Humanities and Sociology Degrees Impact Global Career Fields

While the humanities have suffered what a US Congressman calls a triple whammy, he sees value in these studies. James A. Leach was appointed by President Barack Obama last year to head the National Endowment for the Humanities. In a November/December issue of the agency’s Humanities magazine, he admitted that the economy, reduced government capacities and a focus on more job-intensive vocational training have affected studies in the humanities.Leach told the publication that he sees the National Endowment for Humanities proceeding with a “bridging cultures” initiative in the United States and internationally. He sees culture as coming first, with politics following, the publication noted. Foreign languages, he added, would be helpful for Americans to study.Culture and languages often are part of humanities degrees online and on campus. Additional subjects might include history, philosophy, English and ethics. These areas might help individuals gain a better appreciation for their own cultures as well as others, particularly as a global economy becomes more intimate through technology. Students who enroll in on-campus and online degrees in humanities, however, might not have careers in mind.The humanities are a part of the liberal arts. The website for a university in Utah reports that liberal arts students overall tend to have more difficulty and less success in their job search than others. Often, that’s because liberal arts students don’t articulate their career goals, the university’s website notes.Earning a humanities degree or majoring in a foreign language can actually help with an array of careers, information on the Utah university website report. Most humanities degree recipients at this institution in 2007 actually went into business and finance and education at the K-12 level, followed by the legal profession. Most Asian and Near Eastern Languages majors there entered business and finance fields, followed by management and the legal profession.Humanities studies helped a Utah university graduate gain insights that helped with law school and a legal career, according to the website. A humanities graduate who followed the degree up with medical studies reported that the education helped with remembering human compassion and sympathy. Educators suggest that it’s important for students pursuing humanities degrees online and on campus consider minors, and graduates have proposed considering double majors or minors and, to enhance job opportunities, classes in areas such as computer science and accounting, according to the Utah university website.Students throughout the world are enrolling in Chinese language classes particularly, according to the website for an Iowa institution. A Washington state university reports that its Chinese studies graduates have found jobs in foreign investment and tourism and trade, according to the institution’s website. Classes in these areas at the institution include modern China, Tibet in fact and fiction and global management.The College Board as early as 2003 partnered with China to offer Chinese language and culture advanced placement and program courses to high school seniors. Chinese studies became so popular at the college and university level that some institutions have actually created separate programs and schools for them. The website for the university in Washington State attributes Boeing executives with calling China the future, a global superpower with increasing influence on 21st century politics, culture and trade.