Back in the Seventies and earlier an Arts degree was an exercise in critical thinking. These days you must cite almost every word in that you write in a essay or you will be accused of plagiarism.  You dare not write your own thoughts or conclusions for fear of being accused of cheating. So essay writing is an exercise  in cutting and pasting that allows you to legally copy. Your conclusions should agree with your professor's if you want a decent grade. Sadly I do not believe critical thinking is part of an Arts curriculum any longer. That is why Arts degrees have so little value.