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to more research based focuses such as STEM?
skills that can be developed through courses on the arts and humanities such as creativity, communication, and collaboration will take you far in life.
INTERVIEWS
Melissa: I have noticed that other students and adults are always impressed with my major in biomedical engineering. I have realized that engineering classes are expected to be more difficult than courses in the arts and humanities, which are perceived to be easier and involve less work. Personally, I have found that the arts and humanities courses I have taken are challenging. Me: What role do the arts and humanities play in your current or future professional careers? Melissa: I have found that the arts and humanities require me to think in ways I am not used to, such as analyzing texts and conceptualizing broad ideas. I realized that there are a variety of answers you can come to in classes about the arts and humanities. There is not just one concrete answer sometimes. The solutions to problems I encounter in arts and humanities courses are more abstract than the single answers I find in my math and science problems. I think the skills I learned from those classes will absolutely follow me in my professional career to help think through complex problems and come to the best solution.
Me: What role do the arts and humanities play in your current or future professional careers?
Talking to my Mom, Dad, and Friends
Mom: Healthcare providers can benefit from taking courses that are part of the arts and humanities such as LatinX studies, religious studies and language courses. A better understanding of the demographics of their patients can help them communicate more clearly with them. For me, I have noticed that I often pick up on some of the words and phrases used in different languages during my conversations.
Interviewed by Kathryn Cawley
My name is Kathryn Cawley and I am from Mas- sachusetts. I play college soccer and in my free time I love hiking, going to the beach, and spend- ing time with my family and friends.
KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS!
Melissa, the Engineering Student
Next up, I interviewed one of my friends, Melissa, who has a completely different major than me. I am a political science major and Melissa is a biomedical engineering major. I was interested to see how the arts and humanities have impacted her education.
Different Perspectives
Me: How do you view the arts and humanities in your own life?
When I started college, I wanted to learn more about how other people value the arts and humanities in their own lives. I was interested in finding out if the study of the arts and humanities resonated with anybody’s personal or professional life in a way that they noticed. That’s why I decided to phone my mom who is a nurse, my dad who is a lawyer, my friends, Melissa who studies biomedical engineering, and Ryan, who studies economics.
Mom: I incorporate the arts and humanities every day in my work. I use a translator to communicate with my patients, so the use of language is extremely important in my line of work in the medical field. I engage with different languages and cultures nearly every day. Me: How do you think the arts and humanities are valued in the education system compared to more research based focuses such as STEM? Mom: I think that what most people do not understand is how crucial the arts and humanities are to everyday life. It is not always about mathematics and sciences. I think more emphasis is placed on STEM courses because a degree in STEM is perceived to make the greatest amount of money in the future. However, I think that languages and arts are just as important. The
Me: How do you view the arts and humanities in your own life?
Melissa: Throughout my education, I have mainly focused on STEM classes. I have found that I am the best at math and science, so I stuck with it. Going to a Liberal Arts college has forced me out of my comfort zone to take more courses in the arts and humanities, and so far I have enjoyed it. I did not know much about the arts and humanities before college, but now I realize they are in nearly every aspect of our lives.
My Dad, the Lawyer
My father is an attorney who made it very clear to me that the arts and humanities have a profound impact on his work and the world around us.
My Mom, the Nurse
First off, I wanted to gain insight into how the arts and humanities impact my mother’s life. She has been a nurse for 12 years, and I was surprised with what I learned from her.
Me: Howdo you view the arts and humanities in your own life?
Me: How do you think the arts and humanities are valued in the education system compared
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Arts & Humanities
Don’t Leave College Without Them
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