Goal Statement
I am proposing a Bachelor of Science degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from the College of Continuing Education at the University of Minnesota. My three areas of study will be Science and Health Science; History and Social Sciences, and communication. These areas are connected because they are, respectively, the three ways which I have sought to solve problems and make a positive impact in the world around me.
My goal, quite simply, is to complete my degree. When I left the University the first time, I swore I would not return until I had a tangible need for the piece of paper. I broke that promise to myself because I am currently at a major crossroads in my life, and this degree will serve to clear paths and open doors so that the major decisions I face can be made with as few artificial limitations as possible. While lack of a degree is not a barrier to anything I currently wish to pursue, there is no guarantee that when I do want my degree I will have such a ready opportunity to finish it.
I began my university studies as a Mechanical Engineering major, less because I had a passion for the material (or college at all) than because I had an aptitude for a subject many find difficult, and because that aptitude promised an easy path to an upper-middle-class living if I turned it into a career in engineering. The basic undergraduate Mechanical Engineering curriculum will form the basis of my Science and Health Science area of study.
The Mechanical Engineering curriculum leaves little room courses outside the major and required liberal education requirements. Despite that, I continually sought out additional classes, particularly in social sciences. This eventually led to my decision to study abroad in Ecuador. In returning to school, I have seriously considered pursuing an advanced degree in psychology or law. To that end, I took several social science classes this fall. Social Sciences is the portion of my degree that spans the two portions of my education. The investigation of people – their motivations, their follies and their triumphs – has grabbed my interest in a way that investigating technical challenges never did.
While I may some day find enough focus for my curiosity to follow it to social science research, for now I am much more content to try to keep up with the myriad of wonderful work others are doing, and to try to share some of it with a wider audience. To that end, my third area will be communications with a focus on writing.
I am standing at a crossroads in my life. I do not have a clear intent for where I will live or work a year from now. I do know that many of the roads at this particular junction are currently closed to me. Many jobs will not accept applicants without a bachelor’s degree. Graduate schools, obviously, have a strict requirement that you complete your undergraduate degree first. Although many of the things that have brought me to this crossroads were difficult, I am grateful for this opportunity to imagine a new path for my life. By opening more avenues, my Bachelor of Science degree in Multidisciplinary Studies will allow my imagination the freedom to roam and find a road that suits me perfectly.
Section III: Coursework Section
The areas of study I have selected are Science and Health Science; History and Social Sciences; and Communication. Science and Health Science looks to use the scientific method to understand and improve the physical and biological world. The Social Sciences use similar methods and apply them to interactions among and between humans and groups of humans. Communication, especially writing, allows us to convey the ideas learned in other areas to the wider community.
Science and Health Science
Science and Health Science is just what it sounds like: biology, chemistry, physics, public health, and in my case, engineering. These subjects seek to understand how the bits and pieces of the world work together, and how they can be controlled and manipulated for. Today's science is immensely powerful, and its way of looking at the world is extremely influential. I took the classes in this area when I was majoring in mechanical engineering, my original major. After studying abroad, I no longer viewed engineering as a discipline where I could do helpful and interesting things, but a discipline whose fundamental assumptions and values give rise to many of the problems humanity faces today. Given the large number of completed credits and my short time-line to major and degree completion, I am requesting a waiver from the requirement of a new class in the Science and Health Science area.
Course # Title Credits Grade
ME 3321 Thermodynamics 4.00 A-
AEM 3031 Deformable Body Mechanics 3.00 C-
EE 3005 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering 4.00 C
IE 4521 Statistics, Quality and Reliability 4.00 A-
ME 3322 Heat and Fluid Flow 4.00 C
IE 5553 Simulation 4.00 B+
Total 23.00
I began at the University of Minnesota studying mechanical engineering. I took all of the courses in this area during my original enrollment immediately after high school. ME 3321, Thermodynamics, and ME 3322, Heat and Fluid Flow, were a two-class series on all aspects of thermodynamics and fluids relevant to a mechanical engineer. This could range from heat conducting from a surface to air through a duct or water through a pipe.
EE 3005, Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering taught us about the basics of electronics. We analyzed circuits, and calculated voltage, resistance and power. In the laboratory, we used multi-meters and electronic components to put our knowledge to work. In AEM 3031, Deformable Body Mechanics, we learned about all of the forces inside of objects. Stress and strain, torsion and tension, bending and buckling. We learned about beams of different cross-sections, and how shafts react to rotation.
In IE 4521, Statistics, Quality, and Reliability, we learned to apply statistical models to engineering problems. Starting with simple ideas like permutations and coin flips, we eventually learned to perform powerful statistical analyses. In IE 5553, Simulation, we put that knowledge to use. We used statistical models and sophisticated software to create models of different complex systems. In our final project we modeled an entire manufacturing facility for maximum efficiency.
History and Social Science
History and Social Science seek to understand the way people interact with each other. From historians studying ancient Greek political intrigue, to psychologists studying rats, they're all trying to answer the same basic question: “What makes us tick?” Social science was the lens through which I first began to question my decision to pursue engineering. Half of my social science classes took place during my study abroad in Ecuador. When I returned to school, they were a main focus for me. While I don't currently intend to pursue further studies in social sciences, if I ever do return to school that is a very likely destination for me.
Course # Title Credits Grade
GLOS 4801 International Development: Theory/Practice 4.00 A
GLOS 4802 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Work 4.00 A
GLOS 4803 MSID Country Analysis 4.00 A
PSY 3135 Introduction to Individual Differences 3.00 IP
PSY 3604 Introduction to Abnormal Psychology 3.00 IP
SOC 4521 Love, Sex and Marriage 3.00 IP
Total 21.00
Studying abroad with the University of Minnesota's Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID) in Ecuador was a sudden immersion in the perspective of social sciences after just dabbling in similar courses, mostly lower division, before studying abroad. Although, GLOS 4801, International Development: Theory/Practice, GLOS 4802, Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Work, and GLOS 4803, MSID Country Analysis, are listed as three separate classes on my transcript, as presented there was no distinction between separate classes. The MSID curriculum was presented by a variety of local professors, activists and ordinary people. We learned about the specific history of development in Ecuador, and how Ecuador's history could be related to wider trends. We studied local culture and how that culture can conflict with modern, western worldviews. Most jarring to me, we saw first-hand the downstream effects of the advanced technological economy. We completed internships with organizations working to stanch the bleeding and reverse damage. These new truths were hard for me to integrate, especially once I returned to Minnesota. I switched to a course load heavy in philosophy my first semester back, then dropped out altogether in the middle of that semester.
When I decided to return to school, I decided to focus on social sciences for my remaining classes. Once I had decided to return to school, it became easy to imagine pursuing an advanced degree. At the time I registered, this seemed as likely as anything so that is how I chose three social science classes for Fall 2001. SOC 4521, Love, Sex and Marriage, explores how views and customs surrounding intimate relationships has changed over the years, and how they vary between countries. The role of social groups in forming these views is a special focus. I am currently going through a divorce and taking an academic look at some of the issues I'm facing has been very valuable. PSY 3135, Introduction to Individual Differences, explores how different people vary in terms of personality, intelligence, and other measures. This has been a very interesting class because much of psychology seeks to lump people together find universals, individual differences seeks to find the nature and source of what makes each of us unique. My final Social Science class is PSY 3604, Introduction to Abnormal Psychology. This class teaches about the entire range of mental illnesses from depression to schizophrenia. Although other areas of psychology hold more interest for me, this is the first thing many people think of when they hear, “psychology.” Having a basic overview of this area will probably make it much easier to connect some social science ideas to people's existing understanding.
Communication
Communication is fundamental to everything we do. In some ways, our extraordinary ability to communicate is the most distinctive thing setting humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom! Despite it's centrality to being human, a lot of learning can go toward communication. By learning to speak and write more clearly, we can better share our ideas with others. The communications classes I took were primarily writing intensive classes in areas I was otherwise interested in.
Course # Title Credits Grade
ME 4054W Design Projects 4.00 B+
SOC 3211W Race Relations 3.00 B+
FOST 3040 Study Abroad 4.00 A
PHIL 3601W Scientific Thought 4.00 C-
ESPM 3011W Ethics in Natural Resources 3.00 IP
MDS 3001W Introduction to Multidisciplinary Studies 3.00 IP
Total 21.00
ME 4054W, Design Projects, is the capstone design class in the mechanical engineering curriculum. In my project we used simulation modeling to help a company re-arrange its equipment in the process of moving to a new location. Although the writing intensive portion came from our report, the most important communication lessons I learned came from the experience of trying to find a common language and understanding between twenty-year-old college students and thirty-year proprietors of a family-run manufacturing business. SOC 3211W, Race Relations, helped me learn to communicate about sensitive topics. Perhaps no other topic has more potential to cause instant animosity than race. Through speaking and writing about race I learned to think carefully about how others might hear my words.
In Ecuador, I learned to truly communicate in another language. FOST 3040, Study Abroad, was the formal Spanish class I took. This class varied from any at the University of Minnesota because I only had five other students in my class. This meant a lot of opportunity to be engaged in speaking and listening. Of course, this was only the formal part of my Spanish learning. Most of my learning came through interacting with people around me.
Upon returning from Ecuador, I struggled to understand the relationship between my previous experiences and my new views of the world. PHIL 3601W, Scientific Thought, was the class that most directly helped me understand this relationship. Since the renaissance, western peoples have increasingly viewed the world around them through the lens of science. This has many implications for how we treat the natural world and each other, and how we react to problems that arise. These issues are some of the most difficult to communicate because they are so imbedded in people's world view.
This fall I am taking two more writing intensive classes. ESPM 3011W, Ethics in Natural Resources, is a required class for majors in natural resources majors. Most of the students in the class are traditional students, in their early twenties. In this class I have learned a lot about how to communicate with younger people, whom I have felt alienated from since returning from Ecuador. I have also had the opportunity to see several guest speakers and be exposed to their unique communication styles. Finally, the class through which I have produced this paper. MDS 3001W, Introduction to Multidisciplinary Studies, has forced me to write in a way I never have had to before. Journal entries and this proposal required opening my introspection to the wider world in a way that stretched my comfort zone. Finding consensus discussion answers starting with a variety of viewpoints could not happen without working hard to find common ground. Finally, fitting my experience, situation, and vision into the constraints of the MDS program strained my low tolerance for artificial structure and arbitrary rules. All of these challenges, successfully faced, will help me immeasurably going forward.
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