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Nancy Cao
Professor Masulit
Ethnic Studies 21
30 October 2016
Thematic Reflection 3
In theme three, we questioned the role universities play in society; and by doing so, we
discussed happiness, the history of universities and colleges, and a general point of view of
professors. In the documentary Happy, we learned about the difference between extrinsic goals
and intrinsic goals. Extrinsic goals are "external or physical items that produce happiness, and
intrinsic goals is internal happiness like personal growth, relationships, and desire to help others"
(Lecture, October 10th). These goals help people stay motivated, and motivation and production
is what runs our universities. Goal setting towards one's happiness is the first step in achieving
and becoming successful. As a result, society will greatly benefit from happiness and motivation.
I found the Happy documentary interesting because of the way the scientists discussed
happiness. Happiness is a chemical in your brain called dopamine, and to increase dopamine
levels one must do "this and that" to stimulate the brain. They used statistics and stated that
"income, social status, home, and age contributes 10% to happiness, but 40% of happiness comes
from intentional behavior" (Happy Documentary). To be honest, I do not know what that means
because I do not understand how these scientists came up with such a conclusion. How do they
know how much a brand new car contributes to one's happiness versus a healthy relationship?
Their explanations made me picture happiness as a tangible, physical item. However, in reality,
happiness is an abstract concept, and there is not an ultimate step by step method to achieve
happiness.

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Since theme three is to question the role of universities, we looked into the historical
background of colleges and universities. In William H. Halverson's article "American Higher
Education: A Brief History," he begins by explaining how American universities came to be. It
all started with nine universities and we all know as Ivy League: Harvard, Brown, Pennsylvania
State, Rutgers, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, College of William and Mary, and Dartmouth. These
universities were made to "reflect the universities in England, Cambridge and Oxford...and these
universities were established to make sure that the colonies would be supplied educated and
literate leaders" (Halverson, p. 65). Halverson states that the three tasks of a university is
instruction, research, and public service. While reading Halverson's article, I found interesting
that universities were designed for wealthy white males and women and also minorities were
seen as inferior and irrational. Today, I still feel like the traditional education system benefits
white males the most in America. This system is very old, but for some reason we still use the
same structure. I believe that the school system is outdated and things do need to be changed.
Although there are things like affirmative action that benefits minorities at the university level, it
is still very difficult for minorities to go through school. Women and minorities are discriminated
in certain fields and are unable to pursue a career in that field. Women usually dominate fields
that are "women's work."
With all things, universities have a structure or foundation that keeps it sturdy, and one of
the most important factors to a university or college is its professors. Professors play a huge role
in higher education because they are the ones who provide education. In John N. Gardner's
article "Decoding Your Professors," he lists some tips and advice about professors. Since he is a
professor, he generally states some common encounters a student will face in university. Gardner
contrasts high school teachers and professors by stating, "professors did not learn how to

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communicate that knowledge to you, or how to entertain you as high school did so" (Gardner, p.
84). Professors tend to spend their time doing research and getting their work published while
high school teachers make daily agendas and schedule plans to teach the material. Also, most
professors are understanding and sympathetic to their student's situations. They understand that
their students have a life and face their own struggles outside of class. After all, all professors
were once students too, and many of them faced what their students are currently struggling with
now. I found that looking at a professors point of view made me understand the university better.
A university consists of so many factors and people, and it can be considered its own community.
Without one of the main foundation blocks that create a university, a university cannot be what it
is; therefore, it will not be able to play a productive role in society.