Why Do the Humanities Matter?

(photo/osuokc.edu)

As a creative writing and literature student, my heart has always been passionate to promote the liberal arts in higher education. Many times, the humanities are attacked because the degrees don't "get you a job." You can't get a job as a writer, so why bother majoring in creative writing?

(photo/higheredstrategy.com)

Here's the truth: The humanities are still very important. The humanities help people understand a broad range of topics and perspectives. Many people can unite their ideas through humanities courses. Through exploration of the humanities, we learn how to think creatively and critically, to reason and to ask questions. These skills allows us to gain new insights into basically everything from poetry and paintings to business models and politics.

The humanities have been at the heart of a liberal arts education since the ancient Greeks first used them to educate their citizens. If the Greeks did it, we can still do it, right?

As I've already expressed, the humanities are very important in helping students gain valuable knowledge about the world. Humanities courses teach students about the values of different cultures, about what goes into making a work of art, about how history is made. Humanities help students understand the world we live in and give them the tools to imagine the future.

About the future, humanities continue to provide the foundation for exploring human experiences: Investigating a branch of philosophy might have you thinking about ethical questions. Learning another language might help you gain an appreciation for the similarities in different cultures. Building a sculpture might make you think about how an artist's life affected his/her creative decisions. Reading a book from another region of the world might help you think about the meaning of change, cultures and democracy. Listening to a history course might help you better understand the past, while at the same time offer you a clearer picture of the evolving future.

(photo/cicv.org)

The humanities are extremely important to higher education because without the courses, students would lack the basic necessities for understanding the world around them. I'm not saying that the sciences don't matter either, but with the way STEM education is promoted and liberal arts are targeted, there needs to be a strong balance in higher education. Instead of a complicated rivalry between STEM education and liberal arts, the two should work together in higher education.

My hopes for the future are that higher education continues to promote the humanities--because if not, then where will the arts go? You can get a job as a writer, a musician and an artist. Higher education provides the tools for these working artists.

-KJL-