Brady1

Brady,Tamera

Dr.Colombo

UWRT1104

02/26/2017

Arecurrentgeneraleducationrequirementsawasteoftimeandmoney?

Whatdogeneraleducationcoursesconsistof?

Whatisthepurposeofgeneraleducationcourses?

Whatskillsandlifelessonsbeyondknowledgedoyougainfromgeneraleducationcourses?

Howdogeneraleducationcoursesbenefityouinthelongrun?

Whydogeneraleducationcoursesdiffersomuchfromyourmajor?

WorkCited

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Whatdogeneraleducationcoursesconsistof?

Todaynotjuststudentsbutalsopeoplebeyondtheperimeterofthecampusare

questioningwhysomecoursesareincludedingeneraleducation(GE),whethertheclass

inquestionisarthistory,algebra,anthropology,orfromanotherdiscipline.Infact,some

peoplewithinthecollegefamilymaynotrealizeorunderstandwhyGEisessentialforall

collegegraduatesandwhythatfactremainsespeciallytruetoday.(Smith)

Throughthecourseoftime,studentsforgenerationshavebeenforcedtotakethese

classesoftenknownasgeneds.Theyprimarilyconsistofclassesverysimilartothe

onesyoutakeinhighschool,butonceagain,youareforcedtotakethese

classes.(Becker)

Iamajournalismmajor,sohowdoyouthinkIfeelabouttakingclasseslikeMathfor

LiberalArtsandEnvironmentalScience?Illtellyouthisitstorture.(Becker)

Tofunctionwellintheworkplace,itisnecessarytoseebeyondit.TheGeneral

Educationcurriculumencouragesintegrationofstudentsanticipatedcareerswithin

larger,moreencompassingandmultiplecontexts.(WashingtonStateUniversity)

Allofthesesourcesgivethepublicageneralideaofwhatgeneraleducationcourseshaveto

offer.Theyallshowuswhatconsistofthecoursesyouhavetotake.

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Whatisthepurposeofgeneraleducationcourses?

GeneralEducationoffersopportunitiesforpersonalenrichmentandservesavarietyof

intellectual,aesthetic,andcreativeinterests.(WashingtonStateUniversity)

GeneralEducationpreparesstudentsforcitizenshipinafreesociety.Thecurriculum

representsanefforttoprovideelementsoftheeverchangingbodyofvaluablecommon

knowledge.Sharedknowledgeandvaluesgrowingoutofcommoneducational

experiencehelptobindsocietytogetherandmakecommunicationpossible.(Washington

StateUniversity)

generaleducationrequirementsareallaboutpreparingstudentsfortheunknown.A

studentsinterestscanchange,careersmayadvance,andnewjobsmaybecreatedall

situationswhereafoundationalskillsetandbroadbasedknowledgearenecessaryfor

success.(Seraphin)

Oftenpeoplespreferences,Jobchoices,andoverallcareerpathsmaychangeandfor

changeslikethisinyourlifeyouwillneedtohavestudiedbroadercoursesthanjustwhat

youdecidedtomajorin,whichiswhatcommoncoursesprepareyoufor.

Thepointisnotjustthatlearningtoreasoncarefullyandclearlyis

agoodthing,orthatyoullbeabletopasssomekindofexammoreeasilyifyouknow

howtodoit.Thepointisthatlearningtoreasoncarefullyandclearlyistheessenceof

whatitistobeahumanbeing,andsotolivethebestlifepossibleforuswemustbeable

tomasterthisability.(Kelly5)

Theexerciseturnsouttoberather

aphilosophicalone,sinceonesviewsabouthowoneoughttobegenerallyeducatedwill
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dependcloselyononesviewsaboutwhatsuccessinaliferequires,whatthe

prerequisitesforsuchsuccessmaybe,andwhatrolethecollegeoruniversityprogram

hasinsopreparingitsgraduates.(Kelly1)

Andembodyingthesegreatworksisnothinglikelearningtherulesforliving.Itis,

instead,learningawaytoseewhatismeaningfulandworthwhileinalife.Andthat,I

believe,iswhatageneraleducationcouldbeforatitsbest.(Kelly5).

Thesesourcesallcometogethertogiveusthemaingoalofgeneraleducationcourses.Theyall

givedifferentviewsonthepurposeofthesecoursesbutcollectivelygiveusonegeneralidea.

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Whatskillsandlifelessonsbeyondknowledgedoyougainfromgeneraleducationcourses?

generaleducationrequirementsareallaboutpreparingstudentsfortheunknown.A

studentsinterestscanchange,careersmayadvance,andnewjobsmaybecreatedall

situationswhereafoundationalskillsetandbroadbasedknowledgearenecessaryfor

success.(Seraphin)

Oftenpeoplespreferences,Jobchoices,andoverallcareerpathsmaychangeandfor

changeslikethisinyourlifeyouwillneedtohavestudiedbroadercoursesthanjustwhat

youdecidedtomajorin,whichiswhatcommoncoursesprepareyoufor.

GeneralEducationpreparesstudentsforcitizenshipinafreesociety.Thecurriculum

representsanefforttoprovideelementsoftheeverchangingbodyofvaluablecommon

knowledge.Sharedknowledgeandvaluesgrowingoutofcommoneducational

experiencehelptobindsocietytogetherandmakecommunicationpossible.(Washington

StateUniversity)

ThisquickexercisemayhelptoputGEinperspective:Thinkofalltheskillsyouhave

neededforthevariousjobsorrolesyouhaveheldinyourlifeandeliminatealltheones

tiedtoyourmajorordiscipline.Skillsthatcometomindmightincludetechnological

abilities,writing,organizing,prioritizing,workingaloneandtogether,understanding

complicateddocumentssuchasahumanresourcesmanual,aballot,oramedical

prescription,parenting,patience,communicatingwithsomeonefromanotherplace,

planningasprinklersystem,navigatingworkplacecultures,andsoon.Nowthinkabout

whereyoulearnedtheseskills.(Smith)
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Thesesourcesgiveusinformationtounderstandwhatskillsandbenefitswereceivefromgeneral

educationoutsidefromtheknowledgewereceive

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Howdogeneraleducationcoursesbenefityouinthelongrun?

Thepointisnotjustthatlearningtoreasoncarefullyandclearlyis

agoodthing,orthatyoullbeabletopasssomekindofexammoreeasilyifyouknow

howtodoit.Thepointisthatlearningtoreasoncarefullyandclearlyistheessenceof

whatitistobeahumanbeing,andsotolivethebestlifepossibleforuswemustbeable

tomasterthisability.(Kelly5)

Andembodyingthesegreatworksisnothinglikelearningtherulesforliving.Itis,

instead,learningawaytoseewhatismeaningfulandworthwhileinalife.Andthat,I

believe,iswhatageneraleducationcouldbeforatitsbest.(Kelly5).

HanstedtreferencesastudydonebytheAssociationofAmericanCollegesand

Universities(AACU)inwhich91%ofemployerssaidtheyareaskingemployeestotake

onmoreresponsibilitiesandtouseabroadersetofskillsthaninthepast.Inotherwords,

jobseekersneedtoknowalotmorethanjustthebasicskillsrequiredtoworkwithin

theirfields.Additionally,88%ofemployerssaidthattosucceedintheircompanies,

employeesneedhigherlevelsoflearningandknowledgethantheydidinthepast.

(Seraphine)

Tofunctionwellintheworkplace,itisnecessarytoseebeyondit.TheGeneral

Educationcurriculumencouragesintegrationofstudentsanticipatedcareerswithin

larger,moreencompassingandmultiplecontexts.(WashingtonStateUniversity)

Thesesourcesshowushowgeneraleducationbenefitsusbeyondtheeducationwereceive.This

givesusanunderstandingofwhattheyareexpectingustogetoutofthecourseswetake.
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Whydogeneraleducationcoursesdiffersomuchfromyourmajor?

GeneralEducationoffersopportunitiesforpersonalenrichmentandservesavarietyof

intellectual,aesthetic,andcreativeinterests.(WashingtonStateUniversity)

OneofthegoalsofGeneralEducationistoassiststudentstounderstandthe

characteristicwaysofacquiringknowledgeindifferentfieldsofstudy,andmethodsof

verificationandcommunication.(WashingtonStateUniversity)

Oneoftenoverlookedbenefit,regardlessofthetypeofgeneraleducationprogram,is

theabilityforstudentstodosomediscovering.Forundecidedstudentsinparticular,

generaleducationrequirementsenablethemtoexploretheoptionsavailableata

particularschool,withoutthepotentialofgettingofftrackandwastingcreditsandin

turn,wastingmoney.(Seraphin)

generaleducationrequirementsareallaboutpreparingstudentsfortheunknown.A

studentsinterestscanchange,careersmayadvance,andnewjobsmaybecreatedall

situationswhereafoundationalskillsetandbroadbasedknowledgearenecessaryfor

success.(Seraphin)

Oftenpeoplespreferences,Jobchoices,andoverallcareerpathsmaychangeandfor

changeslikethisinyourlifeyouwillneedtohavestudiedbroadercoursesthanjustwhat

youdecidedtomajorin,whichiswhatcommoncoursesprepareyoufor.

Thesesourcesshowuswhygeneraleducationcoursesdiffersomuchfromourmajorcourses.

Theywantustoseethatthecommoncoursesallowustobewellroundedstudentsaswellas

havesomebackgroundinotherareasofstudiesincaseofsituationsthatoccurinlife.
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WorkCited

Becker,David.TheTimeHasCometoGetRidofGeneralEducationRequirements.L
ogos

Lite.LogosLite,

www.niacc.edu/logoslite/2015/11/10/thetimehascometogetridofgeneraleducationr

equirements/.

Kelly,Sean.ThePurposeofGeneralEducationThePurposeofGeneralEducation.Harvard

University,2010,w
ww.people.fas.harvard.edu/~sdkelly/General%20Education.pdf.

PurposeandOutcomes.GeneralEducation:PurposeandOutcomes,WashingtonState

University,g ened.wsu.edu/overview/atWSU/.

Seraphin,Catherine.GeneralEducationRequirements:What'sthePoint?GeneralEducation

Requirements:What'sthePoint?.CollegeXpress.CarnegieCommunications.

www.collegexpress.com/articlesandadvice/majorsandacademics/articles/collegeacade

mics/generaleducationrequirementswhatspoint/.\

Smith,Beth.TheValueofGEortheAnswerto"WhyDoINeedtoTakeThisClass?".The

ValueofGEortheAnswerto"WhyDoINeedtoTakeThisClass?".AcademicSenate

forCaliforniaCommunity

Colleges.www.asccc.org/content/valuegeoranswerwhydoineedtakeclass.