“The Ultimate foundation of any society ought to be the human imagination, honed to the greatest degree and in the company of its faithful companionship curiosity” (Cantwell, B. 2018). The humanities and social science subjects have been argued to be the foundation for a healthy society helping the promote democracy. Higher education helps to contribute to an inclusive and just democracy.
The humanities and social science degrees were very prevalent in the 1960s and 1970s, during the 1960s about 18 percent of bachelors degrees earned were in the humanities field. While in 2008 it is was only 8 percent. Funding for the NEH has declined between the 1990s and 2008, as well as a decline in interested students. The reason being is students are focusing on other subjects believed to have a better pay off upon graduating (Cole, 2012, p.156). Due to the declining of the Humanities degree students have shown weaker language and writing skills. “Even worse, they have not confronted the kinds of moral and ethical questions critical for citizenship that are often debated in humanities courses (Cole, 2012, p.156).”
Today, President Trump has created a new budget proposal to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities (NEA & NEH). Without the proper funding for the NEH it can wreck the ability for colleges and universities to promote democracy among students (Cantwell, B. 2018 ). Students today are our political leaders tomorrow. Democracy not only is good for our future political leaders but for society as a whole .
I believe that whether or not students choose the humanities as a core major, some classes should be a requirement within all studies. The Humanities is the study of aspects of human society and culture. We all have to live together in society, so how can we attempt to understand each other if we have no substantial education on it? “The vibrancy of democracy is aided by artistic insight and humanistic knowledge. The arts and humanities help us to make sense of who we are and where we are going. If the federal government were to abandon these endeavors some element of democratic vitality could be reduced” (Cantwell, B. 2018) . The study of humanities helps to encourage social justice and equality, it helps us to understand others. Here are important reasons why the Humanities contribute to healthy democracy (Rice, C. 2014) :
- The humanities teach us to weigh evidence skeptically and consider more than one side of every question; The humanities develop informed and critical citizens
- The humanities teach empathy; They teach us to deal critically and logically with subjective, complex, imperfect information.
- The humanities encourage us to think creatively. They teach us to reason about being human and to ask questions about our world
With the declining interest of students , what does that mean for the future of our democracy? Can the humanities be revived? If the proposed budget cuts are approved, what does that mean for our democratic future?
Take a quick look here on 4humanites.org for an artistic view on the importance of humanities:
Click to access humanitiesmatter300.pdf
References:
Cole, J. R. (2009). The Great American University : Its Rise to Preeminence, Its Indispensable National Role, Why It Must Be Protected. New York: PublicAffairs
Cantwell, B. (2018, March 17). About Contact The federal budget and academic science: Implications for democracy. Retrieved from https://highereddemocracy.com/2017/03/17/the-federal-budget-and-academic-science-implications-for-democracy/
Rice, C. (2014, February 25). Here are 9 reasons why humanities matter. Retrieved from http://curt-rice.com/2014/02/25/here-are-9-reasons-why-humanities-matter-whats-your-number-10/
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