Alexander Somers

CprE 494

9 March 2024

General Education Reflection

I have had the opportunity to take a variety of gen eds while at ISU, such as Ballroom

Dance 160, World Food Issues: Past and Present 342, Religion in America 210, and Public

Speaking 212 to name a few. Some of them have been more entertaining than others, but all of

them have been valuable in their own unique way. Whether by teaching me about different

religions and worldviews, having me deliver speeches, or dancing with my peers, these general

education classes have cultivated in me essential non-technical skills such as communication,

collaboration, creative problem solving, etc.

Of all my gen eds, I had the most fun with Ballroom Dance 160. I took it because

ballroom dancing is one of my favorite hobbies, but after the semester was over, I realized that it

had helped improve my non-verbal communication skills and my ability to collaborate with

others and incorporate their ideas. Both of these things are vital skills to have in the engineering

world, as without good communication and the ability to collaborate with others and work their

unique experiences and ideas into a project, it would be impossible to fix issues and complete

large-scale projects that require multiple skill sets. The reason I say this class helped develop

these skills is because the dancing we did forced me to non-verbally communication with my

partner through the physical connection while maneuvering across the dance floor, incorporating

both individual’s creative ideas and styling into one cohesive dance. It was a constant
opportunity for collaborative effort, that required intentional listening and flexibility to adapt to

whatever small differences in style each partner may have had. Overall, it was an extremely fun

and helpful class for me, and I am sure I will continue to reap both its fun and practical benefits

for the rest of my life as I.

Some other practical skills I gained experience in from my gen eds are creative problem

solving and contextual big-picture thinking. Both my World Food Issues: Past and Present 342

class and Religion in America 210 offered growth in these areas by requiring me to put myself in

a different cultural, religious, and economic scenario to truly understand the events and

worldviews we were learning about. Many of the world food issues discussed in 342 took place

in regions outside of the United States, and were caused by circumstances that are completely

foreign to an average U.S. citizen. So, when discussing how these issues would impact lifestyles

of individuals and culture as a whole, I had to imagine myself in the place of one of those

individuals living in that culture. The same thing occurred in my religion 210 class, as many

religions have completely different values than I do, so in order to have a discussion about how a

certain religion may have impacted the communities around it or the world as a whole, I had to

put myself into the context of that religion to accurately form a point for whatever argument or

topic I was discussing.

This is exactly what is required in engineering whenever interacting with clients. To

deliver a product that satisfies the client’s needs and wants, you must be able to put yourself in

their shoes, their context, and then begin thinking about the problem from their point of view.

The same goes for creative problem solving. If you want to come up with a creative solution, you

must be able to think outside the box and from a different perspective. These classes helped

prepare me for doing this in the real world, and I am extremely grateful for that.
 Finally, my public speaking class also assisted in teaching me effective verbal

communication skills that will be extremely applicable to my work in engineering. Whether it is

participating in a sales call with a potential new client, explaining the functional requirements of

a project, participating in a professional development seminar, etc, the ability to speak to large

groups of people in a clear an concise manner is essential, and that is exactly what public

speaking taught me. In the class I had to read, write, and deliver multiple speeches on various

topics, such as argumentative essays, personal stories, or reviews of movies and TV shows.

When delivering speeches, it was required that we had an audience of at least 5 people, which

gave me practical experience with speaking in front of crowds, and we often had to do peer

reviews of our recorded speeches. Overall, the experience helped get me comfortable speaking in

front of others and taught me basic techniques for how to present yourself and your topic both

verbally and visually in a manner that appealed to and captured the audience.

In conclusion, although my gen eds were not directly related to my major, they no doubt

will assist me in my career once I graduate. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to take

each one of these classes and will continue to pursue growth in communication, collaboration,

creative problem solving, and contextual thinking, as they are all key skills for one’s success,

both personally and professionally.