NYT: Subsidize STEM and defund liberal arts?

Got to weigh in with professor DFB on this one.

A survey course on the humanities at the college level for a kid just trying to check off a box is low value. Yes- the kid will be able to find Omaha Beach on a map after the WW2 portion of the class is over, and can recognize the difference between Giotto and Picasso when two paintings are put on the screen in front of him. But it’s not teaching the critical thinking/judgment skills you want the kid to develop. Same exercise with the math/science deal although a different pathway- you can bundle up all the college level bio or chem you want but without the right context, you’re just teaching a kid to memorize a formula or walk through (zombie like) a bunch of acronyms and facts.