Survey Shows Humanities Down

Colleges and universities as a whole require very few courses in the humanities, according to a recent survey conducted for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

The survey, which included 374 two-and four-year colleges and universities, indicated that only English composition is required by all schools for every student seeking an undergraduate degree.

The NEH was disturbed by the results. "We are quite concerned that the general education requirements have declined to the extent they have," said Jeffrey D. Thomas, an official at the NEH who helped design the survey.

"We find it particularly troublesome that students can graduate from a great preponderance of colleges and universities without having any significant exposure to American history and literature," Thomas said.

As a result of the findings, the NEH has announced two new initiatives--"Understanding America," and "Understanding Other Nations"--intended to "reinvigorate concern for learning" about this and other countries, said Thomas.