What Next: Oh the Humanities!

Slate News

Slate Podcasts

News, News Commentary, Politics

4.6 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 19 December 2023

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

West Virginia University is wrapping up its first semester following dramatic cuts to undergraduate and graduate programs. Its president calls the “restructuring” an effort to better focus on majors like medicine, nursing, and business – degrees that will lead directly to lucrative jobs. But what is a degree really for? And how do you decide when a diploma is “worth it?” Guest: Michael Powell, staff writer at The Atlantic. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This podcast is brought to you by Progressive.
0:03.0	Are you driving your car or doing laundry right now?
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0:30.2	National average 12 month savings of $793 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive
0:36.1	between June 2021 and May 2022.
0:39.5	Potential savings will vary. I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about your own schooling.
0:53.9	What kind of university did you attend?
0:56.1	Oh, sure.
0:57.1	I attended a State University of New York at Purchase, which is in New York State.
1:04.0	Michael Powell is a staff writer at the Atlantic, and he's proud of his public university roots.
1:14.0	I'm obviously biased on these and I believe very much in them.
1:19.0	I mean, I think they're enormously important.
1:22.0	There's something about this idea of a liberal arts education and not just for the well-off.
1:28.0	There are places where working class, middle class, poor kids have a chance at a truly grand education
1:40.4	for a price that doesn't, particularly today,
1:46.4	immiserate them for years to come.
	...

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