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Draft paragraphs:
Paragraph 1: Why the liberal arts are important
Claim: The liberal arts encompass many ideas/concepts/strategies of a multitude of different jobs/careers.
Intro Quote: Ungar points out the flaws in trying to shift to explicitly using “career education” as a basis for learning.
Quote: “the “career education” bandwagon seems to suggest that shortcuts are available to students that lead directly to high-paying jobs—leaving out “frills” like learning how to write and speak well, how to understand the nuances of literary texts and scientific concepts, how to collaborate with others on research.” (Ungar)
Explanation: Ungar points out that the “career education” way of learning leaves out the leaching of very important skills to have when looking for a job. If you can’t communicate your ideas well/in a way for others to understand them, it will be a way harder time for you to get that high paying job you were expecting.
Transition: Scheuer agrees with what Ungar is saying, but introduces his ideas in a different/more thoroughly explained way.
Quote: “The liberal arts form such an evolving system, consisting of stable but impermanent fields of inquiry that fuse at some points and fissure at others, adapting to cultural shifts while sharing a common language and assumptions, overlapping knowledge bases, and the core of critical thinking.”
Connection: Scheuer explicitly points out what Ungar was trying to prove. Scheuer explains that many ideas/concepts are interconnected with others, so “career education” is inhibiting that kind of (liberal arts) learning.
Transition:
Paragraph 2: The liberal arts are being “abandoned” but they really shouldn’t be
Claim: The liberal arts field of education is perceived as being “abandoned” due to the fact that career education is being more favored in schools and institutions today. But career education does not include all the necessary aspects of getting/maintaining a good job.
Intro Quote:
Quote: “Yes, recent [liberal arts] graduates have had difficulty in the job market… [but] A 2009 survey for the Association of American Colleges and Universities actually found that more than three-quarters of our nation’s employers recommend that collegebound students pursue a ‘liberal education.’ An astounding 89 percent said they were looking for more emphasis on ‘the ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing,’”
Explanation: Ungar points out that being able to communicate your ideas effectively is one of the most important aspects of having a job (according to employers), and if you can’t do that you probably won’t be able to excel in that job.
Transition: Scheuer points out the fact that good jobs are still going to liberal arts students because of the skills they learn from their liberal arts education.
Quote: “The liberal arts ideal still has its eloquent defenders, and there is evidence that good jobs go to liberal arts graduates—eventually. Despite the popularity of business and technology courses, students are not abandoning the liberal arts in droves.”
Connection: Both authors understand the fact that a liberal arts education might not be as popular as STEM, but there are still many people who go for a liberal arts education. Many students are still being given a liberal arts education which is important for the jobs they might want to pursue since they are learning skills like critical thinking.
