[Dismas]

Well, no, not in this circumstance.

Because they are forcing you to learn something that is of (literally) zero value.

This can ring true for a lot of courses in university. Why Computer Science majors should ever be forced to take liberal arts classes, I'll never know. It can make them more well-rounded, but it seems like a "one size fits all" approach.

I disagree with that to a certain extent.
I think some skills are essential: writing and philosophy chiefly among them.

Especially in a field where no one can write well, (Comp Sci) writing can be a huge asset. Portraying things in a clear, logical, concise and without leaving anything out of the equation is critical when working in a team/communicating to higher ups or people in another branch.

Philosophy is the love of wisdom. Not only in a job, but in life imo it's absolutely invaluable to learn how to think critically about things. Taking philosophy for one semester and it blows my mind some of the things i've learned, and it totally makes sense and I absolutely see where I can apply it in my life.
Not even that, but philosophy also teaches the art of how to think through a problem, how to argue with other individuals in a logical manner that actually GETS to a conclusion,etc. etc. If more people took to heart how to argue through a problem in a *really* logical manner, maybe we wouldn't have two absolutely polarized candidates bickering like fucking kids in the debates right now.

Those are the essential humanities in my book. The students should, at least, take intro classes for writing and philosophy.

If they are so inclined they should have the option of taking more, but i'd leave it at that.

As I said, it serves to make people more well-rounded. English should be required, but only to a certain extent. I've taken 10-12 hours of English courses, none of which I actually needed (asides from requirements). I've also taken classes in anthropology, geography, philosophy, and psychology. In my opinion, these are the least valuable courses I have on my transcript.

Spoiler:

I will say that many weren't taught proper English in highschool. The lower level courses can serve as a safety net. There were a lot of international students enrolling at my old university and a number of them were almost illiterate.