I believe that an undergraduate degree in the College of Business should require successful completion of at least 6 hours in Arts. Classes such as Drama/Theatre and Creative writing would provide critical skills essential in the business field and help in exploring hidden or unexplored abilities within various individuals. An important aspect of today’s business world is the need for versatility and people to think outside the box, and these two elective courses promote these aspects. The paper discusses why business students should take Theater and Creative writing as elective courses.

Theatre is the first useful elective course that should be taken because it helps students to develop confidence in their daily interactions with other people. Confidence is important because it makes people speak thoughtfully, lucidly, and clearly. All organizations have a fundamental requirement that all its employees should be confident. It is an attribute that is seriously checked for when people are interviewed to fill various job positions. Performing on stage trains one to speak comfortably in front of big crowds who come to watch the skits (Walker, Tabone, and Weltsek, 2011). Furthermore, working with crews teaches the need for precise, clear, and organized oral communication. Some employers even take their management trainees to workshops to gain oral communication skills due to its importance.

I believe theatre should also be taken because it creates problem-solving abilities. Most people have high expectations that theatre students should be creative in directing, playwriting, and acting, and many companies recruit individuals with creative thinking abilities. Example of theatre work that helps students develop problem-solving skills include making props, hanging lights, building scenery and running the show. They present the students with various challenges and make them think on their feet to come up with various possible solutions to these challenges (Dunn and Stinson, 2011). The experience earned from such problem solving exercises can be applied in in any job in the business field.

Theater also promotes commitment and motivation among students. Involvement in theater classes and productions demands for motivation and commitment from individuals.  It needs students to put in extra hours in order to accomplish and complete the various tasks associated with theater such play writing. Observing of the set deadlines is inevitable and lack of its observance shows that one does not consider others or lacks self-discipline. Failing to finish the allocated tasks or coming late for rehearsal damages production and directly affect the work of other people (Dunn and Stinson, 2011). Drama or theatre demands that people collectively arrive on time which is an aspect that is important in all areas of any organizations. It teaches business students to have the right motivation in approaching business practices in order to be successful.

Lastly, I believe that Theater is an important elective for business students because it teaches them the need for cooperation. There are different types of individuals in theater and they all have unique characters and one must be able to learn to cope and work with them to come up with a successful production(Toivanen, Komulainen, and Ruismäki, 2011). It also teaches on the need for equality where no one should feel more special than the rest of the team. All tasks and goals of production are achieved through a team effort where everyone has to contribute appropriately and individuals are supposed to support one another. Employers in the business field seek team players and it an important lesson that business students learn from theater.

Creative writing is the second elective course that business students should take because of various reasons. First they should take creative writing because it helps them improve their vocabulary and raises their standard of written communication ( Dwyer, 2011). The language that should be used in literature varies from the common language used in business or for personal writing. It means that students learn to explore new ways of expressing their ideas. The way a person writes tells a lot about their background or social standing and it is important for business students to present themselves in the best way. Employers in the business field give higher priority to those people that can express themselves well through writing. They represent the organization and are an internal reflection of the whole organization.

The other reason why I believe the course should be taken is because it promotes constructive criticism. A significant aspect of creative writing is the sharing of ones work with others so that it can be reviewed (Hesse, 2010). People get to correct one another and exchange ideas on how the various allocated tasks can be done better. The business students learn the skill of exchanging ideas through writing and develop the right attitude towards being corrected. Business is a sector that people make many mistakes and people should be open minded and always ready to accept changes or suggestion from other people.

Creative writing is also important because it improves people’s persuasive abilities. Students are taught to write texts that aim to persuade the audience to change their view on particular topics and lean towards the writer’s perspective (Hesse, 2010). It is a skill that is associated with people who are interested in jobs that are related to sales but can also benefit anyone else in the business field. It is also a critical requirement for those people in the advertising industry which is a part of the business sector. Any kind of work which involves passing a message from one individual in one organization to another individual in another would require this skill.

In conclusion, I believe that theatre and creative writing are the two elective courses that students in Business College should take because they provide skills that are essential in the business field and help to explore their hidden ability. They should take theater because it helps to develop confidence in their daily interaction with other people. Performing on stage trains one to speak comfortably in front of big crowds. Theater also helps students to develop problem solving abilities. It presents them with various challenges and makes them think on their feet to come up with various possible solutions to these challenges. Lastly they should take theater as an elective cause because it teaches them the value of team work. They are supposed to complete the various tasks collectively.  Business students should also take Creative writing because it helps them improve their vocabulary and raises their standard of written communication.  It also promotes constructive criticism and improves their persuasive abilities.

Dunn, J., & Stinson, M. (2011). Not without the art!! The importance of teacher artistry when applying drama as pedagogy for additional language learning. Research in Drama Education: the journal of applied theatre and performance, 16(4), 617-633.

Dwyer, M. C. (2011). Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future through Creative Schools. President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

Hesse, D. (2010). The place of creative writing in composition studies. College Composition and Communication, 31-52.

Toivanen, T., Komulainen, K., & Ruismäki, H. (2011). Drama education and improvisation as a resource of teacher student’s creativity. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 12, 60-69.

Walker, E., Tabone, C., & Weltsek, G. (2011). When achievement data meet drama and arts integration. Language Arts, 88(5), 365.