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Theory Of Intellectual And Ethical Development Essay

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Introduction
During my undergraduate career, the bulk of my development came from the combination of my student involvement positions and the coursework in American Studies (AMS). With student leadership positions, I was able to gain applicable skills that would be transferable to a career path once I determined what I wanted to do in life. Because of this, I invested a lot into the various positions I held. Through my AMS coursework, I was introduced to race and gender, as well as other topics, that opened my mind to the intersections of society. While student development can be broken down into many theories, cognitive development was the structure in which I truly developed as a leader and a student. Upon reflection of my undergraduate career, Perry’s Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development is the most applicable to how I transformed during my four years at the University of Kansas.
Dualistic
I received my first leadership position in Student Union Activities (SUA) during the spring semester of my sophomore year. I had never held a leadership position where I was responsible for a committee, as well as carrying out events. I was very nervous in this new position and not very confident of my choices. Without experience to help guide my decision-making process, I took the training that SUA gave me at face value. I was a very dualistic thinker, and saw decisions as either good or bad, not recognizing that teachable moments could come from “bad decisions.” During

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