Summarize in a few sentences the seven misperceptions that Sanford Ungar discusses. These, of course, are all things that “they say” – and that he uses to launch what he wants to say. How does calling them “misperceptions” affect the way you read his argument? Would you read it any differently if he instead called them “common assumptions”?

The seven misperceptions Ungar discusses seem to be the opposing points to getting a liberal arts education. They include, liberal arts being a luxury that families can’t afford, those with a liberal arts education can’t find jobs, it is irrelevant to low-income and first-generation students, in today’s world one can’t only study the arts, a liberal arts education will only produce more liberal Democrats, America is the only country to still have liberal arts education, and that the cost is too high and liberal arts colleges are unable to find new ways of doing things or increase productivity. I think I would read it differently if Ungar called them “assumptions” because that word suggests that they are wrong and would make his writing seem more like an attack on his opponents rather than a discussion.

See paragraph 6, where Geoffrey Garin suggests that “the responsibility of higher education today is to prepare people ‘for jobs that do not yet exist.’ ” Thus, according to Ungar, “It may be that studying the liberal arts is actually the best form of career education.” How would you respond to this claim?

I would agree with his claim because it makes sense that the best way to prepare someone for a career that doesn’t exist yet would be to prepare them for a wide range of professions that they can integrate in the future.

Misperception 5 related liberal education to political affiliation. What does Ungar have to say on this issue, and what do you think about his response?

Ungar says that political affiliation and liberal education are unrelated, except that politics falls under its curriculum. He says that a liberal education gives a conservative approach to life promoting the consideration of all approaches, ideas, and solutions. A liberal education, he says, might help to bring this calm and balanced dialogue back into American politics.

If the CAS or WCHP curriculum can be said to answer or respond to one of Ungar’s misperceptions, which one is it answering and how?

I think the CAS core curriculum would answer misperception 4 which states that in this day and age one should not only study the arts. The CAS curriculum, while having an art requirement, focuses mostly on STEM fields and humanities. For example two of the first year requirements are to take an intro to environmental issues course and a laboratory science course.