The Liberal Arts: Ancient History or Forever Essential?

The Value of a Liberal Education

Questioning the value of a liberal education is perhaps most appropriately approached from the perspective of the liberal arts themselves. By time-honored tradition, this means that we need to consider the historical origin of the term. It should come as no surprise that this brings us back to Ancient Greece, and in particular, to Athens in the fifth century before the common era.

Etymology

The “liberal” in “liberal education” is only tangentially related to the present-day political use of that term. It is more closely related to the word “free,” (as in the word “liberty”). A liberal education was originally designed to help free men become leading citizens in the Athenian democracy. In particular, from the very beginning there has been a close relationship between liberal education on the one hand, and leadership and citizenship on the other. Preparation for citizenship taught the individual to fulfill his obligations and responsibilities, and to respect the rights and opinions of others. Preparation for leadership taught the individual to influence the community towards the common good.

Early History

Some of the earliest teachers of the liberal arts were the sophists, who helped train people to present themselves in front of the Athenian courts. Since leadership in a democracy is strongly dependent upon the ability to speak and write correctly, cogently and persuasively, the subjects of grammar, rhetoric and dialectic were of the utmost importance, and collectively they became known as the “trivium.”

Since the state needs to keep track of its financial accounts and the territory it encompasses, political leaders need to be facile with arithmetic and geometry. In addition, since leaders of a democracy should have an appreciation of our place in the universe, as well as an appreciation of our inner sense of beauty, the study of astronomy and harmony were also included in a liberal education. The latter four subjects were known as the quadrivium, and taken together, the trivium and the quadrivium made up the seven liberal arts.

The modern liberal arts curriculum resembles its ancient counterpart in important ways.

• It is designed to train leaders and promote citizenship.
• It is designed to enhance personal attributes such as character, tolerance and responsibility.
• It is based upon a broad program of general education, which in turn, is based upon a solid introduction to the humanities. This is the modern equivalent of the seven liberal arts.
• It involves intensive study of a basic discipline, known as the major, paying particular attention to the relations between that discipline and other fields of study.

Liberal Education vs. Vocational Training

From its very beginning, liberal education was contrasted with vocational or career training, which was viewed as the most appropriate education for the merchant, the artisan, or even the slave. Even today, the value of a liberal education can often be most clearly seen when contrasted with some of the limitations of vocational training.

• Vocational training prepares a student for one particular career, whereas liberal education prepares a student for life in general.
• The job that vocational training prepares one for is always changing and may in fact become obsolete, whereas liberal education concentrates on things of enduring value and importance.
• Vocational training prepares a student to work for someone else, whereas a liberal education prepares students to lead others.
• Vocational training helps a student learn a particular skill, whereas a liberal education helps a student learn how to learn a variety of skills.

It is sometimes said that vocational education is practical, and that liberal education is too general to be useful. Although utility is not its main purpose, a liberal education is exceptionally useful in a variety of ways. It develops qualities of mind that are the best preparation for study in the professions, especially medicine and the law. In addition, the best graduate schools are interested in students who have the breadth of intellectual experience that is provided by a liberal education.

Although students in some vocational programs may earn more than their liberally educated peers immediately after graduation, these differences tend to disappear over time, and are usually reversed. In fact, since today’s workers can expect to be employed at a variety of often very different occupations during their lives, the case could be made that it is actually vocational training that is short-sighted and impractical.

The Liberal Arts Difference

The best place to obtain a liberal education is at one of those most American of educational institutions, the liberal arts college. These institutions have many advantages that distinguish them from the rest of higher education. The simplest and possibly most profound difference is in their size. Liberal arts colleges usually have less than 2000 students, whereas a comprehensive university can be twenty times that large.

Liberal arts colleges are private institutions, which means that they are more distinctive and even idiosyncratic than their large and more homogenous academic partners, and hence can be tailored to students’ individual needs. Liberal arts colleges concentrate on only one thing, providing a quality undergraduate experience, and are not distracted by graduate or professional programs. Liberal arts colleges have traditionally lead all other categories of higher educational institutions in a number of areas, including the following:

• The percentage of teaching done by full-time faculty members, as opposed to part-time adjuncts or graduate assistants.
• The opportunities for students to engage in collaborative research with faculty members. This research often leads to publication or professional presentation.
• The opportunities for students to participate in co-curricular activities such as athletics, debate, student government and community service, which directly enhances their development as leaders and citizens.
• The percentage of students who participate in study abroad. At some liberal arts colleges over half of the junior class studies in some other country.
• The percentage of students who graduate on time.
• The percentage of alumni who demonstrate their appreciation and support by making regular financial contribution to the institution.

A small liberal arts college is the closest academic cousin to Plato’s Academy that exists in the modern world. Lives are regularly changed at these institutions, and leaders regularly emerge from their ivy-covered walls - leaders not only in academe, but also in the realms of politics, the medical and law professions and in the arts. At its best, a liberal arts college teaches a student to think, analyze, criticize and engage.

These colleges help students succeed by providing a crucible in which valuable attributes such as creativity and originality can develop. And though a degree from such an institution has considerable value in the economic marketplace, it is often in the marketplace of ideas that the true value of this type of education becomes apparent.

Choosing a Liberal Arts College

As you begin the exciting process of planning for college, you’ll be faced with many important decisions and opportunities along the way. Your challenge will be to find a school that feels comfortable, meets your academic and extracurricular needs, is affordable, and offers a high-quality education capable of opening many doors for you in the future.

Sound daunting? Well, choosing an appropriate college can seem overwhelming, particularly if you’re not exactly certain of your academic interests. Before deciding on a technical program or degree that narrows your academic focus right away, you may want to consider a liberal arts program that allows you to explore a broad range of subjects throughout all avenues of the curriculum.

Liberal arts education is highly beneficial because it exposes students to the widest variety of topics in the humanities, social sciences, lab sciences, mathematics and fine arts. You’ll develop numerous transferable skills and abilities such as research, communication, critical thinking, and human relations that you’ll use throughout your everyday life.

What to Look for in a School

The key to success in any liberal arts program is your ability to bridge the skills, ideas, and concepts developed inside the classroom to a real-life context outside the classroom. Look for schools that emphasize integrated or applied learning through fieldwork, internships, community service, travel and study abroad, and other “hands-on” learning experiences.

If you don’t see these components woven into their curriculum, ask what their philosophies are about integrating classroom theory into practice. Shy away from schools that teach general education without purpose or applied learning.

A well-rounded, integrated liberal arts education will challenge you to make important connections between theory and practice, while offering you excellent preparation for future career and graduate school opportunities.

Our advice is to take the time to research a variety of liberal arts colleges that sound innovative, challenging and committed to student-centered learning. Visit schools while they’re in session, sit in on classes, talk with current students and faculty, and ask any lingering questions before making your final decision.