Dear Parents and Students,
This note was inspired by a wonderful panel discussion of
the humanities on the KQED program Forum
on November 19, 2013. A link to the discussion appears below.
The study of the humanities is vital to a student’s
development as a well–rounded, deep–thinking, effectively communicating citizen
with a broad understanding of the world we live in, a high–functioning moral
compass, and the ability to understand and get along well with others. The
humanities are essential to the development of empathy and are, in many ways,
the true heart of a great education. And recent research suggests, contrary to
the belief of many, that a humanities education has tremendous tangible
value for those seeking a satisfying career.
What are “the humanities?”
The term “humanities” encompasses many of the subjects that
students study every year in school before college. Broadly speaking, “the humanities”
are those academic disciplines that study human culture, and include such core
elements of a liberal arts education as literature, composition, rhetoric, the
study of English and other languages, history, philosophy, government, and the
visual and performing arts. For a truly shorthand definition, you can think of
the humanities as most of the academic subjects other than math, engineering, and
the non–social sciences such as physics, chemistry, and biology.
My purpose in writing this note is not to celebrate the joys
of a humanities education—and there is, to be sure, limitless joy in
discovering the pleasures of great fiction and poetry, learning how to express
oneself effectively orally and in writing, uncovering the story of mankind in
all its glory (and shame), discovering how the gears of government work and
what drives relations between nations and peoples, developing the ability to
express oneself in the arts, and training one’s mind into an effective truth–seeking
instrument—but to introduce parents and students to the practical value of a
humanities–centered education.
There has been a great shift towards emphasizing
“STEM”—i.e., Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math—in education in recent
years, including higher education, and many educators have become alarmed at
what they see as a corresponding devaluation of the humanities. Many parents,
with the best of intentions, have gotten the idea that only the STEM classes really matter to a student looking ahead to
job and career.
I personally love science, and I enjoyed math back in
school, but I think we need to turn our thinking around. And I wanted you to
know that there is a growing movement to restore the humanities to their
rightful place at the heart of our educational system. I specifically wanted
you to know that those spearheading the movement point to research showing the
practical value of a humanities–centered education.
The Humanities and Career Prospects
There is no doubt that advanced technical and scientific
degrees can often lead to secure, lucrative employment.
However, the implied converse, i.e., that humanities degrees
and a humanities education are of little value in the workplace, has much less
weight than many seem to think.
I decided to write this note after listening to a wonderful
discussion featuring prominent educators from Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Duke of
the effort to revitalize humanities education. The entire program, entitled “Decline in the Humanities in
Higher Education,” was aired on the KQED radio program Forum on November 19, 2013. I encourage every student, and
every parent guiding a student, to listen to the program in its entirety. You
may listen to it on your computer or download it to an MP3 player for a walk in
the park.
Here are a couple of highlights:
* According to a survey of executives from major
corporations, the abilities that they most seek when interviewing potential new
hires are:
* Critical
thinking ability
* The ability
to solve complex problems
* Effective
oral expression
* Effective
written expression
 |
| I'm Will. I write. |
As Richard Brodhead, the president of Duke University,
points out in the program, these abilities are all nurtured most effectively by the humanities.
* Those anticipating a career in business might be
interested to know that college English majors applying to business school
outperformed college business majors on the business school entrance exam.
As a lawyer, I should add that a humanities education can
lead naturally to a career in the legal profession.
I hope you will find the entire program instructive, and
that you have found some value in my remarks.
Thank you for reading.
Jon Sindell
B.A., J.D.
