General Education Reflection

I am currently a Computer Engineer here at Iowa State University. Part of the flow chart for
requirements here at Iowa State is to take non - engineering classes in the form of general
education classes. These classes gave me a wider understanding of the world as well as a better
understanding of other areas of education. The general education classes helped me develop new
viewpoints when thinking about an engineering problem from new lenses and tools that were given
to me in these classes. The new understanding gained allows me to be more accepting of other
views as well as learn from other unused outlets to make my problems easier to solve with better
solutions.

I transferred here entering my junior year which gave me a more limited scope of education
here. But in my Junior year here I enrolled in the class RELIG 210 which is Religion in America. As I
grew up as a Christian, I was very interested to see the religions in America and how Christianity
evolved throughout America. This class gave me not only a different view on viewing other religions
but also the history of other religions. This class covered an empathetic and critical approach to
viewing religions which is learning about diverse perspectives and healthy skepticism. These new
viewpoints allow me to use this in the workplace and engineering as I can apply these when working
on a team with different countries. This general education class allowed me to see different views
of religion as well as getting me to be able to communicate and understand others in this sphere of
knowledge.

Another general education class that allowed me to understand more about the world was
RUS 375 which is Russia Today. This covered the history of Russia up until modern times, while also
covering the relationship between the US and Russia. The class allowed me to view Russia in a
different light and understanding because all I knew about Russia was through school or the news.
This doesn’t always give a full view of Russia as the American education system and news outlets
almost always paint them as the bad guys, so this will give a better understanding of the
geopolitical landscape. Learning about one of the most powerful nations in the world will not only
help with cultural understanding but also Russia has a rich history of scientific achievements that
we can learn from and about.

In conclusion, general education courses here at Iowa State during my undergraduate study
have allowed me to learn more about the world and fresh perspectives on how to view it.
Understanding not just the technical sides of engineering but also using these courses to learn
about global contexts allows me as an engineer to work better and have greater comprehension in
the workplace. These lessons allow me to not only make more meaningful contributions to the field
of engineering but also to society. These courses will allow me to see new dimensions and grow in
the fields of both global and societal contexts.