Good Timber Does Not Grow With Ease...: Liberal Arts Education

Timothy Brown

8-30-12

Chem 179 - Holmes

Assignment #1

The Benefits of a Liberal Arts Education

According to Ronald Thomas, by choosing to go to a liberal arts institution, we are choosing an education that will determine our life story. Thomas states, “An effective liberal arts education provides opportunities for students to develop the means with which to see relationships between facts, to discover meaning in them - in sense, to craft a story” ₍₄₎. Within a traditional institution, students are faced with retaining knowledge directly related to their decided career. Contrary to this, students of a liberal arts institution are offered the opportunity to immerse themselves in other disciplines of education in order to begin their story. Liberal arts institutions are often disregarded simply due to peoples’ ignorance, but surprisingly enough, liberal arts has an impressive history that reflects toward its characteristics and benefits that place these institutions far ahead of traditional education.

Aristotle, known for his many powerful philosophies, is also accredited for establishing the liberal arts education in conjunction with other well-known Greek and Roman philosophers. Before the first century, philosophers were able to establish the seven pillars of wisdom ₍₃₎. These areas include: logic, grammar, rhetoric, mathematics, geometry, music, and astronomy ₍₅₎. During the Renaissance, education was at its height, and being well rounded in terms of intellectualism was valued much more than simply focusing on single areas ₍₃₎. The key values of a well-rounded person have since flourished into the liberal arts institutions we see today, holding true to the same ideas that early philosophers saw important to install success in lives through this education style.

Among all the colleges available for students to attend, liberal arts institutions across the board have general characteristics. Victor Ferrall Jr. discusses a few points in his book Liberal Arts at the Brink, which he mentions that liberal arts universities are much smaller in size, emphasize on research, and typically have professors who focus more on teaching than getting published ₍₁₎. These factors all assist students at getting a better education. Small class sizes offer more room for learning and discussion, while research allows students to be more active in their learning while having their professors there to assist them. Ferrall does point out these important factors, but I believe he left out the one focus of liberal arts. William Cronon covers this focus in his article by deeply examining the fact that liberal arts students have a more diverse education ₍₅₎. Being knowledgeable in one topic area does not seem adequate enough for our future, as we will all be faced with many aspects of life that do not include a single subject.

When comparing traditional education to a liberal arts education, there are many factors that set them apart. In reference to Ferrall and Cronon’s points about liberal arts education, the major difference between a liberal arts and traditional education is the focus that students put on their learning. In a traditional university students are put on a fast track to their major and career path. In a liberal arts university students take time to become more deeply educated on various subjects. To help accomplish a diverse education, liberal arts institutions have differentiated themselves from the traditional style by limiting class sizes, hiring a staff devoted to teaching, and undergraduate research.

According to Joshua Karter’s essay “Place for the “Personal” in a Liberal Arts Education”, “liberal arts students, with their interdisciplinary background and training in rational discourse, have distinct advantages in the workplace over their more vocationally trained counterparts”₍₂₎. Karter’s statement just goes to show how influential a liberal arts education can be on one’s future.

Choosing to attend a liberal arts college was somewhat of a new idea to me, but as I pondered the education that I could receive, I was extremely drawn towards the University of North Carolina at Asheville because of its liberal arts curriculum. Over the last two weeks I have realized how important my education is to my professors, which delights me in knowing I have a huge support system dedicated to my learning. I’m glad I chose a liberal arts university, because I know I will be well-rounded person in the end no matter what my degree is in.