Since the financial crisis of 2008, I have read a growing number of articles describing a crisis in the Arts, as disciplines like history, English, philosophy, and foreign languages have had to address declining enrolments. Students have increasingly focused on in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) subjects, which they perceive to have better job prospects. If you teach or study the Arts, you become used to hearing jibes about Arts degrees only qualifying their graduates to pour coffee or flip burgers. The fundamental worth of the Arts, which have been at the heart of universities since their medieval origins, has come under threat in a world swept up in rapid technological change.
In response to these threats, defenders of the Arts have pointed to their development of students’ critical thinking skills and encouraging self-examination, while generally forgoing their practical benefits. In recent years, the sheen has worn off the utopian promises of technology, and I have seen a renewed appreciation for the practical benefits of Arts disciplines.
At a basic level, Arts students immerse themselves in questions central to the human experience: how to compose a moving work of music, understand the Bible in the twenty-first century, or effect peaceful social change. They learn skills in analysis and communication that are valued in the workplace. Students who study the Arts become well-rounded graduates who can communicate intelligently and persuasively—skills which employers report wanting in new university graduates.
In addition to cultivating fundamental communication skills, the Arts foster social innovation, examine ethical standards, and propose alternative models for the future by questioning the status quo. This mindset has become all the more critical in light of the numerous scandals facing the tech world, including election tampering, climate change, the spread of hate speech in public forums, and the unknown potentials of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Going forward, it will become increasingly important for those in STEM fields to be exposed to the Arts and for students in the Arts to become involved with the development of technology.
Since beginning my time as Grebel’s Dean, I have been excited to see the ways that Arts and Sciences already come together in our programming to draw from each other’s traditional strengths. In addition to our majors, Grebel classes and music ensembles are open to students in other disciplines, including those in STEM fields. Taking courses in other fields exposes students to new ways of thinking, analyzing, and asking questions. When STEM students and Arts students share a classroom together, they stretch each other to reconsider fundamental questions. For example, recent innovations in AI and robotics raise questions about free will and what it is that makes us human. Students interested in justice and social change can take advantage of the vast amount of information that technologies collect from us every day to guide policies and influence political decisions.
The Arts help us move beyond what is pragmatic or possible towards engaging the complex moral and aesthetic questions that lay at the heart of life today. When students ask questions about the impact of AI on society in a PACS course or what speech can be tolerated on a social media platform in an ethics course, they are working at questions that lie at the intersection of Arts and STEM fields. At Grebel, conversations and questions of ultimate meaning that start in the classroom are often carried back into the cafeteria and residence room. In addition to late-night conversations, Grebel provides opportunities for students from a variety disciplines to engage in traditional Arts activities like Chapel Choir, Peace Society, Bible studies, sports, or dance.
In a world dominated by technology and science, the Arts remind us to ask what it means to be human, to appreciate beauty, and to seek wisdom alongside innovation. There is no doubt that the Arts and Sciences will need to draw from each other into the future.
