The Importance of Skepticism: Integrating the Arts and Humanities into Management Curriculum

• Ulrike Landfester

  English

  Author

• Jörg Metelmann

  English

  Author

In this article, we argue that the humanities have much to offer in the field of management
education and propose the idea of literacy as a means to that end. There appears to be a general
agreement in the discussion of management education's future that the humanities should play a
role in shaping it. However, there are misunderstandings regarding the humanities that make it
hard to grasp the why and how of this, especially when it comes to how they should impart
ethical values. Using certain historical features of their history, this study aims to clarify such
myths up in the first stage. The next section delves into the definition of literacy and how it
informs the Critical Management Literacy (CML) curriculum we developed to meet the
demands of management students. Our working premise is that the humanities should help
students develop the ability to question their own knowledge, or epistemological doubt, so that
they may better navigate the complexities and uncertainties of the world and provide a
foundation for ethical reflection.

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