[Post by Steve Maurano]
In a recent Chronicle of Higher Education piece, “Why STEM Majors Need the Humanities,” Neal Koblitz makes the point that more and more courses, especially entry-level courses, are being taught online. Koblitz notes that, while this may be good for an institution’s bottom line, it is usually not good for the student. Koblitz also notes that many entry-level courses are now being taught by adjuncts, graduate students and what he terms “second-tier” teaching faculty. He claims that this transforms the freshman (and, sometimes, the sophomore year) of college into an extension of high school, lowers the intellectual level of introductory courses, and creates further distance between students and the world of research and innovation.
Koblitz notes that for STEM majors (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics), a broad background in the humanities is likely to give them a tremendous advantage in their career because, in order for them to have an impact, STEM professionals must be able to write effectively and creatively.
He asks, “How can a student learn to tell a story well?” The answer, he posits, is by reading great literature, by analyzing history, and through the study of foreign languages.