Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Majoring or Minoring in Japanese (w/Humanities)

College students in America have to unfortunately pay attention to their marketability in the work force even though higher education's main focus should be cultivating human beings. (You may argue, but...) When computer skills were highly regarded, everyone jumpued into the relevant are to gain his/her marketability which wasn't too long ago. Now certain basic computer skills are required in any field.
So what is next? They are NOT skills that you can master within the certain period of time. They are 'culture,' 'liberal arts,' 'creative thinking,' 'humanities,' 'multiple viewpoints,' etc, etc. We cannot master them since they are on-going abstract invisible beings. How can we be equipped with them? Through reading books, watching appropriate TV programs and films, thinking deeper, discussing with friends, listening to radio, etc, etc.
Any short cut? NO (as an official answer). In actuality, there are some good ways which are attending classes, such as, Philosophy, Humanities, Religion, Sociology, Anthropology, History and Languages and "try to challenge classmates and instructors." America needs and will need more and more 'skilled professionals' with broader cultural horizon. Hey! Majoring or minoring in these disciplines may not be that bad idea!
Remember, GTS's another undergraduate major was Western Philosophy! My graduation thesis was about "Geschichte und Klassenbewusstsein" ("History and Class Consciousness") written by Szegedi Lukács György Bernát, Hungarian Marxist (1885-1971). I researched about him and wrote the thesis on his thought for 100 year anniversary of his birth. Marxist "dehumanization theory" under capitalism/imperialism was my eye opener! Let's make some effort not to be dehumanized!!!

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