Dive Brief:
- A professor at Southwestern University in Texas has struck a chord with a new course for English majors that helps them connect their skills with the demands in the job market.
- Helene Meyers writes for The Chronicle of Higher Education that students in her course, offered for the first time this past fall, analyze contemporary literature and learn how those skills can lead to fulfilling jobs that bring financial stability, contrary to the common refrain that English majors have no prospects outside of academia.
- Alumni English majors in a range of fields spoke to students, and the students completed projects throughout the semester that gave them a chance to reflect on the skills they honed in the process.
Dive Insight:
Meyers recognizes that many in her field would see her as a traitor for acknowledging that the lack of vocational training for English majors is even a problem. But she is responding to valid concerns from students, parents, and policymakers who are increasingly judging the quality of higher education by the earnings of graduates.
Administrators at other colleges should consider whether such a course would help their students, when it comes to understanding their options after graduation and justifying their degree choices along the way. If the course concept gains enough traction, it could turn around enrollment trends within liberal arts departments across the country.