I find myself frustrated not with the person who asked me “What are you going to do with an English B.A?” but with myself for understanding the question, yet not knowing how to answer. While reading Moran’s Interdisciplinarity I was forced to understand how this question became so cliche, but what I’m still wondering is why critics struggle to reword that question when asked “What do you mean?”
Moran’s Interdisciplinarity describes that the tension of this argument is hundreds of years old. That’s something I might not have realized if I wasn’t taking this class. My generation was very much pressured to go into the “STEM” field since that’s where good money and jobs lie. That type of education is most valuable. Throughout high school, I jokingly described myself as “stupid with anything that involved numbers” and “only good at english, which isn’t a real subject”.
Why is it that I discredited myself and my major when it’s something that I know I believe in? I think when I make statements like that, I’m alluding to the fact that I see the argument that is presented in Interdisciplinarity. I see English as a second-tier subject, while STEM reigns on the top. However, I believe there is equal value if not more in English and literature. It creates a foundation for effective communication, critical thinking and reading, well-rounded writing skills. Perhaps most importantly, English and literature help shape humanity.
When presented with this question again hopefully I will have some sort of an answer that is better than the last.