Liberal Arts Education Misperceptions

The word misperception is defined as “to understand or perceive incorrectly; misunderstand” (Merriam Webster, 2018). One way misperceptions occur happens when individuals do not fully understand a concept. In his essay, “The New Liberal Arts,” Sanford J. Ungar explains the common misperceptions people form about a liberal arts education; he also explains his reasoning and viewpoints toward it. In fact, a liberal arts education provides multiple benefits. Benefits such as job security and job opportunities result from this type of education. Therefore, a liberal arts education enhances a student’s vocational success.

Liberal arts colleges instill character traits in their students that employers desire. Liberal arts colleges strive to teach

Liberal arts colleges expose their students to multiple diverse courses. In return, students explore and acquire different information regarding various subjects. Ungar states, “A 2009 survey for the association of American Colleges and Universities actually found that more than three-quarters of our nation’s employers recommend that collegebound students pursue a ‘liberal education’” (Ungar, 2017, p. 228). Employers would rather consider individuals with a liberal arts degree than non-liberal arts degree holders because of the type of education they received. The exposure to numerous courses teaches students a wide variety of knowledge which assists them with their future careers. In his essay, Ungar analyzes the differences between colleges who have the liberal arts based education and ones who pursue the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics based education. Ungar states, “The liberal arts encompass the broadest possible range of discipline…The historical basis of a liberal education is in the classical artes liberals, comprising the trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music” (Ungar, 2017, p. 229). Required general education courses provide students an understanding; students adapt quickly to their career because they understand basic knowledge in the diverse fields of

Job employment rates rise and decline, but having a liberal arts degree boosts one’s chance of a job. Ungar states, “It is far wiser for students prepare for change—and the multiple careers they are likely to have—than to search for a single job track that might one day become a dead end” (Ungar, 2017, p. 227). Not every individual receives the job they desire—foolish people assume that their desired careers start once they receive their degree. Although not every individual receives the job he/she wants, students who have a liberal arts degree produce better chances of adapting in a fluctuating workplace. Ungar states, “It promotes the idea of listening to all points of view and not relying on a single ideology, and examining all approaches to solving a problem rather than assuming that one technique or perspective has all the answers” (Ungar, 2017, p. 230). The teaching techniques liberal arts colleges provide prepares students for a wide variety of jobs. Employers want individuals who possess desirable quality traits and ones who would positively influence their company and work environment; desirable traits such as communication skills, creativeness and innovativeness add to a company’s