Monday, November 21, 2011

Engaging Students Find a Degree In Humanities Offers a World Of Opportunity

By Adam J Bradley


With today's emphasis on the sciences, it seems that many humanities programs are going by the wayside. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, many colleges consider their humanities programs as part of the social sciences field.

The social sciences encompass a wide variety of subjects that study the vast range of human endeavors. These subjects are all involved in one way or another with cultural ideas that span the history of mankind and world. The cultural themes and ideas that are examined in a humanities program involve art, music, literature, religion, philosophy, and language.

With budget cutbacks, however, humanities degrees can give way to other programs. Students these days might even be hard pressed to find degree programs in the subject area. "Programs that are engaged in the production of knowledge that is readily turned into money are the targets of investment, while the rest are to be downsized into... credits and a degree factory," classical and Near Eastern studies professor Eva von Dassow told a regents board in a video broadcast on YouTube.

Students attending an online school have several options when it comes to their humanities degree. They may choose to earn a degree that provides an overview of various disciplines in humanities. However, most students choose to focus on more specific fields of interest.

For example, an English degree will involve a number of classes that force a student to examine issues like racism, feminism, psychological studies, and human behavior that we don't understand. Students will be asked to look at issues from a historical perspective, or be required to take certain literature classes in order to better understand the mind set of groups of people in particular situations. A literature class, as a part of the course, might examine the role of certain groups of people who survived periods in history like World War II and how their survival affected future generations of people.

Students who prefer to attend college for a more hands-on learning experience can focus their studies in humanities on visual or performing arts. Performing arts majors will learn about the theatre arts, from performance and production of shows to music theory and appreciation. Alternatively, a visual arts focus will allow students to participate in painting, drawing, printmaking, photography and more 3D art like sculpture and ceramics.

This degree can prepare students for a number of different career fields. It is very common for these students to seek advanced degrees after they receive their bachelor degree. For example, many English degree graduates move on to law school, because they are well prepared for the great amounts of reading and writing they will have to do in law school.




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