University degrees that promote socialism or could be useful for a socialist career?

[j-mak]

This might be a stupid question, but I am wondering is there any University degree that could provide a socialist career (socialist / communist party member).

All I can think of is politics, international affairs and sociology,
you could possibly include modern history.

Can anybody think of any others?

[Spawn of Stalin]

Some of the greatest (Lenin, Fidel, etc) have studied law. I'm not really sure what you mean by a "socialist career" though, being a party member isn't really a career or even a full time thing in most cases unless you live in a country which is really pushing towards revolution. Most parties in European and north American countries only have a small handful of full timers. But yeah, I would say law with an emphasis on labour and trade union law would be the way to go.

[bricolage]

Urgh socialist career.
In all fairness if you want to be involved in everyday struggle the last thing you need is a 'socialist' degree.

[Jimmie Higgins]

There's no formal educational requirement for being an active socialist or member of a radical group. At least there shouldn't be; maybe just the school of life under capitalism:lol: (lame, I know).

But having a degree should help some help in getting a job (no guarantees now days), so it's worth going if you have the opportunity. So if you are not sure what to study but would like it to allow you to learn more about radical politics, I would definitely go with history 9over the other choices you mentioned). In any field you are going to run into a lot of post-modern and liberal views (even in Marx or Gramci studies) and this will certainty be the case with history. But in your own research and arguments you can read more about radical takes on history and bring a class based or at least a historical materialist approach to your courses.

You don't need to only study the Russian Revolution or modern history either. It would probably be very interesting to look into the development of capitalism over feudalism or the ways that class rule (and resistance) in the ancient world or in ancient china worked.

In my experience, sociology or poli-sci tends to become really divorced from reality in undergraduate classes but at least with history there is a solid base to argue from.

[RadioRaheem84]

I think a lot of revolutionary socialists have either studied law or medicine.

The best minds that have aided to Marxist thought I believe studied Economics or Philosophy.

Wasn't Marx a philosophy student?

[Autodidakt]

I've asked myself sort of the same question, but more in the 'what's the best degree I can get that will lead me to solving the big problems of the world?' question. I've chosen psychology. Mostly because if one understands how people think and why they do the things they do, one can affect change more deeply and strongly than in any other specialty.

I would be careful with sociology, much of the study is statistics based and steers away from the more important parts of human society.

Law is good, but only the theoretical parts of law are any use in socialist theory. Actual law is important for real world situations.

Economy is a bullshit study, I think. It's completely based of Adam Smith's theories and plays around modern capitalist financial structure. Pretty useless when you're building a socialist economy.

Political science is tricky one because depending on which college you go to, you could get a great faculty, or a faculty that is totally slanted to one side or another. PoliSci is also a bit of a mainstream thinking major because you don't learn how to think about politics from outside of the usual history of politics. It is, however, very good if you're looking for a much better understanding of the current political system and it's history. Be aware though, that that's all it offers.

You should also be careful with history. I've seen, from experience, that many of the best historians tend to lean a little to the right. This is not always so. It's just personal experience.

This is an interesting question. I'm looking forward to seeing other's answers.

[(A)narcho-Matt]

In my experience, sociology or poli-sci tends to become really divorced from reality in undergraduate classes but at least with history there is a solid base to argue from.

This is truth. The number of times id be in a politial economy class and someone would argue for privatisation of healthcare etc without thought of the human consequences was unbelevable (They just advocate what maes the numbers "work"). Also if your in the UK then dont expect to find many likeminded people at uni. Most are either Lib Dems or Libertarian Tory voters. The vaguely radical ones are sometimes found in green or amnesty groups but their usually annoying liberal types who want nothing to do with real action. There arnt that many Socialists or anarchists at universities despite what the student left like to believe...

Also i thought id just point out that the idea of a socialist career is ridiculous. Its one of the worst things about leninism tht you can have socialist careerists. I met plenty when i was involved in the student movement and most of them care more about gaining hegemony for their own sect or front group than actually taking part in direct action or building a revolutionary movement.

[RadioRaheem84]

There arnt that many Socialists or anarchists at universities despite what the student left like to believe...

This is true. I attended what was supposed to be perceived as a "socialist" school according to right wingers but as it turned out the entire school was policy wonk pro-establishment liberal. There was no sign of Marxism, Anarchism or anything of the sort on campus. I really just don't know where this idea that any college campus is full of red radicals. At most it can be a bastion of progressive lifestyle-ism.

I retract my comment about Economics. I studied it in college and even at the time it didn't make much sense to me but I just followed through because everyone was studying Economics, as it was become a banker or bust, but to be honest it was pure reactionary ideology. It took me a while to even grasp Marxism because I had to lose all that I learned in college about Econ. It is really a waste of time in college to study unless you study under a Marxist professor which is rare unless you attend UMass Amherst or the New School in NY.

[Ligeia]

What about geography?
I once attented some human-geography classes and they were really intresting since they analysed the material conditions,culture,politics,economy and history for their studies.

[bricolage]

Well I don't know how it is in America but here despite who you are being taught by or who you are studying alongside there is always room to insert radical viewpoints in your work whatever the subject, although as you are often going outside set reading lists/prescribed approaches you will have to make sure your work is of a high standard for it to do well.

For example this year (I am in the third year of a politics and history degree) I have written any essay about postanarchist conceptions of power (I don't completely agree with them mind) and am writing a dissertation about a shackdwellers movement in South Africa using an approach that the state is not a site of change. I am studying a history module on the Paris Commune but that lends itself a lot easier.

That being said I maintain going to University does not in any way enable you to be a 'better communist' or something like that, if anything you will probably end up either moderating your views to fit what you are being taught or get intellectually full of yourself and become so immersed in abstract theories you become entirely detached from reality. I think the last thing the 'left' needs is this approach that emancipation will come from those that have been through higher education.

[Robocommie]

I'd say do whatever you love, study whatever you feel is your calling, and then make that your part in the Revolution. You want to become a doctor? Maybe try to be the next Jonas Salk, or on a smaller scale, spend some time treating people who otherwise couldn't afford doctors.

You want to become a lawyer? You could do stuff like represent people in court who are being evicted from their homes, or work in civil rights cases, or try and help immigrants.

So forth and so on. Bring the revolution with you with whatever you do.

[Wanted Man]

Well, first you'd need to address a few questions:


What is a "socialist career"?
What do you want to achieve? Do you want to do something useful, or have you deluded yourself into thinking that you are the next Che Guevara or Marx?


It really depends on what you want. Some comrades are initially embarrassed about taking "bourgeois"/"reactionary" professional school studies like international relations and business or personnel and labour, as if humanities or liberal arts studies in university are somehow "proletarian"/"progressive".

This is a major misconception. People with labour- or management-oriented professional studies can play a very important role in taking care of the movement's affairs. On the other hand, people who have studied journalism can improve the quality of the organisation's paper or website, because the media of many socialist organisations are very poor.

So it's probably better to pick something that you are interested in, and then creatively apply what you learn in your activities.

[RED DAVE]

Teaching. You can always be a teacher. I don't know what country you're in, but there's no such thing as too many teachers. I know conditions are rough now, with mass layoffs in the US, but consider it as a profession. It's highly unionized, the work is socially useful, and you can always work in a left-wing organization as a teacher.

RED DAVE

[mykittyhasaboner]

Just take philosophy, sociology, political science, or some kind of history.

[Foldered]

I think a lot of it is up to you as a socialist. Any degree that you get is influenced by your own beliefs and anything you end up doing (should be) will be influenced too.
I'm graduating with an English degree and maybe a minor in socio-cultural anthropology by December and I never divorce my beliefs (anarchism) from my scholarship.
But yeah, if you're looking for something unionized that involves a 'degree,' then teaching is good. Law would be great to get into too, but unless you have a passion for it then there really isn't much of a point towards pursuing something simply because it caters slightly better to your ideologies.
As I believe was said earlier, it all depends on what you want to do. Really, anything can be "socialist;" most of the recent literary theorists that have had any impact (Foucault, Judith Butler, Donna Haraway and so on) are socialist.

[The Vegan Marxist]

Political science or sociology seems to be the best of the two. Besides, don't let one degree bring you down. You can be many things in life & the world shouldn't be run by a bunch of specialists.

“In a communist society there are no painters, but at most people who engage in painting among other activities.” ~Karl Marx

[zubovskyblvd]

I studied Politics as an undergraduate and I'm now coming towards the end of doing a Masters degree in politics and history. Different universities offer completely different contents to their courses, so it's worth shopping about until you find one you like, that's what I did with my degree. Most politics and politics-based courses touch on Marxist ideas and thought quite strongly, and I always felt that studying Marxist texts through my course really helped me with my own understanding; however, as other posters have said it's really up to you.

[here for the revolution]

I'll be going to university next year for Politics and International Relations (hopefully) or possibly Politics and Sociology. I must admit that the course does not provide much ability to further study leftist ideologies, however it will of course allow you to gain more of an insight into the `main` political areas and how they relate to the world. Any course in law, politics, history, sociology etc. would come in handy to expand your knowledge though won't make you a revolutionary. I'm simply going to expand my knowledge and set up links with other left wingers which I hope will last a lifetime. I know that the university I am going to does have several active Communist, Anarchist and Socialist groups, alongside being in a traditionally Socialist and activist area.
I am doing this with a mind to becoming a teacher/lecturer at a later stage.

[KC]

If you're going to pursue a degree for the purpose of self-fulfillment and not merely for career purposes then I would suggest asking yourself what you are most interested that will help further your understanding of the universe in general and not focus so narrowly on "socialism". I would suggest philosophy or physics; economics is a terrible thing to study in university (speaking from firsthand experience) and political science doesn't really get you where you want to go. I really think you should be focused on a much broader understanding of the world than socialist theory, though. There is a reason Marx was such a great writer; look at Kapital's sources, for example. He is constantly quoting literature, economic works, philosophy, etc... Don't limit yourself to one subject of study.

Personally, though, I think it's counterproductive to go to school for a degree if you're not planning to use it in your career search simply because of the fact that the structure of university courses and how expensive they usually are generally don't lend them to being good tools of personal development. I'd much rather study on my own or with a friend/friends than take classes in uni and pay thousands of dollars for a terrible lecture and have to do homework and take tests.

[Taikand]

I wanted to ask this for some time, so I won't start a new thread.
I want to go for programming, but there are a few problems.
1) It is definitely not unionized.
2) If I do succeed I'll earn quite some money, and that will definitely make me feel alienated from the leftist policies.
I'm still in High School so I am able to shift from one subject to another, but I really like coding stuff, besides "armchair emancipation". ( my ****** country doesn't have any real leftist organizations.:crying: <ironic>Thanks Ceausescu!!)

[Common_Means]

I would say Marxist analysis lends itself to all degrees within the social sciences. Take David Harvey for example, perhaps the most well-known Marxist academic, he's a geographer.

Anyways, most social science degrees blend to the point where you are drawing on multiple disciplines - so I wouldn't be too concerned about choosing sociology over, say, poli. sci. or economics.

[GPDP]

Wow, reading over many of your experiences with the social sciences at the undergrad level makes me feel very appreciative of the education I've received thus far.

I would say my university career as a Political Science and Sociology double major has been very satisfying. With a few exceptions, I've had the privilege of studying under mostly very progressive and even downright socialist professors. Now, it's probably not too uncommon for Sociology to have a progressive tint to it, but the degree of progressivism and sympathies for socialism present in my uni's Political Science is unprecedented. Even my Sociology undergrad adviser commented on how unusual it is for a Pol. Sci. department to be as progressive as ours is, since most tend to be quite conservative and supportive of the present system. Unfortunately, this comes at a political cost, ironically enough, evidenced by the fact that Pol. Sci. remains the only social science without a Master's program in our uni, but that may be fixed in the future.

Have I mentioned this is all in a third-rate university in South Texas, one of the poorest areas in the nation, if not THE poorest?

In any case, my experiences with the social sciences at my uni, with the notable exception of Economics (which my Political Economy professor says is actually relatively progressive in its own right), have been very positive. Most professors I've encountered are very critical of the system, and are wont to highlight much of what is wrong. Only a few actually go all the way and cite capitalism itself as the main problem (I've had three such professors thus far, which is probably still a lot), but for the most part, few if any will say the system's fair.

As for my aspirations? Well, I hope to join those professors in criticizing and exposing the system someday. I'm thinking of pursuing studies in political theory, and lecturing on that subject, perhaps political economy if I ever grasp economics well enough to do so. And I think I've been set on a good path for achieving this goal.

[which doctor]

I'm an English major, which in my opinion is the major that gives you the most intellectual freedom. It isn't necessarily the most practical degree, but I decided if I have the luxury to attend university and not have to worry about paying for it or taking out any loans, I am going to study whatever pleases me the most. In fact, English departments are really the last place anyone can do anything approaching philosophical interpretation anymore in the anglo world.

That said, I would advise people to avoid studying Marx in college. There are a reasonable number of 'Marxoid' professors in my department, but I make a point not to take any of there classes because I take one look at their course descriptions and roll my eyes. There classes would probably drive me nuts, and I get a good reception when I turn in marxist papers to non-marxist professors anyways. They make a point of stripping Marx of all of his revolutionary content. You're much better off learning Marx from someone who really knows him from a revolutionary standpoint. Not all Marxist academics are bad, but most Academic marxists are.


I wanted to ask this for some time, so I won't start a new thread.
I want to go for programming, but there are a few problems.
1) It is definitely not unionized.
2) If I do succeed I'll earn quite some money, and that will definitely make me feel alienated from the leftist policies.
There's nothing wrong with making a lot of money and it isn't anything you should be embarrassed about. If anything, the left could use a few more wealthy bank rollers!

[black magick hustla]

dont be one of those worthless people who study thinking that knowing about the plight of black children in detroit through the mouth of some douche who makes 6 digits will somehow make a better world. these people write papers about "muslim feminism and cerial boxes" that only like 12 people read.

instead study what you like or what you can make money out of. you wont be a better socialist by studying "social conscious" humanities. ive never taken a class on marx. i do use what i learn in my classes though. i am a physics major and if something ive learned about it is to think systematically and logically rather than having a fuzzy mind.

[RadioRaheem84]

dont be one of those worthless people who study thinking that knowing about the plight of black children in detroit through the mouth of some douche who makes 6 digits will somehow make a better world. these people write papers about "muslim feminism and cerial boxes" that only like 12 people read.


True. If anything pisses me off the most though, it's wonkish people who think they can make a difference through the most pretentious fields. I especially hate the European Third Way international students I would meet studying 'Economic 'Development'. Gosh, these people were so annoying, desperately trying to inject science and statistics into almost every thing they touched and making everything about "efficiency". There was this one Danish kid in my class who I just loathed with his insistence that everything could be solved with the right amount of market efficiency and minimal state planning. He wrote seriously ludicrous long winded uber-technical papers in a mostly sociological class about global health and hunger.

[ZombieGrits]

Have I mentioned this is all in a third-rate university in South Texas, one of the poorest areas in the nation, if not THE poorest

I'm intrigued... might I ask which university? I'm currently shopping around for colleges

[RadioRaheem84]

I'm intrigued... might I ask which university? I'm currently shopping around for colleges

Sam, SFA, Sul Ross,??? Which one man? PM me if you must!

[Agnapostate]

It is really a waste of time in college to study unless you study under a Marxist professor which is rare unless you attend UMass Amherst or the New School in NY.

My economics professor's a Marxist. He hasn't imparted anything that I didn't know to me personally (:lol:), but in discussions with others in his class, I have noticed a lot of anti-capitalist sentiment flying around.

[CartCollector]

2) If I do succeed I'll earn quite some money, and that will definitely make me feel alienated from the leftist policies.Your class isn't based on how much money you make, it's based on how you make money. In other words, it's not focused on capitalism's effects on income, but what causes differences in income in capitalism. That cause is your relationship to the means of production. Even if you make six figures working for someone, they're still taking surplus value off of your labor, and you're still proletarian. Chances are if you work for a software company you won't own the software you work on anyways, the company will own all of the patents and copyrights and will continue to make surplus value off of it even if you leave the company.

In other words, you should be good, as long as you don't hire anyone and make money off of their work.

[Agnapostate]

I'd go a step further and suggest that the usage of your money is the most important factor. Even if you employed wage labor, would it really be so objectionable if the financial donations you were able to offer as a result had lasting results for socialist activism?

[Die Neue Zeit]

Labour Studies
Political Economy (this is rare, but it's neither Political Science nor Economics)
Finance (ironic)
Any "hard" science

[GPDP]

I'm intrigued... might I ask which university? I'm currently shopping around for colleges


Sam, SFA, Sul Ross,??? Which one man? PM me if you must!

It's the University of Texas Pan-American.

[MarxSchmarx]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned a foreign language; preferably one understood by a large number of very diverse people like Hindi, Spanish or Arabic. This is indispensible to being an effective messanger for our cause.

In traditional coursework, it is probably imperative that you at least understand how capitalism works, so any course that enhances your understanding of
1. basic neo-classical economics is key. Political economy is an excellent suggestion, microeconomics will do for the bare minimum. Also, I would recommend
2. a serious statistics class to gain quantitative literacy. Choose one that has a calculus prerequiste, you will understand statistics immensely more. Finally,
3. any logic class that exposes you to truth tables and quantification would be invaluable as you go through life.

Once you have these, any social or natural science, philosophy or applied field like informatics social work or engineering, should give you a good foundation for things to come.

Don't waste your time in literature or the fine arts. You canalways pursue those as hobbies and they are not worth devoting the formative years of your life to. Linguistics is a middle ground but is probably useful the way a pure math or philosophy degree are - it shoud train you to think and write well, but not much else.

[KC]

As for my aspirations? Well, I hope to join those professors in criticizing and exposing the system someday. I'm thinking of pursuing studies in political theory, and lecturing on that subject, perhaps political economy if I ever grasp economics well enough to do so. And I think I've been set on a good path for achieving this goal.

Being a professor isn't all that it's cracked up to be. You're going to be tens of thousands (if not hundreds) of dollars in debt, it will probably take you the better half of a decade to find employment once you receive your PhD, and you will have to deal with all the crap that comes with the educational system as a mode of production - the useless and completely meaningless academic arguments, the churning out of papers just for the sake of doing so, the need to keep up to date on all the latest developments, regardless of their actual importance, etc... In my opinion it's not really worth it. You can study these things on your own and write/lecture about them without having to go through all of that torture. But then again that's my opinion.




True. If anything pisses me off the most though, it's wonkish people who think they can make a difference through the most pretentious fields. I especially hate the European Third Way international students I would meet studying 'Economic 'Development'. Gosh, these people were so annoying, desperately trying to inject science and statistics into almost every thing they touched and making everything about "efficiency". There was this one Danish kid in my class who I just loathed with his insistence that everything could be solved with the right amount of market efficiency and minimal state planning. He wrote seriously ludicrous long winded uber-technical papers in a mostly sociological class about global health and hunger.

There are a lot of people that have gone into the field of economic development because they truly are looking for a way to assist the poor and exploited and help improve their lives, and so I don't think you should extrapolate your hatred for this small group out to dev students in general.


I'm surprised no one has mentioned a foreign language; preferably one understood by a large number of very diverse people like Hindi, Spanish or Arabic. This is indispensible to being an effective messanger for our cause.

IMO it's not a good idea to major in a foreign language, simply because of all the technology we have today that allows you to easily learn foreign languages on your own and the inability to find a job with such a major.

But once again I would suggest looking at higher education as a means of career advancement and not self-fulfillment, simply because of the cost and headache involved.

[RadioRaheem84]

There are a lot of people that have gone into the field of economic development because they truly are looking for a way to assist the poor and exploited and help improve their lives, and so I don't think you should extrapolate your hatred for this small group out to dev students in general.




If you haven't noticed I specifically pointed out a small group within the overall group of students studying econ dev. This groups cares more about advancing the latest technocratic junk than helping people.

[GPDP]

Being a professor isn't all that it's cracked up to be. You're going to be tens of thousands (if not hundreds) of dollars in debt, it will probably take you the better half of a decade to find employment once you receive your PhD, and you will have to deal with all the crap that comes with the educational system as a mode of production - the useless and completely meaningless academic arguments, the churning out of papers just for the sake of doing so, the need to keep up to date on all the latest developments, regardless of their actual importance, etc... In my opinion it's not really worth it. You can study these things on your own and write/lecture about them without having to go through all of that torture. But then again that's my opinion.

I'm well aware of all this. I hear all the horror stories all the time from my professors. I still think it's worth it.

[AK]

Teaching. You can always be a teacher. I don't know what country you're in, but there's no such thing as too many teachers. I know conditions are rough now, with mass layoffs in the US, but consider it as a profession. It's highly unionized, the work is socially useful, and you can always work in a left-wing organization as a teacher.

RED DAVE
I don't think the OP will be too happy spewing out the state's anti-communist bullshit to an impressionable bunch of kids.

[t.shonku]

Personally I don't think there is any university degree required...What qualification u need is that u need to know how to hate the capitalists and corporates...That is it.....
Remember "Pirates of Caribbean"? Remember capt Jack Sparrow?Be witty like him.Be brave like Will Turner and ruthless like capt Barbosa.

[Common_Means]

Having been on this board for a bit - I'd say take any course that offers an in depth examination of Marx. For the most part - too often I see normative BS being spewed on these boards equating Marx to some koom-buya garbage.

If you are serious about Socialism, your arguments need to go beyond "I'm oppressed".

Read Das Kapital -cover to cover; preferably with a prof. Then apply it to whatever field you choose. That way you won't come off as some anti-intellectual whose theories can't stand the slightest academic criticism.

[Common_Means]

What about geography?
I once attented some human-geography classes and they were really intresting since they analysed the material conditions,culture,politics,economy and history for their studies.

Yes. Being a graduate student of geography, I would agree. Moreover, I would go one step further and argue that Radical Geography has, in many ways, made Marx relevant again. Uneven Development for instance.

[Invincible Summer]

I'm a sociology student, and while sociology made me a communist, it has also made me very critical and cynical to the point where I often doubt the whole idea.

Really, a university degree in liberal arts may be interesting, but all it leads to is more education and academia. If you go into something like computer science or geography or journalism where you can actually use your skills to do shit rather than write lengthy dissertations on things, I'd say those are much more useful.

[GPDP]

I actually used to be in Computer Science. I lasted two and a half semesters before I couldn't take it anymore and called it quits.

Thanks anyway to those who recommend you use college to further your career rather than to pursue things you actually find meaningful, but I've been there, and it sucks, at least in my opinion. I'd rather take all the crap that comes with being a Pol Sci professor rather than stick with something I was absolutely loathing, even if it would've made me more money.

[RED DAVE]

Teaching. You can always be a teacher. I don't know what country you're in, but there's no such thing as too many teachers. I know conditions are rough now, with mass layoffs in the US, but consider it as a profession. It's highly unionized, the work is socially useful, and you can always work in a left-wing organization as a teacher.
I don't think the OP will be too happy spewing out the state's anti-communist bullshit to an impressionable bunch of kids.Please, Comrade, teachers do a lot more than that. If you've had bad experiences in some backward state, my condolences, but I reiterate my point: teaching is one of the best jobs for being a useful socialist.

I know this from direct experience: I are a teach.

RED DAVE

[Invincible Summer]

I actually used to be in Computer Science. I lasted two and a half semesters before I couldn't take it anymore and called it quits.

Thanks anyway to those who recommend you use college to further your career rather than to pursue things you actually find meaningful, but I've been there, and it sucks, at least in my opinion. I'd rather take all the crap that comes with being a Pol Sci professor rather than stick with something I was absolutely loathing, even if it would've made me more money.


Well of course I'm not suggesting that one goes into a field that they hate. I'm suggesting that certain fields would be worth looking into since they're more "applicable" to most things in real life, and if the OP is looking for something that could possibly further the "socialist cause," then they'd help too.

[Ligeia]

I've studied biology for some semesters because I thought it could be useful allthesame I didn't like it as a subject to study.
Now I'm going to study geography and hopefully, it's what I'm looking for...

Anyway, my point is, you really have to think about whether you like the subjects studied there, you must know your interests and try to look for the best combination of qualities that meet your interests (e.g. theoretical and practical ones).
(I've read that people who study something they don't like, they'll likely stop to study soon and from experience, I can only agree.)

[anticap]

University degrees are good for two things: 1) climbing the social ladder; 2) becoming a debt slave to do so.

Go to trade school. The trades are still relevant, you know. Those skills are still needed. There are still jobs where you get your hands dirty (:ohmy:), and those are still the ones where you're most likely to experience class friction on a daily basis. And, well, that is the point...

Isn't it?

Whatever it is that you would've gone to university for, you can study on your own, and you will do, if it's a subject of interest. You only need to jump through the appropriate sequence of hoops and collect the obligatory validations if your goal is to advance in the capitalist game.

[Cue the absurd "anti-intellectual" slurs.]

[Sir Comradical]

Arts, History, Economics, Journalism, Law...

Take your pick. Needless to say there is no 'Bachelor of Socialism'...well not yet.

[MarxSchmarx]

IMO it's not a good idea to major in a foreign language, simply because of all the technology we have today that allows you to easily learn foreign languages on your own and the inability to find a job with such a major.

But once again I would suggest looking at higher education as a means of career advancement and not self-fulfillment, simply because of the cost and headache involved.

Yes I'd agree it's hard to justify higher education as anything but a job requirement, but the op wanted to know what skills will be in demand as an activist. Foreign language skills are way up there, and I know too many comrades who say "if only I had the time..." viz the technologies you mention. Universities are still a great place to learn a foreign language. Unless you have the resources to live in the country where it is spoken, where else can you be immersed 24/7 in the mastery of a skill?

[Endomorphian]

Foreign language departments typically create their programs out of consideration for all those students who pick up a language as a second major. I would definitely look into at least minoring in either Spanish, Chinese, or French.

I found upper-level economics to be fun. Virtually every school has a program for labor economics. Macroeconomists are typically more leftist than their peers working on issues like efficiency of the firm, but you can find enlightening material anywhere. And it's not a bad idea to broaden your comprehension about competing ideas. And it pays. Check into it.

Philosophy is another intense liberal arts major, but its significance in the job market is more about how you think critically than finding a niche.

I'm double majoring in physics and social studies, so I have an appreciation for a wide array of programs.

[Comrade_Stalin]

Economy is a bullshit study, I think. It's completely based of Adam Smith's theories and plays around modern capitalist financial structure. Pretty useless when you're building a socialist economy.



Remember that Marx is the one who came up with dielectric materialsim, which is a from of economic study. The problem is that only Adam Smith's "bullshit" is what is teached in most schools. In fact, I became a commuinst, because on of my economic teacher was showing us the history of economic, which sound more right when put together with Adam Smith's "buillshit".

[which doctor]

Remember that Marx is the one who came up with dielectric materialsim, which is a from of economic study. The problem is that only Adam Smith's "bullshit" is what is teached in most schools. In fact, I became a commuinst, because on of my economic teacher was showing us the history of economic, which sound more right when put together with Adam Smith's "buillshit".
This isn't necessarily true. Marx may have grounded the dialectic in materialism, but he never used the phrase 'dialectical materialism' himself to refer to a specific way of thinking. You have Joseph Dietzgen to thank for coining the term, which in my opinion, should be avoided at all costs to avoid the idea that it is some rigid, orthodox method of solving problems. Of course dialectical thinking is very productive, but we should make sure to distance it from Stalinist 'diamat.'

[black magick hustla]

Remember that Marx is the one who came up with dielectric materialsim, which is a from of economic study. The problem is that only Adam Smith's "bullshit" is what is teached in most schools. In fact, I became a commuinst, because on of my economic teacher was showing us the history of economic, which sound more right when put together with Adam Smith's "buillshit".
I dont think Adam Smith's stuff is bullshit. I think people misenterpret his views. Adam Smith spoke against colonialism and harsh labor laws. We are talking about a man living in the 18th century. I think there is a qualitative from a general well meaning theorist of early modern capitalism to some 21th century libertarian.

[Agnapostate]

His lifetime was prior to the development of industrialization, and effectively before the development of capitalism. Despite that, there are still egalitarian themes in his writings (I always try to include one in my signature), early condemnations of gradually evolving wage labor, and strong indications that he would be repulsed by modern capitalism.

Modern economic rightists attempt to co-opt the likes of Smith and many U.S. Founding Fathers into their ideology, but the former espoused the egalitarian doctrines that I mentioned and believed that pre-industrial free markets could produce equitable circumstances, and the latter lived in conditions of agrarian individualism where land and resources were fairly equitably distributed among white Anglo-Saxon Protestant men of age, completely different from modern corporate capitalism and the vast inequalities that the Industrial Revolution created.

[KC]

Yes I'd agree it's hard to justify higher education as anything but a job requirement, but the op wanted to know what skills will be in demand as an activist. Foreign language skills are way up there, and I know too many comrades who say "if only I had the time..." viz the technologies you mention. Universities are still a great place to learn a foreign language. Unless you have the resources to live in the country where it is spoken, where else can you be immersed 24/7 in the mastery of a skill?

That doesn't make much sense, considering the fact that learning on your own via livemocha.com or Rosetta Stone is much faster, takes up a lot less time and is much more flexible with regards to scheduling than going to college.