Colander upholds value of liberal arts education

Author: Dana Walters

On March 6, 2009, C.A. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Economics David Colander printed an article in the The Chronicle of Higher Education that called attention to the large concentration of economics majors at Middlebury. While he originally attributed the popularity of his department to students' desire to make economics the "liberal-arts-equivalent" of the business major, he then dismissed it by citing a survey conducted by his class, in which "only 19 percent of the respondents said that the job-training aspect of the economics curriculum had been very important to their choice of major" and "only 36 percent said they were planning to work in business."

Colander posits that economics majors are not all drawn to the study as a way to make money, which begs the question, why do people choose to major in particular subjects? The liberal arts education, as recently explored in the New York Times article, "In tough times, the humanities must justify their worth," might not specifically translate into a job in the real world. Instead, as author of the article Patricia Cohen writes, it turns out that "[the] civic and historical knowledge and ethical reasoning that the humanities develop have a different purpose: They are prerequisites for personal growth and participation in a free democracy, regardless of career choice."

If students are not thinking about careers when they choose to major in a subject, then what are they thinking about? Colander believes that students choose economics because "[it] provides the appropriate middle ground of skill preparation, analytic rigor and intellectual excitement that students look for in a major, and that employers look for when hiring students."

Associate Professor of History William Hart explained why he believed people are drawn to majoring in history.

"Studying the past illuminates the present," he said, "which in troubled times is particularly important." While the history major might not appear to be as useful in the future as an economics major does, Hart contended that this is simply not the case. "The study of history equips students with a number of indispensable skills," he insisted, "including critical reading and thinking, research, and writing. History trains students to ask good questions, to conduct research in answer of those questions, and to write up their findings and interpretations. These skills are critically important, whether one enters the field of education, law, government, business, or medicine."

Hart's comments are in line with what Michael Crittell '11 had to say about why he chose to be an English major, stressing that job training was not specifically a matter of concern. Instead, other worries were at the forefront of his mind. He explained that the joy he receives from his English classes gives him a far greater happiness than the security of knowing his major might directly translate into a job.

"I wholly believe that if you do things you enjoy, then you will be happy in life," Crittell said. "I feel that English majors can directly apply their communication skills anywhere in the real world because that's what life's about-talking to other people, getting your point across, and expressing yourself."

One interesting aspect of major selection at Middlebury is the option of choosing intriguing interdepartmental options, like international or environmental studies. In addition to these majors that integrate many different academic areas, students have the option to create their own union of two interests in the joint major.

Tiffany Orlowski '09, a joint sociology-psychology major, explained her choice, saying, "I think that they suggest against the joint major because you can't really get as deep into one field or the other, but I liked having both of them to compare and work with. However, others' concerns and a concern for real- world application did not affect her. "I didn't really think at all about what I was going to do with this major after college," she said. "I just liked it."

All of these comments appear to align with what Colander stated in his article about math and science majors from colleges like Middlebury easily finding jobs because of the "liberal arts" component of their education. Many people seem to feel that the liberal arts education and the majors that go along with it are vital pieces of thinking critically in today's world. Hart summed up their feelings neatly.

"Too often, we question the value of a liberal arts education, wondering if pre-professional training isn't better," he said. "Anxiety over the world and the market place, I argue, prompt us to ask this question. Hands down, a liberal arts education better prepares students for life, for confronting the vicissitudes of life, for understanding the world from multiple perspectives and for solving the world's challenges, whether these challenges are local or global."