The 21st century has seen an overwhelming emphasis on education and knowledge as these are known to be the driving force of economic growth.
On an individual level, the ability to land a decent paying job which will be able to secure one’s future is a widely sought after phenomenon by most graduates. This is supported by Burriesci’s observation that “advanced degrees are measured by their ‘return on investment’.” As such, many pursue education as a means to achieve better career prospects. Hence naturally, the majority would express greater interest in courses such as Medicine, Business and Law that would bring about lucrative returns as opposed to pursuing their passion in the liberal arts. The factor of time however has brought about changes
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However, it is also important to consider the varying degrees in the value of a liberal arts education across the globe. This is dependent on the different backgrounds, cultures and conditions. In the case study of Singapore, competitiveness is a known and common trait. This stemmed from the government’s continued and persistent emphasis on progress and development since the early days of independence. As such, people looked towards avenues which could bring about tangible results such as economic growth hence placing importance on the Science. While there are still those who believe that the Science is superior to the Arts, most Singaporeans are able to see the value in the Arts today. Another example could be the difference between a First and a Third World nation. Today, liberal arts degrees are most commonly offered in the US. There are hundreds of dedicated liberal arts colleges in the US, signifying the acceptance of a liberal arts education. Whereas in India, there is an unspoken but well understood assumption that one pursues liberal arts or the humanities in college only if one could not get into the desired fields of science and commerce. Furthermore, there are very few established liberal arts institutions in India. Thus, it is evident that while in some parts of the world, liberal arts is celebrated and widely accepted, in others, people still favour the Science over the Arts.
All in all, this essay has summarised the arguments that are for the assertion that a liberal arts education is valuable in the 21st century. However, while this may be true, it does not apply to the whole world. It is therefore more accurate to state that the value of a liberal arts education is increasing due to the changing
“The New Liberal Arts” is written from the author's point of view. The author, Sanford J. Ungar, writes strongly on “Misperception” of Liberal Arts. He writes down each misperception and gives his reasoning, backed up with facts as to why he, the author, considers each one a misperception. The author writes about each misperception by numbering them and also gives reasoning. For example, “Misperception NO. 1: A liberal-arts degree is a luxury” and reasoning, “families can no longer afford… depths of the recession” (p. 227).
The article prompts the reader to his thoughts on the subject and, therefore, the reader is automatically inclined to believe that what Ungar says is true. The liberal arts involve taking courses and procuring a degree in Arts or Sciences. These courses will be in general areas of study, like philosophy, mathematics, literature and so. A liberal arts education is more helpful than a career education because it proves graduates with a better chance of employment, develop skills that are an advantage globally and locally and, lastly,
Jack Fisher Professor David M. Hart ENGL1010 26 March 2018 Persuasive Analysis Lots of writers usually use different ways to persuade their audience. There are numerous factors that a writer would use to make the argument persuasive. In the article "Why America's Business Majors Are in Desperate Need of a Liberal-Arts Education" by “Yoni Appelbaum”, gives reasons why business majors might have trouble understanding skills having to do with what comes out of a Liberal Arts degree. More business in the future will be looking for somebody with a liberal arts degree to run a company, and some graduates won't have the right skills to make a difference.
1. Thesis “It’s Christopher Martin’s view that society should in fact provide higher education freely to all. He reviews some purported differences between higher education and other goods that are commonly held to merit free provision for all, arguing that these are only apparent differences.” (615, Martin) 2. Support for Thesis “Governments across the world are citing increased global competitiveness and a slow economy as reasons for reducing funding to higher education.”
Reich supports this claim that not everyone can succeed in a four-year liberal arts college by bringing up three key problems: financial instability, lack of employment, and eventual obsolete education due to four-year liberal arts degrees.. Reich believes the main cause these issues are experienced by students are because of lack of awareness of gateways and the fact that very few gateways are opened to students. Reich argues that another gateway for success that won’t cause financial instability is to pursue technician jobs. In order to achieve mastery over technical knowledge only two years of study at a community college is required which can lead to a preference for students versus a four-year liberal arts college because of extremely low cost and time. Reich also believes that since technology is constantly changing specific knowledge from a four-year liberal arts college may become obsolete.
Ungar thinks more students should major in liberal arts because it’ll make them well-rounded and have a better set of skills than someone who specializes in a certain major. While a liberal arts degree isn’t a bad choice that just doesn’t fit every person that wants to go to college. First of all, even if someone wanted to have a liberal arts degree and specialize in a certain major that’s going to take even more time depending on the major. That’s a long time in school and most importantly that’s a lot of money being spent if you’re paying for it out of your pocket. Then, a liberal arts degree doesn’t fuel the economy as much as the science, technology, engineering, and math majors (STEM).
Education – An investment and stewardship Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”. However, in today, some people opine that college education is a worthless investment and waste of time. Against this opinion, law professor, Rodney K. Smith, in his USA Today essay in December, 2011, “Yes, A College Education Is Worth The Costs,” analyzes the importance of education in providing people with job and benefits. His first goal is to raise awareness of the correlation between the educational attainment and income as well as unemployment rate.
In “Is College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Says,” David Leonhardt claims that because a four year degree benefits individuals both professionally and economically it is more than worth the investment. Throughout the entirety of Leonhardt’s article, he claims that education is the answer to all financial problems because it provides many financial benefits. He emphasizes that going to college is the path to living a bourgeois life because students will earn more money in the long run.
Last but not least, there has been more spending on higher education. An example of this is reflected in the different classes and the different levels schools have been putting out for options that students can take nowadays. In other words, back then “...schools spent one cent of every dollar in higher education, today it 's tripled”(“Not What”). Additionally, In the 1960s teachers did not have to be Highly Qualified nor did they (necessarily) complete continuing education credits. Today’s teachers are far more educated and continually educate
Liberal Arts Self-Assessment There are many benefits to achieving a Liberal Arts education. A Liberal Arts education provides the learner with a broad range of information to help guide them in a direction that create intellectual growth. Liberal Arts cover a wide range of subjects and creates a solid foundation for many other areas of study. A Liberal Arts education teaches you how to think, learn, see things as a whole, makes you a better communicator, and problem solver. A Liberal Arts education is the most important factor in creating critically thinking, well rounded interesting individuals.
However, the high cost of receiving an education and the competitive labor market is making very hard for student to obtain a liberal art education. Nowadays, the average cost of tuition and fees for
I am confident that with a B.A. degree and my broad range of knowledge, I will have flexibility if I choose to pursue a different career. Employers will also realize that someone with a liberal arts degree has that range of knowledge of different subjects. Murray believes that “most students go to college to acquire
In his Essay “Are too many people going to college,” first published in a 2008 issue of AEI, Charles Murray explores many insights onto the topic of furthering education as well as exploring various other options to pursue after high school. Who exactly would think that too many people are going to college? Well with more and more students flooding campuses at the end of every school year and less and less going into trade schools, a shift in the job market is just beginning to be seen on the horizon. Charles Murray’s essay “Are too many people going to college” shows that not only are there other avenues to pursue a potential life long career, but that much of the time pursuing these avenues may offer better results for some wanting to go to college.
The article “Liberal Arts and The Bottom Line” by Lane Wallace suggests that business executives that are being taught more liberal art based courses will be taught how to be a well-rounded human being. Instead of being all about what Wallace refers to as the bottom line, which can do great harm to the economy and the company’s employees, it is presented that business executives that took liberal arts courses are less concerned about the business bottom line and more about the well-being of the people around them. Wallace’s argument that liberal arts shapes a person into a more well-rounded human being is not effectively supported in the article. Being a business executive comes with the responsibility of trying to increase its profits.
Going forward a liberal arts education will be key for me to attain my goals. Specifically a Hollins liberal arts education. I am interested in pursuing pre-law, creative writing, art, and equine studies. At a typical technical based studies program I would be unable to study and learn what I 'm passionate about. It has been said that if you choose a job you love you will never have to work another day, and I fully intend to live my life with zeal doing what I love and am truly passionate about, and a liberal arts education will help me achieve that.