Project 3 Peer Reviews

PeerReview1 Umesh Narayanan

PeerReview2 Amanda Donoho

PeerReview3 Maria Franco-Waite

Gen Ed In Class Essay

USF's general education program, in terms of the university, is guided by the practicality of an open knowledge of the world and society we live in. "A university education asks students to think about what it is to live in a society, to have a culture, and to speak a language" (Waugh). The arguments presented pertain to ethical and worldly issues such as culural diversity, communication, human nature, curiosity, and understanding.

"Things happening at one place on earth can profoundly change what happens elsewhere" (Waugh). The world is a cycle; there are changes all around us and life is not possible without this change. Through life and death we experience it all; within our education we must try to understand and discover as much as possible, to know anything about everything. Our capacity is limitless and ever growing. It is our nature to question our environment and the truth of our ultimate beginnings; we know less about what we do not know.

The program is formed on the basis of an individual forming their own unique interpretations and ideas about education and what they learn. "These explanations, models, and imaginative constructions help us not only to predict and to understand how the objects and people around us will behave, they also enable us to intervene in these actions and events in ways designed to improve the character of human life" (Waugh). The knowledge we gain from general education is integrated into our every day lives and our surrounding environments.

The past presents the future. If we study our past history and lives, we can better understand who we are now and why we are here. "By studying the history and varieties of human expression we enhance our sense of freedom and our sense of responsibility. We reflect on the texts and events and artifacts in which others express what they know, hope, and imagine a human life to be" (Waugh). The past is a powerful part of every individual, and it can only be comprehended through personal experience and inquisition.

The general education that is provided should not only be consistent with these ideas and inferences, but also through individual freedom. It is true that we can only rely on ourselves, and that we can only choose our own course of life. Our freedom of mind is the only justice we were born with, and ignorance the only injustice.