Regardless of one might have to say about this, Liberal arts are integral to attaining a wholesome education, since it is more about increasing one’s ability at critical thinking and having an effective understanding the world they inhabit. Studying the liberal arts is about expanding one’s vision and letting go of all prejudices, that may arise from stereotypes etc. Creativity, communication skills, writing etc, all lie at the core of a liberal arts education and is considered to be exceedingly crucial in creating a successful career in the future. Not only does it promote excellence in terms of education, but also exerts importance to acting in a civil manner. It promotes an act of stating one’s point without causing any kind of discrepancy in one’s relation with their colleagues; one learns how to have an opinion, without being exceedingly opinionated. Now you’ll wonder,”I can learn all these skills at home, can’t I? Why do I need a legitimate degree and pay huge amounts of money for it?” Well, it’s not as simple as you think it is, because the skills learnt from a liberal arts education are just as difficult to incorporate in our daily lives and requires huge amounts of revision and perspective, something which can’t be provided by our parents or friends.
Now, what truly constitutes a liberal arts education? It’s all about gaining a subjective perspective to the world around us, the people who inhabit it, their ideas and beliefs, what shaped their culture and language. It also transcends to a deeper world of human consciousness, exploring the temperament, actions, and reactions of human beings, the beauty in the things they have created, why human thoughts are shaped the way they are and the various techniques that can be used to analyze the behavior and thoughts of humans. It consists of subjects such as modern languages, humanities, creative arts and social sciences, which not only allows a wide area of knowledge, but also, the ability to specialize in a certain field of interest. This is to gain a deeper understanding. It is naturally a diverse course, which allows an individual to attain a wide and useful education. It enriches one’s ability to think critically and subjectively, develop written and communicative skills, growth in self-understanding and confidence, tolerance and sensitivity towards the differences that lie in various cultures and increase one’s ability to cooperate and work in a group. It gives us a better understanding of our emotions, thus we can approach situations in a pragmatic manner. It constitutes the idea of letting go of all assumptions and focusing on rational explanations, while also keeping in mind, that such explanations can be looked at in various ways.
It introduces students to the art of deliberation and the ever-expanding world of ideas. It opens minds, enabling it to go wherever it wants, in the pursuit of enlightenment and understanding. It leans towards openness instead of close-mindedness. In times of moral disputes, the capacity to see others’ viewpoints and the imperative to assess one’s own become exceedingly vital. A liberal arts education works , no matter what our political leanings are. We need it now more than ever, in a world where everyone is so morally divided, therefore, it should not come as a surprise. The humanities are also important to the sciences, not only because they produce more cultured people, but because they produce better scientists. A liberal arts education often presents students with contradictory opinions from different viewpoints, forcing an in-depth examination of all their beliefs and principles; There is no skill more important than that for scientists and engineers. Rationality is an aspect that is very well versed in the world of liberal arts and highly essential to the ‘hard’ sciences.
A deep understanding of the liberal arts can help make a strong foundation for graduate school, as one is more informed and can therefore decide what they may choose as an effective concentration. A liberal arts degree prepares students for a life of learning. It is a resource students can draw upon across a lifespan to address human problems and enhance human potential. It creates habits of mind that facilitates growth, both professional and personal. It exercises the mind, preparing it not just for specialized tasks and abilities, but also for understanding itself, making learning thorough and more permanent. It facilitates thinking for oneself, evaluating argument and evidence based not on the external authority. It is an education that builds itself on one’s own apprehension and creative use of information and ideas, throughout a life.
Indeed, the skills a liberal arts degree develops help students confront their own and others’ humanity. It helps students become holistic and interesting people, who are incredibly capable of enjoying their relationships with others and with the world around them. It increases students’ ability to situate people, things, and events in a broader context, enabling students to make effective connections between fields of study and ideas. The liberal arts prepare students to understand and appreciate human imagination, and achievement; it cultivates a mind that enjoys itself. It is not only about a successful career, but also extends to personal relations. One learns to be less presumptuous and always keep an open mind to the ideas and actions of their significant other, family or friends. Their ability to empathize increases by a ten fold and due to their effective ability to communicate thoughts, their relationships lack secrets and misunderstandings.
Thus, a liberal arts education is considered to be crucial in the formation of a civil and wholesome human being. Empathy and dedication is something that seemingly lacks in today’s society, but a liberal arts education helps cultivate that. It makes one more sensitive to diverse cultures and to learn never to make frantic judgment calls. It’s human psychology to always connect an unknown idea to a preexisting schema in one”s mind. However, an understanding of the broad spectrum of subjects of the liberal arts core, not only makes us a better citizen but also a companion, friend, sibling, child and human being,
Sources:-
http://www.uni.edu/reineke/whystudyla.htm
http://www.forbes.com/sites/willarddix/2016/11/16/a-liberal-arts-degree-is-more-important-than-ever/#61727c175c7f
http://www.acenet.edu/the-presidency/columns-and-features/Pages/Myth-A-Liberal-Arts-Education-Is-Becoming-Irrelevant.aspx