Friday, October 21, 2011

Universities Link Humanities With Science and Technology

By Daleim Nust


While the humanities have suffered what a US Congressman calls a triple whammy, he sees value in these studies. James A. Leach was appointed by President Barack Obama last year to head the National Endowment for the Humanities. In a November/December issue of the agency's Humanities magazine, he admitted that the economy, reduced government capacities and a focus on more job-intensive vocational training have affected studies in the humanities.

Humanities degrees can, however, prove valuable beyond areas with which they're traditionally associated, some say. These degrees, a part of the liberal arts, offer opportunities to study a wide array of topics, such as history, languages, philosophy, culture, religion, English and archaeology. They might lead to careers in social services, business and education or, when part of an arts and humanities degree, to journalism, public relations and broadcasting.

The humanities are a part of the liberal arts. The website for a university in Utah reports that liberal arts students overall tend to have more difficulty and less success in their job search than others. Often, that's because liberal arts students don't articulate their career goals, the university's website notes.

In Pullman, Wash., one university offers a humanities degree that it says is the only one in the state. Humanities degrees at this particular institution include classes related to women's and ethnic studies that the university website notes can help students understand a global culture from multiple perspectives. At a college in Oregon, students working toward a bachelor's degree in arts and humanities might major in art and visual culture, modern languages, theatre and communication arts and music.

Humanities studies helped a Utah university graduate gain insights that helped with law school and a legal career, according to the website. A humanities graduate who followed the degree up with medical studies reported that the education helped with remembering human compassion and sympathy. Educators suggest that it's important for students pursuing humanities degrees online and on campus consider minors, and graduates have proposed considering double majors or minors and, to enhance job opportunities, classes in areas such as computer science and accounting, according to the Utah university website.

Degrees in the humanities, many agree, help students develop skills in communication, problem solving, research and analysis. An English professor who serves on a Council for the Humanities board in an Inside Higher Education opinion piece suggested that graduate studies in humanities train students for work beyond teaching and research assistance. He proposed that humanities departments, some of which offer courses in ethics, values and aesthetics, consider the value of having professional "humanists" in government, non-profit associations, business or even the military.

An engineering college at a Connecticut university this fall plans to launch a bachelor's degree in sustainability that includes studies in the humanities, according to a recent article in the Connecticut Business News Journal. The degree offering takes a holistic approach, its website suggests. Classes are to include global solutions to sustainability, research methods in sustainability and contemporary issues of art and the environment, the Business News Journal noted.




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