General Education Reflection

By Nicholas Stasi

During my time at Iowa State University, I have taken a number of classes that do
not pertain directly to my major. While these general education courses did not
directly teach me about electrical or computer engineering, they contributed
greatly to my overall education. I even had the awesome opportunity to study
abroad in Rome, Italy over the summer after my freshman year! In this reflection,
I will explain how my experiences shaped my education.
During my time in Italy, I took 2 courses, one on international business and one on
Italian language. International business taught me how to conduct myself if I were
to do business in a foreign country. I learned that many different countries have
cultures that shape the way that business is conducted there. We discussed the
custom of hand shaking, eye contact, and timeliness. My Italian language class
helped me learn how to get around and blend in while in Rome. Aside from the
classes I took, I was immersed in a completely new culture and completely new
environment where I learned to assimilate, learn the culture, and how to travel
on my own. My experience abroad has helped to shape my world view and will
always be a great memory.
I have also had the opportunity to take Political Science 333 during my
sophomore year at Iowa State. The title of this class was “Democracy and
Diversity in America” and we studied the writings of Alexis De Tocqueville. This
class taught me about the culture of America, and how the rest of the world views
us as a Nation. It also provoked many interesting conversations regarding gender
and race relations that made me more conscious of contemporary issues on those
topics. This class exposed me to several different opinions and points of view that
I don’t get to discuss in my core engineering courses. I believe this class was a
great supplement to my engineering courses, because it taught me to be more
conscious of social issues.
General education courses, while they may have not advanced my technical
knowledge, have helped to make my education at ISU more well-rounded. My
study abroad experience was something I will never forget and gave me the
opportunity to live in Rome and travel Europe, while learning about the culture,
people, and history of the places I went. My Political Science class exposed me to
opinions other than my own and taught me how to discuss controversial topics
with others. Overall, I believe the general education courses I have taken at ISU
have positively shaped my education and will help me in the future.