© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Is a Liberal Arts Degree Still Smart?

Buck Butler for Sewanee: The University of the South/flickr creative commons

What makes an educated person? Is it the desire to learn? The ability to be a critical thinker in any situation? Perhaps.

For me, an educated person has the capacity to be a critical thinker—and an optimist at the same time. An educated person has developed a curious mind, thinks critically, has empathy, and an optimistic view.

On our show we talk with Connecticut's Wesleyan University President Michael Roth, author of Beyond the University, about why a liberal education matters more than ever. He argues this even in a decade of joblessness and high debt for young people or their parents.

Roth is part of a chorus of liberal arts degree defenders responding to another chorus of commentators who have come forward to say they think a liberal arts degree is a waste of time and money in an age of specialization. According to Roth's book, our society has been having this debate for centuries.

The New York Times Op-Ed piece “The Wilds of Education” by Frank Bruni

Obama vs. Art History

Join the conversation by email, on Twitter, or on Facebook.

GUEST:

MUSIC:

  • “Gne Gne,” Montefiori Cocktail
  • “Central Nervous Piston,” El Ten Eleven

Lori Mack and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show.

For more than 25 years, the two-time Peabody Award-winning Faith Middleton Show has been widely recognized for fostering insightful, thought-provoking conversation. Faith Middleton offers her listeners some of the world's most fascinating people and subjects. The show has been inducted into the Connecticut Magazine Hall of Fame as "Best Local Talk Show".

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content