Ways of Knowing freshman inquiry has broadened my knowledge of the humanities,

social sciences, and hard sciences through readings, essays, projects and discussions. The most
useful insights have come from my peers, as they share their life experiences and relate them to
the material we are covering at a particular time. Whether they are sharing about their knowledge
concerning the theories we are observing, their own interpretations of difficult readings or what
they think about a hot button topic, all opinions shared were useful to the class and furthered my
attainment of knowledge. These insights remind me that there are many different perspectives
and help me to view topics differently. It was most interesting to study social science and the
applications of it in scholarly ways as well as in the real world of my everyday life. This segment
had the most open discussion and the most radical ideas compared to what we previously thought
about things like tradition and child rearing. Learning about ethnocentrism has changed how I
view the world and how I interpret cultures that differ from my own. It has created respect for
cultures I might have previously judged and that respect has fostered understanding that I can
apply to future endeavors. During the first and last terms of Ways of Knowing I was able to
examine theories that were interesting but I would not have otherwise examined that in turn
improved my world view and perspective.
Aside from academic knowledge freshmen inquiry has helped me with my writing. Prior
to freshman inquiry I didnt have much experience with consistent writing like journals, critical
analyses, and discussion posts, but the opportunity has created practice and helped me refine my
writing skills. In the fall our twice weekly short essays about the readings we would then discuss
in class helped me communicate my ideas. The way the winter term class was structured helped
me refine communication skills as well with twice weekly discussion posts. These posts required
me to share my insights with my classmates and also read and respond to theirs, something I

usually disliked in the past. Reading the responses to my own discussions often helped me to
think critically about what I had said and to reexamine what I had learned on my own from
assigned readings. During the spring term we were asked to write more extensive analysis on
select readings and dissect them to understand arguments being made. This process was
backwards from what I am used to but this helped me to come up with better ways to interpret
and understand what authors are trying to say. All three terms helped me develop what I consider
to be one of the most important goals of freshman inquiry, how to effectively communicate ideas,
thoughts, and opinions with a wide array of individuals.
These conversations about often difficult to grasp subjects have helped me gain
confidence in my ability to critically inquire into meanings and then to interpret those meanings
into my own thoughts. By using the assigned formats for discussions (journals first term,
discussion posts second term, and critical analysis third term) caused me to organize my ideas
better and push my learning farther than surface level. They required me to think in deeper
meaning and then translate that into a template that could be understood and compared to my
peers work. I was not only able to apply the knowledge I acquired to my own life and future
classes but also to the larger world and what kind of ethical responsibility we have as citizens
and how our diverse experiences can draw us closer rather than apart.
During fall term the class was taught how to examine past examples of knowledge like
philosophy and much of the material pertained to famous philosophers or famous works of
literature. We as a class learned to communicate and analyze others past ideas and inquire into
how those ideas have shaped our current ideas. These past examples of knowledge that we still
draw on helped build a basis of understanding about the world we live in, how we view that
world, and how we interpret those views based on the past. The humanities portion of Ways of

Knowing shined light on interpretive thinking and how the past has shaped the present especially
in terms of how we know what we know. We learned how to critically examine past works and
critically think about what the authors meant by their works as well as our responsibility to act
upon these theoretical ideas.
Once we had examined the past we moved onto what was more centered on analyzing the
present based on cultures like ours and completely different from ours during the social sciences
segment of the course. This way of knowing was about observing the world around us,
researching past and present and using those examples to form an outlook on what the human
experience is all about. Social sciences opened horizons of thinking about other people, not just
theories but actual individuals and cultures that are connected or could have an affect on my
personal culture. The assignments we were asked to do largely helped communicating original
ideas to an audience and understanding the communication that audience gives back to you
through discussions both online and in class. Often I used my previously learned skill of
interpreting authors meanings and using them to create my own opinions that were more
credible because they were based in evidence provided by credible sources like academic
journals. The class broadened our knowledge on sciences that were more social and abstract than
hard sciences we usually think of when inquiring into the world. The idea that the world could be
examined in the more gray areas as well as the more strict black and white helped us step outside
of our comfort zone to learn. We learned the value of the human experience, how we can use that
to both understand the past and present but also to shape our future.
In spring we examined more natural science and theories about how the world works, or
rather how it could/should work. The theories and readings we learned and discussed helped us
shape opinions about our own worldviews and what we believe these world views should entail

not only for ourselves but the world around us. We then used these predictions and inquiries into
the world to make predictions about what the future should and should not be like. This is
exhibited in our final projects, debates concerning topics versus science and whether science
either discredits, is better than, or is found in these subjects. These subjects were touchy topics
that required we use our learned communication and inquiry skills to eloquently portray our
thoughts and feelings about said topics. Along with the physical debates we were asked to
critically think about those debates and discuss them in detail for another assignment. This
discussion focused on the major goals of freshman inquiry, that we communicate and inquire
effectively, consider ethical implications and who would be responsible for such, the diversity of
our opinions and what shaped those opinions, and examine all of these goals critically.
Originally when I started freshmen inquiry I was a transfer exploratory student. Now,
Ive chosen a major, Marketing, with the help of exploring classes and realizing what topics like
philosophy that I did not enjoy. The freshman inquiry I chose, though sometimes difficult and
challenging, has made me realize what things I do and do not like when it comes to academic
subject matter. Ive also learned that I am capable of surviving more rigorous college courses and
know that I can evolve to fit my work ethic to courses that will continue to be more in depth in
the future because of how I handled this year long course in spite of things happening out of my
control. Being able to be around the same students and mentor for three terms because Portland
State does freshman inquiry provided me another support system and a familiar place that I wish
I had had during my actual first year of college. This course makes adjusting to a new
environment like a college campus a lot easier and filled with more comfort. I now want to take a
more active role the Portland State community not only through Greek life but other campus
activities as well and take advantage of opportunities, especially those that I originally did not

think I was qualified for based on my skill sets. Learning about interest interviews and how to
take advantage of the academic and career services center was beneficial and I plan to conduct a
few in the fields I am interested in to hone in on specific careers I would enjoy. I am leaving
freshman inquiry with a vast array of knowledge about diverse subjects, motivation to excel at
Portland State, and good friends that Ive gotten to know as well as a great mentor who has
helped us all towards our goals.