Casey Wedlake

March 8th 2017

Interdisciplinary Paper

When one hears liberal arts education there are many different ideas that come to mind.

For me, when I was deciding to come to Loras College, I knew it was a liberal arts college, as it

is mentioned time and again, however; I didnt put much thought to it. I knew that Loras had a

major I was interested in, Public Relations, and to me that was enough. I was not quite sure how

my education would differ from my friends that did not attend liberal arts universities and I did

not think it really mattered. Since coming to Loras, I have come to see just how different a liberal

arts education is from another college program. I have taken classes on everything from religion,

to sports and media, to race and ethnicity. The further along I have gotten in my undergraduate

process, the more I have come to see the ways in which these classes all connect. Even though

my Politics in the Developing World and Race and Ethnicity classes do not seem like they would

have much in common, I have come to see the ways in which history and cultural constructions

have a profound impact on the world we live in today. They both allowed for me to look at the

history of various types of people and their lineage to the present, all while seeing how political

practices influence our social and cultural spheres no matter where we live. It is through these

courses that I have come to see that a class devoted to sociological teachings and one devoted to

political teachings could overlap in a way that shows how the world today is made up of links

and connections many never come to realize.

Looking at my Politics in the Developing World class, we spent most of our time

examining the differences that exist between third world countries, mainly in Africa and South

America, and those that are fully developed such as the United States or Western Europe. We

looked at the current political, social, and cultural climates in these places and then traced back
the actions that have made these places what they are today. We looked all the way back into the

times of slavery in colonial US and England and the ways those invasions and enslaving of

African peoples are still causing effects in the world today. We discussed the different cultural

barriers that exist and the developed worlds constant desire to make other countries like us.

We addressed the ways in which these underdeveloped places have rebelled and how the cultural

and social differences make for a profoundly different understanding as to how one should live

life.

Turning towards my Race and Ethnicity class, it was during this class we focused on the

differences between peoples of different ethnicities. We examined our past culture where those

that were not white were systematically held back in a way that can still be seen today. We

looked at racism in Europe and the Western World, and how it has changed over time. It was

during this class that I came to see how our government policies during the 1900s specifically

set African American people up to where they would not be able to succeed. They were not given

early the same assistance as white people from the federal government. We looked at how most

of the problems and issues between black and white people arise due to cultural and social

misunderstandings. Our failure to acknowledge the differing social and cultural norms have

created divides that exist in every part of our lives. We analyzed more than just a sociology

perspective, as we looked into the politics of different generations and the laws and practices that

have shaped racism to be what it is today.

Looking at the connections that can be drawn from these two classes, it is evident that

there are both surface level similarities and deeper connections that exist. In both of these

classes, I learned the importance of taking on an issue that is current, and then examining the

history surrounding it. It is through this process that I was able to come to understand that the
underdeveloped countries of the world are in the state that they are because of the actions of

European and colonial Americans hundreds of years ago. The enslaving of these people placed

their countries in a state of distress and neglect to a point where they never had a chance of

maintaining stride with developed nations. Looking at the history of racism itself in Race and

Ethnicity, I was able to see that we have racism today because of the actions of those that came

long before us. The understanding that blacks were inferior dates back to the very beginning of

the United States itself. African Americans have historically struggled in the United States

because they have constantly been set behind white Americans, both through political practice

and societys norms. Looking at the deeper connections that exist, it is clear that the European

enslaving of millions of Africans to be brought to the United States was a trigger to the racism

that still exists today. These people were looked at as property, and even after they were freed,

they still lacked the basic rights to education and livable wages and employment that millions of

white Americans had. The developing world struggles today as they have spent hundreds of years

being told how to govern and live by varying outside powers, just as African Americans in the

United States struggle today because of the hundreds of years of systematic racism that have

become a part of everyday life for millions of Americans. Acknowledging the ripple effect that

actions have is crucial to understanding where the world is at today, and it is through these two

classes that I was able to do just that.

Looking at my Public Relations major and the classes I have taken in order to fulfill this

degree, I can draw a variety of connections to the classes I discussed previously. The major

component I often find myself drawing from my communication courses is the importance of

communication. In both my politics course and Race and Ethnicity we discussed the ways in

which varying cultural and social norms often hinders the way we communicate. Looking at the
developing world, these places have different cultural and religious beliefs, and although the

developed world often likes to think they know what is best, it often hurts those in the third

world. The way in which the west lives is not conducive with the norms that exist in Africa. Our

attempts to create governing bodies and laws have failed because of the ways in which we fail to

communicate what their wants and needs are. This can be seen through my Race and Ethnicity

class as well. The cultural and social tensions that exist between African Americans and white

Americans are often the result of misunderstandings or prejudices. As American people, we have

failed to acknowledge that different doesnt necessarily mean bad. The cultural and social norms

for white and African Americans differ, and the failure of both sides to communicate in a way

that is mutually understood often leads to what would be preventable problems.

Looking at my education as a whole, I have come to see the value in a liberal arts

education for a variety of reasons. I think that the fact that we are required to take courses that do

not directly relate to our chosen major helps us to understand the interconnectedness of the world

in the long run. I have been able to take politics classes and understand the differences around

the world as something that are chain reactions. I have come to see through my sociology classes

like Race and Ethnicity that communication breakdowns play a major role in the understanding

we have of ourselves and others. Having these insights across varying classes is something I

would never have done had I not been required to step outside of my major and understand

different ways of thinking. A liberal arts education has allowed for all students at Loras College

to draw connections across courses of study and develop an understanding outside of their

chosen major.

As one can see, a liberal arts education has allowed for me to develop an understanding

of the interconnectedness of the world in a variety of ways. I have found this to be especially true
through my Politics in the Developing World class and my Race and Ethnicity course. It is after

these two courses that I came to see the importance of tracing the actions prior to a current

situation. The history of a group of people or place will often tell more as to why things are in the

state that they are in, and analyzing the developing world helped me to understand their current

state. This was the case in my Race and Ethnicity class and the current cultural and social norms

that exist are the direct result of the actions in the past. Public Relations has shown me the

importance of communication and the break downs that happen when misunderstandings occur.

Receiving a liberal arts degree has allowed for me to learn about subjects I would have never

otherwise shown interest. It has helped me to understand the interconnectedness of the world and

the importance of seeking out the links.