Jacob Dwelle

UNST - My Learning in the Course

The topic of self-reflection is one that should be widely valued and accepted. By
some definitions of learning, it can symbolize the end of the process, which, at least in
the case of this course, has taken place over a long period of time. In this period of time,
learning has varied in topics: both in the amount I learned, and in the way that I learned.
Initial openness was something that I had, but as I thought through ideas, some I found to
be simply wrong and rejected them from the point where their arguments seemed to be
invalidated. Overall I feel this essay can be compared to that of a loaded question - its
purpose is to portray the UNST, its goals, and its professors in a beam of sunlight. Not
being an optimist is the first thing I learned through discussion with students and I will
therefore not be as optimistic in my UNST analysis as I might have otherwise been.
The first thing I learned was how to state the obvious. Most notably in the fall and
winter terms, students were graded on participation. This in itself is very subjective, and,
as talked about by the professor, involves talking and sharing your views. There is an
obligation to speak, regardless of the content of what you might say. After all,
participation on behalf of the UNST seems to be graded in majority on how much is said
by the student. Because of this absurd requirement, many students, myself included, feel
obliged to speak, even if what they say will not be meaningful or add to the discussion at
hand. The need for participation points is one that is grasped by those out of desperation
for a better potential grade, and a better perceived performance on the part of the
professor. This emphasis destroys meaningful discussion, or at the very least inhibits it,
because there is an extreme focus on quantity said over quality of what is said. I learned

that a greater emphasis should be placed on what is said and when it is said, rather than
on simply if someone said something at all. I would learn more from students who made
one clear and valuable point per class than several useless and blatantly obvious ones.
I found that the statistical analysis that I learned in the spring term was extremely
useful. I think that this statistical analysis will be something to take with me moving
forward in college and abroad. I think analyzing data helps to put ideas in perspective and
of course to establish their legitimacy. I think the research paper best exhibits this, where
we calculated multiple p-values to establish the validity of the null hypotheses (in
attempts to reject them) all from one set of data. This was one of the more helpful things
to take from not only the quarter, but also the entire year.
Specifically applying to the third quarter, I found great value in learning and
understanding Bayes theorem. This is the idea that all things lay on a spectrum of truth:
where they lay on the spectrum depends on both the supporting and disconfirming
evidence. The combination of these two things determines where the claim is on the
spectrum of truth and provides a probability that it is true. I learned that this has
application in real life, which gives it extreme value, considering that many things
learned in a classroom apply exclusively to that class and not to any other area outside of
that classroom.
I have also learned and expanded my view on active discourse in the form of
intentionally disagreeing with students. Not only is it engaging to find ways to disagree
with students, but also both the student being challenged and the student doing the
challenging learn. On one side of the coin, we see a student being forced to defend their
views and their reasons for thinking what they do; on the other side, we see a student who

is able to step into the shoes of people who already disagree with the initial speaker,
enabling them to see the world from a different point of view: and most importantly to be
able to argue why that view is correct. I was the ladder of the two, and I learned the value
behind being a student willing to challenge the thoughts of others. This was not in the
curriculum, but nonetheless something I learned as a result of being part of the class, and
am therefore including in this reflection.
I certainly think that I learned how helpful discussion was. Few classes value
discussion as much as this course has. I not only enjoyed discussion, but I also thought
most students got a lot out of it, especially when deciding to be involved. This excludes
times when I thought discussion was not fruitful, or when I felt a topic simply could not
be discussed because some students could not get onto the same page. Discussions are
not something that I can link to a specific assignment, but rather are something that I can
only testify to, alongside other students who may have thought similarly. Upon reflection,
I was pleased with the great discussions that I was able to participate in mostly in the first
and second quarters, but was disappointed with the lack of them in the third quarter.
However, the third quarter was very well organized, ending with debates that were
thought provoking and productive. As a result of the debates, I gained a further insight for
the importance of debate and talking about issues. I found that the most productive
portion of the debate in the third quarter was the section where we got to ask questions
directly to each other and respond immediately. This debate made up for a lack of
discussion throughout the term because I was able to learn how to talk in a more
organized and structured manner to get a point across to the classroom, whereas
discussions tend to flow more freely and can stray from original points.

From reading the recommended questions for answering this essay, I have learned
how institutions have the ability to ask loaded questions in vague yet foreseeable ways to
bolster their own programs. Questions were only given to students in the UNST in a
positive light, always asking us to consider our learning, increased value for certain
ideas, and so on. The questions do not suggest to the students to be critical and to doubt
what is being asked of them. Quite honestly, in most if not all self-reflections that people
do, it is mostly to appease those that are requiring them in the first place. Putting a finger
on what a student has learned is not only extremely difficult, but also disingenuous in the
way that some students will lie their way through reflections for the sole purpose of
getting them done, rather than actually being able to reflect on what has happened. I do
see the irony in this, as I am reflecting through this essay on ways in which I have
learned. However, it seems there is no other choice for me in the matter other than to not
reflect at all, which is quite apparently the less preferable option.
I think the first quarter was valuable in that I learned how to analyze things like
art and texts. While the third quarter had a heavy emphasis on analyzing arguments, I
learned that there is also value in assessing the quality of art, or of what certain pieces of
writing are trying to tell you in forms outside of a typical argument. The essays that I
typed in the first quarter, most notably Girl, which looked at a piece by Jamaica
Kincaid, most readily exhibit this. I learned to have greater value for artwork after
learning how to analyze and interpret it.
I have also learned of a possible disconnect between UNST values and core
teachings and what is actually being taught in the classroom. It feels as if the first and
second quarter had very little emphasis on critical thinking and communication, while the

third quarter was the inverse: it had little focus on the diversity of the human experience.
It was my understanding that each quarter would try to address all four areas of the core
UNST areas. If this is the case, then it feels like I am trying to fit a square puzzle piece
into a circular puzzle opening. I do not think this is necessarily best for the learning of the
students, nor for genuineness in the reflections. The quarters addressed diversity of the
human experience the least, yet I am expected to still produce works that show something
I did not intentionally do, or even do at all. It appears to be a top down way of thinking
rather than a bottom up way, which would ironically conflict with the first UNST goal of
critical thinking.
Lastly, and quite possibly most notably, only some of the things mentioned above
are inherently part of the course curriculum. And, upon reflection, I see no problem with
this. Ultimately, college is an experience for the student: for the further development of
learning ability and inquiry. Even if I have learned within the context of the course
syllabus, this appears to be the least important of topics for me. In this regard, I have
learned to follow an important motto to take with me through the rest of my college
experience, whether at Portland State University or abroad: It will be important to ask not
what a class can make of be, but rather what I can make of a class.