I’m a student of social sciences and liberal arts studying in a business institute – that is a sentence I like to repeat to myself often. Simply for the comic value. But somewhere amidst the irony is an institutional practice that holds back art students from the complete educational experience.
The practice in question is subtle discrimination.
There exists a plethora of unbelievers who do not like to encourage the arts. And then a step lower than that, exist schools and colleges that offer arts. They, however much surprising it is, are not the absolute pioneers of social science subjects that we’d like them to be.
I’ve been an ‘arts’ student since O levels, or before that if it counts. And customarily, I’ve been on the receiving end of a formal ‘talk’ that cautioned me against it. The talk did not come from my parents, or my relatives. It came from the very people who offered me those subjects.
Do you believe in social sciences?
The thing is, our schools and colleges don’t believe in social sciences. Undoubtedly, they offer it to us. But they do it on a rusty, old platter. They do it for the sake of going against orthodox norms. But at the end of the day, they fall short when it comes to nurturing a student. Subsequently, this is where the subtle discrimination comes into play. Fear is always inculcated. Resources are always lacking. Teachers are perhaps compromised on.
The subjects exist, but they’re malnourished.
It is the very reason we have countless options for universities to choose from if we are coming from a background of science itself. But, like an invitation for a club of teenage introverts, attaching the word ‘social’ removes more than half of the names on that list.
Pakistan does not boast of an educational system that inculcates the arts. Evidently so, from the HEC ranking of top universities that includes only two in the category ‘Art & Design’. It is done sparingly. And, in my opinion, a failure to study our society is one of the many reasons that our society is failing.
The End Goal
It is an unsettling feeling to be studying Marxism in a classroom right next to one that teaches you how to be capitalistic. Although, my criticism isn’t directed at Capitalism Course 101. Neither is it apprehensive of that unsettling feeling. I think it should exist. But I think there is a disparity between the representation of those two sides.
Generally, keeping aside this very specific example, there are always two sides. And one of them consistently has less representation, and that side is always arts.
The unsettling feeling should belong to everyone, equally. Until all science, business and computer students learn to live in a multifaceted environment where they are not always better nurtured, better guided and better resourced.
4 thoughts on “Are You a Minority Major: Arts and Other Stories”
Indeed a well-written article. Art is the oldest form of learning in itself and the social sciences in themselves are which laid base for all other subjects and to a certain extent all subjects depend on these sciences be it Economics, physics or even biology.
It is unfortunate that in our country it is seen as ‘inferior’ if you have SS, mainly because not everyone can take the joy of going through it!
That is very true! All of these are valid points, thank you for contributing to the conversation. Hopefully we’ll reach a point when this will be encouraged.
Well said. But here is one thing even there are several number of universities which are offering only science related majors or engineering but they are not training students accordingly. In 4 years of university, student only have to read books and do assignments, which is useless. And when it comes to practical life everyone stuck there.
I agree. The entire educational system is in dire need of a reform that focuses more on teaching than it does on grades!