Humanities Majors Becoming Rare

Parents Forum
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<p>One doesn’t have to wait for the University to be the beneficiary of well planned out one sided humanities courses. Junior year HS, a ‘new’ American History text and curriculum was implemented. Many a discussion with S where he described succinctly the grievance based approach of the teacher and pointed to very clear supportive verbage in the text book, highlighted the ‘slant’ of the new curriculum. </p>

<p>One day in the cafeteria while reviewing notes and prepping for a test with his buddies, one of them stood up, threw the book on the floor and stated “and the cliff note version of this text is simply…White Men Ruin Everything”. </p>

<p>If you happen to be one of these ruinous beings, do you really want to spend another 4 years being told how bad your are…at the possible cost of +60K year.</p>

<p>Hmmmm…maybe not…</p>

<p>Also, many ‘studies’ courses get filled by those who simply can not fit a preferred elective into their schedule (or it is already filled). It has certainly been D’s experience that the last courses to be filled are the ‘studies’. So, chances are a good number of the butts in those seats really don’t want to be there but are simply filling a check box requirement.</p>

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<p>Here is a better table demonstrating that Humanities majors have not lost their appeal, at least at the undergraduate level. [Bachelor’s</a>, master’s, and doctor’s degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by field of study: Selected years, 1970-71 through 2009-10](<a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d11/tables/dt11_289.asp]Bachelor’s”>Bachelor's, master's, and doctor's degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by field of study: Selected years, 1970-71 through 2009-10) If one looks at Humanities degrees as a percentage of overall degrees granted, the numbers have been remarkably stable over the past four decades.</p>

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<p>^ There are lots of majors classified as humanities in that table. Footnote 1 (Humanities):

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<p>This is contradictory to this <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1519311-decline-fall-english-major.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1519311-decline-fall-english-major.html&lt;/a&gt; (also posted by the OP).</p>

<p><a href=“Opinion | The Decline and Fall of the English Major - The New York Times”>Opinion | The Decline and Fall of the English Major - The New York Times;

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<p>Hard humanities are now replaced by soft humanities majors. I guess there were not many majors in ethnic, cultural, gender studies, general studies, and Visual and performing arts in the 70’s.</p>

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<p>Thanks for clarifying, Katliamom. I’m glad you understand why I reacted the way I did to words like “complicit’” and references to things not being black and white.</p>

<p>And I’m not suggesting that things like those mentioned above are “common knowledge” in general. I am saying that they are common knowledge among those who study the Holocaust on the undergraduate or graduate level.</p>

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<p>“I’m glad you understand why I reacted the way I did to words like “complicit’” and references to things not being black and white.” </p>

<p>You reacted as you should have - thanks for asking me to clarify, because what I meant to say, and what I implied to be saying were as different as…well, almost black and white. ;)</p>

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<p>Huh? Not sure I understand the difference.</p>