Throughout the year, four University Studies goals have been taught. These goals relate directly to the daily life experiences and are thus important in helping someone interact and understand others better. Being in the university means that one is bound to meet and interact with people from all over the world. The US is a preferred destination for many in search of higher education and hence students come in from as far as Asia and as near as Canada. To relate with these people, one needs to understand the four goals which include  critical thinking, communication, social responsibility, ethics and the diversity of human experience. In this paper, I purpose to discuss the four goals in relation to personal experiences and demonstrate how they came in handy in the achievement of my daily endeavors.

It is almost certain that the interaction of people helps them gain a wider array of knowledge that can be applied in different spheres of life. For the interactions to take place and succeed, there are elements of individuality that come into play thus helping individuals understand each other and form relations that create a basis for achievement of greater things either for an individual or group. Personally, my most important University Studies goal was communication as this is the key to forming relations with others(Cress, Yamashita, Duarte, & Burns, 2010). Communication can be said to be an exchange of information, thoughts or ideas by way of speaking and listening or reading. By communicating, one can easily understand the ideas of others since communication is all about expressing ourselves.

According to Cress et al. (231), communication is necessary as it lets one see various elements through the eyes of others. It is obvious that all people cannot hold similar opinions concerning everything that life has to offer. By communicating, we express our opinions as we find suitable or appropriate and get to learn what others feel about the same. This exchange of ideas helps people to grow their knowledge as it is not always our opinions that matter. Communication allows one to advance their knowledge regarding issues that were probably unknown to them before. For example, when I set for my CBL Project Paper on Groundwork Portland, I knew little about environmental conservation as my knowledge was confined around planting of trees and not littering around. However, I met Faduma Ali, who has been on this course for a while. Her main duty at the moment was the cleaning up of the Willamette River, and she told me a lot concerning the state of the river and why she is determined to make a change. After hours of discussing and debating, I was fully convinced that indeed she had a task that needed serious and urgent attention since there are dangers posed by the contaminated waters in the river.

My second most important goal as learned was the diversity of human experience. This means that one may understand and appreciate the interdependence of cultures, humanity and the natural environment(Cress et al., 2010). In addition, this diversity means that one can be in a position to relate to qualities, situations and conditions that are different from the ones we are familiar. These may be aspects such as religion, age, gender, race, sexual orientation, income, marital status and physical abilities among others. My understanding of the people around me counts so much due to the realization that people hold varied opinions on issues based on their cultural or religious backgrounds. For example, different cultures have different opinions regarding matters such as sexuality, income and status within the society. I discovered that while Kuwaitis do not bother about social class, Americans associate based on class and status. Hence, understanding a particular people’s way of life is pivotal to forging the right kind of relations with them. By so doing, we avoid conflicts including those of interests as we can accommodate people and their opinions regarding life and the things that surround us.

Regarding the diversity of human experience, I carried out research on Ethiopia and discovered just how different living in the US is from living in Ethiopia. Those in Ethiopia face numerous challenges, concerning life. However, by understanding their challenges and way of life, it would be easier to forge relations with them and provide the help they need in order to improve their lives.

My third most important goal was critical thinking. Critical thinking means to analyze and think about a subject deeply in order to get a fair opinion regarding the subject. Critical thinking also plays a vital role in communicating our beliefs and thoughts clearly(Cress et al., 2010). Whenever we give special to the many difficulties that face the society today. By critically analyzing the situation beforehand, it is possible to formulate solutions that are focused on alleviating the challenges within the society.

My research on Ecotopia gave me insights into how people can create solutions for their problems by prioritizing their needs and coming up with strategies to achieve their goals. Ecotopia is a small nation that stretches across the Northwestern part of the US and covers Oregon, Washington and Northern California. These are the most agriculturally productive areas of the US and their input into the national food grid means almost everything for the country. In addition, the area can almost survive on itself without relying on the national government. This was achieved by analyzing the needs and capabilities of the people around the area and designing projects that can utilize these capabilities to provide long term solutions to the challenges faced by the people. For Ecotopia, the utilization of these capabilities provided for them and left enough to sell to the entire country. Similarly, in my studies, I have to think critically about what my education can do not just for myself but also for others.

Last but not least is the goal of ethics and social responsibility. Ethics is described as the moral values that organize the behavior of people within a society. They may be based on feelings, cultural values, religious beliefs, requirements by the law or the accepted behaviors within the society. I have realized that each person has a responsibility that they must fulfill for the society around them. Education is one of the most effective enablers to fulfilling whatever our responsibilities are. However, the manner in which we choose to fulfill those responsibilities must be guided by some values that we either develop individually or acquire from the society around us. The most paramount thing is that these values must be acceptable and must not infringe on the rights and freedoms of others(Cress et al., 2010).

In reference to my Kuwait research, I found out that Kuwaitis are less concerned about class and other issues that tend to differentiate one from another. The most pivotal thing for them is that any individual plays their part fully in ensuring that they fulfill their responsibility to the society as a whole and do so while putting into consideration the values held by others. This way, they avoid conflict and are able to push forward the development agenda for their country as a whole.

All University Studies goals play a major part in the formation of individuals who can move a country forward. By learning how to communicate, how to accommodate others and their views, how to analyze situations to come up with solutions and how to adhere to acceptable values within society, all people can work together to provide solutions to the challenges that face the world currently. Through acquisition of a good education, people can interact on numerous platforms and create a better world for all.

References

Cress, C. M., Yamashita, M., Duarte, R., & Burns, H. (2010). A Transnational Comparison Of Service-learning As A Tool For Leadership Development.International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 18(2), 228-244.

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