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Introduction
A key component of our modern society is its educational system. Through this system, individuals are provided with the tools necessary to play a part in the growth and ultimate advancement of the society. Citizens and governments all over the world have recognized the value of education.
The number of institutes of higher learning in the country has increased significantly and efforts have been made to ensure that more students attend college and university. However, the cost of higher education has risen significantly and students are pressured to focus on courses that promise high returns. The demand for career-related education has led to the undervaluing of Liberal Arts Education by most parents and governments.
Instead, emphasis has been given to science and business related courses, which have an obvious economic payoff. This paper will argue that liberal arts education should be encouraged since it adds value to society by offering the ideal college experience that promotes intellectual growth, personal development, and the acquisition of a wide range of skills by the student.
The Value of Liberal Arts
Liberal arts promote the development of higher-order intellectual skills in students. The student acquires intellectual capacities such as the ability to solve problems with multiple solutions, critical thinking, and skillful use of technology. Good thinking habits are acquired by the student and he/she is able to identify and grasp new concepts.
The ability of an individual to engage in problem solving activities is sharpened by liberal arts education. Harris documents that a liberal arts education assists the student to think in an ordered fashion therefore increasing his/her ability to do intellectual work (1). An important fact is that this skill can be used in a wide range of settings since the knowledge of organized solutions is not confined to any specific discipline.
Liberal arts education helps students avoid the narrow vision that overemphasizes specialization causes. Career driven education often leads to compartmentalization as students are made to focus entirely on their expert courses.
This specialization is caused by the idea that students only need to undertake the courses that lead to work and money. This habit leads to the development of narrow world-views and a tunnel vision (Kazanjian 59). Students who are subjected to this form of education lack the fundamental skills that can make them ready for new challenges that might arise in their profession.
Hart asserts that employers are against education that only instills specialized skills and knowledge in the college graduates (1). Instead, they prefer education that is well rounded in nature and enhances the intellectual skills of the student. Liberal arts education provides this well-rounded education since it recognizes that a student might have to deal with issues that are not related to his/her area of specialization.
A liberal arts education offers practical intellectual foundation necessary for students to be successful in the modern work environment. Today’s workplace is complex in nature and the worker is required to have some critical knowledge and skills in order to be more productive.
Forest demonstrates that managers in major corporations are looking for employees who can communicate efficiently, solve problems independently, and show effective use of technology (402). This wide range of traits cannot be acquired through education that only focuses on career driven courses. A liberal arts education provides the student with all these desirable traits therefore making them competitive in the work environment.
The liberal arts education gives the student a global perspective and promotes effective citizenship. The knowledge of human cultures provided by this education is especially significant in today’s globalized world.
The career-driven education provided to most students does not prepare them to be successful in the global economy. Research by Hart indicates that most recent college graduates lack the skills necessary to operate at the level of global economy (6). The liberal arts education offers the solution to this by providing college and university students with global competence.
A liberal arts education enhances innovation and creativity in the students. A key characteristic of liberal arts is providing knowledge in a wide variety of subjects. Harris asserts that the wide range of knowledge stimulates creativity in the student (3). Students are able to come up with ideas inspired by a wide range of materials.
The knowledge on many subjects also acts as motivation for the students to be creative. For this reason, graduates who have a liberal arts education program are more likely to contribute to innovation in the workplace environment. Hart suggests that employers are keen to find such innovative graduates (7).
Liberal arts education promotes happiness and the enjoyment by life. This education recognizes that life is rich and that education can be a source of pleasure for the student. It therefore encourages students to appreciate art and see beauty in humanity. By studying poetry, literature, and historical characters student develops a deep appreciation of life.
Harris demonstrates that the enjoyment and happiness fostered by liberal art education are beneficial to the individual and the society (6). Happier individuals are more satisfied with their lives and are more likely to engage in activities for the good of their community. Happiness also contributes to higher work productivity since a happy person will have lower rates of depression and mental illnesses.
Liberal arts education helps in the development of good communication skills by the individual. Effective communication is the foundation of all relationships since it is the means through which human beings interact.
Good communication skills enable people to properly communicate their ideas and relate with others. Kazanjian asserts that for an organization to achieve its goals workers must learn how to communicate with each other effectively and treat each other with respect (62). The acquisition of good writing and reading skills is deemed integral to the future success of the individual. Students in liberal art programs are required to develop skills in writing and making oral presentations.
Forest reveals that students are helped to acquire the needed self-confidence to communicate effectively (402). Such students are better equipped to handle different situations in the real world environment. Hart declares that employers are looking for graduates who have good communication skills that will promote success in the work setting (7). These are the kind of graduates that liberal arts education produces.
Liberal art education enhances social skills of the individual and these social skills are integral in all social settings and work environments. Forest notes that liberal arts makes an emphasis on the significance of human relationships in all settings (402). Students are taught to demonstrate respect in all relationships.
This leads to the development of good personal and work relationships. Forest reveals that students with a liberal art education background show greater sensitivity to their fellow human beings and co-workers (Kazanjian 62). The liberal arts also encourage the individual to develop a sense of social responsibility. Exposure to a wide range of cultures promotes the appreciation of diversity.
Students are taught to not only respect differences but also appreciate them. By learning about various cultures and traditions, students develop an appreciation of diverse cultures. The moral standing of the individual is also promoted by the liberal arts. By studying the early philosophers, the sense of ethics and integrity in the student is promoted.
Conclusion
This paper is set out to argue that a liberal art education provides value to the student and the society. It began by noting that the perception that a liberal arts education leaves a student with few career options has contributed to the negative view of the value of this education by many members of the public.
The paper has demonstrated that liberal art education promotes the intellectual growth of the individual and encourages creativity. Contrary to popular belief, liberal arts education equips the student with the skills needed in the modern work place. The paper has revealed that liberal arts education is not concerned with developing skills that are focused on a particular career.
Instead, the education offered leads to the development of a well-rounded individual who has general knowledge and the intellectual skills necessary to function in a wide range of environments. The education also promotes personal growth and development of the student. Considering the many positive values of liberal art education, the public and governments should promote these programs in all institutes of higher learning.
Works Cited
Forest, James. Higher Education in the United States: An Encyclopedia. NY: ABC-CLIO, 2002. Print.
Hart, Peter. Should Colleges Prepare Students To Succeed In Today’s Global Economy? Washington, DC: Peter Hart Research Associates, Inc., 2006. Print.
Harris, Robert. On the Purpose of a Liberal Arts Education. 1991. Web.
Kazanjian, Michael. Learning Values Lifelong: From Inert Ideas to Wholes. Amsterdam: Rodipi, 2002. Print.
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