Thesis Help Needed

blairk55

New Member
Thesis Help Needed

Good Morning,

I am currently very frustrated by my master's thesis and I hope someone may be able to provide me with some guidance on literature that I can find to support the work I am doing for my thesis.

I am a human resources manager and when an interviewer comes around to asking about my education (this happens a lot to me), I am asked why I have earned a BA in Philosophy and am pursuing an MALS in Classical Civilizations rather than working toward a degree in human resource development (HRD). 'What value does philosophy/classics (liberal studies in general) have to...' and you can add in several variants to the question but mostly human resource management or business. I've pursued a liberal studies education because I want a breadth of knowledge rather than a narrowly defined set of information that, say, an MBA (a popular career path for my peers) would offer. I already had a career when I decided to return to college and did not need a professional degree.

As I recruit for employees who are not only technically skilled but who have critical thinking skills, I certainly know the value of a broad-based education. A fully educated person makes better decisions than a narrowly educated one and I am always looking for those types of employees (although they are hard to find)! I would like to make a case that a study of the liberal arts gives me critical thinking skills, an understanding of the breadth of the human experience (western as it might be), and an awareness of the universality of the human stories that myths tell, and that business can benefit from an employee with a liberal studies education.

I have thought about developing a fictional training manual utilizing myths to tell the stories that crop up in the work-a-day world (after all, people bring their experiences and issues and stories to work with them each day), explore the lessons taught by each myth, and then postulate how it could be applied to business. I am not sure that is the right approach but it is getting closer than I have come thus far.

As much as I may be flattering myself to assume I could accomplish it, I would like to create a work in line with what deBotton has done in his book Consolations of Philosophy; select various myths and draw out the business lessons those myths tell or, if not directly business related, generalized for right (and wrong) action and postulate that good human behavior is good business. As to whether that means I will find stories that assist me in making a case that I am a better (read in more open-minded, flexible, tolerant, understanding, etc.) HR Manager because of my education, which was my original idea, or that myth has something to offer to business generally, I do not know.

If anyone can help me I would be so appreciative of your input. Right now any ideas, insights, direction that I should take, would be very helpful.

Thank you,
Katrina
 

TopMyth

New Member
Response:

I'm a little troubled that you have a BA in Philosophy and are working on your MALS, yet you cannot answer the first question almost anyone would ask you, as soon as they found out that an HR manager was pursuing an MALS. What ARE you doing in this particular program, then?

The rest of your post seems to be about your personal struggle with this issue. I see a couple things that 'jump' out at me. Look at these quotes from your post:

"""I've pursued a liberal studies education because I want a breadth of knowledge rather than a narrowly defined set of information that, say, an MBA"""

"""A fully educated person makes better decisions than a narrowly educated one"""

Your post is full of one assumption: Better educated people make better employees. Reread your post, and hopefully you willl see a bit of a condescending attitude towards less educated poeple...or so it seems to me.

So few people seem to 'get' life...but they come from all kinds of backgrounds. I've met my share of well-educated jerks, and I have found people who have a profound understanding of life, who have little formal education. Personally, I have yet to find the 'secret' as to why certain people understand life and others never will.

"""making a case that I am a better (read in more open-minded, flexible, tolerant, understanding, etc.) HR Manager because of my education"""

Taken with your other comments, this seems to me to be more about your own cultural PC values than liberal studies in a classic sense, or mythology. While these are all traits we can admire and uphold; they are not what comes to my mind when I think of using mythology to help 'me' be a better HR manager.

"""myth has something to offer to business generally, I do not know."""

I think it does. Definitely. And I have used it over the years with my employees. But ALWAYS within the context of simply helping others become more acquainted with THEMSELVES. That, I believe, is what we can offer others; not a 'laundry list' of PC terms, or arguments that 'our' education is superior to 'yours'.

The employees that have come back and thanked me for any 'insights' I might have offered them have never thanked me for any 'rules' I gave them. Rather, they have thanked me for encouraging them to be unafraid of making 'scary' life choices.

That is what mythology is all about...giving us vivid examples of how we can journey out into life and actually live life, the ONE life we were uniquely meant to live.

What mythology specifically offers 'business' is the opportunity to employ people who know themselves so well that they absolutely KNOW that being employed by your company, and in their specific job, is EXACTLY where they should be right now. And mythology can also help those who shouldn't be at your company, move on to a job and/or company where they should be.

Well, enough of this. It is so hard to understand others in a forum. It is even harder to understand someone in only one post. I have probably made some wrong assumptions about you, and I apologize, in advance.

Hopefully, this might give you some clarification. If not, then let it roll off you like water off a duck!

Good luck with your thesis. Hey, maybe its already written by now!

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