From the Columbia Daily Spectator: In her student advising meetings in recent years, Wendy Schor-Haim, director of Barnard’s First-Year Writing program, has noticed a shift in her advisees. Schor-Haim, who has taught in the program since 2009, said she saw a “notable decrease” over the past few years in first-year students voicing interest in humanities majors. Instead, more were arriving on campus with clear plans to pursue STEM fields.
Schor-Haim’s experience reflects a broader trend faculty say is emerging at Barnard: declining interest in traditional humanities majors alongside sustained growth in hard and social sciences. As Barnard continues to invest in scientific infrastructure and resources, professors across disciplines are wondering what this shift means for the college’s identity and the future of humanities in a liberal arts framework...
In her advising conversations, Schor-Haim said interests are skewing “overwhelmingly” toward natural sciences. Social sciences, particularly economics, follow. By contrast, she said she could “count on one hand” how many of her students enter Barnard expressing interest in fields such as literature, history, philosophy, or other humanities...
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