ipl-logo

Analysis Of STEM Education Is Vital But Not At The Expense Of The Humanities

1890 Words8 Pages

Constant lobbying for more STEM education at the expense of the humanities is prevalent in modern education. However, as STEM becomes more predominant, the weakening of humanities subjects is causing a decline in technological innovation. In the article “STEM Education Is Vital—But Not at the Expense of the Humanities” published by Scientific American, the ambiguous authors, known collectively as The Editors, use references to figures of authority, strong word choice, and a zealous tone to explain to the educated discourse community why liberal arts is an essential part of STEM education.
In this article, the authors are trying to convince the audience of tech students of the importance of humanities in combination with a STEM education. To do this, they present a series of references to renowned public figures and politicians in order to effectively develop their credibilities. On the first page, the authors reference Kentucky governor Matt Bevin’s desire for “engineers to receive state subsidies for their education” in lieu of supporting those who study humanities subjects, such as French literature. According to the authors, not only has Bevin tried to steer higher education towards STEM job prospects, other Senators such as …show more content…

There is a need to unite the two cultures of the arts and sciences in order to show others that we have the necessary skillsets to create an innovative community. The decline in the humanities was facilitated by the lack of faith on the part of many university faculties and political administrators, and persists due to a lack of capable leadership.[1] To reverse this decline, the authors insist that we must reform the undergraduate curriculum after agreeing upon what comprises a well-rounded

Show More
Related
1235 Words | 5 Pages

It may also unconsciously force legislators to choose a side of the argument. Moreover, McGray uses this hyperbole to satirize and make fun at how math and science advocates overemphasize the importance of those disciplines. The author purposely uses this satire to make American legislators recognize that the real problem is the lack of focus on disciplines

Read More
951 Words | 4 Pages

“The New Liberal Arts” Sanford Ungar - Collaborative Summary Sanford J. Ungar was the president of Goucher College, located in Baltimore, Maryland. He wrote this essay to debunk common misperceptions about liberal arts colleges and the education provided by them. The first misperception he confronts is the idea that a liberal arts education has become far too expensive for most families to afford; therefore, it would be better if potential students focused on education specific to their desired career. Ungar argues that this is not the case. He asserts that it is better for young people to have a well-rounded liberal arts education that will prepare them for a plethora of career paths rather than having an education based solely on one career

Read More
396 Words | 2 Pages

The New Liberal Arts- Summary In the article, “The New Liberal Arts,” author Sanford J. Ungar addresses several misperceptions that people have about the importance of Liberal arts education in today’s world. In doing so, he highlights seven misperceptions that people have and then provides a logical correction to them. In his article, the first misperception claims that people should focus more on career education rather than liberal arts education. On contrary, Ungar argues that the society today, demand individual’s who have preparation in all fields, which liberal arts provide.

Read More
1337 Words | 6 Pages

“Geoffrey Garin, president of Hart Research Associates, suggest that studying liberal arts is actually best form of career education (Ungar 657).” He has clearly done research to know that liberal arts are proven to prepare students for numerous careers that require a form of the arts, while the STEM majors seem to

Read More
753 Words | 4 Pages

How exciting would the world be if everyone was either a scientist or mathematician? What would the world be like? Of course there will be a bountiful supply of scientific breakthroughs thank we can bank on, but what how will all of the other aspects of the world fare? As of currently, all across the country there has been a jolt of urgency for the incorporation of a more STEM based education in schools. A more “STEM” based education like the type described in We Can’t All Be Math Nerds and Science Geeks by Fareed Zakaria narrows student’s once broad-based learning foundation and directs it into a more specific line of learning, which is the reasoning behind Zakaria’s disapproval of the movement.

Read More
691 Words | 3 Pages

A number of American policymakers have come to scrutinize liberal arts education. They say that the liberal arts are dead, that it’s an irrelevant field to pursue, especially if students come from a low-income family; that they will not get a good job with a liberal arts degree. Sanford J. Ungar responds to these claims in his essay, “The New Liberal Arts”. Misperception No. 2 in “The New Liberal Arts” says that “College graduates are finding it harder to get good jobs with liberal arts degrees” (228).

Read More
1040 Words | 5 Pages

The value of the STEM system (science, technology, engineering, and math) is steering the education world in a new and positive direction, although some may believe otherwise. In Lloyd Bentsen’s article, “the United States educational system will continue to fail our children,” he talks about how he disagrees with Zakaria, another writer stating his views on the STEM system. Bentsen believes the STEM system will benefit America. In Scott Gerber’s article, “How Liberal Arts Colleges Are Failing America,” he talks about how people can correlate their majors into entrepreneurship. Lastly, in Fareed Zakaria’s article, “Why America’s obsession with STEM education is dangerous,” he shares his belief that our obsession with STEM is just a way to overlook

Read More
447 Words | 2 Pages

Ungar in his work The New Liberal Arts highlights seven misconceptions of Liberal Arts degrees from the point of view as a Liberal Arts College President. The misconceptions he discusses range from an economic, social and political standpoint. Misconception number one states the argument that Liberal Arts degrees have become too expensive for most working class families, however Ungar argues these degrees make for a well-rounded individual, thus creating a long term investment in oneself that focuses on collaboration and oral and written communication. Next, Misconception two states fresh graduates sport a difficulty finding jobs, but this is not due specifically to their field of study. In fact, Ungar states that most employers look for a Liberal Arts degree in recent graduates for critical thinking and problem solving skills to be used in the workforce.

Read More
2139 Words | 9 Pages

David Foster Wallace in his speech, “This is Water,” argues to college graduates that the knowledge gained from studying humanities. Liberal arts have helped them gain the necessary skills to be able to control how and what they think in life. John Horgan in his text, “Why Study Humanities? What I Tell Engineering Freshman,” argues to engineering students that despite

Read More
805 Words | 4 Pages

But that growth is constrained in two ways. It is constrained by the amount of properly trained talent, which is needed to produce innovation. And it is constrained by this talent's willingness to take the entrepreneurial risks critical to commercializing innovation" and then goes on saying that "it is hard to believe humanities degree programs are the best way to train America's most talented students" (469-471). The reality is, humanities sheds a light on the huge influence science has had, and does have on shaping society and the quality of people's lives, both negatively and positively (Dalbert, 2011). To excel in the STEM world, we must understand the impact that STEM and medicine has had on society and understand the future scientific needs.

Read More
385 Words | 2 Pages

After reading your article “Why America’s obsession with STEM education is dangerous” I have formed some opinions regarding the topic that was mentioned in the article. This article is relatable to me as a student who has been educated in America’s educational system. Even though students who want to pursue a degree often complain about taking prerequisites, this article demonstrates that those prerequisites are a reason as to why students can be well rounded. I have been one of those students who often complain about the amount of different subject we must take, but I am slowly learning to appreciate it. It is in a way a calming thing to think about that even though I am majoring in one subject, that is not the sole thing I can offer when

Read More
928 Words | 4 Pages

In Fareed Zakaria’s article,“Why America’s Obsession with STEM Education is Dangerous”, he states that Americans find that education needs to lean more toward teaching individual skills, however, colleges, foundations, and companies want to expand their studies in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In a study done during the Nineteenth Century, the United States was proved to have a wide range of general education. According to Zakaria’s findings, the United States has never done all that well on international tests. However, over the last fifty years, America’s scores have soared in science, technology, research and innovation.

Read More
1045 Words | 5 Pages

The land grant universities in the United States have a rich history of public service, practical research, teaching and outreaching for ordinary citizens. The success in this system over decades working hard to meet the communities’ needs in the United States and the world at large did not help to avoid some challenges. The land grant universities are facing many challenges and these challenges will continue within the next five to twenty five years, such as the climate changing and its impact on agricultural productivity, the engagement with the community, and the increase of professors and undergraduate students’ ages in the land grant universities. One of the most important challenges that faced land grant universities is that the global

Read More
650 Words | 3 Pages

At one point considered a great empire, the Soviet Union is also known for its great collapse. There are many arguments and viewpoints on why the Soviet Union collapsed; however, by looking closely at the history and laws of the Soviet Union it is clear why it collapsed. The Soviet Union collapsed for two reasons: a failed economy and a unfavorable geography. The failing economy of the Soviet Union was a major contributor to the collapse of the Soviet Union as a whole.

Read More
1290 Words | 6 Pages

In her article, “Liberal Arts Minus Liberal Arts Professors,” Flaherty detailed how many liberal arts institutions across the country are being inflicted with declining enrollments. This has led to a great number of these universities to cut programs, which begs the question of whether cutting programs for fine arts makes the university less of a center for liberal arts. As a prime example, she chooses to detail the happenings at Wartburg College in central Iowa. The college had recently been in a dispute about cutting programs and laying off a large number of their faculty. As word about cutting these programs began to circulate among students, it was found that many of them were incredibly upset about this notion and had started a petition in order to keep these programs running and prevent well-known faculty members from being laid off.

Read More

More about Analysis Of STEM Education Is Vital But Not At The Expense Of The Humanities

Related Topics

Open Document