Introduction
Thomas A. Murray; Devon L. Thomas; and Sovay M. Hansen
All three of us can think of times when we were required to do something but didn’t understand why. When asked by your English instructor to compose a Works Cited page at the end of a project, unless you know that the point is to show your reader where your sources can be found, the task may seem tedious and trivial. When you don’t understand the “why” of something, it can be difficult to maintain the motivation to get it done. Often, we are met with some variation of “Because I said so” as the answer to the “why?” question, an answer that is about as motivating as no answer at all.
The goal of this book — and this course — is to provide answers to a bundle of questions. Why do I have to take General Education (Gen Ed) courses? What purpose does Gen Ed serve? What value does it bring to my education? How is it relevant to my life? Through a collection of essays and personal narratives written by UA faculty, staff, administrators, and students, you will read many perspectives on these questions.
This book is divided into six parts. In the introduction to each part, there are questions to keep in mind that will help you connect with the material. You may also find it helpful to preview the Weekly Reflection Questions before reading that week’s chapters. Each chapter is intentionally short to give you more time to engage in those weekly reflections.
Throughout this book you will find some bolded words or phrases. These are often-used terms in higher education, some specific to UA, that are not always explicitly defined. Instead of assuming you have seen them before, we have included a glossary to help you learn what they mean and how they are used. Click on these words to see the glossary definition and take some time to peruse the glossary itself to look for terms you might not yet understand. For example, “the mall” — as the word is used at UA — does not refer to a place where you go shopping! Some of the definitions will also have links to further useful resources.
Finally, at the end of each essay or narrative there is a brief author biography. Be sure to read these bios, as they will familiarize you with all facets of the UA community that make up these Wildcat Perspectives. As a member of that UA community yourself, we look forward to you adding your own perspectives to this dialogue in your UNIV 101 class.
A term used to describe formal postsecondary (after high school) education, including bachelor's degree programs and graduate and professional programs. Also referred to as postsecondary education or tertiary education.
The mall is a physical greenspace on the UA main campus that runs east to west between the Old Main building and Campbell Avenue where you can recreate, tailgate, and attend or host events for a club/organization.
About the authors
name: Thomas Murray
Tom Murray is the coordinator for UNIV 101 in the Office of General Education. When he is not focused on work, he spends time playing taiko with Odaiko Sonora and training for and running ultramarathons. Taiko performances and ultramarathons almost never go to plan and so require a significant amount of problem solving, a skill that Tom believes was finely honed in his own general education experience.
A term used to describe formal postsecondary (after high school) education, including bachelor's degree programs and graduate and professional programs. Also referred to as postsecondary education or tertiary education.
The mall is a physical greenspace on the UA main campus that runs east to west between the Old Main building and Campbell Avenue where you can recreate, tailgate, and attend or host events for a club/organization.
name: Devon L. Thomas
Devon grew up near Rochester, New York and currently works as the coordinator for UNIV 301 in the Office of General Education. In addition to her work, she likes baking desserts for her family, walking her dog Moe, and rock climbing with friends on Mt Lemmon. Learning from failure is necessary while rock climbing or when a dessert doesn’t turn out as expected, which has helped her build confidence to try new things at work and in life.
A term used to describe formal postsecondary (after high school) education, including bachelor's degree programs and graduate and professional programs. Also referred to as postsecondary education or tertiary education.
The mall is a physical greenspace on the UA main campus that runs east to west between the Old Main building and Campbell Avenue where you can recreate, tailgate, and attend or host events for a club/organization.
name: Sovay M. Hansen
Sovay Muriel Hansen is Assistant Professor of Practice with the General Education program and the W.A. Franke Honors College at UA and is an affiliated faculty with the Department of German Studies. She earned a PhD in English and German Studies and her interdisciplinary research investigates the way material culture and female desire commingle in British and German modern novels. In addition to editing Wildcat Perspectives and Wildcat Reflections for the Office of General Education, Sovay teaches UNIV 101/301 and has also taught first-year English courses, for which she has won teaching awards. Sovay grew up near the Rillito River in Tucson, went to college in the mossy forest of the Pacific Northwest, and lived on the canal in Berlin, Germany for a time. Sovay enjoys truly terrible and quality period dramas alike, cooking overly complicated dishes, attending art events, hiking, and stressing over the small things.
A term used to describe formal postsecondary (after high school) education, including bachelor's degree programs and graduate and professional programs. Also referred to as postsecondary education or tertiary education.
The mall is a physical greenspace on the UA main campus that runs east to west between the Old Main building and Campbell Avenue where you can recreate, tailgate, and attend or host events for a club/organization.
