I have gained the opportunity to reflect on myself and the various aspects of human existence while studying the humanities. The philosophy classes I have taken are a great example of this. Professionally, I’ve gained quite a lot. Ignoring the numerous soft skills I have developed, I feel my writing has gotten better in a grammatical sense and in the sense that I can better connect with readers on various levels (ethos, pathos, logos). Through my studies, I have become more confident as a public speaker and can articulate more effectively. I think the claims Helen Smalls makes that there are broader social values to the humanities are mostly true. As Smalls claims, I believe that the value in the humanities comes from the study of the meaning-making practices of culture, and they contribute to individual and collective happiness (although happiness is subjective, so “may contribute” would likely be more accurate here). In my opinion, some aspects of Small’s argument are too ambiguous; for example, the ‘Democracy needs us’ and “the humanities matter for their own sake” arguments she outlines. The humanities are often considered pretentious and useless by other, more concretely defined fields, and I feel, for that reason, that these arguments do more harm than good when coming from the humanities.

The work I see myself doing with this education is writing, more specifically, journalism. There are many purposes for journalism; I will list a few: maintaining democracy, educating and informing, recording history, defining culture, spreading information, and so on. In this position, I will research, interview, pitch topics, write, investigate, edit, and collaborate with others. In my experience, this job calls on all of my skills and knowledge. I never know what I will be writing about and what information I need to know. Additionally, soft skills and concrete writing skills are necessary, and a general understanding of various media types is essential. I have gained a basic knowledge of these skills throughout my time at UNE. My humanities degree has equipped me with a well-rounded understanding of numerous topics, allowing me to have a foot in the door for researching and writing any article thrown my way. My time in class discussions and public speaking courses has equipped me with the ability to navigate talking to and interviewing numerous types of people. My basic writing skills have also improved greatly throughout my education. 

Skills Learned:

1. The ability to approach writing as a recursive process that requires substantial revision of drafts for content, organization, and clarity (global revision), as well as editing and proofreading (local revision)
2. The ability to integrate ideas with those of others using summary, paraphrase, quotation, analysis, and synthesis of relevant sources.
3. Employ techniques of active reading, critical reading, and informal reading response for inquiry, learning, and thinking.
4. Able to critique work by emphasizing global revision early in the writing process and local revision later in the process.
5. Effectively speak in public settings.
6. Apply advanced decision-making processes within groups.
7. Negotiate and collaborate effectively.
8. Demonstrate written communication skills expected of a future professional in the field.
9. Use current technology related to the communication field effectively and ethically.
10. Competently employ digital media in professional settings as an effective communication tool. 
11. Employ progressively more sophisticated approaches to such elements of the writing process as idea development, drafting, revision, editing, and proofreading.
12. Demonstrate and apply rhetorical awareness to a range of situations requiring written communication.
13. Provide meaningful, substantive peer feedback in both professional and feedback in creative, professional, and discipline-specific writing contexts.