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Mea culpa: there is a crisis in the humanities

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Re: Mea culpa: there is a crisis in the humanities

#61

Post by dorchadas »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #42
neom wrote: post #5

I'm 32, my parents studies humanities and strongly discouraged me "because in the future there are no well-paid jobs in the humanities". I presume I'm not alone?

I'm 34 and my parents suggested I get a degree just to get one. The problem is that the degree doesn't do anything for you if you aren't making the right moves while you're there, or know where you're going before you start. So now I have a diploma saying I spent 4 years studying history before I went back to school to train at a polytechnic to get a job.

> The problem is that the degree doesn't do anything for you if you aren't making the right moves while you're there, or know where you're going before you start.

I've experienced/am experiencing this same thing myself. A degree itself, STEM or not, does no good if you don't utilize your time at university to do something afterwards.

Re: Mea culpa: there is a crisis in the humanities

#62

Post by seibelj »

schoen wrote: post #46
anoncoward111 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is a shame, because I would happily teach Latin for a guaranteed $18,000 a year. Latin is an amazing language that has a lot of tangential applications. At the very least, Latin shouldn't go extinct.

Sed ubi tum id faciens illo pretio habites?

“But where then will you have those doing... something something...”

In 10 years it has left me, but a few hours with Wheelock and I’m sure I’d get it back!

Re: Mea culpa: there is a crisis in the humanities

#63

Post by lloydde »

yedava wrote: post #15

In countries like India you would be laughed at if you aren't rich and take an arts degree. It is because in a country with limited earning opportunities, it doesn't make any sense to invest in a degree that has virtually non-existent employment opportunities. Seems like the majority of US population has now become poor enough that taking getting a humanities degree is risky.

> In countries like India ...

I thought India was pretty unique for its culture that values so highly engineering and as a result has the highest rates of engineering graduates. When you say other countries like India, which countries are you thinking of and what about them brings them to mind?

Re: Mea culpa: there is a crisis in the humanities

#64

Post by Steko »

seibelj wrote: post #8

I was a double major in CS and Latin, and once I asked my Latin advisor about grad school for Latin. I didn’t intend on going, I was just curious about what she would say as a tenured Latin professor at a good university. The look on her face when I asked was complete shock and she went on a rant about how it was the dumbest idea ever. She told me how she was going on sabbatical to write a book that only 30 people wo…

> law school

Technically still part of the humanities :)

I majored in math and history and my history adviser made it very clear to us how brutal the job market for history phd's was, although he did that in the context of how great the people they were hiring were (compared to the old guard). Basically there were so few tenure track positions open in the whole country that every open position would get world class applicants (or at least close).

Re: Mea culpa: there is a crisis in the humanities

#65

Post by matthewmacleod »

AmericanChopper wrote: post #44
matthewmacleod wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably just a less obviously-hostile environment would be a good start.

What exactly is obviously hostile about our universities? Is it the safe spaces? Is it the lower standards applied to minorities and women to make it easier to get in? Is it all of the scholarships open only to minorities and women? Universities are quite obviously the most inclusive and least hostile place in the world for minorities and women.

Yeah, talking about the industry generally. I see you already have your “safe spaces” straw man all set up so I think I’ll just leave you to it.

Re: Mea culpa: there is a crisis in the humanities

#66

Post by panic »

Given the current cost of rent/food/health care/raising children (especially in the US), I can understand making life decisions purely around money, but it also makes me sad. Wouldn't it be better if people could do what they feel is useful instead of fitting themselves into often-pointless jobs just because they're well-paying? Even if you think humanities research is useless, does the world really need more lawyers and accountants?

Re: Mea culpa: there is a crisis in the humanities

#67

Post by neltnerb »

yedava wrote: post #15

In countries like India you would be laughed at if you aren't rich and take an arts degree. It is because in a country with limited earning opportunities, it doesn't make any sense to invest in a degree that has virtually non-existent employment opportunities. Seems like the majority of US population has now become poor enough that taking getting a humanities degree is risky.

Oh, that's an interesting point. Universities have increased their student body share from foreign countries. And from the same source, only 2% study humanities.

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/international-studen...

There's a spike from 3% to 5% of the total college population, so that doesn't account for the whole story. But the makeup of their elite school demographics might also differ from average.

Re: Mea culpa: there is a crisis in the humanities

#68

Post by matthewmacleod »

hnaccy wrote: post #51
matthewmacleod wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably just a less obviously-hostile environment would be a good start.

How are CS and Engineering studies obviously hostile to women and minorities?

It’s not that the courses themselves are hostile, but the industry certainly can be - and that’s going to dissuade people from starting down that path.

Re: Mea culpa: there is a crisis in the humanities

#69

Post by dorchadas »

panic wrote: post #66

Given the current cost of rent/food/health care/raising children (especially in the US), I can understand making life decisions purely around money, but it also makes me sad. Wouldn't it be better if people could do what they feel is useful instead of fitting themselves into often-pointless jobs just because they're well-paying? Even if you think humanities research is useless, does the world really need more lawyers…

I agree completely. It would be amazing if everything wasn't so money-focused (though I understand why it has to be) and people could just pursue the job they wanted to do, such as doing study in the humanities if they found it interesting.

Re: Mea culpa: there is a crisis in the humanities

#70

Post by thesagan »

Moodles wrote: post #50

80% of humanities papers are never cited once. 80%. That. is. appalling. http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2014/04/23/aca... Social "science" is even more terrifying in my view. 25% of social sciencist identity as Marxist. https://www.econlib.org/archives/2015/03/the_prevalence_1.ht... I don't know how anyone can see these statistics and not think that there is a crisis. I nearly took history at undergrad…

A lot of them are Marxists because they’ve studied it.

I’m not exactly Marxist but I’m more terrified by those who judge his works without having legitimately studied it critically and in depth under supervision.

He’s a lightning rig for prejudice and too many people equate Marx with Stalin, or believe him to have caused Stalin.

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