Liberal Arts Majors: Gateways to Power
by Mary Dockray-Miller and Asiya Shaikh
In the wake of the turmoil that coronavirus has caused in higher education, numerous regional and less-selective schools are cutting traditional liberal arts faculty and programs as part of draconian budgetary measures. The administrative assumption, and the dominant political will, seems to be that more practical majors will attract more prospective students since professionally-focused majors will allow students to “get a job” (with the added assumption that traditional liberal arts majors, especially those in the humanities, impede students from attaining gainful employment at graduation). Guilford College and the University of Vermont are simply the most recent to announce these sorts of cuts, phasing out majors in history, philosophy, chemistry, math, political science (Guilford); classics, geology, area studies (Vermont); and religious studies and foreign languages (both).
It’s ironic that the policy makers and “thought leaders” who advocate for cutting traditional liberal arts majors largely went to highly selective schools that would never consider cutting the history major, and most of them majored in the traditional liberal arts. A list of the undergraduate majors of current United States senators provides a discrete data set demonstrating that access to political and cultural power flows through the liberal arts, no matter the selectivity of the undergraduate college (for example, former New Hampshire governor and current senator Jeanne Shaheen majored in English at Shippensburg, a non-selective, regional, public university). Political science, economics, and history are the most-elected majors of our senators. Yes, it certainly helps to be white, male, and wealthy—a political science major alone is not enough to win a senate seat. The liberal arts comprise a consistently important part of the profile, however; the breakdown of liberal arts vs. professional majors for current U.S. senators is 75/29 (double majors and 5 non-respondents create numbers that do not add up exactly to 100). It’s also worth noting that president-elect Joe Biden majored in History and his wife Jill majored in English, both at the respected but not elite University of Delaware.
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U.S. Senators (116th Congress): Colleges and Majors
| US Senators (116th Congress) | Colleges Attended (undergrad) | Majors |
|---|---|---|
| Jones, Doug (D-AL) | University of Alabama | Political Science |
| Shelby, Richard C. (R-AL) | University of Alabama | Political Science |
| Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) | Georgetown University | Economics |
| Sullivan, Dan (R-AK) | Harvard University | Economics |
| McSally, Martha (R-AZ) | US Air Force Academy | Biology |
| Sinema, Kyrsten (D-AZ) | Brigham Young University | Social Work |
| Boozman, John (R-AR) | University of Arkansas/Southern College of Optometry | Optometry |
| Cotton, Tom (R-AR) | Harvard University | Government |
| Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA) | Stanford University | History and Political Science |
| Harris, Kamala D. (D-CA) | Howard University | Political Science and Economics |
| Bennet, Michael F. (D-CO) | Wesleyan University | History |
| Gardner, Cory (R-CO) | Colorado State University | Political Science |
| Blumenthal, Richard (D-CT) | Harvard College | Government |
| Murphy, Christopher (D-CT) | Williams College | History and Political Science |
| Carper, Thomas R. (D-DE) | Ohio State University | Economics |
| Coons, Christopher A. (D-DE) | Amherst College | Chemistry and Political Science |
| Rubio, Marco (R-FL) | University of Florida | Political Science |
| Scott, Rick (R-FL) | University of Missouri-Kansas City | Business Administration |
| Loeffler, Kelly (R-GA) | University of Illinois-Urbana-Campaign | Marketing |
| Perdue, David (R-GA) | Georgia Tech | Industrial Engineering |
| Hirono, Mazie K. (D-HI) | University of Hawaii-Manoa | Psychology |
| Schatz, Brian (D-HI) | Pomona College | Philosophy |
| Crapo, Mike (R-ID) | Brigham Young University | Political Science |
| Risch, James E. (R-ID) | University of Idaho | Forestry |
| Duckworth, Tammy (D-IL) | University of Hawaii | Political Science |
| Durbin, Richard J. (D-IL) | Georgetown University | Foreign Service and Economics |
| Braun, Mike (R-IN) | Wabash College | Economics |
| Young, Todd (R-IN) | United States Naval Academy | Political Science |
| Ernst, Joni (R-IA) | Iowa State University | Psychology |
| Grassley, Chuck (R-IA) | Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa) | Political Science |
| Moran, Jerry (R-KS) | University of Kansas | Economics |
| Roberts, Pat (R-KS) | Kansas State | Journalism |
| McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) | University of Louisville | Political Science |
| Paul, Rand (R-KY) | *** see note at bottom *** | -- |
| Cassidy, Bill (R-LA) | Louisiana State University | Biochemistry |
| Kennedy, John (R-LA) | Vanderbilt University | Poli Sci/Philosophy/Economics |
| Collins, Susan M. (R-ME) | St. Lawrence University | Government |
| King, Angus S., Jr. (I-ME) | Dartmouth College | (no response) |
| Cardin, Benjamin L. (D-MD) | University of Pittsburgh | Economics |
| Van Hollen, Chris (D-MD) | Swarthmore College | Philosophy |
| Markey, Edward J. (D-MA) | Boston College | History |
| Warren, Elizabeth (D-MA) | University of Houston | Speech Pathology and Audiology |
| Peters, Gary C. (D-MI) | Alma College | Political Science |
| Stabenow, Debbie (D-MI) | Michigan State University | (no response) |
| Klobuchar, Amy (D-MN) | Yale University | Political Science |
| Smith, Tina (D-MN) | Stanford University | Political Science |
| Hyde-Smith, Cindy (R-MS) | University of Southern Mississippi | (no response) |
| Wicker, Roger F. (R-MS) | University of Mississippi | Journalism and Political Science |
| Blunt, Roy (R-MO) | Southwest Baptist University | History |
| Hawley, Josh (R-MO) | Stanford University | History |
| Daines, Steve (R-MT) | Montana State University | Chemical Engineering |
| Tester, Jon (D-MT) | College of Great Falls | Music |
| Fischer, Deb (R-NE) | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Education |
| Sasse, Ben (R-NE) | Harvard University | Government |
| Cortez Masto, Catherine (D-NV) | University of Nevada-Reno | Business Administration |
| Rosen, Jacky (D-NV) | University of Minnesota | Psychology |
| Hassan, Margaret Wood (D-NH) | Brown University | History |
| Shaheen, Jeanne (D-NH) | Shippensburg University | English |
| Booker, Cory A. (D-NJ) | Stanford University | Political Science |
| Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) | St. Peter's College | Political Science |
| Heinrich, Martin (D-NM) | University of Missouri | Mechanical Engineering |
| Udall, Tom (D-NM) | Prescott College / Cambridge University | Bachelor of Law |
| Gillibrand, Kirsten E. (D-NY) | Dartmouth College | Asian Studies |
| Schumer, Charles E. (D-NY) | Harvard College | Social Studies concentration |
| Burr, Richard (R-NC) | Wake Forest University | Communications |
| Tillis, Thom (R-NC) | University of Maryland University College | Technology Management |
| Cramer, Kevin (R-ND) | Concordia College | Social Work |
| Hoeven, John (R-ND) | Dartmouth College | Economics and History |
| Brown, Sherrod (D-OH) | Yale University | Russian Studies |
| Portman, Rob (R-OH) | Dartmouth College | Anthropology |
| Inhofe, James M. (R-OK) | University of Tulsa | Economics |
| Lankford, James (R-OK) | University of Texas-Austin | Secondary Ed (speech + history) |
| Merkley, Jeff (D-OR) | Stanford University | International Relations |
| Wyden, Ron (D-OR) | Stanford University | Political Science |
| Casey, Robert P., Jr. (D-PA) | College of the Holy Cross | English |
| Toomey, Patrick J. (R-PA) | Harvard University | Political Science |
| Reed, Jack (D-RI) | West Point | (no response) |
| Whitehouse, Sheldon (D-RI) | Yale University | (no response) |
| Graham, Lindsey (R-SC) | University of South Carolina | Psychology |
| Scott, Tim (R-SC) | Charleston Southern University | Political Science |
| Rounds, Mike (R-SD) | South Dakota State University | Political Science |
| Thune, John (R-SD) | Biola University | Business |
| Alexander, Lamar (R-TN) | Vanderbilt University | Latin American Studies |
| Blackburn, Marsha (R-TN) | Mississsippi University | Home Economics |
| Cornyn, John (R-TX) | Trinity University | Journalism |
| Cruz, Ted (R-TX) | Princeton University | Public Policy |
| Lee, Mike (R-UT) | Brigham Young University | Political Science |
| Romney, Mitt (R-UT) | Brigham Young University | English |
| Leahy, Patrick J. (D-VT) | St. Michael's College | Political Science |
| Sanders, Bernard (I-VT) | University of Chicago | Political Science |
| Kaine, Tim (D-VA) | University of Missouri | Economics |
| Warner, Mark R. (D-VA) | George Washington University | Political Science |
| Cantwell, Maria (D-WA) | Miami University | Public Administration |
| Murray, Patty (D-WA) | Washington State University | Physical Education |
| Capito, Shelley Moore (R-WV) | Duke University | Zoology |
| Manchin, Joe, III (D-WV) | West Virginia University | Business Administration |
| Baldwin, Tammy (D-WI) | Smith College | Political Science and Math |
| Johnson, Ron (R-WI) | University of Minnesota | Business and Acounting |
| Barrasso, John (R-WY) | Georgetown University | Biology |
| Enzi, Michael B. (R-WY) | George Washington University | Accounting |
| *** Rand Paul attended Baylor University from 1981-1984 but did not graduate; he was admitted to Duke Medical School and graduated with an M.D. in 1988. At Baylor, Paul's studies focused on English and biology (source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/02/13/rand-pauls-claim-twice-in-one-day-that-he-has-a-biology-degree/?arc404=true) |
10 Most Influential People in Boston: Colleges and Majors
| Name | College | Major | Current position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Baker | Harvard College | English | Governor of Massachusetts |
| Linda Henry | Babson College | Business | Managing director, Boston Globe |
| Andrew Lelling | Binghampton University | Literature and Rhetoric | U.S. attorney, district of Massachusetts |
| Ayanna Pressley | (has not graduated) | NA | Representative in Congress |
| Marty Walsh | Boston College | Political Science | Mayor of Boston |
| Bob Rivers | Stonehill College | Finance | Chair and CEO, Eastern Bank |
| John Fish | Bowdoin College | Political Science | CEO, Suffolk Construction |
| Jonathan Kraft | Williams College | History | Owner of the New England Patriots |
| Abigail Johnson | Hobart and William Smith College | Art History | Chair and CEO, Fidelity Investments |
| Jim Rooney | Harvard College | Economics | President and CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce |
Similarly, seven of the 10 most influential people in Boston (so determined in a recent Boston Magazine article) were liberal arts majors, and not all at elite institutions.* Our governor, Charlie Baker, majored in English at Harvard; Andrew Yelling, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, majored in Literature and Rhetoric at SUNY Binghamton. Like the US senators, these wielders of power did not acquire finite skill sets as undergraduates but honed their critical thinking skills with broad-based inquiry.
In an Inside Higher Ed column this past September, Melanie Ho pointed out that the United States is well on its way to developing a two-tiered system of higher education: a set of elite, selective schools that offer majors in the traditional liberal arts and sciences, with a second tier of schools that offer more technically- or professionally-focused majors to a broader demographic. Our data expands on her warning to provide evidence that the current administrative and political preference for preprofessional majors is ultimately elitist and exclusionary.
Our fear about these sorts of skills-focused programs is that they are so specialized that they don’t allow any professional flexibility when markets and economies inevitably change. A history major knows how to do research in a variety of modes, how to examine a problem from a variety of angles, how to write clearly and cleanly about that research and examination, and how to adapt numerous modes of thinking to disparate situations. Those are all crucial skills applicable in an infinite assortment of circumstances. In 2035, would an employer be more likely to hire a history major, with that nebulous but importantly fungible skill set, or an e-sports management major, whose skill set will be finite, especially without any professional development since 2020? Students majoring in e-sports management may find employment at graduation right now, but could easily find themselves in 2035 in the same position as travel agents in 2010.
The underlying effect of these recent cuts to the liberal arts is to provide the majority of the nation’s undergraduates with “practical” majors at regional public universities that will enable them to “get a job” while the children of the supposed meritocracy have access to the thought processes and inquiry methods that will ultimately enable them to assume positions of cultural, political, and economic power. Many years ago, at a conference discussion of MOOCs, one of the speakers uttered a phrase that’s continually resonated: Massive Open Online Courses were “Walmart education good enough for other people’s children.” The MOOC model, once touted as a great equalizer and positive disruption, has been largely discredited. Overly specialized, skill-specific majors—e.g. in e-sports management or event planning—are yet another form of Walmart education good enough for other people’s children.
If we don’t provide the students at regional, non-selective universities even the opportunity to choose traditional liberal arts majors, then those traditional liberal arts will remain entrenched at majority-white, majority-upper-income institutions; those liberal arts will continue to reinforce their own exclusivity and closed-mindedness; they will continue to seem less relevant to the majority of Americans
Undergraduates themselves have bought into this anti-liberal-arts narrative; they avoid liberal arts majors, which seem not to offer a sense of economic security post-graduation or an answer to the “what are you going to do with that?” questions posed by family and friends (the number of English majors dropped 20% nationwide from 2012-2018). They tend to see humanities majors as inevitably leading only to a K12 teaching career, not realizing that liberal arts skills are applicable, necessary, and valuable in a variety of powerful and lucrative professions, including U.S. senator.
If we don’t provide the students at regional, non-selective universities even the opportunity to choose traditional liberal arts majors, then those traditional liberal arts will remain entrenched at majority-white, majority-upper-income institutions; those liberal arts will continue to reinforce their own exclusivity and closed-mindedness; they will continue to seem less relevant to the majority of Americans. Liberal arts narratives will continue to be constructed by white, upper-middle-class scholars, mostly heterosexual males, and the world at large will be intellectually impoverished from that homogeneity. An array of liberal arts majors benefits the discourse in the university; more importantly, those majors also benefit the graduates who leave that university to access and engage in multiple, overlapping, compelling contributions to the economy and the culture at large.
About the Authors
Mary Dockray-Miller is Professor of English in the Humanities department at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She is the author of Public Medievalists, Racism, and Suffrage in the American Women’s College (Palgrave, 2017) and The Books and the Life of Judith of Flanders (Ashgate, 2016).
Asiya Shaikh is double majoring in English and elementary education at Lesley University.