Argument & Reflection: The Purpose of a Liberal Arts Education
For this final paper, you will write an essay about the purpose or purposes of a “Liberal Arts” education. You may focus your essay on one or two particular elements of such an education, like writing and reading literature, or you may speak about the idea of liberal arts more generally. There are a number of approaches you can take, but you must construct a thoughtful, thesis-driven, organized and formal essay that argues for or against the value of liberal arts courses in your own education, in the requirements of the college or a university, or both.
Use the research strategies and methods we discuss to find, evaluate, and contextualize information, which you will then use to build and support your persuasive argument. You will need to utilize five sources (requirements below). You may also use one personal anecdote about your own educational experiences in liberal arts courses.
Of course, a successful paper must do more than express your personal tastes or preferences. Your paper will use the components of argumentation we’ve discussed in order to write effectively about this academic and policy debate. Whether you argue positively or negatively about the necessity of liberal arts courses, you must back up your position with careful reasoning and support your claims with evidence. Work to write clearly and carefully about the purpose of the subject and its place in a system of higher education.