The Extinction of the Arts Student

The impending extinction of the arts student 

First, think about what career you want to pursue in the future. Think about if it will provide a stable income. Consider which job will yield the most happiness, and then pick a degree that will make that job possible. Find a balance between job satisfaction, work-life balance, and a high salary. Your tertiary education will accelerate your dream career. Once you have picked your job, plan and pursue it pragmatically. If you do that, you’ll succeed in life—or at least that is what the Agents of Actualisation say. 

Why, then, should I study an arts degree? It doesn’t fast track a career in FinTech or Investment Banking; neither does it expedite the dream to accrue wealth in any tangible way. If an arts degree cannot help me get a job, isn’t the whole endeavour worthy of extinction? 

When considering whether an arts degree is worth pursuing, its relevance to career success becomes a pertinent question. If it cannot help obtain a job, does it have any value? In this essay, I aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of an arts degree in the current educational landscape. If an arts degree doesn’t help your career, does it really matter that the typical arts student is slowly dwindling? Thus, my first goal in this essay is to define the scope and aim of an arts degree. Then, I will explore one historical case study of tertiary education to extrapolate the underlying pedagogical principles, purposes, and presuppositions that provided a place for a thriving arts education. Thirdly, I will use that case study to accentuate how the different pieces of education are interrelated. And finally, I will challenge you to think about where an arts degree fits within our contemporary educational context. 

First, what does an arts degree accomplish? The arts degree facilitates one’s ability to think freely, communicate precisely, and apply knowledge contextually by synthesising and challenging the observations of other intellectuals. However contracted, that definition is a result of expanded meditation (Melville, Moby Dick - a purely aesthetic allusion that only arts students provide).  Though this question may seem trivial, a working definition of the value of an arts degree is necessary to understand its importance in the current educational milieu.

The concept of an arts education can be traced back to Medieval universities that followed a curriculum consisting of the trivium and quadrivium. The trivium consisted of grammar, logic, and rhetoric (one’s ability to read and write clearly, analyse arguments, and effectively communicate and persuade others). This was followed by the quadrivium, which included arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy (one’s ability to apply observations from the physical world). These seven subjects were studied as the first principles required for thinking freely, communicating precisely, and applying knowledge to the observable universe. It was the precursor to the modern arts degree and serves as a useful case study in our current context.

It is important to note that most of the early universities were cathedral or monastic schools, predicated on the presupposition that God has revealed himself in two primary ways: the Book of Scripture, and the Book of Nature.  The Book of Scripture refers to the Bible, the veritable Word of God where God has revealed his special redemptive purpose for the world. The Book of Nature refers to that which is observable by the likes of science, philosophy, and literature—viz., the universe, human behaviour, et cetera. These two books are not mutually exclusive, but they are two ways of understanding something of God’s character and creation. With this epistemological assertion, an underlying presupposition was posited in the early education of the arts: knowledge is an endeavour to discover the excellence of God and his universe with the tools that He has given us. 

With this epistemological assertion, the purpose of education was to better understand God and his handiwork in all its beauty. The study of literature in this context is to see the depravity of evil and to contrast it with the moral perfection of God’s law. The purpose of the study of astronomy was to discern order and patterns in the universe created by an ordered and logical Creator. 

Thus, the Medieval universities’ approach to education was an overflow of their epistemological presuppositions and purpose of education. For the Medieval arts student, grammar and logic was a necessary condition for one to think and understand their God, while rhetoric was the way for them to articulate their meditations to others. Consequently, this approach of education shaped the students produced by this educational system as they thought within the paradigms and taxonomy that was dictated by the purpose and assumptions of education. 

While the Medieval view of education is not prevalent in modern universities, it serves as an illustrative example of why the "arts student" is dissipating. The following illustration summarises the argument presented in this essay:

Epistemological Presuppositions

Purpose of Education

Approach of Education

Students Produced by Education

Therefore, if we want arts students to flourish (i.e., students produced by education), and for there to be greater emphasis on the arts degree (i.e., approach of education), we must examine the underlying assumptions and goals of education. Endless debates over educational approaches are futile if the starting presuppositions and purposes of education are incongruent. The overall purpose of education must be established before any arguments for one approach over another can be relevant. In our current society, the dominant purpose of tertiary education is to obtain a job, a view perpetuated by the Agents of Actualisation. Given that society widely regards the primary objective of attending university as obtaining a job, it is not unexpected that the looming extinction of students pursuing arts degrees may be imminent. 

Throughout the centuries, the purpose of education has undergone a significant evolution; from the fundamental principles of developing critical thinking, effective communication, and comprehensive comprehension of the world, to a more practical aim of securing employment. Consequently, this evolution has resulted in a decline in the enrolment of students in arts programs. Mere funding and better structures alone will not suffice to recover the arts student on a larger scale. We must champion a cogent and compelling purpose of an arts degree that goes beyond the practical desire to obtain a job.

Taking a broader perspective, the focal point of this essay is the inauguration of the Arts, Design & Architecture (ADA) Faculty in 2021, which has prompted Tharunka to delve into the concept of arts education and its implications for the future of the education system. The purpose of this essay is to analyse and assess the underlying historical and pedagogical influences that may have led to this structural modification. Many fear that this merger is simply a marketing strategy to emphasise STEM degrees at the expense of the arts and humanities. If this is true, it is essential to widen our thinking about the purpose and presuppositions of education to promote a more compelling vision for an arts education that supersedes the desire to "merely get a job". Most university students already treat their degree as more than just obtaining a degree. Many are already involved in the social aspects of university that may not boost their chances of their dream job by joining a myriad of Arc Clubs on campus. 

As a Guest Lecturer in Literature at Emmanuel College Sydney, I have the privilege of teaching within a Reformed-Evangelical Christian framework, where the epistemological presuppositions, the purpose of education, and the pedagogical principles are aligned. Even with congruent assumptions, rationales, and methods of education, it remains challenging to provide a powerful impetus for a Christian liberal arts education due to the dominant purpose of education crouching at the doorstep of everyone’s conscience. As a small, private college catering to a specific audience, the institution has limited external factors to contemplate when presenting a compelling outlook for an intensive arts education. For UNSW on the other hand, a multitude of external and internal factors must be considered. External considerations like: How does the university balance their focus on STEM subjects as well as the arts? How should they allocate funding? What metrics will the humanities hit to improve their world ranking and bring greater prestige? All these questions (and many more) are beyond the discussion of scholars in the humanities, yet they are crucial concerns to consider when providing a persuasive purpose for studying the arts. Although in an ideal world, one could simply articulate a vision for an arts degree, these external realities cannot be ignored. Moreover, internal factors include questions like: what is a cogent and compelling purpose of an education in the arts in our contemporary society? What is the summum bonum—the ultimate goal—of an arts education amid a conglomerate of divergent opinions, worldviews, and backgrounds? In what way can we harmonise divergent ideological perspectives—ranging from the highly progressive to the markedly conservative—in order to guarantee that our arts education serves a meaningful purpose, while avoiding any prejudice against individuals with whom we may have political disagreements?

Thus, in typical arts fashion, scholars in the arts and humanities must debate and articulate a raison d'être for an arts education to establish the importance of producing the “arts student”, lest the impending extinction of the arts student becomes reality. Consequently, we must consider whether our society has evolved past the need for arts students, or if the lofty objectives of an arts education warrant preservation. Amidst the resounding chorus of job acquisition reverberated by the Agents of Actualisation, is there a risk that the prospects of aspiring arts students will be relegated to obscurity?