Thursday, August 29, 2013

Making the Case for the Humanities

Now that we’re back in school, conversations with our seniors about college have begun. What was very hypothetical and ethereal a year ago has become more concrete now that college is just a year away. Some students spent part of their summer visiting college campuses, researching universities, and thinking about where they would like to be next August. They are with us for one more year, but they’re also looking forward to the next phase of their lives.

Factored into their thought process about college has been a consideration of what they will study once they are there. Many students will say that they want to attend college X because they wish to pursue a particular course of study. Part of that thinking includes what their job prospects will be after college and how much debt they will have incurred, all of which makes perfect sense when the cost of college can exceed $60,000 a year. 

Some students are torn between studying what truly inspires them or what they think will be practical and remunerative.  Should they major in bioengineering or English literature?  Chinese history or math? (Don’t get me wrong; many of our students love science and math, but for others, their passion lies solely in the humanities, or even in both the sciences and humanities.) For some time now, a battle has been raging between the sciences and liberal arts at some colleges and universities; if one were keeping score, it would seem that the humanities are losing badly.  In 2012, the federal government funded $64 billion for research in the sciences, yet only $242 million for research in the arts and humanities.  Similarly, in 2011, 72.4% of federal funds for universities went to math and physical sciences research while only 19.8% went to humanities research.  More and more often, there is pressure on the humanities to demonstrate their relevance and applicability to life today.

Judith Shulevitz, a journalist and culture critic, has stepped into this debate with an article in the July 15, 2013 issue of The New Republic entitled, “And Martians Shall Save the University: Why Do We Need the Liberal Arts? Because It Gives Us Sci-Fi.”  Shulevitz argues for the importance of the humanities because they show us what may be possible in the future.  Forget the arguments that the humanities help us understand history and provide us with perspective on the past that enable us to be active citizens in a democracy.  The best rationale for the case of the humanities, according to Shulevitz, is that “...they give us science fiction, and science fiction creates jobs and makes us rich.”  The full article is linked here.

Shulevitz explains that many of our greatest inventions were first envisioned in science fiction or fantasy.  These genres allow our imaginations to take flight and envision what may be possible one day.  In the process, they allow scientists to dream and invent; consequently, science fiction is both relevant and lucrative.  Ideally, one should not need to consider the financial benefits of the liberal arts; the realization that the humanities make us more creative and more ethical people should be enough. However, in an era of diminishing resources and rising costs, people may question the monetary value of a liberal arts degree; Shulevitz provides a justification that it is both financially and personally beneficial. 

Shulevitz also explains that the connection between the realms of science and art are not as dichotomous as some people may think.  She quotes Vladimir Nabokov, the curator of Lepidoptera at Harvard’s zoology museum and the author of Lolita, who said, “There is no science without fancy and no art without fact.”  As our students wrestle with what to study in college, maybe we can help them to see that being an artist and a scientist do not have to be mutually exclusive.  They can read a book by Philip K. Dick on the way to their nanotechnology class, they can review their notes for an upcoming electrical engineering class before discussing Fahrenheit 451, and they can feel proud that they are becoming well-rounded human beings who are making our society more successful and prosperous.