Memorandum

To: Laura Knudson

From: Austin Teeter
Date: 02/15/2016
Subject: Workshopping Experience
I was absent the day of the essay workshop. So I was unable to receive any
feedback on my paper.

Austin Teeter
Laura Knudson
UWRT 1101
02/11/2016
Cultural Myth of A Well Rounded Student
Cultural myths, you may find yourself asking, what are they? Although
they may seem confusing, you know them better then you could ever
imagine. Cultural myths are all around us in our everyday lives. Personally, I
know I face cultural myths on a regular basis.

They impact my life both

positively and negatively. I would say the myth that has the biggest impact
on my life is the idea of a well rounded student.
This idea has forced me and all other students, in college, to endure 14
years of grade school.

You may say, There are only 12 years of grade

school. True, but then students in college are forced to undergo another 2
years of, basically, the same stuff that is covered in grade school. Students
have to have general education instead of just being able to go straight into
their major-specific courses.

I mean is it really necessary for college

students to waste that extra 2 years.

The biggest part of the general education curriculum that puts the
greatest thorn in my side is the university writing program. I guess, the folks
who developed the general education curriculum think everyone is trying to
be a freaking author. This course irritates me because we have been writing
and completing critical thinking assignments in English class since we

started school, or at least third grade when writing tests were beginning to
be administered. Over those years I came to the conclusion that I was not a
very talented writer. After forming this conclusion, I came to peace with the
fact that I cannot write a paper that satisfies an English teacher. That is why
I decided to pursue a major in engineering. I understand engineering does
require some amount of writing but the type of required writing is better
suited to how I prefer to write. You see, instead of writing these long, fluffed
up, pointless papers; engineers write short, to the point, meaningful papers.
This style of writing is taught in the engineering curriculum so it pretty much
makes the University Writing Program a waste of time, money, and effort
that does nothing but attempt to undo everything the engineering program
has tried to do.
The next part that really chaps my butt concerning general education
is the Liberal Studies (LBST) program. I have no earthly idea why or when I
will need to know anything that I will learn in the arts and society portion of
the LBSTs. For instance, I have no need to know anything I will learn in the
music LBST. So when will I need to be able to tell someone who wrote a
piece of classical music when I hear a small piece of a song? What lasting,
useful knowledge will I gain from the western culture class that Ive already
taken? I do not remember a dang thing from that course, beside the fact it
was about Greek culture. It mostly covered types of pottery and the ages in
which they were developed.

I also could have replaced that with literally

anything that would help me in life after graduation. I do not understand

why there is a requirement of 2 natural sciences. I will gain very little useful
information from geology, geography, psychology, or biology to name a few.
Of the courses that are required for everybody at the school, I found
probably half of these requirements that will be useful.

I understand

requiring a mathematical and logical reasoning course because everybody

needs to have a good understanding of mathematics. Everyone needs math
because it will be in almost everyday life from tipping at a restaurant to
doing taxes or balancing a checkbook, etc. I can see a use for knowledge
that would be learned in an economics or political science course.

These

courses could teach you, of course economics as well as a little bit about the
political system used in the country.

Things which might be taught in a

global understanding course could be useful if you pursue a career in

something that took you to a foreign country. This course may help you have
a better understanding of different cultures that may be found around the
world. The Ethical and Cultural Critique LBST is a course that, without having
taken, is kind of hard to judge its usefulness.

Depending on the actual

material it may be something that comes in handy down the road, again
without having taken that course I dont know how it will help. This course,
even though the name sounds like it would have helpful information, may be
like some of the others LBSTs that turn out not to be what you would think it
would be.
The section of general education that is labeled Communication Skills,
looks like it could be very helpful in an actual career field. These courses

could help because they actually pertain to the major that is being studying
and deals with types of communication required in the job field. One of the
courses is actually designated Writing in the Discipline Course. Even though
I have not taken any courses in this category I would be willing to take a step
out on the limb and say this course will probably have a very useful
application in my career after graduation.

However I dont know if the

second Writing in the Discipline Course is necessary but I may change my

mind after the first or even at the start of the second course. This could help
because it might encompass a different, important type of writing that could
end up being a big part of my work. The last part, of the Communication
Skills section, is Oral Communication. This course I believe will be helpful for
everybody, no matter what major. This will help, in my opinion, because I
think it will help everybody become more comfortable with presenting
anything. I think this will be important because I believe most every career,
that requires a college degree, will require some type of presentation.

If

nothing else, it will help peoples posture and confidence when talking in front
of people in a high pressure situation. This trait will help when it comes to
job interviews that everybody that has and will ever have a job has to do.
In conclusion to this paper or rant, whichever you wish to call it, I find
the General Education program to be pretty unnecessary and contributory to
the cultural myth of employers desiring well rounded students. The reason
I say pretty is because there are a few courses that I think will be helpful
down the road. So I guess I would say, the program shouldnt be completely

done away with but they should definitely revise it to be more useful to the
students in their post-graduation life. The courses should be revamped to
help the student prepare for the harsh yet necessary fact and responsibilities
of adult life in his chosen field of work.