| Misp. # | Misperception Description (with brief quote & explanation) | Ungar’s Response (with quote/evidence & explanation) | Connections (to Jeffrey Scheuer, Core Handbook, Self, World) – INCLUDE relevant quote(s) & explanation of relation to Ungar. Link to Scheuer and Core Handbook in at least 3 places. |
| #1 | Degrees in the libral arts are no longer practical for affordability. | While using a college education to prepare for a career is a wise move, there are many things that a liberal arts education can help with. It provides a much more “well-rounded preparation” that the sciences don’t cover. As Ungar says, “the “career education” bandwagon seems to suggest that shortcuts are available to students that lead directly to high-paying jobs–leaving out “frills” like learning how to write and speak well, how to understand the nuances of literary texts and scientific concepts, how to collaborate with others on research.” | The CORE handbook talks about how a liberal education can improve life and finding a job: “We value the role of the arts and languages in instilling fluency, creativity, and imagination in thought and expression. Students should emerge from their undergraduate education with an ability to write effectively.” UNE seems to know and understand how a liberal education can enhance the lives of students and those around them. |
| #2 | It is harder to find a job with a libral arts degree than with a degree in, say, the health sciences or STEM field. | There is a wide variety of professions available for those with a liberal arts degree, especially seeing as how “a 2009 survey for the Association of American Colleges and Universities actually found that more than three-quarters of our nation’s employers recommend that college bound students pursue a ‘liberal education.’” As was established in the last explanation, this kind of learning can contribute to a well-rounded education and prepare people with many skills that are important for various employment opportunities. | |
| #3 | Degrees in the libral arts are no longer practical for lower-class families who need to make their way in the job market. | I really think Ungar sums this one up perfectly in one sentence: “It is condescending to imply that those who have less cannot understand and appreciate the finer elements of knowledge.” Everyone is capable of great ideas and pursuits, no matter their background. | |
| #4 | There’s more “action” in studying the sciences than just the liberal arts. | Science isn’t the only valuable result of knowledge. To keep life on Earth peaceful and worthwhile, we need the arts. Plus, what worth is there in competing to be the most advanced economy when the arts become so much lesser? As Ungar states, “no evidence suggests, however, that success in scientific and technical fields will be greater if it comes at the expense of a broad background in other areas of the liberal arts.” | Art is what makes life worth living and whatever “action” is gotten from the sciences, the same amount can be taken from the arts. Helping people, critical thinking, problem solving, all of that is entirely possible by pursuing the arts. |
| #5 | Why give people a liberal education when the democratic liberals have gotten our country in trouble in recent years. | The response to this argument is just a matter of confused terms and ideologies. Except for the political major, politics aren’t included in a liberal education. College is about gaining knowledge and forming your own opinions, separate from your parents or those truly looking to “indoctrinate” people. However, a liberal education does try to open students up to listening and carefully considering all options and points of view before making any opinion. Ungar does tell the reader that “it may be only liberal education that can help lead the way back to comity and respectful conversation about issues before us.” | Equating topics of education to politics may not give either the consideration and importance when truly thinking about what each entails. However, what politics really does need is educated, open-minded individuals who will listen to everyone. Scheuer says, “the overall goal is to foster vibrant and prosperous communities with broad and deep participation, in public conversations marked by fairness, inclusion, and (where critical thinking comes in) intellectual rigor.” |
\#6 | America is behind other countries as we “cling” to “such an old-fashioned form of postsecondary education as the liberal arts.” | Some other countries may seem more advanced without a mandatory or recommended liberal arts education. While this could give the impression that the liberal arts aren’t needed, one could also argue that those students won’t be able to take advantage of other aspects of their life. Putting together arguments or opinions, speaking and writing, and even effectively connecting with others could bring those students down in a way those with a liberal arts education wouldn’t experience. Ungar even talks about how China may be trying to give their students these advantages, saying, “The Chinese may be coming around to the view… that if they aspire to world leadership, they will have to provide young people with a broader perspective.” | Scheuer actually talks about this topic, saying, “the STEM disciplines are obviously important to economic productivity, but so is the entire rainbow of human knowledge and the ability to think critically. That’s why nations around the world are beginning to embrace the liberal arts idea that American education has done so much to promote, even as we question it. We need skilled thinkers, problem solvers, team workers, and communicators, and not just in the business, scientific, and technology sectors.” It’s clear an education in the arts is more important than some think. To me, a liberal arts education is necessary in leading our nation and people to an advanced, prosperous, and peaceful future. |
| #7 | A liberal arts education in America is becoming “irrelevant” and too expensive. | Though the costs for secondary education in America is pretty astronomical, it has more to do with government spending. Some colleges don’t have the support they need and instead get it from student tuitions. Ungar tells the reader that “the best way to understand genuine national priorities is to follow the money, and by that standard, education is really not all that important to this country.” On the topic of irrelevance, it seems to be each college’s duty to “develop distinguishing characteristics” so they can stay afloat in the cost balances they face. | Bbbb |
