Why the liberal arts? This is why.

In its purest form, a liberal arts and sciences education is about learning how to learn, how to evaluate arguments and experiences, how to enrich and enjoy the whole of human life rather than attempting to master some set of techniques or particular body of knowledge in a four-year preparation for a predetermined career.

Although nothing can be known for certain, there are nevertheless historically developing standards for judging the quality of ideas as well as works of art, and it is these socially constructed and evolving standards and modes of evaluating that endure. Built upon a relentless questioning of everything in existence, challenging entrenched authority (scientific, cultural, and economic no less than political), and yet disciplined by intellectual honesty and humility, the liberal arts and sciences are about pushing the limits of human understanding – seeing things in new ways, evaluating and suggesting alternatives to what is, and learning not to fear but to celebrate the inherent uncertainty of our knowledge about the universe.

Studying English means examining the whole heritage of our culture. It means coming to grips with the most fascinating ideas and thinkers in intellectual history. And it means dealing with concepts and movements not simply through abstractions, generalities, or statistics, but through great works of imaginative literature that capture the spirit of their times and the complex feelings of the people who wrote and read them. Studying English means learning about the passions and perplexities, the hopes and fears of human beings who sometimes appear very different from us, but who are at other times very much the same. Learning about them gives us the chance to learn about ourselves. In short, majoring in English provides an opportunity to grasp more profoundly what it means–and what it has meant–to be human.