-——Liberal Arts courses have a way of rounding out an engineer’s education.-——
I went to engineering school at about the same time, and held liberal arts in low regard. Considering how it was taught, it was a valid judgement.
But try real philosophy, like Aristotle and Aquinas. It’s left untried because, like EE, it’s hard. The subject matter is far more important, though, and the benefits are much greater.
I held liberal arts in low regard when going for my engineering degree as well.
Subsequent events have proven us both entirely correct.
I agree that REAL philosophy and logic would be difficult courses. But they’re so rare now that it is a completely irrelevant point to the larger truth that liberal arts schools are intellectual swamps, filled with muck and frothy, flammable gas emissions.
BS. I want to buy a car; but I'm now forced to buy a Motorcycle, a Truck and get licensed to drive those; before you will allow me to have a car? No - this is called extortion. Mastering all modes of transportation may make me a better driver, but they are not required to drive a car - and that's all I want. Give me a car, and let me drive my car.
I want to be an engineer, taking 3 months of Intro to Ethics, History, Social Sciences and other crap will not make me any 'better' of a person than I am now. The books, papers and magazines I have read in the past 25 years, the experiencs I have had, travelling, raising kids and grandkids, and experiences gained from my career have impacted me. A forgotten class from 25 yrs ago did nothing but rob me, to enrich to some non-econimcally viable college department.
Now, if you want a Military Academy to turn out 'rounded' officers; fine. But this is a State College, seems highly arrogant to have anyone say "You can't be a well-rounded person unless you take this list of courses I have selected, from liberal, soft-sciences".
Want to cut the cost of college education? Easy, start cutting those fields of study that cannot support themselves in a capitalistic system. C'mon, demanding students pay 3 cr. hours x $150/cr hr plus $75 for a book on Music Appreciation? Really? Forcing them to sit in class for 3 hrs a week listening to music - exactly how will that help them get a job?
College exists to help educate and teach specialized skills to students, who wish to pursue a life-long career in a specialized field. Demanding they support non-viable courses is nothing less than extortion.