Chapter 24 At Issue Questions

AT ISSUE: DOES IT PAY TO STUDY THE HUMANITIES?

  1. Carnevale and Melton write about the difficulties colleges and universities have trying to balance conflicting missions:

    Many educators are wary about subjugating higher education’s traditional role to an economic one. Some are upset about the increasingly tight ties that bind work and education. While training foot soldiers for capitalism is not the sole mission of our education system, the inescapable reality is that ours is a society based on work (para. 13).

    Do you agree that there is a tension between these two “missions”? How should educators maintain a balance between their intellectual mission and the more practical demands of preparing graduates for work?

  2. In her essay, Brooks asks, “Why do even the best colleges fail so often at preparing kids for the world?” (para. 5). How would you answer this question? When it comes to your college, do you agree or disagree with Brooks’s contention?

  3. According to Paxson, “We don’t want a nation of technical experts in one subject. We want a scintillating civil society in which everyone can talk to everyone” (para. 17). What does she mean? For example, what is a “civil society”? How are the values conveyed by the liberal arts related to civil society and public discourse? What problems might arise from having a nation composed almost entirely of highly specialized “technical experts in one subject”?

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WRITING ARGUMENTS: DOES IT PAY TO STUDY THE HUMANITIES?

  1. After reading the arguments in this casebook, develop your own ideas about whether it pays to study the humanities. Then, using these essays as sources, write an essay in which you argue for your position.

  2. As Frank points out, educators, policymakers, politicians, and others have been strongly encouraging young Americans to major in a STEM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math). Are you planning on studying one of these disciplines? If not, have you felt pressure from parents, teachers, or friends to pursue science, technology, engineering, or math? Write an essay that answers these questions and takes a position on the issue.