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Analysis Of The New Liberal Arts By Sanford J. Ungar

1242 Words5 Pages

High school seniors are faced with a wide variety of decisions as they approach graduation. They must decide whether or not they are going to attend college, begin working, or do something else. If they do decide to attend college, they also must decide whether to pursue a liberal arts education or a vocational one. A liberal arts education primarily includes a collection of different classes and topics students can choose to take and study. A vocational route will mainly educate students on their specific intended career. Each method of education can be argued for and against. In Sanford J. Ungar’s essay, “The New Liberal Arts”, his argument supports a liberal arts education. He gives the reader examples of misperceptions of a liberal arts …show more content…

Ungar’s essay, Charles Murray discusses why a liberal arts degree is unnecessary in his essay, “Are Too Many People Going to College?”. Murray believes that the basics of a liberal education are indeed important, but that students should be provided the basics of liberal arts in elementary and middle school (Murray 223). In this essay, Murray cites E.D. Hirsch Jr.’s book Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know.” Hirsch Jr. and Murray believe that there is a “body of core knowledge” that all students should have, and that “this core knowledge is an important part of the glue that holds the culture together” but that this core knowledge should be taught in grades K-8 (Murray 224). Murray discusses how young children are much better at memorizing facts than adults are, to support his position that kids should be memorizing this core knowledge at a younger age (Murray 224). Murray believes that students need to learn more about science, history, art, music, and literature than they’re being taught now. His argument is that they need to be taught this information before college, so that in once they become a freshman they can immediately begin focusing on their intended major (Murray 225). As a college freshman at a liberal arts school, I can confidently say that my previous schooling has prepared me well for a liberal arts education. I am continuing to learn things in my freshman year that I believe will prepare me well for my future endeavors. I am able to focus on my current major while still learning how to write better, solve difficult problems, and learning more about culture and the world which we live in. I am confident that with a B.A. degree and my broad range of knowledge, I will have flexibility if I choose to pursue a different career. Employers will also realize that someone with a liberal arts degree has that range of knowledge of different subjects. Murray believes that “most students go to college to acquire

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