Core Handbook Question: Under section IV of the core handbook, objective number 4 is to expand students’ ability to communicate in writing through creative expression, which relates directly to my poetry class as we are learning how to creatively express our ideas in our writing. In the same section, objective number 1 relates to several of my classes. When it mentions how student’s lives are embedded in environmental systems, that relates to my environmental issues class. For example, we are learning how we directly affect climate change right now. Objective number 1 also talks about how our lives are embedded in society, which is exactly what we are learning about in sociology and even in lifespan and development. As mentioned in my answers to the last assignment, between all of my classes I really see all of the methodologies under this section being used. For example, in my sociology class it’s more lecturing whereas in this class we do more collaborative learning as we have a lot of class discussions and can bounce ideas off of each other.
Pre-reading: Based on my prior knowledge and what I’ve gathered from the core handbook, I think that “liberal arts” is a big category that covers a variety of subjects. I think that those pursuing an education in the liberal arts learn important skills such as the ability to solve problems and communicate effectively. I have a feeling that some of the misconceptions about the liberal arts will have to do with the fact that it is such a broad category meanwhile people are leaning towards more specific and career focused majors recently.
Misconceptions About the Liberal Arts: The first of the misconceptions discussed in the article is that a degree in liberal arts has become a luxury and it’s more beneficial to focus on career education now. While focusing on a specific career when getting a degree can be helpful in some aspects, it’s also a good idea to be prepared for a career change at some point as searching for a single job track may lead to a dead end. It’s also important to keep in mind that the world is always changing and jobs that don’t even exist now will be a thing in the future, so it’s important to keep your options open. The next misconception is that it’s become very difficult to get a job with a liberal arts degree. The truth is that it has become difficult for college graduates to find a job regardless of their area of study. In fact, author Sanford J. Ungar makes the point that “… more than three-quarters of our nation’s employers recommend that collegebound students pursue a ‘liberal education’” (Ungar, 2010). Another misconception is that low-income and first-generation college students should not pursue a liberal arts education and should focus on something more marketable. Ungar claims that this idea simply does not hold any validity, everyone can have an interest and appreciation for the knowledge gained through liberal education. Finally, there is a misconception that the liberal Democrat party is linked to liberal arts education. Ungar makes it very clear that liberal arts has nothing to do with politics and the main idea it promotes is to not rely on a single ideology.
