kwijiborjt

And to make a case for latin, which is very much undervalued:

I'm not a classics major (in fact i'm a biology major, which i'm sure would be considered practical by the writers of this list), but i have taken a number of classics and latin courses. The economy of language and complex syntax of the language teach you how to construct eloquent and concise english. My english writing skills have improved enormously since i started taking latin. Translating itself is an exercise in logical reasoning, as you have to interpret what function a noun's case is serving, and you have to connect grammatically similar words that may be placed apart in a sentence. Knowledge of latin is very useful in law and science, as much of the terminology is derived directly from latin or from latin/greek roots. In fact, one of the most popular options for classics majors is to go on to law school.

I thought i'd start with the most obviously practical reasons to be a classics major, but there are lots of other equally valid reasons. Classical civilization is the undoubted parent of modern western civilization. Many fundamental tenets of US law (popular vote as the source of government's power, the right to judgment by your peers, etc.) are Roman law. Our architecture is heavily influenced by that of the classical world. Our language, although germanic, has about equal influence from romance speech (equal, influence, and romance are all latin derived :P). I consider myself significantly more educated for having a good working knowledge of latin and the classical world. I think that some people do not recognize the value of classics in the context of a greater liberal arts education is very unfortunate. Maybe these people don't understand the purpose of a liberal arts education in the first place. I suppose that's fine, but those people do not belong at Yale or any other liberal arts college or university which is based on that philosophy.

owlice

I agree with the premise that people should not go deeply into debt for college (there's a thread on the Parents board which points to an article on college debt -- scary scary stuff, especially readers' comments), but that doesn't mean once in college, people shouldn't study what they are interested in.

I also agree that there is too much emphasis placed on going to college. It's not for everyone; there are lots of other boxes out there, and not everyone should be shoved into the college one.

I hope my son studies whatever field he's interested in, whether it is "practical" or not. Education in and of itself is good.

If I wanted to make sure he'd have career training that is unlikely to be outsourced, I'd suggest he become an electrician, plumber, or mechanic. These are practical skills one can use to make an excellent living.

Anonagron

"Corn guy probably chose that dissertation topic with an eye toward biofuels."

Perhaps. Or perhaps he chose that topic with the intent of working toward finding a plant strain genetically resistant to European Corn borers, armyworms, or corn rootworm beetles. Or Northern or Southern corn leaf blight or Maize Dwarf Mosaic virus, or bacterial wilt. Or perhaps he was more interested in which genetic lines produce 4 ears per stalk vs. 2 or 3 ears per stalk. Then again, he may have been looking at pollination percentages across hybrids, or studying the effects of certain popular corn herbicides for weed control (which brings down yields), or maybe he was even working toward development of a drought (or flooding) resistant strain. All of these developments and/or improvements not only help American farmers, but can help a subsistence-level farmer in a third world country produce enough to help feed himself and his neighbors as well.

Corn guys choose dissertation topics for lots of reasons, but the politics of biofuels is the last thing on their minds! First thing on their mind is better production (while being a good steward of the land) to feed a hungry world. I know, I am a corn guy, thank you very much!

As for learning Latin, as has been pointed out, it is extremely helpful in the world of plant and animal science. What is "corn" in the US is "wheat" in another country. Use of Latin names when referring to genus and species is a universal language - no confusion as to what crop is actually being discussed. I did not have a formal Latin course in high school or college but learned a lot of it while taking courses in crop, weed, disease, and insect identification.

shawbridge

I am with mombot. Learn to think well, regardless of what you study. And, math through calculus (and probably enough computer programming to vaguely understand what your computer is doing) will help. But, if you learn to think clearly and logically, your education will be valuable even if it doesn't help you find your first job.

The second important thing is to learn how to learn. I have multiple degrees in a highly practical field that I decided I didn't want to pursue as a career, though my training has been extremely useful in helping me think about other things. I persuaded my first employer, a university, to hire me to teach a subject in which I had not been formally trained. While there, I taught myself basic finance, persuaded a boutique investment bank to hire me, moved from there to a direct equity investment arm of a wealthy family, and have come full circle to advising companies combining my research in the field I'd been pursuing as a professor with my post-professorial experience.

In our relatively dynamic economy, learning how to learn new stuff on your own is probably as big a determinant of success as initial degree and perhaps bigger. This relationship may be stronger at the upper end of the food chain -- you are more likely persuade an investment bank to hire you even though your classics degree isn't directly applicable if it is from Yale than Ole Miss, and from there you can launch yourself if you can learn on your own. Similarly, if your sales job has caused you to learn about car dealerships and their economics, you may be able to get backing for a startup that sells software or services to car dealerships if you've really thoroughly learned how the dealerships make money and why they can really benefit from your proposed product/service whether or not you have any training in automotive engineering or business or studied medieval literature in college, but a good pedigree will likely make getting that backing easier. It may be less true at a less elite level, but I'm not confident about that.

theredsmileyface

"Quite frankly, I loved it! My children's bedtime stories were from Ovid and Aristophenes!"

= coolest parent ever.

zoosermom

My daughter wants to major in Classics with the intention of someday being a curator in a museum. I told her we fully support her, but be careful of debt.

lspf72

re: corn guy

I used to work for a non-profit that bordered on corn fields used by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. So often we'd see a little old lady out in the fields, and I aways just thought of her as the 'corn lady.' Found out later it was Barbara McClintock.

And - Aristophanes at bedtime?? Lysistrata? Just how old were those children at the time?

Treetopleaf

So maybe their majors are the least useful, in practical terms? (Though useful in terms of gaining employment).

DougBetsy

TBH, I'm surprised Peace and Conflict is considered impractical. IMO, it seems well suited to UN, CIA, or State Dept. Maybe even Red Cross.

I only mention this because Son seems to be leaning toward sociology and anthropology. Comparing the three, P&CS could be the "least impractical."

2legit2quit

DougBetsy, your son must be my twin.
Those are the top three paths I am wanting to study in college, as well.

Honestly, it makes me stomach churn to constantly hear all of this debate over what is practical and what is not. Not here, neccessarily, but I hear it all the time at school. People telling me that doing drama or taking sociology classes are useless to getting into college. That having a job instead of going to summer camp is useless. Clearly, that mindset still carries over for some people into college. Now I understand, people need to be responsible and think ahead when choosing what to major in. But the people who do that can make any major practical. What use is a bio or engineer major if you don't know what to do with it? I know people studing philosophy or classics who have a more definte path set out for them, and a lot of my favourite teachers have studied some of the majors on this list.

I guess it just upsets me when people forget to do what they love and what genuinely interests them. Because anything you have a passion for can be a practical choice for you, it may just take a little more effot.

My two cents...

lspf72

On seeing Renaissance & Medieval studies in the OP, I decided to google my mother's late friend. We'd have a tough time coming up with many people who loved their work as much as she did. Maybe not practical degrees, but she made good use of them. What a wonderful thing to have a long, productive, happy career.

And FWIW my favorite classes in college were the "extra" ones I was able to fit in - Classics, music, and yes, Arthurian Literature.

Milestones: I note with sadness that *** *** *** passed away on
November 17, 2003. She was 79 and had been hospitalized for kidney failure. On the 15th, she asked to be released to see the Globe Theater production of Twelfth Night, which she saw with pleasure and delight. She was, herself, the host of an annual Twelfth Night party. Mary Elizabeth received her BA from Wells College, her MA from Ohio State, and her PhD from Radcliffe College, Harvard University in 1956. She joined our faculty in 1970 after teaching at Bryn Mawr and Indiana University. Mary Elizabeth was trained as a medievalist. At Pitt, she taught courses in Old English, Middle English, the survey of Medieval Literature, Chaucer, the Pearl poet, Arthurian Literature, and History of the English Language.
She prepared pronunciation tapes of Old English and Middle English for the
university’s language laboratory. In addition, she had a deep interest in Children’s Literature. Mary Elizabeth published two editions of fairytales (Signet, 1964, and reissued by Indiana UP, 1974), and she helped to develop the earliest form of our program in Children’s Literature, which she directed until her retirement in 1995.

MBP

^hey, you forgot to take the persons name out where it occurs later in the obituary.^

COlsen573

anonagron, if you didnt have a degree in the field youd think it was laughable too.

mochamaven

Yale doesn't have a major in Agrarian studies...I don't know where that came from...

Also, Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies can lead to careers in lobbying, politics, nonprofits, etc.

The other majors listed there can lead to careers in academia.

You can also go to law school with any major, really.

dis-grace

COlsen573, I'm not sure how a degree in a science that feeds us is laughable.