Khloe Rapp
Professor Cripps
English Composition H7
March 3, 2021
Scheuer/ Ugnar, and Core Curriculum
The liberal arts are not just for literature but are incorporated into all subjects. A major misconception that Ungar talks about is number 2 “college graduates are finding it harder to get good jobs with liberal-arts degrees. Who wants to hire somebody with an irrelevant major like philosophy or French?” (Ugnar pg.3). This misconception that students should not major in the liberal arts because it will not help them is wrong. Ungar states that in 2009 the Association of American Colleges and Universities did a survey that found “three-quarters of our nation’s employers recommend that college board students pursue a “liberal education””, this shows that liberal arts are a good skill set to study because it can actually aid a person in getting a job (Ugnar 3). Scheuer also talks about how liberal arts should be “integrated curriculum, encompassing virtually all non professional higher learning, from the natural and social sciences to the humanities and the performing arts”, this clearly states that liberal arts should be a part of every subject curriculum (Scheuer pg.3). Ungar keeps talking about the benefit of studying the liberal arts of how employers are looking for employees who can “effectively speak orally and in writing” along with “the ability to innovate and be creative” (Ugnar 3).
The core curriculum talks about how english is an important subject to learn because it is not just about reading and writing what you read. But it helps you develop your thinking skills to develop creative things and. It also helps people understand how to read different types of text and along with writing in different styles to create a more complex learning, thinking, and understanding (Core pg.15). Literacy should be taught in all curriculums, “the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), in “Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, recommends that schools teach the skills of information literacy within the regular curriculum” (Core 25). This discreetly states that all schools should integrate literature into each subject. The liberal arts helps in other subjects because in laboratories you have lab write ups. Having lab write ups you learn to write but in a different style expanding your knowledge. A major part of liberal arts is critical thinking. Critical thinking is used in environmental issues, societal, world problems, and many other topics. Critical thinking is used in every subject, not just english showing that english is a grand part of everyday life. The Core Curriculum states “Students will develop and apply critical thinking, decision making and problem solving skills in order to integrate core themes, skills, content, disciplines and methodologies into their majories” (Core 24).
Scheuer and Ugnar both talk about how students and their parents both want them to major in more secure majors that will help them get a job after college. Ugnar states that people believe in studying the sciences, mathematics, and technology more than creative and literature majors. Ugnar’s misconception is “the liberal arts are particularly irrelevant for low-income and first-generation college students. They, more than their more-affluent peers, must focus on something more practical and marketable” (Ugnar 3). This is wrong because studies have shown in Scheuer’s article states that the liberal arts “prepare students for citizenship in all three senses – civic, economic, and cultural (Scheuer 3). I believe that because people do not really know what are liberal arts, people create misconceptions causing the interest of it to be lessened everyday. Liberal arts is not just literature it is about reading, writing, and problem solving to help through everyday life. Critical thinking is a major part of liberal arts, Scheuer states that “critical thinking skills enable students to become lifelong learners and engaged citizens-in all three senses of citizenship-and to adapt to change and to multiple career paths (Scheuer 3). This clearly states that critical thinking is a major part of learning, becoming a cultured citizen, and being able to adapt to new challenges. Ugnar does not agree that the rich will do better and the poor should not even try due to their lack of money. New people can excel better than one who have privilege and or have been the subject for a longer time “ in my experiences, it is often the people who are newest to certain ideas and approaches who are the most original and inventive in the discussion and application of those ideas.” (Ugnar 4). I agree that because the rich have money or connections does not mean they will thrive the right way of learning and understanding but by buying their way up the work ladder.
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