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Both Scheuer and Ungar agree that even though it is a big investment, a liberal arts education is worth the cost. Ungar states that “it is far wiser for students to prepare for changeーand the multiple careers they are likely to haveーthan to search for a single job track that might one day become a dead end” (Ungar para. 5). With the rise of technology incorporated in work environments, simple jobs can easily become machine-based processes which could put multiple one job-track people out of work. It is better to be well rounded in all subjects instead of a master in only one. Scheuer states that “the liberal arts form such an evolving system, consisting of stable but impermanent fields of inquiry that fuse at some points and fissure at others, adapting to cultural shifts while sharing a common language and assumptions, overlapping knowledge bases, and the core of critical thinking” (Scheuer para. 14). This relates to Ungar’s statement that a liberal education is worth the cost because it contributes more than just knowledge to students. A liberal education can help to further develop a student’s communication and critical inquiry skills, while also allowing them to be culturally and socially aware.
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Both Scheuer and Ungar believe that universities that focus on the liberal arts most often do not limit the curriculum to humanities, they also expand on elements of STEM, but instead of solely focusing on one topic they cover a broader range of topics. Ungar states that “the liberal arts encompass the broadest possible range of disciplines in the natural sciences, humanities, and the social sciences” (Ungar para. 11). Scheuer states that “the STEM disciplines are obviously important to economic productivity, but so is the entire rainbow of human knowledge and the ability to think critically” (Scheuer para. 35). This relates to Ungar’s statement that the liberal arts are not limited to the humanities, they can include elements of STEM and colleges actually encourage that the STEM field be included in all curriculum in some way or another.
