A liberal education is important because it aims to provide students with an education that is broad-minded and critical. Students who get a liberal studies degree have a broad range of subjects that they study, and this creates well-rounded people who are able to achieve a great number of things in the real world (Roth, 2014). Students are also taught skills like communication, critical thinking and problem solving as well as ethics. To me, a liberal studies education is important because it will help me to make my mark upon the world and to improve my career. As an adult learner, it is important that an education is multi-disciplinary because we may need to go over skills from high school again. I also feel that having a broad education will be important to my career and will help me be more successful, regardless of the field.
A liberal studies education is important in other ways. It helps to create people that are well-rounded and knowledgable about a number of things. If someone decides to be a writer after their education, they may need to take knowledge from science and history to get their message across (Freedman, 2005). If someone is to work in insurance, they may need knowledge of sociology and geography to understand the variables in insurance (Freedman, 2005). In this sense, the world benefits by having this type of people because they are informed on a number of topics and this makes them better at their jobs. It also helps society to have individuals like this, as they are flexible and can be useful and successul in a wide range of areas. Overall, a liberal studies education is important because it covers so many areas and provides the individual and society with multiple skills.
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"Liberal Studies Education".
There are a number of different topics that are covered by a liberal studies education which are all relevant to the real world and all interact with each other. One topic of interest is synthesis and analysis. This is part of a liberal education because it helps the student to really get in touch with texts and information and approach them critically. To synthesize means to use information from a wide number of sources to get the big picture, whilst analysis is a term used for the critical approach to knowledge (Roche, 2010). These skills must be used in all areas of learning to truly be successful.
Sociology and psychology are also important parts of the liberal education. These are very human subjects and focus on the external and internal influences which make a person who they are and describes how they act in the world (Roche, 2010). Both of these topics need synthesis and analysis to be understood. For example, to understand someone’s sociological background you must synthesize information about where they come from and who they are to create a full picture. The influence of these factors can then be analyzed to see how they affect others (Roth, 2014).
The humanities and folklore are also important aspects of a liberal education. These deal with the traditions that we have as a community and may also cover the traditions of others. Folklore can also be synthesized and analyzed to be understood, and we can also compare the different folklores of different people in the context of sociology and psychology (Roche, 2010). Folklore is also important because it acts to help shape the way we are and our interests, which againis relevant in the disciplines of psychology and sociology (Roche, 2010). Analysis of folklore and the humanities can also tell us a lot of information about how socities evolve and how the humanities affect culture (Roche, 2010).
Upon reflection of these topics, I learnt a lot. Overall, I learnt that there were a lot of factors that really shape who we are and our place in the world. Psychology and sociology were interesting to me because they allowed me to delve deeper into the reasons that we act the way we do, and the forces that society place on us. The humanities are interesting because they show a less scientific approach to finding out what affects us and how our culture works. Understanding folklore is also key in this aspect, and as a result I really believe that the importance of liberal education should be understood. Without it, I would never have had a chance to access such diverse topics and learn about what links them together.
Without a liberal education I would also not have had the opportunity to approach topics from a critical perspective. Synthesis I found particularly useful as it allowed me to condense all this information and see how it was linked. Other students may also benefit from having this approach and setting it all in a liberal education context because it allows you to step back from your own beliefs and approach topics neutrally and ethically (Freedman, 2005). To accomplish this, it might be worthwhile encouraging students to see the links between different topics in high school and to encourage them to consider a liberal education. It should also be publicized that the benefits of a liberal education often translate to great work opportunities (Roth, 2014), which may make more students want to take this type of education. Finally, spreading the word throughout college campuses and event fairs can get the word out about liberal education and the benefits it brings.
