Reflection for Portfolio

IDC. Nature of Knowledge

Alan Ibanez

Two years ago, if you asked me why are the arts and humanities
important? I would not be able to give you a concrete answer. To be honest I did
not know why they were important until I finished my first year at Chesapeake
College. My first semester here I took Intro to Literature and Foundation of
Communications. At first I thought they were regular gen eds that we all have to
take and they are that to some extent. I began to realize that this classes open our
minds to new perspectives. In English courses we learn how to thick critically by
analyzing our worlds greater works in literature. We interact with great novels
like The Brothers Karamazov, The Scarlet Letter, Don Quixote, and One Hundred
Years Of Solitude. We learn to think creatively through music, theatre, and
poetry. Through this discipline, I have learned to ask the right questions, reason
with knowledge, and to always stay curious. We develop these much needed
instincts as we continue our growth with college education. I do not exactly what
I want to do in this life, but I am very certain I will need these skills.
Social sciences are just as important as the arts and humanities. In this
discipline, we learn various things about what it is to be human. Through history,
we learn from our past to improve our future. We learn about the vast cultures of
our world. In psychology, we examine the human brain and the complexity of the
human mind. In classes such as sociology and anthropology we learn about the
human condition, how to interact with others and how the world works. I feel
like I have learned about what it means to be human, to have better interactions
with other people, and to be part of an ever changing society. It does not really

matter what career I go into because understanding what it is to human and how
to interact are crucial lessons in any profession.
Out world is always progressing at an insane speed. Most technological
advances have been made within the last 150 years. Science and technology are
two disciplines that have a very important role in our lives. Medicine and
computers are ever present in our lives. Taking classes such as algebra or biology
allow us to create better problem solving skills. In these areas of study we learn
to gather evidence to formulate solutions to problems that seem to always arise.
We learn to make observations and create hypotheses. These classes also teach us
that there is more methods of thinking and arriving to solutions. We also learn
that the progression we make is driven by our unquenchable thirst for
knowledge. But one of the most important things we learn is to appreciate the
wondrous world that surrounds us. In natural science classes we learn about
evolution and the inner workings of an atom. We learn all these things to create
the next generation of problem solvers. Naturally, this is the field that excites the
most as I am always curious about the way universe works.