Graduation Date

5-2018

Document Type

Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Humanities and Cultural Studies

Department or Program Chair

Chase B. Clow, PhD

First Reader

Gary Gorka, MLIS

Abstract

As the world becomes more inclined to implement technology in nearly every aspect of society, the United States Department of Education must find a way to incorporate new styles of modern and high-tech teaching without pushing out certain subjects from its curriculum. I believe technology can be used to bring the Humanities further into the classroom. In today’s society American education programs are desperately trying to make up for subpar primary school scores in mathematics and science. According to the government accredited international education forum (the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) the United States was found to be below the OECD average in science ranking 25th, reading 24th and mathematics 41st (Businessinsider.com). With these mediocre scores the United States has been forced to take drastic measure in bolstering its primary education systems. While an added emphasis in elementary math and science curriculum is an obvious route, it seems that the removal or distancing from the arts and other social forms of education has also become part of the solution. While science, technology, engineering and math are all extremely important, the United States Department of Education should be able to recommend modernized approaches that incorporate art history, history, literature, art, music, philosophy and language. In our ever-changing high-tech world, the Humanities are needed in our classrooms to supply equality and perspective. The Humanities widen our thought process, build global understanding, assist in the formation of critical thinking skills, train individuals to communicate and share, bolster moral accountability and cultural sensitivity, support scientific advancements through unique societal perspectives, guide humanity towards a more rational and inclusive way of thinking, and create a well-balanced 21st century scholar. In today’s modern society it is more than reasonable to explore options that involve the intertwining of technology and the arts in our elementary school systems. It must also be mentioned, the goal of this paper is to in now way lessen or devalue the role of the instructor, rather, the research provided is aimed at highlighting certain types of technologies that can potentially assist primary and elementary educators who aspire to further incorporate the Humanities and its core philosophies into their curriculum.

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