The enduring value of an English degree Despite a struggling labor market and emerging technologies that emphasize the importance of STEM fields, an English degree is as useful as ever, says JHU Professor Mark Christian Thompson By Rachel Wallach / Published Jan 15, 2021 With the tightening of the job market and the emergence of new technologies transforming the American labor force, a debate has emerged in academia and likely also in the homes of college-bound students: Is it time for an academic field like English to quietly fade into the background in favor of more practical STEM fields? The Hub explored this topic with Mark Christian Thompson, who chairs the Department of English in the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. He specializes in the interrelatedness of African American expressive culture and European thought.