Ungar in his work The New Liberal Arts highlights seven misconceptions of Liberal Arts degrees from the point of view as a Liberal Arts College President. The misconceptions he discusses range from an economic, social and political standpoint. Misconception number one states the argument that Liberal Arts degrees have become too expensive for most working class families, however Ungar argues these degrees make for a well-rounded individual, thus creating a long term investment in oneself that focuses on collaboration and oral and written communication. Next, Misconception two states fresh graduates sport a difficulty finding jobs, but this is not due specifically to their field of study. In fact, Ungar states that most employers look for a Liberal Arts degree in recent graduates for critical thinking and problem solving skills to be used in the workforce. …show more content…
He further vocalizes that economic status does not imply knowledge or level of “smartness” on holds; in fact, he says students with fresh eyes and less experience are quick learners and are often more original and creative in their thinking skills. Misconception four argues that trashing Liberal Arts education shows no proof of increasing student’s success in STEM fields. Furthermore, misconception five highlights simply because the word “liberal” is in the name of the degree, does not mean it has any political affiliation or party identification. Liberal Arts education focuses on all approaches to argumentation and creates an environment to intellectually integrate them together (which is what America should
Recently, many have begun to attack and degrade higher education in the United States. In the book How College Works, authors Daniel Chambliss and Christopher Takacs claim, “As state support has eroded, and as more students attend college in an increasingly desperate attempt to find viable jobs, the price to students of attending an institution of higher education has gone up, especially at more selective institutions” (172). So is college even worth it? Caroline Bird’s excerpt from her book Case Against College “Where College Fails Us” is an adequately written article that agrees with those who question whether college is a good investment. Bird argues that although some students would benefit from college and succeed, many fall short, wasting
The article “The New Liberal Arts” by Sanford Ungar argues that the people who have studied the liberal art are not beneficial for the society, however the author states several facts to prove against it. The author believes not only the Liberal art major is valuable in America, but also other countries have special consideration to this field. These students have strong communication skills and they catch up very fast, in addition they study science and math beside art. A lot of people immigrate to America every year, so they are considered as a second language, thus their communication skills are weak. Liberal art students have been trained to raise the society communication skills, moreover they gain variety of abilities such as:
The New Liberal Arts- Summary In the article, “The New Liberal Arts,” author Sanford J. Ungar addresses several misperceptions that people have about the importance of Liberal arts education in today’s world. In doing so, he highlights seven misperceptions that people have and then provides a logical correction to them. In his article, the first misperception claims that people should focus more on career education rather than liberal arts education. On contrary, Ungar argues that the society today, demand individual’s who have preparation in all fields, which liberal arts provide.
Conservative students may decide to go to a liberal school. One student that has been in that environment and now is an English college professor named Aaron Hanlon at Colby College writes “Advice for My Conservative Students” published on February 16th 2017 in the New York Times and he claims that conservative students should understand what freedom of speech is and should not mistake disagreement with oppression. Hanlon starts off by stating personal experiences that relates him to conservative students that feel oppressed, giving conservative students relatable emotional appeals, and various sources and statistics for the reader to indulge in. He starts off by putting himself out there and saying that he has been a conservative student who
A number of American policymakers have come to scrutinize liberal arts education. They say that the liberal arts are dead, that it’s an irrelevant field to pursue, especially if students come from a low-income family; that they will not get a good job with a liberal arts degree. Sanford J. Ungar responds to these claims in his essay, “The New Liberal Arts”. Misperception No. 2 in “The New Liberal Arts” says that “College graduates are finding it harder to get good jobs with liberal arts degrees” (228).
People go to college to get a good paying job, have job security, and get a degree. Well at least that’s what it should be about. That’s what Charles Murray believes in his essay “Are Too Many People Going to College.” Murray counters the argument of Sanford Ungar who believes colleges should have a more liberal approach towards its classes and have students actually learn a broad range of real life skills instead of just going into a career just because it pays well. In Ungar’s essay he explains the misperception that Americans have on obtaining a liberal-arts degree and how they believe it doesn’t translate well to the real world.
Ungar he says “the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that more than three-quarters of our nation’s employers recommended that college bound students pursue a liberal education… 89 percent said they were looking for the ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing… and develop better critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills” (228). Since more employers is looking for employees with skills that a liberal education provides they would have a better advantage over the employee who didn’t gain those similar
In my opinion, I agree with Murray’s claim that four year college is not worth, job satisfaction for intrinsic reward, and the dark side of the Bachelor's degree. In my view, Murray’s is right, because college requires student to take 32 courses in four years or longer and not all courses are relate to the field they study with. More specifically, I believe that four years college will take more time to achieve our goal and knowledges doesn’t teach us how to make a living in our society. Murray described in his article, “More people should be getting the basic of a liberal education. But for most students, the places to provide those basics are elementary and middle school” (235).
Going to college for many students is just a normal part of life. It is what will enable them to get an education that eventually will lead to get a well-paid job and the resources and the status to live a comfortable life. But for college professor, Andrew Delbanco, the American college has a higher purpose. In the article “College at Risk”, Delbanco states that colleges should be promoting critical thinking among students, through knowledge of the past and the interaction with each other; as well as, help them discover their talents and passions and figure out what they want to do in life. This type of education is called liberal arts and for Delbanco, it represents the ideal education.
(2016). Liberal arts in the modern university. Academe, 102(1), 31-33. Retrieved from http://proxy.campbell.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/ 1759174582?accountid=9858 Accessed 5 Nov. 2016 This magazine article talks about the value of a liberal arts education.
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
I agree with Nussbaum’s argument that the liberal arts are important not only in education, but also in society. An education in the liberal arts opens one’s horizons and understandings of various subjects such as, poetry, art, and theatre. Having a broad education helps students decide who they want to be vocation wise and character wise. She argues that “Education is not just for citizenship” (Nussbaum 1). The studies help one become more socially aware and a better member to society because the knowledge given through liberal arts studies helps one connect with others and understand the human condition.
Ever wanted to throw down that textbook and read something enjoyable for once? Well, go ahead! Chunk that dull textbook out a window and pick up a comic; it will be more beneficial to your education than you think. The skills and values that liberally educated people should posses can vary from different views, yet the list of ten qualities that William Cronon created in his article, “’Only Connect…’ The Goals of a Liberal Education”(1998), is an inspirational goal for the liberally educated. Cronon’s list of qualities includes solving problems and puzzles, empowering others, and understanding how to get stuff done in the world.
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.
A rising issue in today’s society is deciding whether or not college is worth the cost. There is an extreme amount of pressure that is forced upon high school students by parents, teachers, and peers to further their education and attend college. However, there is research that challenges the thought that college is the best possible path for a person to take. College may be a great investment for some people, but it is not meant for everyone. This is supported by the arguments that colleges are expensive, jobs do not always require a college degree, and students are forced to choose a lifestyle before being exposed to the real world.