The Lion's Pride Volume 9 (January 2018) | Page 13

and close examination of the nuances of language. In science classes,
students might conduct experiments to prove hypotheses, while in
psychology classes, students might conduct case studies to explore the
human mind. Finally, history classes encourage students to ask
important questions such as “why” and “how”. Mathematical thought,
linguistic thought, scientific thought, psychological thought, and
historical thought progress differently, and experiencing all of them
stretches a student’s mind. As an example, Appalachian State University
specifically states that one of the goals of its general education courses is
to imbue students with critical thinking skills, saying that “the critical
and creative thinker is able to apply knowledge innovatively toward
useful and meaningful goals” (“General Education Goal”). As ASU
notes, critical thinking is an essential skill with many facets.
Observation, analysis, evaluation, reflection, interpretation, problem
solving, and decision making are all learned and practiced in general
education courses and ultimately give people the ability to make
inferences that make them able to handle a variety of critical problems.
Critical thinking allows a person to solve complex and challenging
problems, and this quality can be attained only through general
education.
Finally, general education is a good source of multicultural
awareness for immigrant students and native students alike. America is a
multicultural country. People come to the United States from many