Purposes and Practices of Liberal Art Colleges - Essay Example

? Purposes and Practices of Liberal Art Colleges “It is not so very important for a person to learn facts. For that he does not really need a college. He can learn them from books. The value of an education is a liberal arts college is not learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks” quoted Albert Einstein. The greatest philosopher, Socrates too believed that the most important knowledge that a person should learn is “how best to live”. Moreover, the goal of education should be to “know what you can; and even more importantly, to know what you do not know.” In other words, the more you gain knowledge, the more you can gain knowledge and this is what a liberal arts education aims to do. This method of education truly follows the philosophy of Socrates. Indeed in today’s modern world, a liberal arts education has become essential as it provides teachings in varied fields that groom individuals to face and handle the intricacy, diversity and transformations of life in the best possible ways. Developing effective academic and practical aptitudes such as communication, logical and crisis management skills, profound feelings of social responsibility, and a demonstrated proficiency to utilize knowledge and skills in realism and thereby, creating a well rounded personality has always been the main purpose of education in liberal arts colleges. In this paper, we shall discuss both the pros and cons of teachings in liberal art colleges simultaneously establishing the fact that “the purpose of a liberal arts college is to provide a student with knowledge, not only of his/her intended profession, but knowledge of many different professions to create a well rounded person.” To truly understand the purpose of ‘liberal arts education’, it’s primary to interpret its definition. It is an educational approach in which diverse range of subjects are taught to the students in order to help him or her achieve an enhanced knowledge of the world around him or herself. Coaching the youngsters for the lifetime of prospects and changes has always been the primary focus of these colleges (Shoenberg n.pag). According to Roth, a successful liberal arts education is one which can expand the aptitude for innovation and for decision-making of the students (n.pag). As Socrates, the greatest teacher of all times, had preached that the primary aim of education should be to enhance the understanding of his students rather than merely defining theories since it develops the power of critical thinking in the students. Moreover, such an education leads the students towards knowledge and turns them into a well rounded person (Plato n.pag). By a well rounded person, we mean a person who is an expert not only in his field but varied fields, has the aptitude of thinking critically, solving problems analytically, making independent decisions, and comprehending new ideas. In addition, a person who has understood the art of living, has gained wisdom and developed into a good human being and this is what a liberal arts education aims to do. In The Republic, the Greek philosopher, Plato has emphasized that a well rounded education should include the study of mathematics, poetry, astronomy and poetry. Although our fields of study have broadened vastly since his days, his basic message is still the motivation behind the practice of liberal arts education. Plato always advocated his students to value logic and order, ideals, and beauty. Even though the subjects of science, literature, government, history and societies were added by the teachers in recent times, the main motto of liberal education still remained the same. It was intended to develop the power of critical analysis in an individual, so important for achieving wisdom and virtue (Plato &Biase n.pag). Furthermore, a liberal arts education aims to make students creative thinkers as well as problem solvers by providing them with a background in several fields states Harrer. Students in this type of colleges are required to study a broad range of subjects including those which are not part of their majors such as writing, critical thinking and mathematics. For instance, a student who is specializing in biology is also required to study public speaking, composition, and philosophy, as a result of which not only his aptitude of writing more comprehensive reports is enhanced but also his ability to commune his research to the listeners in an well thought-out manner. By studying subjects like sociology, anthropology, mathematics, science and several other areas of study, youngsters are prepared to face the world in every situation. Moreover, the well rounded and diverse capability advocated by this type of education opens up a world of vocations for a student without restricting him or her to one particular profession (Harrer n.pag). Many people who join liberal arts colleges wonder in the beginning, what’s the need to study subjects that have nothing to do with their career field as is taught in these colleges? For instance, a person who pursues to become an accountant believes he doesn’t need to study history, literature, philosophy, music, art, or any other subject outside his major. Students often wonder the need of studying subjects that won’t be helpful in their jobs. Some argue that doing a specialized training is more worthwhile than doing a liberal arts education since learning topics which is related to their career is enough for advancement in their future (Harris n.pag). However, Harris quotes “all knowledge is one, a unified wholeness and every field of study is but a piece or an angle or a way of portioning this knowledge”. This is the reason liberal arts education becomes a necessity since it provides a general education which supplies the context for all knowledge and in addition, teaches how one’s chosen field fits into the whole context. It is a fact that context is critical for full understanding, and truly the general knowledge of the world provides us that context (Harris n.pag). Moreover, Socrates always believed that knowledge is of two kinds – important and trivial and to differentiate the important from the trivial is what an individual needs to learn. For instance, craftsmen possess the knowledge to practice their craft but this knowledge is valuable only to the craftsmen. According to Socrates, practical knowledge which is useful only for the experts in their respective fields is trivial and unimportant for others. Therefore, to develop the capability to build new knowledge upon old knowledge and thereby, discover oneself and the world around is the most important knowledge one should aim to learn (Brickhouse & Smith 118). Socrates, the greatest teacher of all times, preached the method of critical thinking and self discovery in education, which is followed in liberal arts education too. Furthermore, Professor Roth states that the enhancement of the skills of critical thinking taught in liberal arts colleges are extremely realistic since they become important tools for constant learning, for making resolutions in one’s life, and for creating a difference in the world (n.pag). Moreover, Harris states that by studying varied subjects a person’s mind gets better exercised and enlarged. He further added that a liberal arts education educates one ‘how to think’. It enhances the practice of attention and absorption, the skill to differentiate the important from the inconsequential, the capability to pursue arguments, and to comprehend new ideas, thus leading to the empowerment of the mind and organization of the intellect. According to him, it is not necessary that a person will become an expert in writing a line of code or verse after studying programming or poetry, but the study will definitely help him or her in becoming a superior husband or wife or teacher or business person or psychologist, since it will provide the person the aptitude to make planned resolutions, balanced progression, and a knack of hierarchical procedures, which he or she can pertain in any future task (Harris n.pag). A survey done with 925 graduates to measure student learning through a standardized test, the Collegiate Learning Assessment, revealed that those with a liberal arts degree had achieved greater financial success, are connected to world events better, and also, were more likely to lead a blissful married life with partners whom they met in college. Thus, it should be agreed that liberal arts education leads to the development of a well rounded personality of every student (Marklein n.pag). Shoenburg further argues that the open curriculum advocated by many liberal arts colleges encourages students to practice a narrow education especially depriving them from learning essential facts of science or law or commerce, which in today’s world has become necessary for every individual as each of us are required to make certain decisions in our personal as well as civic life that entails some perceptive of these subjects. Indeed, it is a college’s failure if it is unable to preach proper understanding of these subjects to the students rendering them incapable to make informed communal decisions of topics such as energy, the environment, or the public health, states Shoenburg. He calls it ‘educational malpractice’ in his terms (Shoenburg n.pag). According to Harris, a liberal arts education will not teach how to perform a surgery or sue a neighbor, but it teaches an individual the art of living which alone makes such an education more practical and beneficial than any job-oriented study. In fact, it is unfortunate to see those, who are uneducated or are educated in a specialized field, getting fully overwhelmed by a simple phenomenon which they have never known. However, the diverse knowledge taught in liberal arts colleges ranging from biology to history to human nature provide students with many tools of understanding. The result of such learning cannot be predicted since the interaction of diversified knowledge is very subtle and sophisticated. For example, Benjamin had not anticipated the sophisticated discoveries that his future students of his inventions would make – washing machine, microwave ovens, radar installations, computers, electric blankets, or television sets –when he had flown a kite into a storm to explore the properties of electricity. Nor did the inventors of these devices predict them when they were studying Franklin’s work (Harris n.pag). Thereby, it true that a liberal arts education not only provides students with knowledge of their intended profession but knowledge of many different professions. Furthermore, a liberal arts education teaches youngsters ‘the technique of learning’ states Harris. It is not simply a place where one learns heap of information rather the skill of learning. Such an education enhances students’ ability to build new knowledge upon old knowledge, and increase their capability to learn things faster since ‘the more we learn about everything, the easier it becomes to learn anything and everything else.’ Indeed, the method of analogy is applied in teachings in a liberal arts education. George Herbert states that a mind has the aptitude to form its own analogies in order to learn the unfamiliar by means of the familiar. To be more precise, people are taught new subjects by using something they are already familiar with which makes grasping the novice concepts easier and much faster. Thus, it holds true that liberal arts education leads to the development of the insight as well as understanding (qtd. in Harris n.pag). However, most of the college students and their parents believe that education should be practical enough to help secure a first real job. Due to an uncertain and competitive market of jobs, they are skeptical in putting their money in a liberal arts education. However, they should question themselves certain things which will help them in taking the correct decision. Are they preparing their children for the first job or for their whole career? Are the parents educating their children just for work or for lifetime? A liberal arts degree prepares a student not just for one job but for various jobs, and for his life time not just for working. Moreover, even employers prefer graduates with a liberal arts degree because they want people who have the desire to learn more, are keen in developing new ideas and skills, and trying innovative methods and technologies. Employers are nowadays continuously looking for youngsters with good analytical, communication and social skills and they know that only a liberal arts college provides these skills (Biase n.pag). Students of liberal arts have to gain knowledge in loads of different fields – the arts, the sciences and the humanities – which develops their aptitude to determine the relations among very diverse ideas and very diverse approaches for analyzing the world. Such an education provides flexibility to the brain thereby training it to think analytically as well as metaphorically. Moreover, employers are always on the lookout for graduates who have the expertise to communicate ideas clearly and comprehensibly as well as have good verbalization and influential skills for proposing new ideas. Students get to learn excellent communication skills through reading and writing which are core subjects taught in the first year liberal arts college curriculum. The aptitude developed for organizing and communicating thoughts places these individuals on a different level of success, much higher than graduates with specialized skills. In addition, employers want to recruit people who have learnt the skill of socializing as well as working cooperatively. The lessons of literature, history and social sciences learnt in liberal arts teaches students the diversity of humanity, tutors them to respect even those people who are not like them, and thus making them receptive towards cultural and economic differences. Employers undoubtedly prefer such graduates with strong social skills since they know such people can instigate a team with enthusiasm and will make better leaders. Therefore, it can be said that liberal arts education may not prepare an individual for a particular profession but instills in them such qualities that they are eligible for every profession (Biase n.pag). However, some people argue that there are some liberal art colleges that are as intently specialized as any professional program and do not allow liberal learning. On the other hand, there are many career-oriented studies that advocate liberal learning. For example, the accrediting standards of ABET (Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology) are equally insistent on professional subjects and liberal education (Shoenburg n.pag). Contradicting the statement, other experts said that the graduates from America’s liberal arts institutions can be seen inexplicably in headship statuses in the financial, political as well as the cultural arena because of the fact that these colleges advocate complete freedom and liberal learning in their teachings. President Obama’s leadership team comprises of several liberal arts graduates, thereby providing an explicit example of how individuals with a liberal arts degree are influencing the outlook of the society (Roth n.pag). A recent survey done by the Social Science Research council to measure the capability of thinking, reasoning and writing among recent college graduates revealed that those with liberal arts degrees were among the highest scorers and are far more likely to be better off in their profession than those with lowest scores. Moreover, it revealed that students who had mastered the art of critical thinking, logical reasoning and effectual writing by their final year were three times (3.1% vs. 9.6%) less likely to be jobless than those who hadn't (Marklein n.pag). Moreover, with the ongoing speedy technological and social changes, contributing four years of higher education towards any specialized training has become meaningless. In today’s world, it is important that a post secondary education degree makes an individual capable of discovering his abilities, getting better at it and in the process gain the strength of continual learning. A liberal arts education too follows this theory thereby, providing its students an all round development and making them capable of accepting every change in life positively (Roth n.pag). A complete knowledge of a diverse range of events, philosophies, possibilities, and arguments helps in understanding the world better. Most importantly, a person learns to think for himself or herself by gaining knowledge about the varied subjects he or she studies in a liberal arts college. Such an education makes an individual capable of forming his own opinions, aptitudes, beliefs, and values. By gaining varied knowledge and the art of examination and analysis, students are able to make decisions based on their own worthy apprehension, examination, and evaluation of argument and evidence irrespective of any field of life (Harris n.pag). Moreover, even Socrates taught people that understanding oneself was the exact route to contentment and he practiced the philosophical theory to assist people turn inward to improvise them (Plato n.pag). Furthermore, a liberal arts education develops the strength of living in the students thereby encouraging them to take active participation in working for the welfare of the individuals and community as a whole. The study of diversified subjects develops a greater inquisitiveness about the natural world, and an eagerness to further understand its perspective. Today, the younger generation lacks the sense of participation in the great endeavor at civilization and moral evolution, which had begun before they were born and will persist much after they die. By providing a larger view of the perspective of history and social changes it encourages students to visualize their experiences in that framework thereby developing a superior feeling of purpose in their life. Moreover, liberal education propagates the right virtues and values in the students persuading them to lead a good and decent life (Biase n.pag). Lastly and most importantly, the general knowledge provided in a liberal arts education helps a person in gaining wisdom and a better understanding of human nature. Moreover, it provides a dynamic perceptive of the Gospel and of how it is interconnected with human nature, the needs and requirements of the heart, the desire of the soul, and the queries of the mind. The more an individual learns about man from history, psychology, sociology, literature, or wherever, the more he will visualize the trenchant insights and the exact identifications the bible holds. Moreover, liberal arts have been found to contribute exclusively to an individual’s happiness, revealed a recent research. As per the research’s statistics, intelligent people have been found to have happier married lives, lower rates of mental illness and depression, and a higher degree of satisfaction with life (Harris n.pag). Conclusion On discussing the viewpoints of Socrates and of many other highly achieved individuals of recent times, it is clearly understood that a liberal arts education undoubtedly provides a solid foundation in ongoing education. It develops the capability to formulate and critically think about opinions in a logical way. The habits of mind developed in a liberal arts college enhances the focus and flexibility of individuals in such a way that they become expert in intelligent as well as courageous risk taking for critical assessment of these risks. Study of varied subjects tutors the mind to work in different ways: analytically, synthetically, creatively, rationally, and metaphorically. It augments life in ways that can’t be calculated and permeates it with greater meaning and joy. Liberal education unbound students from the barriers of time and place, encouraging them to grow, to change, and to react to the new, the unpredicted and the unforeseen. Such an education endorses diversity, cynicism and discussions as it persuades students to see the world as changing, not constant. Most importantly, this education does not limit graduates to a particular forte in the job market but qualifies them for various professions such as business, teaching, journalism, law, the arts and so on. Therefore, we can say, that liberal arts colleges make students capable in every niche –critical thinking, problem solving, independent decision making, communication skills, social skills, and analytical skills. Moreover, it provides them the strength of living, wisdom and virtues, thereby making them a well rounded person. It cannot be denied that the liberal arts graduates are major contributors towards shaping our economy and culture. Thus, it can be concluded that “the purpose of a liberal arts college is to provide a student with knowledge, not only of his/her intended profession, but knowledge of many different professions to create a well rounded person.” Works cited Baise, Susan M. D. “Why study the liberal arts”. Phi Beta Kappa. University of North Carolina- Greensboro, n.d. Web. 12 May 2012. Brickhouse, Thomas C., and Nicholas D. Smith. The Philosophy of Socrates. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 2000. Print. Harrer, Sarah L. “Advantage and disadvantages of a Liberal Arts Education”. eHow.com. Demand Media, Inc., 11 Dec. 2011. Web. 12 May 2012. Harris, Robert. “On the purpose of a Liberal Arts Education”. Virtual Salt. com. Virtual Salt, 14 Mar. 1991. Web. 7 May. 2012. < http://www.virtualsalt.com/libarted.htm> Marklein, Beth Mary. “Liberal arts education lends an edge in down economy”. USA today. com. USA today, 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 7 May 2012. Plato. The Republic. Trans. B. Jowett. Project Guttenburg, 27 Aug. 2008. Web. 10 May 2012. Roth, Michael. “What’s a Liberal Arts Education good for?” The Huffington Post. The HuffPost News, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 8 May 2012. < http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael- roth/whats-a-liberal-arts-educ_b_147584.html> Shoenburg, Robert. “How Not to Defend Liberal Arts Colleges?” Liberal Education 95.1 (2009): n.pag. Web. 9 May 2012. < http://www.aacu.org/liberaleducation/le-wi09/le- wi09_MyView.cfm> Read More