I’d be lying if I said I don’t feel sheepish, maybe even insecure, when I tell people I’m undecided about my intended major. In a data-driven culture where studying science, technology, engineering or math (otherwise known as STEM) is deemed both promising and prestigious, a stigma against undecided or humanities-driven students has arisen. I have fallen victim to this stigma, and I want to make amends for doing so.
Many students here at UW-Madison, and everywhere, go to school for a defined purpose—engineering, finance, biology. These are all worthy disciplines that offer us tremendous information on just about everything. However, a sort of tunnel-vision focus on one exclusive field should not be the sole purpose of one’s college education. By doing so, we are inadvertently cheating ourselves. Sure, computers can measure any distance, and a GPS can provide us with an exact location, but it is up to us to find out where we’re going.
Growing up as a twin has made me feel that my identity was shared. Because of my sister, my life has been more fulfilling, loving, and at most, empathizing. Consistently being grouped as a pair, or being referred to as “the twins,” has resulted in a unique life. One I wouldn’t trade for the world. To this end, I want to introduce an analogy. I have always believed that people are more than meets the eye. Individuals shouldn’t be grouped, or predetermined, even if their DNA proves otherwise. My sister and I together are more than just an exceptional happening of science. We are individual, unique people. Science by itself is not always perfect. We must focus on more than just this field.
With that, we must concentrate on thinking wide and thinking far, opening our brains to new and different ideas. With the emphasis on technology and advancement, while understandably inevitable, the appreciation and attention to humanities and related fields is subsequently declining. However, while maybe an unpopular opinion, the humanities are utterly important. They confront us. They examine us. They challenge us to question who we are and where we’re going. Something Siri could never do. The purpose of art and literature is for us to criticize and to empathize.
In an interview, David Foster Wallace once discussed the suffering involved in the arts, and how with it, we “become less alone.” This makes “nourishing” and “redemptive,” two things every person undeniably needs. Art and literature consolidate commonalities between the artist’s life and the common man, allowing us to connect to other places, cultures and people. I will admit, the humanities are untidy, even unpredictable. They won't give us the perfect measurements we need to create productive, efficient lives, but they will give us more depth, more meaning and the means to confidently navigate our world.
The self-pity I had accumulated in accepting my undecided stance is pity I now feel for having had such a twisted mindset.
Recently, national debates have occurred over Stanford’s decision to remove its Western Culture requirement during the 1980s. The requirement covers politics, history, philosophy and culture of Western civilization. Western history informs us on the effects of technological revolutions, politics, warfare, economics and poverty. Subsequently, the Stanford Review is petitioning to reinstate the requirement. A Wall Street Journal article from March 7, 2016, claims that 59 percent of Stanford’s class of 2019 plans on majoring in engineering, and also states: “These students will not know the history that society needs them to grasp.” The expansion of one’s thinking through differing courses and diverse academic experiences is a true education.
Finally, I leave you with this: I am undecided about my major, and I like it. I am exploring the education and career opportunities offered by UW. At the same time, I must admit that I do intend on majoring in a scientific field. Science is of interest to me, and the reasonable thing to do. Alternately, I intend on staying true to my words, taking art, literature, and journalism courses. Never allowing myself to neglect the importance of a broad, humanistic education. It is up to us to create a well rounded educational platform for ourselves. Literature 100 helps us find out who we are just as much as Biology 101 does. As Arnold Weinstein, a professor of comparative literature at Brown University writes: “We enter the bookstore, see the many volumes arrayed there, and think: so much to read, so little time. But books do not take time; they give time, they expand our resources of both heart and mind.” Just something to keep in mind.
Olivia is a freshman who has not settled on a major. Do you agree with her that the humanities are an important part of a college education? Do you think that STEM majors should be top priority? Please send all comments, questions and concerns to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
