Truthfully, I didn’t really know what I was getting into when I signed up for this class. I am a history major, though I enjoy writing. Having already had credit for COMP 1, I knew I had to take COMP 2. Or so I thought. During a day of freshman orientation, some groups around campus had set up stands and were putting on presentations for us. One of which was a man advertising EXPO as an alternative to a COMP credit. Being an avid writer, I knew that I wanted to take EXPO. Taking this class was more of a coincidence, it was the most interesting EXPO class that also fit with my schedule. Why am I discussing this background before actually talking about the class? Well, I wanted to reiterate that I really jumped into this class without knowing what to expect. And in the end, this class greatly improved both my writing skills and my critical thinking skills.

Before this class, I didn’t think about generations much. I knew I was a part of Generation Z, and I just thought we were the fellas with the weird humor. My siblings are Millennials, they’re always the target of the older generations’ ire. My parents were Generation X and Generation X is…. Well, I had no clue. To me, Generation X had no defining factors. So, I think one of the most important pieces of the class was the unit dedicated to Coupland’s novel, “Generation X”. Walking out of this class, I have an enhanced understanding of Generation X. And, looking back on my research paper, I’ve concluded that to move forward for a better future, generations must come to understand each other. Viewing generations under the lens of the imprint theory has taught me not to look at a generation and say “I don’t understand this generation, so I don’t think we will be able to see eye to eye.” Instead, I say to myself, “I don’t understand this generation, so I want to work to understand how their viewpoint formed.” I am now looking at the world in a more critical perspective thanks to this class and I feel as though I have a deeper understanding of the often forgotten Generation X.