Oh, the Humanities

The struggle over curricular reform, at Harvard and beyond

What is the purpose of a college education? Over the past decade, Harvard and other American colleges have grappled with various curricular reforms, which at their core which reflect different answers to this question. The humanities, thought to be impractical for professional careers and incompatible with a modern university geared towards global competition, are often most at risk in these reform efforts. The divisive role of the humanities in curricular reform efforts reflects a conflict over the purpose of the university. If supporters of the humanities are to fend off the tide of pre-professionalism sweeping across American universities, they will have to emphasize the value of studying the humanities as preparation for informed citizenship and leadership in society.
The Politics of What to Teach

Conflicts over the value of the humanities generally involve two schools of thought: one that says colleges should prepare students for professional careers with practical skills, and another that wants colleges to teach students how to think, rather than what to think about anything in particular. Indeed, Harvard’s recent curricular reform effort exemplifies this tension over higher education’s purpose. As Louis Menand, a Harvard English professor and member of the Task Force on General Education, told the HPR, “There are three kinds of things we teach in college. The first is how to collect data and make sense of it. The second is theory or philosophy, and the third is history.”
Menand argues that Harvard’s efforts in creating the College’s new Program in General Education affirm a faith in all disciplines, but particularly a humanities-inspired vision of teaching students how to think. In Menand’s view, the purpose of a college curriculum is to enrich students’ experiences, rather than to prepare students for a professional career. General Education serves to introduce students to a variety of subjects, whether or not those particular studies will impact their future careers.
The English Major’s Penalty?

Of course, proponents of more pre-professional education point to the high cost of introducing students to subjects that they are unlikely to find useful in most vocations, as well as the low earning potential of those who end up pursuing the humanities. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that professors in business earn an average annual salary of $208,000, while those in the arts and humanities earn an average of $108,000. The magazine further notes that between 1915 and 1995, the total number of faculty positions in the humanities decreased by 41 percent, while jobs in the social sciences increased by 222 percent. Meanwhile, for-profit secondary institutions graduated 28,000 students in 2001, and not one with an English degree.
The Place of the Humanities

Nevertheless, many argue that the humanities are an essential part of an education that aims to produce informed citizens and well-rounded leaders. Kevin Carey, policy director of Education Sector, an education-policy think tank, told the HPR, “The humanities are integral to higher education.” Carey added, “Particularly an institution that very explicitly advertises itself as the place where the future leaders of our society are being educated absolutely needs to have a curriculum with a strong grounding in the humanities.”
Carey argues that studies in the humanities provide students with language, reading, and writing skills that are useful for all occupations. Pauline Yu, president of the American Council of Learned Societies, agrees. She told the HPR, “The kinds of things that you learn and study in the humanities are groundwork for your life as a citizen in an increasingly globalized world that requires critical thinking and the ability to analyze [and] to interact as an informed citizen of the world.”
Making the Case
As late as 1900, knowledge of ancient languages was a prerequisite for entrance to schools like Harvard and Yale. But as schools abandoned such requirements, so did their students. If the humanities are to avoid the fate of the classics, the discipline must find ways to keep communicating its worth to students. As Yu concluded, “The message has to keep getting articulated, [the humanities] is part of the well-rounded individual.”

Candice Kountz ’12 is a Staff Writer.
Photo Credit: Flickr (boltron)