Introductory Reading Assignment

Matthew Baker

Regardless of my desires, my need to take this course lies in the fact that it is a requirement as I pursue my engineering degree. There are numerous claims I could make as to why I should not have to take the course. The course’s relevance to the engineering field appears almost nonexistent at times. It is also difficult to envision a scenario in which my engineering career would require writing capabilities beyond that which high school provided me with. 

After reading portions of The New Humanities Reader, the need for this course has become much more apparent. Despite its bashing of the current high school educational system, this text manages to provide an optimistic outlook on what this course has in store. It urges that the English course not be viewed as a separate entity, but rather something that can teach skills beyond the traditional, formulaic way of not just writing, but also thinking. Thus, this course may not just improve upon my English skills, but rather assist me in other areas such as connective thinking. As the authors suggest using “writing as a way of thinking new thoughts,” (xviii) they are reiterating how the skills provided in this course can extend far past the traditional classroom setting. In nearly every professional field, people will be tasked will formulating new ideas. Thoughts can become easier to analyze as they are put into words, and doing so can force the writer to carefully reconsider his initial ideas. 

There is something very rejuvenating about the way New Humanities talks about education. The authors repeatedly state their rationale for their rather unique viewpoint on education. They write, “We need a new kind of thinking because we live in a world defined by possibilities, and possibilities go hand in hand with risk and unintended consequences.” (xxi) As we become accustomed to the systematic nature of typical education, it becomes easy to miss out on possibilities. This brings along the aforementioned unintended consequences. By changing the way we think, New Humanities aims to reduce these unforeseen consequences. Another concept essential to the New Humanities is the shared horizon. This idea is rooted in the belief that pooling knowledge from many different sources broadens what we as humans are capable of. Though this seems rather obvious, it is not in accordance with what the typical education seems to promote through simple reproduction of information told to us. Similarly, the authors bring up the concept of viewing things through a retrospective lens. They claim that with a prospective view, the work only exists after you have finished reading it. As a result, meaning can only be extracted as the readers make connections with a retrospective view. I am eager to see what this new outlook has in store and how it can positively impact my educational experience.