What's Really Happening to the Humanities Under Neoliberalism?
The number of college students majoring in English, according to some contested reports, has plummeted. In general, the humanities are taking a back seat to more "pragmatic" majors in college. Students, apparently, are thinking more about jobs than about general learning. Given this trend, should schools be scaling back on the humanities?
I understand these sentiments and concerns completely. I've worked at schools where math and science were esteemed, and for good reason. When parents attend school assemblies, the college counselors and deans present course selection mappings. The flow charts for math and science look very impressive, intricate and complex, with many boxes, lines, twists, turns and explanations that require qualifications. Meanwhile, history and English get a few boxes and they appear straightforward. What is this illustrative of? The fact that more time and energy are dedicated to upholding math and science as gospel? It's possible.
Moreover, after witnessing "regime change" in a school where I taught, the Advanced Placement offerings in the history department alone swelled from two to seven. Within this breakdown, there is another alarming sign: Students overwhelmingly prefer AP government or economics over courses dealing with, say, civil rights. This is likely due to their perception that these AP courses are valued more by people in power since they are the result of an effort to quantify the humanities and make them achievement-oriented instead of collaborative and intellectual.
Some might say that since top universities like MIT have decided to focus on management, business analytics, finance and mathematical economics (or trading), secondary schools should follow suit. It would be a mistake, however, for secondary schools to cave to this argument and scale back on the humanities.
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