This semester I’ve been grappling with what evolution means to me, how we define it collectively and how I define it personally. Having reached the end of our journey in this class, I’ve settled on an understanding of evolution as change. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary offers many definitions of the word, one of which describes it as “a process of change in a certain direction” (Merriam-webster.com), not specifying which direction represents evolution. A progression of ideas can portray evolution, and an evolving classroom can be depicted by its changes in classroom dynamics. With this idea in mind, I became interested in the evolution of the classroom and the evolution of classroom dynamics that affect levels of participation.

   The issue of free will is something I often struggle with. Partly because I do not feel as though I have enough background knowledge and understanding of concepts directly applicable to it, and partly because, as philosophers and scientists have been arguing about it for nearly two millennia, it is simply an unsolvable problem. This essay is a small venture to help further my own understanding about free will. I will begin by attempting to trace my current understandings of free will, the issues and problems that I have with it, and the general questions that I still posses about it.

Final Project: Comparison


      I noticed partway through this course that the concept of storytelling has actually been use in a number of the courses I have taken so for, though it has been presented in different ways and for different purposes.  I have had the experience of three separate professors in three different disciplines give me a very similar assignment.  I found that, when I looked at these pieces in conjunction with this course that they seemed much more connected than I thought they were, I was able to trace some of my own academic development through them, and the styles I used to present them clearly showed how each class biased my presentation.

Marni Klein

BIOL/ENGL 223

7 May 2011

A Political Science Major’s Understanding of Science

In class we talked about how to teach evolution, and I think the best way is to do it early. I was inspired by a previous student’s work, which Anne shared with us on Serendip, to write a children’s book. Anne challenged me to correct the book, because I had been somewhat insistent in class on conveying the story of evolution as accurately as possible. Trying to tell this story in a child friendly way was a harder task than I imagined. I do not see this book as a correction. I love the message of connectedness in Britt’s book. But I wanted to tell a different story. My story starts earlier and is an attempt at being both scientifically accurate and child-friendly.

Before reading this poem I want to explain my thinking behind it. My thesis was about lesbian jokes, so I have been thinking about the use of the turkey baster quite alot. This poem and accompanying etchings display the intractions of gender, information, science, and technology. Though lesbians don't actually use turkey basters to inseminate their partners, the idea of repurposement is essential. People have taken a kitchen tool and made it to be a stand in for a penis. The poem discusses how a person can make quick judgments about gender based on physcial attributes. It also looks at how a simple piece of plastic has been made into a powerful, life giving tool of science.

 Jenny Cai

Evolit

Paul Grobestein

May 7, 2011

The 20th Century Plague