The Miami Plan could save you from AI

We’ve all had that boring early morning lecture where you feel like Atlas with the mythic magnitude of effort it takes to keep your eyes open. “Why am I even here?” you wonder to yourself. “This has nothing to do with my major.”

It’s easy to throw out the idea of a modern liberal arts education altogether as a useless effort to retain some dumb tradition an old guy made up in the 19th century. But liberal education continues to be important today, not just for retaining traditions, but for diversifying your skills.

That boring lecture class — or at least a more interesting one from another section of the Miami Plan — might just save your future job from artificial intelligence (AI).

A liberal arts education provides students with invaluable skills necessary to be successful post-grad.

Nathan French, vice chair of the University Senate and chair of the University Senate's Executive Committee and associate professor of religion and international studies, said the skills and experiences of liberal arts courses are key to students’ futures.

“In my conversations with recent alumni, and my conversations with folks in professional spaces, the liberal education secured by these humanities courses is an essential differentiator for how Miami students succeed and promote faster in whatever career that they end up working within,” French said.

In light of the growing presence of AI, the ability to perform a profession’s basic tasks is becoming less important, as AI can do more and more of them. What makes an individual stand out in the application process is what experiences and perspectives they bring from outside their specific field. To stand out in a shrinking job market, students don’t just need a professional major; they need the liberal arts programs that make them unique.

The many programs supported by the Miami Plan are also key in creating a diverse ecosystem of perspectives and discussions important to the environment of a college campus.

Per Bloland, an associate professor of composition and music technology, said these programs are vitally important within campus culture.

“Music is an essential part of our lives, and having performers and composers on campus adds to many things that are very important to the university … [humanities programs] enhance the world, they enhance the university, they enhance the student body,” Bloland said. “They are essential to every aspect of our life in one way or another.”

Don't take this as a blanket approval of all the Miami Plan’s aspects – there are many parts of it that I find confusing or mismanaged.

The plan requires professors to submit a proposal for their classes to be on the list, meaning many courses that should apply don’t. For example, Creativity and Design Thinking (CCA 111) applies to the Creative Arts Perspective area, but Design Thinking and Design Principles Applied (IMS 254) does not. Both are similar introductory design courses, only from different departments.

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This hints at a wider issue hindering the Miami Plan; recent changes to the Miami financial model incentivise departments to not participate in the Miami Plan and to keep students limited to their major requirements as much as possible.

Despite these issues, the Miami Plan is still important. Creating a streamlined program that applies widely to all students isn't an easy problem to solve, and broadly, the Miami Plan serves that purpose.

Students who are frustrated with the Miami Plan should find classes that are interesting to them, not just to fulfill a credit. Plan ahead and check which semesters certain classes are offered, or take advantage of the university’s course substitution petitions to use other classes to fulfill Miami Plan requirements.

We are often focused on professions and the economic aspects of education and society. Still, we can't forget that the whole point of a job is to provide yourself with the means to enjoy the softer aspects of life. Art and discovery are important aspects of the joys that make us human.

College shouldn’t just be a method to get a job on the other side. College, as cliché as it may sound, is about finding your place as an adult. Not just professionally, but socially and intellectually. The goal of the Miami Plan, for all its flaws, is to aid students in that pursuit.

hagooda@miamioh.edu

Abe Hagood is a first-year student double majoring in emerging technology in business and design and creative writing. He is a member of the Miami Game Design Club and Miami YDSA.