Folium: What Is The Value Of An Education In The Humanities via NPR
Folium: What Is The Value Of An Education In The Humanities via NPR
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The cost of living paid for by those who have come before us is small in comparison with the cost of which we pay as students to receive an education about those have have come before us. Adam Frank is his article discusses the topic of the importance of receiving an education in the humanities. A study in the humanities is the study of the human race. I am currently in a Humanities 201 class where I am learning about ancient eastern culture starting with the Greeks. Frank expresses his concern that students are paying way too much to go to school in the United States to go without receiving an education of the humanities.
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[In spite of being a scientist, I strongly believe an education that fails to place a heavy emphasis on the humanities is a missed opportunity. Without a base in humanities, both the students – and the democratic society these students must enter as informed citizens – are denied a full view of the heritage and critical habits of mind that make civilization worth the effort.] – NPR
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Frank strongly gives his opinion in saying “I strongly believe an education that fails to place a heavy emphasis on the humanities is a missed opportunity.” Through exploration of the humanities we learn how to think creatively and critically, to reason, and to ask questions.When I was recently reading Juvenal’s Satire III, it occurred to me that that satire was written about ancient rome, but could also be compared to our society today and if you haven’t already read it I suggest you do. We can learn so much from the ancient literature that would apply to us today.
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This… So much this…
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In our society today there is a heavy emphasis on the sciences and mathematics that hardly is there a time set apart for students to learn how to give ourselves time to think deeply and broadly about our place in the world. I seldom see students who are majoring in website design focusing on reading fairytales to expand their imagination. Frank explains that key is balanced. He claims that it is no longer enough for students to focus on either science/engineering or the humanities/arts but it is a range of knowledge that expand the student’s mind on a variety of skills.
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[For those who go to college, the four years spent there are often the sole chance we give ourselves to think deeply and broadly about our place in the world. To turn college into nothing more than job training (emphasizing only those jobs that pay well), represents another missed opportunity for students and the society that needs them.] – NPR
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We understand ourselves and our world through the telling of stories. They explore ethical issues, ask challenging questions, inform the way we view each other. Today we live in a culture more defined by images and stories than ever before. If the opportunity of taking the humanities as a path in which you must take seriously then the understanding of the world you one day will be apart of will not be complete. Frank goes on to alert those who end up getting a higher education without somewhat of an education in the humanities must find a balance between the real pressure to find a job and the understanding that they will not get this chance to grow intellectually, morally and spiritually again.
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Frank concludes his article in stating “In a changing world, the question is no longer merely technical subjects vs. the humanities.” There is need for students to learn about the humanities while receiving a higher education otherwise it is a missed opportunity to learn and grow in ways that maybe you never thought of. In order to go anywhere in this life we need to know where we came from, or better said who we came from, and learn from them
Julie Martin
LEAF Editor & Contributor
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