When you choose a science class junior year, you have several options: AP Chemistry, AP Biology, Physics, AP Physics 1, Marine Biology, Human Anatomy, and AP Environmental Science. If you really love STEM, you might take two science classes or one of three computer science classes offered for Career Technical Education credit. Most humanities classes, meanwhile, are differing levels of the same required course. Students pick between AP U.S. History and U.S. History, for example.
Expanding humanities electives would mean offering more classes like AP Art History, which has reached full capacity in the past two years. The class explores cultures throughout history by analyzing paintings, architecture, and other art objects.
“It’s a very fun community in Art History,” junior Charlotte Anthony said. “I really love my humanities classes because I really appreciate the creativity and discussion of those classes.” AP Art History is the only humanities elective offered at M–A.
There are, however, many humanities classes beyond English and history, just as there are STEM classes beyond science and math. There’s no shortage of potential courses—philosophy, classics, and anthropology are just the tip of the iceberg.
“I was talking to one teacher recently at a training we had here. I said we should do electives here, like history of sports in America, or history of fashion, or history of music genres, like hip-hop or jazz or rock. If we did that, it would stimulate a lot more excitement and engagement with social studies,” AP U.S. History and Government teacher Sam Harris said.
These types of classes are underrepresented in M–A’s course offerings largely due to a lack of demand. Most teachers don’t have the time to create a new curriculum and teach one section of a course that few students would take.
But this lack of demand for humanities courses reflects a deeper cultural issue: humanities subjects are undervalued because they do not correlate with lucrative careers as clearly as STEM subjects. Many students view the humanities as outdated, with few real-world applications outside of academia. STEM careers, on the other hand, are seen as future-proof and novel, with an ever-expanding job market.
“I think it’s money. I think it’s also with the environment we’re in—the regional emphasis on tech and the entrepreneurial spirit. The path to success is through STEM,” Harris said.
Much of the Bay Area’s economic success can be attributed to STEM industries like computer science, and a large number of parents—many of whom have found success in those fields—and students view STEM careers as the prime marker of success.
“Both my parents are STEM majors, with my dad majoring in engineering and my mom majoring in math. This means I’m expected to be good at the same things as them, even though I’m not really,” senior Mira Tian said.
Equating a STEM career with success is a narrow view. Humanities majors can work in a variety of high-paying fields, like law, advertising, and public relations. More importantly, studying the humanities—even without related career aspirations—is intrinsically valuable. Classes like Art History teach critical thinking and communication through writing and discussion. They also explore what we care about and what we ought to care about—important discussions for anyone, even those interested in STEM. Humanities classes are instrumental in understanding contemporary society and the shared experience of being human.
