{"id":705,"date":"2018-10-30T16:09:16","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T20:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/history\/?p=705"},"modified":"2025-05-22T07:18:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T11:18:29","slug":"take-a-history-course-do-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/history\/2018\/10\/30\/take-a-history-course-do-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Take a History Course, Do Good"},"content":{"rendered":"

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Highlights from a recent article in The Washington Post<\/a><\/em>\u00a0by Ronald J. Daniels, the president of Johns Hopkins University, on why taking history and other humanities courses<\/a> benefits us all<\/a>:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

[F]or much of America\u2019s history, college graduates were not deemed truly educated unless they had mastered philosophy, literature, political theory and history. The core role of higher education was to invite students into the millennia-spanning conversations about matters including what it means to be alive, the definition of justice and the tension between tyranny and democracy. Fostering engagement with these issues is still an essential part of the university\u2019s function in society. …<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is true that many employers are looking for graduates with specialized technical skills, but they also look for other capabilities. As the world is transformed by artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation, the uniquely human qualities of creativity, imagination, discernment and moral reasoning will be the ultimate coin of the realm. All these skills, as well as the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, are honed in humanities courses. …<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[W]hile a degree anchored in the sciences is an important prerequisite for many jobs, it is not the only route. Look no further than the founders of companies such as LinkedIn, Slack and Flickr, who are among the many tech entrepreneurs with degrees in the humanities, and who credit that training for their success. …<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And contrary to the widely held belief that humanities majors have a hard time getting jobs, recent studies show that those with humanities degrees are thriving in the workplace, experiencing\u00a0low rates of unemployment<\/a>\u00a0and reporting high levels of\u00a0job satisfaction<\/a>.\u00a0The ratio between average median incomes for humanities degree holders and those with business, engineering, and health and medical sciences degrees has been shown to narrow over the course of a\u00a0career<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But the case for the humanities can also be understood in less transactional terms and more as a foundational preparation for a life well lived. Since Socrates, thinkers have extolled the vital role a humanities education plays in encouraging citizens to lead an examined life. It cultivates critical thinking, self-reflection, empathy and tolerance, the usefulness of which only becomes more apparent as one navigates life\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When students, and graduates, inevitably face moments of ethical decision-making, of sorting fact from fiction on social media, and of reconciling individual aspirations with obligations to their communities, they would be aided by the habits of discernment and deliberation that have distinguished the humanistic tradition for centuries. Perhaps best of all for the country is the vital role played by humanistic inquiry in the development of better, more informed, more capable citizens. That is an especially resonant value in the United States\u2019 present moment of uncertainty and division.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By all means, students should take courses they deem practical and follow their interests, but if they also make a point of studying the literature of the Harlem Renaissance, or delving into modern poetry, or even taking introductory philosophy, we will all benefit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Highlights from a recent article in The Washington Post\u00a0by Ronald J. Daniels, the president of Johns Hopkins University, on why taking history and other humanities courses benefits us all.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":800,"featured_media":707,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[35698,35701,35700,35702],"class_list":{"0":"post-705","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-history-news","8":"tag-history-news","9":"tag-what-history-teaches-you","10":"tag-what-you-can-do-with-a-history-degree","11":"tag-why-history-matters","12":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nTake a History Course, Do Good - History Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/history\/2018\/10\/30\/take-a-history-course-do-good\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Take a History Course, Do Good - History Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Highlights from a recent article in The Washington Post\u00a0by Ronald J. 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