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Annotated Bibliography Dizik, Alina. "Degree Debate: Liberal Arts Vs. Math and Science College Degrees and Online Degrees DegreeDriven.com." College Degrees and Online Degrees DegreeDrivencom RSS. Degreedriven.com, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. In this article, Alina discusses her opinion on the differences between liberal arts majors and science or math majors. She mainly focuses on the differences in income that one will receive throughout their lifetime with either degree. The article is broken up into four different topics. The introduction contains the thesis and gives an overview of what to expect from the rest of the article. The other three topic paragraphs go in chronological order starting with the beginning of graduating college, details the middle period, and then the long term. She goes into detail about how starting off with a liberal arts degree can be a challenge when it comes to finding a job, but in the long run, the experience gained through this education can be beneficial and come close to matching a quantitative degree income wise. Alina supports her argument with many statistics from the Bureau of Labor. This gives her article very strong credibility in believing her argument is factual information. With each stage in ones career she points out the typical difference in income between Liberal arts majors and Math or Science majors. In the final paragraph labeled long term investment, she brings her article together by using an actual college graduate. She explains how after graduating and using her new way of thinking gained from studying liberal arts to further her career, the idea that the degree is unbeneficial was non-existent. This statement was a strong appeal using ethos by using the experience of an actual successful individual with a liberal arts degree to help sway the opinion in support of the major.

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There is a lot of information I can use in this article, mainly regarding income of college graduates. I can use Alinas argument to support both sides of my topic. She claims that income is not everything when attempting to choose a major and that it is possible to be successful with any option that one chooses. Despite this, she also constantly brings up that the quantitative majors typically have a more stable job and income. While there's a starting salary gap between an English and a math degree right from the start, deciding which degree is ultimately more valuable for you and your career is more difficult After 20 years out of college, an English degree or any degree for that matter can feel like a distant memory. A liberal arts degree can be a gateway to a variety of professions that can also have a rewarding salary. Bottom line: Make sure the degree you get relates to what youre eager to do in your career. Ungar, Sanford J. "7 Major Misperceptions About The Liberal Arts." Chronicle Of Higher Education 56.25 (2010): A40. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. In this article, Ungar points out seven common misconceptions that are associated with the Liberal arts. The seven misconceptions are as follows: A liberal-arts degree is a luxury that most families can no longer afford. "Career education" is what we now must focus on; College graduates are finding it harder to get good jobs with liberal-arts degrees; The liberal arts are particularly irrelevant for low-income and first-generation college students. They, more than their more-affluent peers, must focus on something more practical and marketable; One should not, in this day and age, study only the arts. The STEM fields--science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are where the action is; It's the liberal Democrats who got this country into trouble in recent years, so it's ridiculous to continue indoctrinating our young people with a liberal education; America is the only country in the world that clings to such an old-fashioned

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form of postsecondary education as the liberal arts. Other countries, with more practical orientations, are running way ahead of us; The cost of American higher education is spiraling out of control, and liberal-arts colleges are becoming irrelevant because they are unable to register gains in productivity or to find innovative ways of doing things; Ungars topic is very narrow as he points out seven different issues and talks solely about those supposed misconceptions. Five of the misconceptions that are stated deal with career and income, while the other two discuss government and foreign countries. Ungars argument is very one sided giving no disadvantages to obtaining a liberal arts degree while pointing out all of the positives associated. The fact that he is the president of a Liberal arts school and his comments may make him appear biased to the reader. After pointing out each supposed misconception, he bashes the idea with his own opinion and makes the idea seem foolish. He uses an appeal using pathos by suggesting that buying into these misconceptions is condescending. Using this technique makes his argument come across stronger. Ungar is a president of a liberal arts college so I can use him as someone with personal experience to support the idea of a liberal arts degree being beneficial. I can point out the misconceptions that Ungar has stated and use his comments on them to further support the argument against decreasing funding for liberal arts. Im going to be careful not to use to much of his opinionated information, but instead use the facts he has presented. Yet one could argue that the traditional, well-rounded preparation that the liberal arts offer is a better investment than ever--that the future demands of citizenship will require not narrow technical or job-focused training, but rather a subtle understanding of the complex influences that shape the world we live in.

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A 2009 survey for the Association of American Colleges and Universities actually found that more than three-quarters of our nation's employers recommend that college bound students pursue a "liberal education." Financial issues cannot be ignored, but neither can certain eternal verities: Through immersion in liberal arts, students learn not just to make a living, but also to live a life rich in values and character. "The Politicization of the Liberal Arts." Online Colleges. Staff Writers, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. At the start of the article, the author gives a brief history as to what liberal arts used to mean to students and what its meaning has changed into over the years. After the background is established, the author begins to detail the reasons why certain politicians have felt the need to target the liberal arts. The article also talks about the specific economic problems that are occurring that the politicians are trying to ignore and place the blame solely on the nonquantitative college majors not producing jobs. In the next paragraphs, the author speaks about how the politicians accusations are false and that research can disprove these claims. To drive the article home, the author explains the dangers of decreasing liberal arts funding and the flaws associated with the plans proposed by the politicians. The author has a very clear and logical argument. They recognize that there has been a decrease in the job market of those with liberal arts degrees, but counters by saying that the job market has decreased for all college majors including the quantitative disciplines. The organization of the article is done in a way in which it continues to progress and build upon itself until the very end statements. Through-out the article, the opposing opinion is stated and then rebutted with the authors opinion and statistics. The statistics increase the credibility of the paper and add some factual information to the authors opinion.

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The main points I intend to use from this article are the topic paragraphs detailing the future of education and the consequences if we decrease funding to liberal arts. There are also some valuable statistics that are available that I may be able to use as well. The authors statements are so strong that my opinion has definitely been swayed in support for the liberal arts majors. The thought of our future economy declining because of our lack of support for the nonquantitative majors is disturbing to me and was a strong approach using the pathos appeal. In ancient Greece, the liberal arts were defined as those subjects that were considered essential for citizens to master in order to take an active part in civic life, from debating in public to serving on a jury. The poor economy has hurt students hoping to find nearly every kind of work, not just those in the liberal arts. In actuality, in the years prior to the recession, despite an increase in liberal arts majors, the National Center for Education Statistics reports that liberal arts majors had incredibly low rates of unemployment. Drops in funding mean fewer resources for undergraduates and graduate students alike, and in some cases, the dismantling of some liberal arts programs entirely. Weinstein, Adam. "Political MoJo." Mother Jones. Political Mojo, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. In this article, Adam Weinstein discusses Floridas governor, Rick Scott, distaste for the liberal arts community and how he plans on cutting funding and support for these courses. Adam speaks about how Rick Scotts plan is an all-out attack against non-quantitative majors in an attempt to just about completely remove the major from the state educational program. After explaining the governors opinion, Adam attempts to discredit all of Ricks statements with

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research and then goes into detail on other areas that could be cut instead of liberal arts courses to support the states economy. Adams argument is shaky in that he begins explaining that liberal arts is morally justifying and not necessarily purely profitable which can damage his previous statements. He does use very strong and emotional words in explaining how ridiculous the governors accusations are. If anything, he does completely discredit the governor and make him appear uneducated which could help or hurt his argument depending on how harsh people would take his comments. The main thing from this article I will be using is not what Adam has said but instead the governors argument against liberal arts. He brings up valid reasons as to why funding should be cut even if he has no evidence to support it. I can use his opinion to enhance my paper on the argument against liberal arts majors. "You know, we don't need a lot more anthropologists in the state. It's a great degree if people want to get it, but we don't need them here. I want to spend our dollars giving people science, technology, engineering, math degrees. That's what our kids need to focus all their time and attention on. Those type of degrees. So when they get out of school, they can get a job." "If I'm going to take money from a citizen to put into education then Im going to take that money to create jobs," Scott said. "So I want that money to go to degrees where people can get jobs in this state." The governor, an ex-corporate CEO with a checkered business past, is pushing a plan that would all but kill liberal arts and social sciences at the Sunshine State's public universities.

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Kingkade, Tyler. "Pat McCrory Lashes Out Against 'Educational Elite' And Liberal Arts College Courses." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 03 Feb. 2013. Web. 02 Apr. 2013 In this news article, Tyler Kingkade writes about North Carolinas governor Pat McCrorys support for the quantitative majors over the Liberal arts. He writes about the Governors plans to revamp the educational system in favor of science, engineering, and math. The governor specifically points a finger at the University of Chapel Hill and there gender program and its inability to produce jobs. At the end of the article, Tyler details how McCrorys comments have started a heated debate and a lot of controversy amongst the educational community and liberal arts supporters. The article isnt necessarily an argument for or against liberal arts education. Its more factual information on what is going on with the debate and specifically Pat McCrorys comments. Pat McCrorys statements dont appear to have many facts, making his statements seem very opinionated without much credibility. He does explain his plan of action very well making him appear to have a clear idea of whats happening with the issue but once again doesnt present any facts. I plan on using this article to support the opposing side to the liberal arts major. Pat McCrorys argument is stronger than the Florida governors opinion so it will be very helpful. There is a lot of information specifically on his plan to change the educational system in North Carolina to focus on peoples ability to obtain a job. So Im going to adjust my education curriculum to what business and commerce needs to get our kids jobs as opposed to moving back in with their parents after they graduate with debt."

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McCrory said he doesn't believe state tax dollars should be used to help students at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill study for a bachelor's degree in gender studies or to take classes on the Swahili language. "We've really created this elitist cult of hierarchy where people who know how to do things, do things with their hands are looked down upon,"