Graduation Date
5-2017
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Humanities and Cultural Studies
Department or Program Chair
Chase B. Clow, PhD
First Reader
Robert Bradford, MA
Abstract
Taking into consideration the global shift towards innovation and technological development, the rapid changes in the global economy, and the United States Department of Education’s attempts to find a one-size-fits-all solution for America's education woes, our national focus has shifted towards the STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This shift to STEM-focused education has challenged the role of the Humanities in American education, introducing concerns that the overwhelming emphasis on STEM disciplines has pushed the arts, Humanities and human sciences off to the side or even completely out of the picture in American classrooms. In our everchanging technology-focused world, the Humanities are needed in our classrooms now more than ever to provide balance and perspective. The Humanities strengthen our global view, broaden our intellectual foundation, teach us to communicate clearly, help us to develop creative and critical thinking skills, teach us to be problem solvers, create engaged citizens and thinkers, reinforce cultural and ethical responsibilities and values, help us to understand the impact that science, technology, and medicine have had on society, and create well-rounded academics, students and thinkers. It is time for our nation to realize that the Humanities are not just an aesthetic luxury to be served as a side dish in the halls of higher education, but an essential part of a well-rounded education that must begin in the elementary school years and continue throughout a person’s life.
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Early Childhood Education Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons