Prompt: Rising university fees and limited employment prospects for graduates have led some people to say that universities should not teach arts subjects, like philosophy and history, and should only offer practical degree courses that maximise chances of employment. Ċ To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Because of University fees increasing more and more and lower opportunities to find a job after graduation, some argue that arts subjects, such as philosophy and history should not be included in the offering of universities, instead they should only teach courses that give the best employment prospects. While it is true that having a degree does not mean one will find a job, I do not agree with this. This essay will discuss the vital importance of these subjects and demonstrate the practical use that sometimes people fail to recognise. Ċ First of all, studying the arts, history, philosophy or any other discipline, help and promote self-expression, offering alternative tools to communicate and create, which can boost confidence and encourage individuality. For instance, it is well known that art classes give students the chance to be themselves, and the freedom to create without having to follow strict rules. This allows the expression of different personalities and the use of people's full potentials that would be lost otherwise. Ċ Secondly, the study of philosophy and history helps develop critical thinking and the ability to analyse events or any other thing from the past to understand better our present, cultural differences, enjoy the beauty of a work of art and find the answers to the questions and doubts we have. For example, by learning and discussing historical events we make sure that mistakes already made by those who lived before us are not repeated. The ability to make sense of things around us that we acquire are good enough reasons to continue teaching them.  Ċ To conclude, I do not agree with those that say that universities should stop arts subjects courses, because they are a vital font of knowledge, they encourage people creativity and enables individuality and self-esteem.