Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities - Doss Subjects?

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Phantom_X

No they are not. Just because they have 'less contact hours' dosent make it easier. it just means more independent work needs to be done, which many students dont bother doing in favour of drinking and the like.

Indeed, less contact makes them hard. No sitting listening to the lecturer witter on about something.

At best there's a 2 hour lecture covering a subject coverd by 100,000 books and its for you to read up on the subject both before and after the lecture.
Best a lecture can do sometimes is introduce the subject and a handful of key concepts.

Saying that, more contact hours wouldn't appreciably change the work needed to be done by the student.
And does leave some hours when the lecturer is approachable to talk about individual problems and issues with the work.

Reply 61

mart2306

Jack.O

We covered some of him, too - "The Prince" was an interesting read.

He also did some other work, his art of war is not bad for the day and age.

Reply 62

Connor132

I'd say it's a mixture of barely any contact time and the fact they don't lead to any direct careers

Edit: I don't actually think that they're a "doss" though.

Reply 63

Uzzy?

Is it less contact time with BA degrees generally compared to BSC degrees or does it depend on the subject? For instance would there be less contact time with BSC Psychology?

Reply 64

Nizzay!

Would you class Advertising & Brand Managment as a 'doss degree'?

Reply 65

Moa

Organ

Just do what you think you will enjoy kids.

Yes and pay ~25k for that.

Reply 66

BioSam

moonlight_freakout

In my opinion (which is also the opinion of many unis in this country) psychology is a SCIENCE, not social science,but life science...I just hate when some people fail to understand this.

We do experiements and a third of the degree is statistics...

Parts of psychology are science, parts are not. Some courses may focus more heavily on the scientific approach than others, but psychology in its entirety cannot be called a science because it has no shared paradigm and, for instance, aspects of social psychology are very difficult if not impossible to examine scientifically.

Regardless I agree that (the vast majority) of arts/humanities/social sciences are not 'doss subjects'....some people may choose to doss rather than study but that is irrespective of being an arts or science student.

Reply 67

AfghanistanBananistan

No they are not doss subjects. Science students would struggle desperately with a History assignment, and I doubt would get a 2:1, and a history student would struggle with a science assignment. I had mates at uni who would diss arts subjects, but when asked to read a few pages of a book realised that it was high-brow stuff they couldnt understand. They are seen as doss because the contact hours are much less, but IMO that makes them tougher as we dont have our hands held, and effectively have to teach ourselves.

Its also much tougher to get a first (but easier to get a 2:1) in an arts subject. Science students regularly average 80-90%, which brings your average up, but it is virtually unheard of for an arts student to get above 78%. Also as its very subjective marking, an assignment can get either a 65 or a 75 depending on the marker. Being good does not guarantee a first if you get a few harsh markers or unlucky exam questions.

Id rather have a good arts subject behind me that makes me a rounded person, good at oral debating and writing fluent analysis and critical thinking. I've met too many mathmos who can barely string a sentence together and cant look people in the eye.

Reply 68

Wesssty

If people want to learn certain things, why try and stop them?

Reply 69

BioSam

AfghanistanBananistan

Id rather have a good arts subject behind me that makes me a rounded person, good at oral debating and writing fluent analysis and critical thinking. I've met too many mathmos who can barely string a sentence together and cant look people in the eye.

Surely a science degree trains you in critical thinking and analysis too? This idea that a science degree prepares you only for research in the lab is nonsense. In my degree for example I've had to develop numeracy, IT and practical skills, as well as skills in oral and written communication (presentations, essays and the like). I'd say that's pretty rounded.

Reply 70

ChemistBoy

AfghanistanBananistan

No they are not doss subjects.Some Science students would struggle desperately with a History assignment, and I doubt would get a 2:1, and a history student ~~would~~may struggle with a science assignment. I had mates at uni who would diss arts subjects, but when asked to read a few pages of a book realised that it was high-brow stuff they couldnt understand. They are seen as doss because the contact hours are much less, but IMO that makes them tougher as we dont have our hands held, and effectively have to teach ourselves.

Just thought I'd correct that to reflect reality. We aren't all black and white, after all.

Reply 71

Dann

I have to say, it's always a shame to read threads like these, because, with a few exceptions, it is almost always people who have not even completed a degree, or worse yet, not started one, who seem to be the ones who feel most qualified to put their inevitably useless two cents in.

The problem is that if any of the people so eager to slate non-science degrees had ever read Latour or Foucault, or any number of other theorists which many non-science students spend an awful lot of time considering, then they would understand that science is not as robust or 'objective' as they love to think. It is ultimately ignorance not only of non-science subjects, but also of the nature of the very science they wish to portray as so intellectually unassailable, that makes people say such stupid things about science representing the only worthwhile or challenging courses. It's telling that genuine scientists, (people who have studied and considered their subjects to a much greater depth than the militant science A-level students here who love to share their uninformed opinions) rarely make the same sweeping, and ignorant claims.

Reply 72

im so academic

machiavelli123

So Philosophy at Cambridge is a doss degree now... I might as well take a dump in a public toilet cistern, stick my head in the basin and flush as apparently I am wasting 3 years of my life... :holmes:

No, no, no, no, no it isn't!

A Cambridge degree will get you anywhere. :smile:

Reply 73

polka_dott

Why do people use the argument that Arts/Humanities subjects do not lead to jobs - no degree does really unless it is something like Medicine/Vet Science! How is a degree in Chemistry automatically better than a degree in History?!