A NY Times article (2/25/09) pondered whether a Liberal Arts education will be around much longer. Recent trends suggest maybe not.
When I taught English, a number of students resented the time my class took from their studies in science & technology or business & finance. Those are the disciplines that would pay them good money . . . and pay off their tuition loans. But English? What good is it?
You can talk till you’re blue in the face—and I did—about the power of language, about the importance of clear thinking and coherent, persuasive writing—the things liberal arts teach us.
After all, it was Bethany McClean, a former English major who first cracked the Enron scandal—because, as she said, she knew the right questions to ask. There are lots of stories like that.
And I talked about how the humanities explore the important questions of life—
How does one lead a good life in a not-so-good world?
What does it mean to be human?
But, honestly? $20,000 a year is a lot money to spend on trying to figure out what your humanity’s about.
So maybe the pursuit of liberal arts is a luxury we can no longer afford. That’s what more than a few in the ivory towers are suggesting.
Questions for Book Clubs
- If college humanities courses fall off a cliff . . . will book clubs pick up the slack? After all, to read and discuss books is to engage the very questions posed by humanities.
- But then who said book clubs are supposed to solve society’s problems? Isn’t our roll simply to enjoy reading and sharing ideas, large or small?