The Tyranny of Liberal Arts

As an Information Technology major, certain courses are required of me for a reason. Classes such as English Composition and College Algebra enhance communication and develop problem solving skills, both of which are necessary in all fields and occupations. However, the general view of the liberal arts curriculum as containing knowledge all students should possess, regardless of their particular major, is false. I have no genuine need of the information my college history class regurgitates from grade school. An analysis of human history, slightly more detailed than that which I received in my preteen years, is not going to boost my career. Computers have nothing to do with the 15th and 16th century thought of Western Europeans.

Neither will political science help enhance my programming skills by forcing me to commit to memory every office and branch in the United States government. Even after only completing high school government, the studious scholar knows more about the subject than most politicians seem to know. Both history and political science are required by the Georgia state government for all colleges, which classifies as tyranny toward all persons seeking higher education.

Computers don’t take medicine, neither are they humans, thus eliminating the need for chemistry, biology, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and physical education and wellness. High school covered those subjects quite nicely. Further needless repetition of material forgotten soon after leaving the final examination is oppressive.

For students who are undecided about their major, taking these general education courses in college may help them to explore possible career options. However, there are many students who have deliberated long and hard over their selected major, and the added weight of courses not pertaining to their chosen major greatly hinders the progress of these scholars. Grade school is for general education; college is for job skills specific to one’s career.

Extraneous courses are rarely beneficial to students – indeed, they are often detrimental. When an undergraduate is attending college to obtain a degree in a specific area, such as Information Security, and a chemistry class is required, that class will greatly hinder the scholar’s concentration on his or her selected degree and perhaps even lower his or her course and semester grade by spreading the student’s concentration to another subject, requiring hours of study to be invested in a class the student will never use in that field of work. The result is a gaining of trivial knowledge and wasted hours from a class forced upon someone who is in no way interested therein.

There are also monetary factors to consider. Often, students take on jobs while going to college in order to pay for their education. Unnecessary classes can place a financial burden on students, which can quickly lead to a mental burden as well. In addition, the extra hours on the job which are needed to pay for unrelated classes consume vast amounts of time that could otherwise be used to study the material related to their chosen degree.

When purchasing items from the supermarket, a person can choose what he or she wishes to purchase. Customers do not have to buy one of every item on Aisle 5 simply because they want a jar of peanut butter. Were that to happen, rioting mobs would crowd the streets. Likewise, college students should not be required to pay for classes they do not want or need for their degree simply because we’re attending a college that offers those liberal arts classes.

There are certainly instances when taking chemistry or biology is necessary, even in IT. If a student plans to develop technology for the medical field, this material is sometimes necessary. Also, as stated above, when someone remains undecided about their major, exploring the possibilities may be a good idea. Taking a variety of courses should always be an option to students, but some people have a difficult time comprehending certain subjects, which may prevent them from obtaining a degree for no other reason than because they cannot understand the finer points of the US government or do not grasp the microscopic aspects of biology. Their lack of understanding of these subjects likely played a role in their choice of a career that doesn’t require knowledge in these fields, yet they are obligatory in order to obtain a degree to work in an area completely unrelated. Thus, causing courses unrelated to a degree to be mandatory goes against the freedom and opportunity to thrive, eradicating the foundation upon which America was founded.

In third world countries, the governments and authorities often control what people are taught and what they can learn. In America, the government and authorities control what the people are not taught and cannot learn. There are differences in theory, but the lack of freedom is still there. In America, students are forced to pour time, energy, and money into courses irrelevant to the knowledge necessary for their success in a particular field. Though perhaps in a less obvious form, the tyranny remains. Americans have the freedom to vote; we also have the freedom to refrain from voting. Similarly, Americans have the freedom to go to college and obtain a degree. However, we should be endowed with the freedom to opt out of classes not directly necessary for the major they have chosen.