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The Decline Of Humanities In The United States

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Humanities' studies include philosophy, literature, history, art, and other branches of knowledge that are concerned with human thought and culture. Humanities in the United States have been on the decline since 1966. In fact, the number of students in 2010 enrolled in Humanities classes, was half of that found in 1966. It is apparent that through this report, the trend of colleges show that the importance of the Humanities is on the decline. A few universities have slowly been getting rid of humanity programs, as they see Humanities as a luxury, and not as a necessity. The Humanities are an important program to keep on schools and universities because they add to the Human experience, teach people how to creatively and critically reason …show more content…

The human race can diversify their focus on life by connecting with others and learning of their culture. In article four, it quotes, "we need history: a knowledge of the world and its many cultures and religions... In a world full of simple stereotypes, we will only preserve democratic values of debate and mutual respect if we try hard to understand the past and the present." The Humanities teach unbiased lifestyles and true facts about different people and the languages they speak. By teaching the humanities, people have the opportunity to learn about cultures, lifestyles, or languages without bias and stereotypes. In article two, it says about this, "If you consider the value of the humanities to the cultural sector, for example, I don’t think people can make the rather closed-minded arguments that they make about the utility of the humanities and its contributions.” People that are close-minded, do not know the value the humanities have. They do not see the contributions that these studies produce. They do not see the connections that the Humanities have on people. Their arguments are not critically thought out, with them only giving one half of the …show more content…

Being able to formulate an argument, being able to speak French, or even being able to study the past in order to predict the future, give students satisfaction in knowing they have learned a skill that they can use for the rest of their life. In article four, it reads, "Nations such as China and Singapore, which previously ignored the humanities, are now aggressively promoting them. According to them, they have concluded that the cultivation of the imagination through the study of literature, film, and the other arts is essential to fostering creativity and innovation." This quotes is important because it shows that some countries are realizing how the Humanities help prepare for the future. It says in the quote that "the cultivation of the imagination fosters creativity and innovation." The creativity used in learning the Liberal Arts is not limited to just that field of study. It is able to be used in all aspects of life, and that is the focus of attention for some countries. In the fourth article, it says about this "We in the U.S. are moving away from the humanities just at the time that our rivals are discovering their worth. But a healthy business culture is not all that life in America is about." A healthy business culture in America has always been made through innovative thinking. New breakthrough products in the United States are brought about by the same

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