Major Decisions: College, Career, and the Case for the Humanities

by Laurie Grobman, E. Michele Ramsey

Overview

A practical how-to guide for students and a powerful reminder of the value of a humanities education

In recent decades, the humanities have struggled to justify themselves in the American university. The costs of attending a four-year college have exploded, resulting in intense pressure on students to major in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), business, and other pre-professional or "practical" majors that supposedly transmit more marketable skills than can be acquired from the humanities.

But, as Laurie Grobman and E. Michele Ramsey argue, this vision of humanities majors idly pondering the meaning of life for four years is inaccurate. Major Decisions demonstrates how choosing a major in the humanities is a worthwhile investment in a global economy that is shifting in the direction of college graduates who think broadly, critically, and ethically. Indeed, the core skills and knowledge imparted by an education in the humanities—including facility with written and verbal communication, collaboration, problem-solving, technological literacy, ethics, leadership, and an understanding of the human impacts of globalization—are immensely useful to employers across a variety of sectors.

Major Decisions serves as a deeply informative guide to students and parents—and provides a powerful reminder to employers and university administrators of the true value of an education in the humanities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780812251982
Publisher:	University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
Publication date:	03/13/2020
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Laurie Grobman is Professor of English and Women's Studies at Penn State University, Berks. E. Michele Ramsey is Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences and Women's Studies at Penn State University, Berks.

Read an Excerpt

Preface

As humanities faculty (Laurie in English, Michele in communication arts and sciences), we've dealt with stated and unstated assumptions about the humanities—the mythical English major who can only get a job making coffee or the communication major who wasted their time just learning about talking. These encounters are consistent, year after year, and include students, parents, faculty, administrators, career services professionals, and potential employers across many sectors. And though the audiences shift, the discussions largely remain the same. We find ourselves constantly having to explain and defend the humanities. And we know we are not alone.

But we see change coming. Hundreds of articles in popular and academic presses and a handful of important books over the past two years demonstrate that a "movement" is stirring. The humanities matter in a global economy that is shifting dramatically, quickly, and in the direction of college graduates who think broadly, critically, and ethically. The fast-paced, high-tech, global economy—and the communities in which we live—need humanities thinkers to help guide decisions that understand the human benefits and human costs of the tech revolution now and to come.

We hope Major Decisions will be read by several audiences, including current and prospective students and their parents, faculty, administrators, prospective employers, and university administrators. Current students who have chosen a humanities degree will feel confident in their decision and have the words and evidence to support it by telling their humanities story when they seek that first post-graduation job. Students just starting to think about a college major can feel emboldened to choose a major that they love. We encourage current and prospective nonhumanities students to consider supplementing their degree with a humanities minor or several courses in the humanities. Parents who may be concerned or even confused about degree options can have faith in the humanities should your child choose that route.

The book provides our colleagues in the humanities who regularly face the same set of doubts, questions, and conversations concrete examples and justifications to share with students, parents, administrators, and career services. Together, we will turn the tide of negative assumptions about the humanities.

It's likewise critical for administrators to be more supportive of the humanities and promote these programs and faculty with the stakeholders you encounter. We encourage you to be leaders in programs and opportunities that marry disparate programs, such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and the humanities, for example. And we hope that you'll begin to recognize that the academy is stronger when we stand together and support one another and weaker when we continue to give credence to rhetoric that trumpets some majors, vilifies others, and creates damaging divisions in the academy.

We know that career services professionals have few resources available for learning about and promoting humanities degrees, and we hope to provide ways for you to guide humanities students who seek your services in the same way that you're able to guide students engaged in programs that have a clearer path for students from the get-go, such as accounting or engineering.

Finally, throughout the book we cite numerous CEOs, entrepreneurs, and leaders in their fields who understand the value of the humanities and who are firmly committed to making sure that humanities graduates are "in the room," making important decisions in all areas of business. But we are concerned that the managers and supervisors who are charged with hiring people in entry- and mid-level positions are not as aware of what a humanities graduate can add to their workforce. We hope that this book makes clear the excellent investment that companies make when they hire a humanities graduate.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction. Major Decisions: The Case for the Humanities 1

Part I Invisible Partners: The Humanities and the Modern and Future Economies 9

Chapter 1 Humanities and the Modern and Future Economies 11

Chapter 2 Cheers, Jeers, and Fears: Understanding Choices Among College Majors 21

Chapter 3 Making the Invisible Visible: Careers and the Humanities 37

Part II Understanding the Humanities 49

Chapter 4 Beyond Jobs and Careers: The Enduring Value of the Humanities 51

Chapter 5 Humanities Research: Investigating What Makes Us Human 63

Chapter 6 Come into Our Classrooms: What to Expect in Humanities Classes 78

Part III Learning Core Skills and Knowledge in the Humanities 89

Chapter 7 Critical Thinking 93

Chapter 8 Written Communication 104

Chapter 9 Verbal Communication 114

Chapter 10 Collaboration 123

Chapter 11 Problem-Solving 133

Chapter 12 Creativity and Innovation 140

Chapter 13 Technological Competence and Technological Literacy 149

Chapter 14 Ethics 158

Chapter 15 Diversity, Inclusivity, and Equality 168

Chapter 16 Globalization, Global Understanding and a Global Perspective 177

Chapter 17 Leadership 185

Part IV Creating and Communicating Your Humanities Story 195

Chapter 18 For Prospective and Current College Students: Creating and Communicating Your Humanities Story 197

Conclusion. Higher Education, Democracy, and the Humanities 210

Notes 215

Index 243

Acknowledgments 252

Editorial Reviews

"Major Decisions is both a treatise on the importance of the humanities to society at large as well as a practical, informative explanation of how students can integrate their humanities education into career paths for the benefit of our ever-changing world. I highly recommend it."

coauthor of The Academic Job Search Handbook Julia Miller Vick

"What's the best way of boosting your creativity, collaboration, verbal communication skills and more? Major Decisions argues brilliantly that a humanities education is a winning passport to a modern career."

author of You Can Do Anything George Anders

"What's the best way of boosting your creativity, collaboration, verbal communication skills and more? Major Decisions argues brilliantly that a humanities education is a winning passport to a modern career."—George Anders, author of You Can Do Anything

"Major Decisions is both a treatise on the importance of the humanities to society at large as well as a practical, informative explanation of how students can integrate their humanities education into career paths for the benefit of our ever-changing world. I highly recommend it."—Julia Miller Vick, coauthor of The Academic Job Search Handbook

From the Publisher

01/31/2020

As interest in business, STEM, and health careers has grown, well-meaning adults have dissuaded students from pursuing degrees in philosophy, history, literature, and the arts, claiming that it's nearly impossible to find satisfying, well-paying employment with a humanities degree. However, Grobman and Ramsey (communication arts & science, both Penn State Berks) adeptly argue that pursuing the humanities opens the door to a multitude of opportunities. Coursework in these fields hones skills such as flexibility, judgment, common sense, critical thinking, and awareness of cross-cultural issues—all of which are in high demand by employers. The authors contend that the global economy is shifting, and workers will need to engage in complex interpersonal, multicultural communication—the very abilities that come with obtaining a humanities degree. Synthesizing various studies, Grobman and Ramsey back up their claims with evidence that humanities majors experience high job satisfaction and earn salaries that compete with those in other fields. VERDICT The authors clearly demonstrate the value of the humanities in this well-researched and convincing work. Anyone interested in higher education, particularly those advising students or considering a major in the humanities will find an encouraging message.—Lydia Olszak, Bosler Memorial Lib., Carlisle, PA

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