Liberal arts in a new era

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness and outcomes of liberal arts in preparing people for adult roles.

Design/methodology/approach

Review of research and opinions about the liberal arts.

Findings

Liberal-arts outcomes results have fallen short of expectations though this may be a short coming of higher education generally. A new era of the knowledge society will shrink liberal-arts departments in humanities, literature and philosophy.

Research limitations/implications

Liberal arts need definition and clarity of expected outcomes.

Practical implications

Jobs in liberal arts colleges will decrease given its weak effectiveness. Online education for liberal-arts areas will grow explosively.

Originality/value

Liberal-arts critics have been active for decades. What is different today is world wide access to all information 24/7 and massive open online courses (MOOCs).

Citation

B. Jennings, W. (2014), "Liberal arts in a new era", On the Horizon, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 19-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/OTH-09-2013-0035