Purpose of General Education Prepare:  As you prepare to write your answer to the discussion question, think about the general education courses that you have taken as a university student. To help you address the prompts, carefully read the articles and websites that address the philosophy behind general education courses. Reflect:  After reviewing websites and reading the journal articles, and in light of what you discovered in preparing to write your answer to the discussion question, consider, analyze, and explain why general education courses should be a significant part of every student’s education. Write:  For this discussion, address the following prompts: Provide at least three reasons why every student should be required to take general education courses. Explain your rationale. Describe what you have learned from at least two specific courses (e.g., philosophy, history, or psychology) that illustrated usefulness in your daily life. For instance, what did you learn in history classes beyond just names, dates, and places? In literature courses, what did you learn about life, the university, and everything beyond the literary work itself? Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly sources, and properly cite any references. Be sure to include information from the websites and articles. Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Required Resources Articles Austin, M. W. (2011, April 13).  The value of general education  [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ethics-everyone/201104/the-value-general-education In this article, the author gives some reasons that support the importance of general education courses. The reasons for general education courses include: helping a student become a better citizen; increasing critical thinking skills; and providing students with a broad and deep education. Dowd, M. (2015).  What is the purpose of taking general classes for a college degree?  Retrieved from http://education.seattlepi.com/purpose-taking-general-classes-college-degree-1876.html In this article, the author explains the importance of breadth of learning. General education courses encompass several areas of study (social sciences, math, science, humanities and nature), which will help prepare students to think more analytically, consider many views on a topic and value cultural differences when they begin their advanced study courses. Lewis, H. R. (2008).  A core curriculum for tomorrow's citizens .  Education Digest ,  73 (5), 47-50. Retrieved from https://www.eddigest.com/ The full-text version of this article can be accessed through the ERIC database in the Ashford University Library. The author of this article expresses an opinion regarding how college students should have the freedom to choose what they want to learn instead of being forced to abide by the university’s core curriculum. This article also addresses citizenship and how it is important .

1. Purpose of General Education
Prepare:
As you prepare to write your answer to the discussion question,
think about the general education courses that you have taken as
a university student. To help you address the prompts, carefully
read the articles and websites that address the philosophy
behind general education courses.
Reflect:
After reviewing websites and reading the journal articles, and in
light of what you discovered in preparing to write your answer
to the discussion question, consider, analyze, and explain why
general education courses should be a significant part of every
student’s education.
Write:
For this discussion, address the following prompts:
Provide at least three reasons why every student should be
required to take general education courses. Explain your
rationale.
Describe what you have learned from at least two specific
courses (e.g., philosophy, history, or psychology) that
illustrated usefulness in your daily life. For instance, what did
you learn in history classes beyond just names, dates, and
places? In literature courses, what did you learn about life, the
university, and everything beyond the literary work itself?
Support your claims with examples from required material(s)
and/or other scholarly sources, and properly cite any references.
Be sure to include information from the websites and articles.
Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length.
Required Resources
Articles
Austin, M. W. (2011, April 13).

2. The value of general education
[Blog post]. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ethics-
everyone/201104/the-value-general-education
In this article, the author gives some reasons that support the
importance of general education courses. The reasons for
general education courses include: helping a student become a
better citizen; increasing critical thinking skills; and providing
students with a broad and deep education.
Dowd, M. (2015).
What is the purpose of taking general classes for a college
degree?
Retrieved from http://education.seattlepi.com/purpose-taking-
general-classes-college-degree-1876.html
In this article, the author explains the importance of breadth of
learning. General education courses encompass several areas of
study (social sciences, math, science, humanities and nature),
which will help prepare students to think more analytically,
consider many views on a topic and value cultural differences
when they begin their advanced study courses.
Lewis, H. R. (2008).
A core curriculum for tomorrow's citizens
.
Education Digest
,
73
(5), 47-50. Retrieved from https://www.eddigest.com/
The full-text version of this article can be accessed through the
ERIC database in the Ashford University Library. The author of
this article expresses an opinion regarding how college students
should have the freedom to choose what they want to learn
instead of being forced to abide by the university’s core
curriculum. This article also addresses citizenship and how it is
important for college graduates to understand the basic
principles on which the U.S. government runs. This article will
allow the reader to assess their own level of civic engagement

3. and determine if their courses promote this.
Reysen, S., & Katzarska-Miller, I. (2013).
A model of global citizenship: Antecedents and outcomes
.
International Journal of Psychology
,
48
(5), 858-870. doi:10.1080/00207594.2012.701749
The full-text version of this article can be accessed through the
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO
host
) database in the Ashford University Library. This article
provides information concerning the idea of the global citizen.
The authors explain the outcomes of identifying with a
superordinate identity (global citizen) from two different
studies. The relationship between global awareness and social
values was evaluated. This article will allow the reader to assess
their level of global citizenship and how it can impact their own
identity and psychological well-being.
Serafin, C. (n.d.).
General education requirements: What’s the point?
Retrieved from http://www.collegexpress.com/articles-and-
advice/majors-and-academics/articles/college-
academics/general-education-requirements-whats-point/
In this article, the author explains what general education
requirements are and some of the reasons why colleges include
them in degree requirements. The author suggests that one of
the biggest problems with general education courses is the fact
that students do not think they are important. The author then
supports the fact that general education courses increase a
student’s critical thinking skills, communication skills, and
problem-solving skills before they start taking more advanced
courses in their field of study.
Wehlburg, C. M. (2010).
Integrated general education: A brief look back
.

4. New Directions for Teaching & Learning
,
121
, 3-11. doi:10.1002/tl.383
The full-text version of this article can be accessed through the
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO
host
) database in the Ashford University Library. This article
addresses that assessment practices that take place in order to
measure the course learning outcomes in higher education
programs. Assessing general education has been a difficult task
compared to assessing different majors based on content and
skills. The goals of critical thinking, problem solving and
communication may be more difficult to measure. Assessment
procedures tend to be more qualitative when it comes to general
education curriculum. This article will allow the reader to fully
understand the assessment procedures that have been able to
measure their core general education requirements.
White, J. (2009).
Why general education? Peters, Hirst and history
.
Journal of Philosophy of Education, 43
,123-141. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9752.2009.00718.x
The full-text version of this article can be accessed through the
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO
host
) database in the Ashford University Library. The author of this
article provides historical background information concerning
the opposing views of the purpose of general education from
Richard Peters and Paul Hirst. This article will allow the reader
to use critical thinking skills to assess whether there must be
some good intrinsic reason for an academic curriculum as we
see it today.
Multimedia
Studio12TV. (2012, January 3).
Global education and global citizenship

5. [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXzRHbISFW0
This video provides reasons in support of the idea of global
citizenship and its relationship with national citizenship. It
addresses what people can do to identify more with being a
global citizen. If we would look at our own identity and see how
we are connected with others, we will be able to appreciate the
differences in others. Identity is socially constructed based on
the environment we live in. The video will helps raise
awareness of one’s own identity and how it can be changed to
increase global citizenship. Transcript
Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy