“The antithesis between a technical and a liberal education is fallacious. There can be no adequate technical education which is not liberal and no liberal education which is not technical,” – Alfred North Whitehead.
We generally have this question as to what does ‘being human’ means to us, especially the millennials. There may be many definitions to it, but it would be fair to say that it somewhat describes the ability to communicate and make decisions precisely using words, symbols, body gestures, and facial expressions. It is no wonder that technology is transforming our lives to a great extent and we are completely depending on it. But, as more ‘Tech’ and ‘Science’ driven life we are into, we are missing the ‘Social’ element completely from the ‘Sciences’. With the enhancement of global communication, modernization of processes, real-time transmission of data, and the onset of Artificial intelligence, society has been shifting towards digitization.
In our childhood, especially in our schooling system, we have majorly understood everything from a science’s perspective, however, outside the scientific field we have confusion due to different hypotheses which have no certainty. It is here that the need of providing a holistic education that is more Liberal, promotes multidisciplinarity, paces to think deeply and critically, teaches interdisciplinarity, allows innovative self-expression, and enables communication which has meaning to create an impact. Exploring ideas with an emphasis on values and ideals is important.
Liberal Arts has an innovative pedagogy that focuses on a strong interdisciplinary foundation, with specialisations in specific subjects. It is used to impart knowledge in disciplines such as music, literature, philosophy, etc. Each of these subjects expands the holistic views of students, enabling them to think critically, to discuss, and to learn and implement. It also help students to generate empathy for others via learning of disciplines such as language and literature, which cultivates a person into a well-rounded human, rather than preparing him/her merely for a job in a specific domain. We need to educate and train individuals for a world where they not only have the knowledge of technological tools but also where they have the capability of being critical, empathetic, leaders, and socially responsible. The functions of machines, tools, and AI maybe that of analytics, remote sensing, monitoring, and synthesizing data, however, they can never replace the vital function of humans, which is to ask the questions, frame the hypotheses, and consider biases. Humans in the coming years need to nurture both aspects, the first, possessing critical thinking, data, and technological literacy, and second, possessing empathy, communication, and collaboration.
For this reason, educational training in the Liberal Arts, in addition to the knowledge of technology, is very important. From the placement perspective, it is essential to understand that the recruiting organizations will prefer someone who possesses both strong domain-specific aptitude, and strong soft or social skills.
The O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), India’s no.1 private university (QS Rankings 2021) provides an interdisciplinary Liberal Arts education of a global standard through the Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities (JSLH). The JSLH aims to educate young adults to become informed citizens of the world who are best equipped to solve the complex problems of our times, approaching them from multiple perspectives and with creativity. A world-class faculty facilitates a rigorous classroom study combined with experiential learning. The JSLH students graduate and go into the world ready for its diverse challenges. The graduates leave their education with a broad base of interdisciplinary knowledge, a flexible range of skills and aptitudes, and a life-long curiosity and love of learning.
The JSLH offers four different undergraduate degree options is available that includes, a three-year BA (Hons.) in Liberal Arts and Humanities, a unique four-year dual degree program with Rollins College, one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons.), a three-year B.A. (Hons.) in Sociology and One Year Certificate Programme – Post Graduate Diploma in Research and Innovation.
A Liberal Arts education engenders critical thinking. Programmes offered at JGU will help students to be stewards in navigating through the complex environment and to adhere to the highest standards of ethical behavior.
The article and creative are curated by Content, and Advertising & Digital Strategy (ADS) Team of O.P. Jindal Global University.
