As college students around the country more frequently look away from the humanities, Pulitzer Prize winner Louis Menand tells them to look again.
Recent statistics show that the number of college students pursuing degrees in the humanities is shrinking. In tough economic times, some undergraduates are pursuing degrees in fields such as business, which might guarantee a more stable job outlook.
Menand, who is also a professor at Harvard University, spoke Friday at Carroll Hall about this trend, its origins and the concerns attached to it.
Menand’s talk, entitled “The Humanistic Condition,” kicked off a series of lectures presented by the Institute for the Arts and Humanities in celebration of the organization’s 25th anniversary.
The shift away from in-depth studies of areas such as philosophy and English has raised concern among humanists who are unsure of what the consequences will be.
John McGowan, director of the institute, said Menand was a natural choice to speak on such an issue.
“The humanities, of course, are perpetually in crisis, and the navel gazing that accompanies that never-ending crisis can get pretty tiresome, especially if you’ve been around that conversation for 25 years,” McGowan said.
Menand cited growing numbers of non-humanities degree programs, meager funding for humanists and the slim availability of professorial positions as reasons for the turn away from humanities.
He added that students now look toward more professional degrees, as evidenced by business being the No. 1 major in the United States.