Where budding chefs learn philosophy, too
Despite what you may have heard about the death of the liberal arts, leaders of one of the nation's top cooking schools, and one of the most prominent military academies say courses in subjects like English, history and philosophy are are key to preparing their students for the professional world.
Colleges and universities are under increasing pressure from taxpayers to prove that graduates will be able to get jobs. According to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences between 2007 and 2012 four-year universities reduced their number of departments offering liberal arts courses. But in national surveys, corporate leaders say liberal arts majors have skills that are necessary in the workplace: they know how to think critically and communicate well.
Jon Marcus recently reported for the Hechinger Report that not everyone has given up on the humanities. In fact, he found that one of the nation’s top military academies and one of the nation’s most prominent cooking schools say the liberal arts are essential. Marcus joins American RadioWorks associate producer Suzanne Pekow on the podcast this week.