Blog Post #9, Final Course Reflection

My thinking about science and humanities has changed over the time span of this course, and in ways that I hadn't expected it to. First, I was able to make a clear distinction between the two for the first time. As well, I was exposed to the many facets of humanities which I hadn't been familiar with before. I am now able to see the divergence between actions and movements that are either for the humanities, or for science and technology. I find that this has made all the difference in my understanding new things, and it has given me a new approach to learning and understanding. I appreciated plenty of the readings for it was my first real exposure to Darwinism, as well as my introduction to the Worlds Fair (which for happening so close to my college, I never knew about!), as well as a new understanding of altruism through reading McEwans "Us or Me". I feel that I am still a Humanities type of person, though the exposure to the promise of technology has made me a believer in the awe and promise of science. My optimism towards science and technology has increased over the semester because understanding the humanities side of many promised technologies urges me to believe that it is only a matter of time until we can create technology that satisfies both. For instance, when writing my research paper on e-waste, I often remarked upon the greatest advancement in our electronics and technology over all possibly coming from its ability to decompose properly, or to not be as toxic, and dealt with and recycled properly. I think that by having a humanistic side, and believing in the opportunities that science and humanities can bring to each other, there can be a healthy equilibrium. I think there is definitely no studying either without understanding the other, and this course excites me to take more Humanities classes in the future.

I found that using Blogger helped me follow along with the readings and prepare for the midterm. I think that by having blogging homeworks that coordinated with the class schedule kept me on track, and I appreciated how united all of the work was so that it all felt important and progressive.