jobs for philosophers: why philosophy graduates are so employable george macdonald ross senior...
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JOBS FOR PHILOSOPHERS:WHY PHILOSOPHY GRADUATES ARE SO
EMPLOYABLE
George MacDonald RossSenior Adviser, PRS Subject Centre
Employability in the Humanities, 23.10.09
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Programme
• General employability skills
• Why humanities, and philosophy in particular, develop these
• Ways universities could improve
• Points for discussion
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General employability skills
• Employers’ various lists– Do they say what they mean?
• 1990s’ failed attempt to define ‘graduateness’
• QAA’s Qualifications Frameworks– Good attempt at the impossible– But only true of ‘good’ graduates
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Philosophical skills 1
• Popular (mis)conception that humanities and philosophy are irrelevant
• Education vs. training
• Vocational training is unsuited for general skills
• Graduate jobs for the educated
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Philosophical skills 2
• Examples of skills:– Logical reasoning– Independence of thought– Clarity of thought and expression– Creative imagination– Seeing things from different points of
view
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Philosophical skills 3
• More examples:– Thinking outside the box– Handling uncertainty– Reflective awareness– Ethical approach to decisions
Especially characteristic of philosophy, but also of humanities in general
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Why humanities? 1
• In STEM/vocational disciplines, independent thinking is difficult (though not impossible), because:– Large body of facts, concepts and
techniques to be learned– Professional standards not to be
questioned– Answers to problems unambiguously right
or wrong
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Why humanities? 2
• In humanities independent thinking is easier, because:– Many supposed facts are contestable– Research methods are contestable– Few straight right/wrong answers
• Scope for students to express independence by disagreeing with teachers
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Ways universities could improve 1
• Even in philosophy, general skills not always developed:– Some teachers are didactic, and reward
conformity to their own views– Widespread hostility to the language of
skills as opposed to content– Learning outcomes presuppose conformity
to a norm– Skills development takes time
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Ways universities could improve 2
• Be explicit about skills development
• Reward independent thinking
• Avoid teaching methods that reward memorisation and regurgitation
• Help students to articulate their skills in CVs
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Suggested points for discussion
• Are humanities and STEM/vocational subjects really so different?
• Is it true that philosophy develops general skills more than other disciplines?
• Am I right that the rhetoric of skills development doesn’t match the reality?
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Thank you for participating
George MacDonald Ross
Department of Philosophy,
University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 [email protected]
http://prs.heacademy.ac.uk
http://www.philosophy.leeds.ac.uk/GMR/index.html
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