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Analysis Of The New Liberal Arts By Sanford J. Ungar

793 Words4 Pages

When students set out for higher education and prepare for their future they usually have an end goal in mind. When most students come to college, they typically have an idea of what degree to pursue or what they are interested in studying. In Sanford J. Ungar’s article “The New Liberal Arts” he quoted that “The responsibility of higher education today is to prepare people for jobs that do not yet exist” (657). However, whatever job a student ends up in is significantly helped through higher education. With this in mind, college students need to have the skills needed to adapt to any situation and perform in many different ways. In Sanford J. Ungar’s article “The New Liberal Arts” Ungar explores a liberal arts education and how specialized …show more content…

Following his ideas, he lists multiple misperceptions about a liberal arts education. His first misperception is that a “liberal arts degree is a luxury that most families can no longer afford” (657). He points out that because businesses and industries are looking for people with basic skills needed to perform a certain job, shortcuts are created. This shortcut or as he refers to it as a social experiment, will eventually lead to a dead end. This aspect of his article appeals to emotion and the fear most students have that they will end up in a job that is no longer needed. Ungar points out that students need to be able to adapt and change for any of the many jobs they may end up having. Although these programs and institutions work to a degree, they leave out a liberal arts education. This will eventually lead to a future workforce that is incapable of understanding literary text and scientific concepts. Because of Ungar’s position as the president of a liberal arts university his ethos is immediately established. With this, it is easier to see his point of view and gather that although a liberal arts education may be more expensive than an education that will prepare you for an immediate job. A liberal arts education will prepare you for the jobs that you may not have intended to end up …show more content…

Although all of the misperceptions he lists are valid and help to further prove his point, Ungar is only arguing in favor of a liberal arts education and doesn’t show the other side of it. Many students would benefit from a liberal arts education, but they would only be able to be in a job field that would require it. If they wanted to be an engineer or architect, liberal arts is not going to take them very far, because they need the training and skills that students would learn in those

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