Humanities in modern day education?

[Brian]

"Humanities" is the home of indoctrination and social conditioning. Be careful about the courses you sign up for and shield yourself against propaganda.

 

That said, I have been hiring and managing IT professionals for more than 20 years and have found a well-rounded education generally makes for a better employee. In fact, the breadth of exposure and the communication skills learned in literature and humanities-type studies are highly valuable for any technology worker who wishes to do more than "grunt work." Many of my best folks over the years have been liberal-arts majors with technical aptitude rather than heads-down techie types.

 

The real question, then, becomes one of objective. If you are looking strictly for workforce training -- if you plan on being a data-center admin for your whole life, and plan to have your coworkers as your circle of friends, and plan on finding another laser-focused admin as your life-partner -- then a university degree is probably a waste of time. If, on the other hand, you want the potential for upward mobility, and want to follow world issues, and want to "get" literary and cultural references in conversation & in entertainment, and want to interact intelligently with people from many walks of life, a robust and comprehensive education can be very helpful.

 

Just my two cents ..

[dust]

"Humanities" is the home of indoctrination and social conditioning. Be careful about the courses you sign up for and shield yourself against propaganda.

 

Not a humanities fan eh!

 

Actually, I suppose the label is too broad to have a meaningful discussion about them as a whole.

 

All of them are intrinsically related to all the others (in that it would be very difficult to entirely break the link between literature and philosophy, or music and religion, or art and history, or religion and philosophy, etc..)

 

But where I might agree that, for example, History by and large is a great tool for indoctrination (they killed us so we killed them back, so they owe us something...and we invented this, so we're culturally superior...), much Art and Music is entirely free of any judgement of people or places etc

 

For example, we can know things like this (or worse) about a composer but still study and appreciate the beautiful music they left behind...

Edited October 15, 2014 by dustybeijing

[Brian]

 

Not a humanities fan eh!

 

Actually, I suppose the label is too broad to have a meaningful discussion about them as a whole.

 

All of them are intrinsically related to all the others (in that it would be very difficult to entirely break the link between literature and philosophy, or music and religion, or art and history, or religion and philosophy, etc..)

 

But where I might agree that, for example, History by and large is a great tool for indoctrination (they killed us so we killed them back, so they owe us something...and we invented this, so we're culturally superior...), much Art and Music is entirely free of any judgement of people or places etc

 

For example, we can know things like this (or worse) about a composer but still study and appreciate the beautiful music they left behind...

In truth, I am a big fan. During my (overly long) undergraduate days, I earned minors in English, history and anthropology as well as math, computer science and electronic technologies. I love fields like history and political science and literature and philosophy and sociology. The problem is that these types of fields are also breeding grounds for manipulation.

 

Case in point -- a number of years ago, I had a brief discussion at a party with someone who was completing a four-year degree in Women's Studies and she was writing a paper on gender bias. One of the prime examples she cited for me was the fact that space rockets are designed to look like penises because they are designed by men who are clearly misogynists. I started to point out the structural and geometric and aerodynamic aspects which actually influenced this sort of decision but the conversation ended with her shrieking at me about how her professors knew more about these things than I did. I tried just walking away but she followed me around the party, calling me a bigot for having the nerve to question the integrity of the professors who were filling her head with this garbage. <sigh>

 

Another case -- last year, my son, who is currently a college student, told me about a world history class he took in which nearly every issue for the entirety of human history was treated as an example of how communism is the natural ultimate evolution of mankind, and how one student who dared to question this during the first week was strongly encouraged to drop the class immediately. My son rolled with the waves and fed the professor the tripe he expected on papers & exams, but only because he had his brain-washing shield in place before going off to college.

 

One more -- a few weeks ago, his Communications professor started on about "Net Neutrality" and my son called me that evening to discuss the lecture. Not only was the professor mostly (but not entirely) wrong on the actual substance of the conversation, but it was blatantly obvious and "in your face" that the entire point of the conversation was intended to frighten these students into voting a certain way in the upcoming election next month.

 

"Humanities" are very easily twisted by a disingenuous academic to fit an agenda and students are often "beaten up" for questioning the professor's authority or offering a differing viewpoint. This is precisely the opposite of developing critical thinking skills; this is stifling dissent and grooming drones.

 

Not all professors do this, of course, and not all topics within the "humanities" umbrella lend themselves to this type of distortion. In fact, I would say most professors make an honest effort to be objective, but it is human nature for personal opinions to filter into every aspect of one's life, even if one is sincerely trying to avoid it. Sprinkle in a few instructors on a soapbox & a few slanted textbooks and you have a toxic brew. This is why I recommended caution.

[Enishi]

Though not without massive bias in some areas the humanities can help you become a more well-rounded person with global awareness.

However colleges should really take a more direct and honest approach in terms of helping students grasp the number of job openings that actually require a liberal arts degree relative to the current number of students graduating from said programs.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Enishi

[GrandmasterP]

I took...

First degree nursing.

Post Graduate Diploma in Forensic Podiatry.

Post Graduate Certificate in Education ( Teaching Qualification)

Masters in Teacher Education ( Teacher Training)

Doctorate (EdD) in ' Gender in Education Management'.

In a 47 year working life I was never out of reasonably well-paid work for a single day.

 

I reckon that a vocational degree route that more or less guarantees a job is perhaps wisest given the sheer cost of pursuing Higher Education these days.

Unless one is independently wealthy.

Humanities is possibly a luxury route that few young people can afford to travel in today's competitive jobs market.

Edited October 15, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[C T]

Humanities is an appropriate field of study for those who want to pursue a service-oriented career, and that industry is massive, with a constant high-flow of staff turnovers. Managers and supervisors who have tertiary qualifications in Lib. Arts tend to fare better.

[Flolfolil]

...

Edited March 5, 2015 by Flolfolil