The Value of Education in the
Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
In the past century, the meaning of the term liberal has become associated with political discussion, as in the difference between liberal and conservative positions on social and economic issues. The term liberal arts referred originally to the intellectual and social skills practiced by free citizens and more recently to the perceived power of these disciplines to make any citizen free – of poverty, ignorance, prejudice, tyrants, and a host of other evils. In this sense, the liberal arts are the arts of personal and social freedom.
The heritage of the liberal arts education is reflected at least in part in all nine CLASS departments. The classic liberal arts disciplines housed in CLASS can also be described as humanities, indicating their predominant concern with human history, society, and expression. Students majoring in the social science disciplines learn about the political, psychological, economic, and social aspects of individuals and cultures, knowledge that is essential to function in an increasingly global economy. Today, majors in the liberal arts and social sciences are sometimes questioned about the practicality of their majors, as when English majors are asked, “Can you do anything with that degree other than teach?” or when history majors are asked how they propose to earn a living.
It is true that the broadest and most obvious difference between the liberal arts and social sciences, on the one hand, and professional disciplines or “practical arts,” on the other, is that the latter lead deliberately toward specific careers of work whereas the career paths of liberal arts and social sciences are less obvious and less strictly defined. Another way to state the difference is to say that professional disciplines such as engineering and education guide students in developing careers, whereas liberal arts and social sciences such as anthropology and philosophy guide students in discovering how life is lived or what life means, thus equipping them with the knowledge and skills to make meaningful contributions in a wide variety of fields and careers. An engineer or doctor possesses skills with which to earn a living because these skills have obvious usefulness to society. The student of history, philosophy, or political science can likewise earn a living readily. He or she is prepared to enrich self-sufficiently the whole of his or her life and, by extension though perhaps less obviously than in the cases of engineer or doctor, the lives of his or her fellow citizens.
No one’s experience suggests that English majors can be only teachers of English or that all history majors must become employed as historians. There are no large professional organizations of practicing clinical philosophers, though many happy and worthwhile citizens hold degrees in philosophy. Citizens educated in these disciplines, however, are in recent years enjoying great success in business, industry, and government because of the broad intellectual and social facility observers find in them, along with their well balanced educations. Students of the liberal arts tend in general to become highly literate, able to read with penetration and speak and write effectively. For these reasons and also how much they learn about human societies and human nature, students of the liberal arts and social sciences are comfortable and effective in interaction with individuals or groups. Students of the liberal arts and social sciences are flexible and can move with varying degrees of comfort across a range of job skills rather than being bound to one specialized function. All of these abilities can be readily admired by neighbors but are also prized by employers. Graduates of liberal arts and social science disciplines, in fact, frequently find themselves in supervisory positions where they oversee the work of professionals with more narrowly defined skills and knowledge.
Thus it is worth pointing out that:
The liberal arts and just about any of the social sciences represented in CLASS are still among the best preparations for law school.
Class graduates may also lead to work in civil or foreign service, including diplomacy or work for the UN, CIA, non-governmental and non-profit organizations.
Graduates of the disciplines represented in CLASS have the variety of skills and the creative resources needed by convention or exhibit organizers. They likewise make excellent personnel officers or managers and are widely known to do so.
They are the best equipped among educated people to manage change itself, a particularly urgent problem of the 21st century.
Many advanced students in seminary hold liberal arts and social science degrees in disciplines such as philosophy and psychology.
The complex world of publishing opens up before liberal arts graduates, from the copy editor who reads proof to the managing editor who acquires new authors or titles, either in the traditional print centers such as New York and London or the burgeoning world of electronic publishing, as well as local papers and magazines.
And yes, teaching at all levels, as well as professional research, is a worthy field for the work of liberal arts and social science graduates.
The importance of the liberal arts and social sciences in preparing citizens in a breadth of basic skills has made them universally seen as essential components of core curricula and general education.
Professors who teach liberal arts and social sciences are concerned that students become good and happy citizens, committed to life-long learning. Happily, the same knowledge and skills that serve the individual lives of students so well are excellent preparation for a wide variety of worthwhile and rewarding careers.