The COVID-19 news coverage may give the impression that scientists, particularly those in medical and global health fields, are the only ones who are engaged in solving this pandemic challenge. Some may wonder, does a liberal arts education matter at a time like this? Of course, it does!
In reality, there are many, many questions being asked and answered behind the scenes, and it will be experts from multiple fields working together that will lead the recovery efforts around the world. Just think of the various topics and challenges and solutions that will need to be addressed:
- Science – How does the virus work? How does the virus travel from person to person? How should a vaccine work? How do we protect people? Including the frontline workers who are helping people? How is that connected to…
- People – Who does this virus hit hardest? Which communities? Why? What is the socio-historical context for those in the hardest hit communities? How is that related to…
- Money – Whose lives are most affected by closures? Were some individuals and families already financially challenged? How does an enlightened society assure that we do not become even more of a have/have-not culture? How and when will our economy recover? How does that link to…
- Education – With nursery schools, preschools, and K-12 schools closed, how are families meeting the pressure to “home school”? Are they prepared to achieve an authentic home school experience or are many families doing what my family is doing—a mix of age-appropriate arts, crafts, safe outside adventures, reading, games, etc.? How does that relate to…
- Higher education – Can they successfully replicate classroom experiences to remote learning? What about the out-of-classroom opportunities integral to a college education? How will internships, cooperative experiences, performances, etc., be experienced with social distancing measures in place? And so forth….
As this quick brainstorm here shows, there’s not just one challenge with COVID-19 and, therefore, not just one answer. We need our best and brightest thinkers considering all the pieces of this intertwined challenge to connect the socially distant dots to create a bigger picture solution. A liberal arts education teaches students to see connections across disparate fields, and solving global challenges like this pandemic comes more naturally to those who experienced a broad-based education rather than a more narrowly focused one.
My 5-year-old son made a joke last week: “If spiders had webinars, they’d be spiderwebinars.” It made me laugh and it made me think: Everything is connected—from all the pieces of this global pandemic to each of us experiencing it in our own way.