This is because they are not seen as being as worthy of attention as STEM fields; that is, science, technology, engineering, and math fields, because they are not as practical and do not offer as many job opportunities. The Value of General Education ... A solid foundation in the arts, humanities, and sciences can help prevent this. All modern professions are based on interaction between people. . In fact subjects such as linguistics or economics (both considered to be a humanities) are incredibly important to the job market. Studying the Humanities. "Advice for life." The value of humanities can only be fully appreciated by experiencing and knowing them. I am so happy that you chose this topic, Michael! Bringing Clarity to the Future The humanities teach important thinking and reasoning skills, including creative thinking, critical thinking, reasoning, good question asking, logic, skeptical weighing of evidence, and insight. Trade, services, manufacturing, administration, education, and personal life benefit from the ability to conduct proper communication. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/education/as-interest-fades-in-the-humanities-colleges-worry.html?_r=0, http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/mar/29/war-against-humanities-at-britains-universities, http://www.brown.edu/about/administration/president/NHA-remarks, http://curt-rice.com/2014/02/25/here-are-9-reasons-why-humanities-matter-whats-your-number-10/, http://shc.stanford.edu/why-do-humanities-matter. What do we mean by “digital humanities” and how is that going to lead to new knowledge and maybe even new applications affecting daily lives? The humanities help us understand others through their languages, histories and cultures. I agree that humanities are irreplaceable in the context of a well-rounded education. And while I sometimes find political anti-humanities arguments exhausting, I actually think it’s important for everyone to be able to say something sensible about what they’re up to. Why Study the arts and humanities? [76] [77] As in America, there is a perceived decline in interest within higher education policy in research that … Their efforts preserve the great accomplishments of the past, help us understand the world we live in, and give us tools to imagine the future. There’s research on the impact of the humanities; there’s evidence demonstrating how studying the humanities benefits society, employers and individuals. The infographic you see below was made by Melissa Terras, Ernesto Priego, Alan Liu, Geoff Rockwell, Stéfan Sinclair, Christine Hensler, and Lindsay Thomas over at 4humanities.org. Studying humanities in the field of health professions can help both the student's and practitioners to enhance their capacity to listen, interpret, and communicate. Statistically, 7 percent of American college and university students are in humanities majors currently, compared to 14 percent in 1970. April 25, 2015. Wouldn’t you rather discuss history or literature with someone than talk about physics? My interest in moving universities towards balance encompasses gender equality, the communication of scientific results, promoting research-based education and leadership development more generally. Humanities advertise affection from the hurt and discomfort of the disease. Of course the majority of politicians in Westminister have studied AHSS, since PPE is almost a prerequisite to a political career. Studying humanities will help you interpret things better and much more clearly. The skills that result from studying the humanities develop obliquely, and that may have caused us to lose our sense of their value. Each person is certainly entitled to their own decision, and if they want to major in something involving the humanities, while taking the risk that you may be unemployed or working a low-skill job, they are certainly allowed to do so. It will help them in attaining awareness and sensitivity towards the many physical and psychological aspects of an individual’s responses to health, illness and hospitalization. As a history major, I beleiev that the humanities are absolutely essential. It also encourages reflection and provides one with an appreciation an empathy for humanity. Humanities students build skills in writing and critical reading. Humanities give us knowledge of ourselves, our culture, our past and help make us interesting, unique people. Specifically, the humanities help us to understand human cultures, ethics, and critical thinking, among other crucial disciplines. Medical humanities (whatever it is) may assist students in resisting these negative forces by opening their hearts to empathy, respect, genuineness, self-awareness, and reflective practice. The humanities also teach about the world we live in and about our own culture as well as all the other cultures of the world, and their values and contributions to the world. The humanities teach students creative thinking skills, reasoning, and the best ways to ask questions. Discuss how the work is a reflection of the ancient culture that created it. The humanities develop informed and critical citizens. Arto Mustajoki Contribution to other disciplines: humanities research feeds into other fields, most obviously the social sciences, but also into medicine, computer science and engineering/design. WEEK 1: ANCIENT WORKS OF ART. That phrase captures the value of the humanities in education. Without the humanities, democracy could not flourish. This article was originally published on Curt Rice - Science in Balance. Through the Humanities, we see the value of both working as a community and existing happily as an individual. The intrinsic value of art, music, literature and anthropology needs no warrant from other spheres of life. If you have one you like, send me a tweet or put it in a comment below, and if I get enough, I’ll include it in a new blog post! The biggest problem in the world is lack of mutual understanding among people, social groups, religions, nations. Apple, is perhaps, one of the best market/commercial examples of how the humanities permeate all aspects of human life. What is the value of studying the humanities in a business or technical curriculum? What I will agree with you on, is that STEM majors are unskilled in the humanities, and knowing a bit more can be helpful. There are six cohesive arguments, each of which is accompanied by a brief essay, related articles, talking points, and supporting evidence packaged into charts, quotes, data points, and profiles. As of now, I find it hard for a transition to humanities any time soon because of all the focus on STEM majors. What are the Humanities? There’d be a lot fewer conflicts in the world if we all were in better touch with our humanity! I think the “new” arguments that deserve careful development include inter-disciplinary perspectives. What’s your best reason for thinking the humanities are important? Choose a work of art from the reading in Chapter 1. They come from an exciting infographic put together by some creative researchers working in a whole new field called Digital Humanities. I didn’t know these things either until I saw the list of winners of the 2013 Digital Humanities Awards and had a good look at an infographic called The Humanities Matter! Of studying philosophy, history, literature and “soft” sciences like psychology and political science? It also give health professional a strong reason for appreciating the ethical dimensions in their practices. Schools should be doing everything that they can to encourage more people to major in STEM fields, because it is what is best for our nation. There is much more obvious practical, “real-world” application for the STEM fields. If STEM fields are more practical and useful and create more jobs, do we even need the humanities? To conclude, the humanities are just as important to a well-rounded education as the STEM fields and should be treated as such. The knowledge of other civilizations the humanities give us allow us to better deal and trade with other countries, and this combined with the skills in logic and critical reasoning offered by the humanities can help us to make more intelligent and thoughtful economic decisions. The value of the humanities debate The contemporary debate in the field of critical university studies centers around the declining value of the humanities. Keeping all this in mind, please take this work and spread it wherever it suits you to do so. The motherhood penalty: It’s not children that slow mothers down, Sex, war and boardrooms: Sheryl Sandberg as a modern day Lysistrata, Why you can’t trust research: 3 problems with the quality of science, Anecdata, or how McKinsey’s story became Sheryl Sandberg’s fact. As a result of all this, the number of college and university students in America who choose humanities majors has decreased greatly in favor of STEM majors. This week's anonymous academic is studying for a humanities PhD at a Russell Group university. They encompass skills a STEM major may never be expert in, and we need more diversity in the job market, not hundreds of people with the same degree. Get an idea of the value of a college education. Learning about humanities opens one to the analysis of the entirety of human condition and inspires one to deal with the recurring complex moral issues in life. How might a topic such as ancient art enhance contemporary life? I think STEM jobs are very important and certainly increasing in necessity in today’s day and age. Dean of the Faculty of Arts For the better part of the last two decades, we have heard arguments from various quarters that studying liberal arts or the humanities in general was a waste of time or at the very least, an unwise path for college students to pursue. Enjoy! The humanities, at least the way I teach them, give you uncertainty, doubt and skepticism. Here are 9 reasons why humanities matter. In terms of nationwide economic growth, skills and applied knowledge are crucial, even if they come from a tech school instead of a 4-year college. For many years, it used to be that the humanities were some of the most consistently popular areas of study in American colleges and universities. It is a bit popularistic, I agree. We use math and science frequently to solve problems in our daily lives a good deal more than we use literature or music. Thank you for the idea of making the list. We start off discussing the humanities, and then we segue into AHSS. The humanities also teach about the world we live in and about our own culture as well as all the other cultures of the world, and their values and contributions to the world. The ability to sound educated and be able to talk about these topics can make you stand out to others. Harvard’s Humanities and Liberal Arts Assessment project, founded in 2012, is also conducting empirical research on the value of the humanities to human development. And that leads me to my 10th reason: If it weren’t for the humanities, we couldn’t have the digital humanities! Humanities study strengthens your ability to communicate and work with others. However, the humanities have other tremendously valuable benefits that put them at the same value as STEM fields. SSH researchers are specialists in that. Even small progress in that may lead to big results. I think it is important to be able to think critically and read and write well, all of which you learn in the humanities. ... Churchwell isn't wrong: The humanities do have value that isn't easily reflected in dollars and … While you read them, try to think of what you would fill in as number 10. Countless surveys have shown that most employers value written and oral communication, problem solving and critical thinking over technical expertise. They are … Like the liberal arts in general, training in the arts improves our ability to pull together and synthesize seemingly disparate ideas and information into a coherent and meaningful whole. For example, I think that innovations based on research results in the natural sciences and medicine are more likely to be successful if their implementation is carried out in collaboration with humanists. They teach us to deal critically and logically with subjective, complex, imperfect information. There are multiple reasons for this decline, but most of them fall under the general reason that the humanities are being de-emphasized in order to place more focus on the STEM fields; that is, the science, technology, engineering and math fields. In recent years, however, the humanities have been on a steady decline in American colleges and universities. The question you may well be asking right now is, why does this all matter? They teach us to reason about being human and to ask questions about our world. If the above arguments were presented as ‘evidence’ in the social sciences, I can imagine the collective disciplinary eyebrow heading skyward in scepticism and questioning the lack of methodological rigour. 1. Studying the Humanities allows us to understand better the perfect balance between isolation and full immersion in society. How studying humanities can help you get a job. Through the work of humanities scholars, we learn about the values of different cultures, about what goes into making a work of art, about how history is made. Studying literature is the only way some students will ever learn about other cultures and places. I believe these claims and I know they are based on solid research. Did you know that almost 60% of U.S. CEOs have degrees in the humanities? The humanities encourage us to think creatively. 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