the bigger picture and teaches us to question critically. It also gives us a sense of history's lessons. I would venture to suggest that this kind of education could have gone far to prevent eight years of hopeless warfare and loss of life, the recreation of concentration camps, blind obedience to orders, blind acceptance of political propaganda, messianic belief in the power of technology and money, and a near-complete failure to learn from the lessons of history.
"Hurrah, boys, now we have them!" -- last words of George A. Custer
"Mission accomplished!" -- banner behind George W. Bush
A liberal education is a big committment. You have to go all in. You should be prepared to be changed completely. You have to be prepared to have every belief, every value questioned. You can't go half in. It's not for everyone. But, for those lucky few who truly open themselves to it, it can be a richly rewarding, life-altering experience.
Well said.
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