<p>To say that academics worldwide “arbitrarily chose” to assign more work to its science students seems silly to me. Admittedly a meticulous reader, I felt my philosophy class demanded far more work than my physics class last semester. </p>
<p>But physics was more stressful, given the grading curve. I’m inclined to believe this is why most students think the hard sciences are more difficult.</p>
<p>Why aren’t humanities students graded as harshly as science students? My theory is, it’s a lot easier to come up with wrong answers in math and science, which generally arise whenever improper methods are used. But in the humanities, especially at the college level, truth and falsity are vague concepts. Who’s to say an interpretation or argument, as outlandish as it may be, is necessarily wrong? How does one properly evaluate a literary or artistic piece?</p>
<p>Simply put, I think instructors in the humanities tend to grade their students more generously because it’s much harder to fail them.</p>