To SWB-followup of earlier conversation about your son majoring in English.

[Catherine]

There is an interesting New York Times article from February 25 on studying the humanities. Relevance of this kind of study is being challenged in increasingly hard economic times. Here is the link:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/books/25human.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=humanities&st=cse

 

In today's paper, there are several letters to the editor about the article.

 

I found it thought-provoking. It saddens me to think that college level study of the liberal arts might become the province of the independently wealthy, as the article suggests, while other students pursue vocational training alone.

 

Of course as a classically-educating parent I believe that the purpose of education is much broader and deeper than learning a trade. However, the realities of life make education for its own sake less and less affordable for those of modest means. It's a dilemma. I am so grateful that as a homeschooler I can at least direct my children to a more thoughtful assessment of the world while they are still at home. That alone is of great value and keeps me going when there are bad days!

[Susan Wise Bauer]

Catherine,

 

I thought that article was interesting and wrongheaded...in fact posted a reaction on my blog: http://www.susanwisebauer.com/blog/the-raving-writer/no-i-dont-think-so/.

 

thanks for posting it to the board! maybe it will start a conversation.

 

SWB

[cathmom]

OK, I thought about posting this on your blog but didn't want to sound stupid. When I read that article, it suggested only rich people could study the humanities, but then it said that students couldn't get into humanities classes. Doesn't that suggest that students WANT to study the humanities? That it won't become elitist? If they don't have enough classes for the students to take, shouldn't they be hiring humanities professors? Or did I miss something?

[Catherine]

I've long admired Bard and secretly fantasized that one of my kids might go there. I *wish* we could bring this course to Baltimore. Maybe that will be my next project...

 

I agree, BTW, that it's hogwash that studying the classics can only happen within the confines of a university classroom. Then again, moving them into the real world (like the very modest one I occupied as a child) is a real challenge. I don't honestly know much about how this can happen, except as I'm doing it, one child at a time.

[Rosie_0801]

I studied humanities and know too many students who'd come from the deep depths of the country to think it was an elitist course! In fact, I'd argue that courses like speech therapy with their huge amount of contact hours are elitist, because the students can't work while they study. Of course, things might be different over here.

 

Rosie