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Major Decisions: College, Career, and the Case for the Humanities
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.
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.
240 pages, Paperback
Published March 6, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 19, 2022
A really nice look at how the Humanities are beneficial for students. The book focuses on the core skills that Humanities courses help cultivate for students. I appreciated how the author's drew on their own courses to go beyond mere descriptors. They didn't just say, "the Humanities will increase your critical thinking". Rather, they incorporated assignments from actual courses to illustrate how students learn the various skills. Granted I'm biased toward their thesis, but I found the structure and execution of the argument quite persuasive.
November 29, 2025
This was pretty insightful! So glad that I read this and realized the value of the humanities in today's STEM/business dominated society :)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews