The Arts and Humanities - Mira Kothari 11MWD

THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

Why they deserve more respect in the 21st century - Mira Kothari 11MWD

In today’s fast paced, technological world, where heavy emphasis is placed on innovation and economic value, less importance is being placed on subjects that have, traditionally, been an essential part of any form of higher education. I am, of course, referring to the arts and humanities (which, for the sake of conciseness during this writing, I will be classifying under the broader term ‘liberal arts’ . Although these include a wider range of subjects, liberal arts here will only encompass the arts and humanities.). For citizens of ancient Greece and Rome, instruction in the liberal arts was seen as fundamental – liberal comes from the Latin ‘liberalis’ meaning ‘appropriate for free men’ . They would study grammar, rhetoric, and logic, and this expanded in the medieval times to include disciplines like music, arithmetic, and astronomy. Why did they think these subjects more important, than say, developing medicine? The lives of these men revolved around how they could be good citizens and participate in civic life – these subjects were essential for events like public speaking, military service and serving in court and on juries. They knew that the liberal arts creates not just good citizens, but empathetic leaders.

What happened? How did the liberal arts go from the foundation of learning to an underfunded joke? In early 1900s America, there was an ongoing debate between those who saw higher education as a broadening and deepening of one’s character (called ‘generalists’), and those who viewed it as a way to learn valuable career skills (‘careerists’). Up until World War I, traditional liberal arts programs were being replaced by general education and major curriculums that are still recognisable today. This was an attempt at lowering dropout rates and making the first two years of the college experience easier on students. However, this meant that some of the core aspects of the curriculum was lost – the requirements for classical languages were soon dropped, for instance. When World War I occurred, the liberal arts swung back into favour – it was claimed that they were necessary as preparation for leadership roles. The defenders of these subjects stressed that this kind of education was needed for the future defence of Euro-American values. This continued throughout the 1930s, when a new idea of the liberal arts had emerged – more interested in using this knowledge to better society rather than debate old philosophies. President of the University of Minnesota at the time summed this up:

“A liberal education is not a matter of studying certain subjects…The most important by-product of every subject of study should be a liberal mind” .

As World War II rolled around, the argument for a broader, general curriculum continued. Politicians started to advocate for shorter degrees that were based around utilitarian STEM subjects required to win the war. During and after the Cold War, as America’s armies became demobilized, a flood of people were directed into higher education. These veterans were not interested in the ‘impractical’ side of liberal arts, instead focusing on making themselves employable, a trend that has continued to this day. As the public’s general perception about the liberal arts began to sour, politicians and public figures spurred on this decay. This was notable with Roland Reagan, who defined liberal education as an academic luxury the nation could do without, and as