Introduction
I think that the Dialogues of Self and Society course that I took at the College of Liberal Education of Lynn University corresponds to the area four criteria of General Education offered at American University. The area is primarily devoted to the study of various aspects of human society and applying modern social science to the context of the American experience. Apart from that, the process of creating knowledge and relevant methods of inquiry are also highlighted by the area.
Main body
The Dialogues of Self and Society 100: Self as Learner course is devoted primarily to the relationship between self and society that are obviously significant for social science. It helps the students place themselves within the community and equips them to understand themselves, their emotions, ethical, and other values through the critical and reflective analysis of varied social theories as well as the prism of historical and cultural perspective. Apart from that, as follows for the name of the course, the process of acquiring knowledge and the understanding of this process is of similar significance to the course. In other words, the general purpose of the study fully corresponds to Area Four and falls within its broad limits.
The content of the course, its topics, and activities can also be aligned with Area Four. During the course, we studied the theories and definitions of self, the evolution of self, values, and ethics, and metacognition. Other themes included, for example, emotional intelligence. Apart from that, we learned a lot about American culture and history while working with secondary and, what was most captivating, primary sources.
The specific tasks that we were assigned were clearly aimed at the development of skills that are useful regardless of the sphere of activity. In particular, we created a number of essays and performed three presentations, which helped me to practice my written and oral communication skills. As for other activities, we participated in discussions on every topic that helped me organize my own thoughts and broaden my understanding as I considered the ideas of other students. I particularly liked the fact that the students were allowed more than a little leadership in the classroom, and the professor facilitated the process, guided it, helped us, and encouraged our own critical thinking and creativity rather than took the lead. Naturally, all these activities also contributed to the understanding of the content of the course that was admittedly extensive.
Conclusion
To sum up, the course was very informative, and the information provided by it is applicable to the Area Four requirements as it is devoted to the study of society and pays particular attention to the American context. However, the course did not limit itself to providing the information, and the development of crucial skills (and in particular critical thinking that is also required by Area Four) appeared to be of equal importance for the learning process. Given the fact that Area Four is all-encompassing with respect to the study of society, I think that the American University can rightfully adopt the course as its part. What is more, I believe that the American University will benefit this way since the perspective of the course is very attractive and practically applicable. I think that I will benefit from using the knowledge, skills, and understanding gained through this course in my future life, and I want my peers for the American University to have a similar opportunity.