1

Running Head: Benefits Of A Liberal Arts Curriculum

The Benefits of a Liberal Arts Curriculum

Brad Miller

The George Washington University

EDUC 283/Opinion Paper 2/Draft 1

 2

The Benefits of a Liberal Arts Curriculum

Throughout much of the history of higher education it has been suggested that the

college curriculum should better educate students for specific career paths. This thought

continues today and as society demands more from higher education in the form of career

skills, institutions are forced to reflect on what type of education they want their students

to receive. It is my opinion that the best curriculum is one that stresses the classical

liberal arts. In the following paragraphs I will demonstrate how a classic liberal arts

curriculum helps students think more analytically and how the increasingly

interconnected world requires a broader education. I will share how a liberal arts

curriculum helps students think beyond their careers to find meaning in life. Finally, I

will examine how a liberal arts curriculum is the best preparation for future careers.

In his article, Colleges Must Reconstruct the Unity of Knowledge, Vartan

Gregorian describes the important role colleges play in providing students with a safe

environment to question information as a safeguard against extremist ideologies.

(Gregorian 2004) For some students, the college classroom will be their last encounter

with radical opinions. Colleges have a unique opportunity to counsel students in how

best to form a well-thought out response to such opinions. This requires equipping

students with the appropriate tools to gather information and analyze their thoughts to

better form their own opinions. (Gregorian 2004) A classic curriculum provides students

with these abilities. I believe a classic curriculum is best for students in that it trains the

brain to analyze a topic for further investigation. Before a student can understand

complex ideas they must first be equipped with the tools of that lead them to this

understanding; which a general liberal arts curriculum provides (Yale College, 1829). A
 3

classic curriculum teaches students how to further investigate a topic. It teaches them

how to question an unfamiliar thought and form a personal opinion based off analytical

reflection, an essential skill in today’s world of diverse and radical opinions.

The classic curriculum is best for students in that it provides a broad

understanding of the increasingly complex and interconnected world. Technology has

made communication between cultures possible and the global market has required this

communication to take place. Students that depart from their career-oriented focus to

further investigate the many cultures and communication styles of this world will find

such departures a boon to future career development. Conversely, if students focus solely

in career-oriented studies, they will not develop the ability to determine the relation of

their field to other disciplines, hindering their ability to relate with other cultures and

people (Gregorian, 2004). The classical curriculum prepares students for the

interconnectedness of the world and future career interactions.

A college degree has become a prerequisite for most desirable entry level jobs.

This places added value on the degree rather than the means to receiving it. Since society

has stressed the importance of a college degree, students often rush through their

education neglecting to use their college experience as a means to personal improvement.

For some students, this is necessary because of their financial background. The quicker

they receive their college degree, the quicker they can develop earning power. However,

a college education should provide more than just a career, it should provide an

understanding of how to find meaning in life and function in society (Gregorian, 2004).

A liberal arts curriculum provides the college degree which society has deemed necessary
 4

for a future career. More importantly, a liberal arts curriculum allows students to live a

life of meaning and find their productive role in society.

Another reason the classic curriculum is best for students is that I believe it is the

most conducive to future career skills. While many argue that focusing solely on career

oriented courses is the best preparation for one’s future career, I find the opposite to be

true. Engaging in a curriculum that focuses on basic educational skills such as English,

science and mathematics provides students with the essential tools to write, solve

problems and analyze data. All of which are skills future employers will require of

college graduates. Norean Radke Sharpe and Gordon Prichett, in their article Business

Curricula Should Include Liberal Arts and Vocational Skills, reference a 1959 study by

the Ford Foundation which recommended business schools require their students to spend

half of their studies in general education. The general education focus, it is believed, will

provide students with the essential job skills for future careers (Sharpe, 2004).

In my college experience, I changed my major on four different occasions. My

first three majors were professionally oriented (pre-med, social work and education). The

reason for changing majors was my inability to decide upon a career. During my senior

year, I declared a liberal arts major as it was the fastest track to graduation. In my career

experience thus far, it has been my liberal arts courses that have been the most beneficial

to my career. Through these courses I learned career related skills like the ability to

multitask, work within a team and collect and analyze information. I am very pleased

with my experience in a liberal arts curriculum and believe it helped prepare me for my

career.
 5

In conclusion, it is my belief that the best curriculum for students is one that

stresses the liberal arts. A liberal arts curriculum trains the brain to analyze a topic for

further investigation. This training is essential for student’s ability to accurately grasp

complex ideas and skills necessary for future career development. Focusing on a liberal

arts curriculum grants students a broad understanding of our complex and interconnected

world. This understanding will become even more essential as the marketplace requires

employees to understand a broad number of fields. A liberal arts curriculum ensures that

students will not receive a one dimensional education which would limit them in their

future career, for it is the broad understanding of several fields that will actually best

prepare for student’s future careers.

 6

References

Gregorian, Vartan, (2004). Colleges must reconstruct the unity of knowledge [Electronic

Version]. Chronicle of higher education, 39, B12.

Sharpe, Radke Norean & Prichett, Gordon. Business curricula should integrate liberal-

arts and vocational skills [Electronic Version]. Chronicle of higher education,

30, B19.

Yale College (1829). The Yale report of 1828. In L. F. Goodchild & H. S. Wechsler

(Eds.). (1997). ASHE reader series: The history of higher education (2nd ed. P.

191-199). Needham Heights, MA: Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing.

(Originally printed as original papers in relation to a course of liberal education,

The American Journal of Science and Arts, 15 (1829, January)).