Introductory Reading Assignment

I need to take this course because it is a required course for my intended major. As a prospective engineer, my best reason for not having to take this course is that writing argumentative essays is not important in my field. However, I still think that this course is necessary because it will help guide my thinking on any topic that is relevant to my life. Using “writing as a way of thinking new thoughts” (xviii) means using writing as a way of making new connections that cannot be made simply through thought. Writing itself is a thinking process in which new ideas build off old ones to make original thoughts. The quote, “Imitative thinking presupposes the sufficiency of knowledge in its present state, and it preserves the separateness of different texts and differing realities. But this separateness cannot be maintained except at the cost of a greater incoherence. [...] Instead we are obliged to think connectively—to think across texts rather than thinking only from inside them” (xxix) gives a purpose and general outline for the New Humanities. Instead of isolating a specific work, information needs to be understood and analyzed from a more general world view. This “shared horizon” is important because it allows for a non specialist to have a legitimate interpretation about a work. An individual's interpretation is based upon any connection they can make based on their life experience. Another interesting part of the New Humanities is prospective writing, a concept that contradicts my high school experience. The idea of using a rough draft as a thinking tool in order to formulate a thesis as opposed to writing a complete essay based off a thesis seems to be an effective way to write. Instead of writing a complete, all-encompassing argument and thesis, one can make more nuanced, developed arguments by deriving the thesis from the writing. For me, the New Humanities takes a completely different approach to writing and thinking about the world that is absolutely necessary for me to grow as a thinker and individual. Using prospective writing, I will be able to more easily make meaningful arguments that are important to me. Similarly, analyzing writing through a much larger lens will make learning far more interesting and personal. I am excited to approach reading and writing in a completely different and more intuitive way.