Energy and Place Project
For the energy and place project, we first studied the various type of energy such as hydro electric, nuclear, wind power, and coal as well as their impact on our world. We linked this to the study of nuclear energy in our chemistry class. We also observed our opinion on environmental ethic and how the earth should be treated. From there, we had to create a project that included our opinions on energy and our sense of place. I chose the perspective of preservation and placelessness and commodified for my sense of place. For my project I wrote a poem showing my opinions of environmental ethic and sense of place.
Trying to decide my environment ethic was not a difficult task for me. I knew that I loved having the out doors and nature to explore, and I knew that I wanted to keep it that way. I knew right away that I believed in keeping nature alive for humans to use so it was easy for me to choose preservation. Choosing my sense of place was a different story. I struggled a lot this semester with trying to thin of what my sense of place was. I wrote a lot of terrible papers trying to decide what my perspective was but I continued to struggle. I was finally able to resonate with certain assets of an area while also recognizing that I am not where I belong. Because of this I chose placelessness and commodified, and I was able to write my sense of place poem.
I am proud of the poem that I wrote for a few reasons. The first being that I usually struggle with poetry. Something about that writing style is hard for me, however I was able to work out a decent poem this time. I am also proud of this poem because of how much of an improvement it is from my earlier work. When I started this project I began with writing a paper about getting lost. The whole story was mess and terrible and just over all did not make sense. My poem is an excellent example of the refinement that I put into my work. Overall it is a huge improvement from my original writing. Final I am proud of my poem because I think it is very honest. I did not lie to the reader or my self when I was writing it. I excepted elements of my life that while I was not happy with, i included. I think the poem is an accurate representation of my opinion of my sense of place and I value its honesty.
Trying to decide my environment ethic was not a difficult task for me. I knew that I loved having the out doors and nature to explore, and I knew that I wanted to keep it that way. I knew right away that I believed in keeping nature alive for humans to use so it was easy for me to choose preservation. Choosing my sense of place was a different story. I struggled a lot this semester with trying to thin of what my sense of place was. I wrote a lot of terrible papers trying to decide what my perspective was but I continued to struggle. I was finally able to resonate with certain assets of an area while also recognizing that I am not where I belong. Because of this I chose placelessness and commodified, and I was able to write my sense of place poem.
I am proud of the poem that I wrote for a few reasons. The first being that I usually struggle with poetry. Something about that writing style is hard for me, however I was able to work out a decent poem this time. I am also proud of this poem because of how much of an improvement it is from my earlier work. When I started this project I began with writing a paper about getting lost. The whole story was mess and terrible and just over all did not make sense. My poem is an excellent example of the refinement that I put into my work. Overall it is a huge improvement from my original writing. Final I am proud of my poem because I think it is very honest. I did not lie to the reader or my self when I was writing it. I excepted elements of my life that while I was not happy with, i included. I think the poem is an accurate representation of my opinion of my sense of place and I value its honesty.
Take Action Project Propasal
WHY
I’m a strong believer in equality and the idea that everyone deserves equal opportunity. This translates into my environmental ethic in the way that I firmly believe in environmental justice. One big aspect of environmental justice is the kind of food people can purchase and then put in their bodies. Middle and upper class folks have access to a lot healthier foods, because generally healthier and organic foods are more expensive than junkier food is. It is a lot harder for impoverished people to obtain access to organic, natural and local foods because they are typically more expensive.
VISION
In a utopian society, every person would have access to the foods they need to lead a healthy life regardless of their socioeconomic standing. This means organic, natural, local and generally healthier foods that are typically more pricey. To contribute to moving towards this vision, I’d like to work with Erin Jolley to learn more about how this vision can be a reality. This could mean helping teach a class with her or helping out cooking matters in another way.
MISSION
Help families to shop for and cook healthy meals on a budget. Teach a class about smart shopping for healthy foods.
AUDIENCE
Low-income people who want to eat healthier and are interested in eating healthy on a budget.
ACTION
Take part in a cooking matters class. Observe and see what the organization is about.
I’m a strong believer in equality and the idea that everyone deserves equal opportunity. This translates into my environmental ethic in the way that I firmly believe in environmental justice. One big aspect of environmental justice is the kind of food people can purchase and then put in their bodies. Middle and upper class folks have access to a lot healthier foods, because generally healthier and organic foods are more expensive than junkier food is. It is a lot harder for impoverished people to obtain access to organic, natural and local foods because they are typically more expensive.
VISION
In a utopian society, every person would have access to the foods they need to lead a healthy life regardless of their socioeconomic standing. This means organic, natural, local and generally healthier foods that are typically more pricey. To contribute to moving towards this vision, I’d like to work with Erin Jolley to learn more about how this vision can be a reality. This could mean helping teach a class with her or helping out cooking matters in another way.
MISSION
Help families to shop for and cook healthy meals on a budget. Teach a class about smart shopping for healthy foods.
AUDIENCE
Low-income people who want to eat healthier and are interested in eating healthy on a budget.
ACTION
Take part in a cooking matters class. Observe and see what the organization is about.
Tak Action Project
Take Action Project Reflection
For my take action project I worked with the group cooking matters. Cooking Matters is a group that works to teach low income house holds to cook healthy low budget foods for their families. Trying to make healthy foods on a budget is difficult and the cooking matters course helps families move away from serving junk food. For the project, my partner and I observed and participated in the cooking matters class. The objective of the project was to promote economic inequality and a healthy life style for everyone, despite their economic class. The goal was to earn about the program and get involved. I am currently in touch with one of the teachers in order to involve myself in more courses.
My project was very helpful in getting me answers to the focus question of, “How do your sense of place, your environmental ethic, and your understanding of our energy needs influence your perception of human’s use of Earth’s resources and your own lifestyle decisions?” Because of my project I believe that people should have equality in this world. We need natural areas that can be enjoyed by everyone in this world and we need to be more frugal with our natural resources.
Over all I really enjoyed this project. I think the concept of doing work to help your community while doing something you believe in, is a great task. Because it was the last class in the course, I wasn’t able to help very much which was a shame. I am already in contact with the company so I am able to continue to help and do y part. This project changed my perspective on inequality and was overall just a very beneficial experience for me. I really enjoyed participating in it. I only wish that we had more time to complete a bigger or longer project.
My project was very helpful in getting me answers to the focus question of, “How do your sense of place, your environmental ethic, and your understanding of our energy needs influence your perception of human’s use of Earth’s resources and your own lifestyle decisions?” Because of my project I believe that people should have equality in this world. We need natural areas that can be enjoyed by everyone in this world and we need to be more frugal with our natural resources.
Over all I really enjoyed this project. I think the concept of doing work to help your community while doing something you believe in, is a great task. Because it was the last class in the course, I wasn’t able to help very much which was a shame. I am already in contact with the company so I am able to continue to help and do y part. This project changed my perspective on inequality and was overall just a very beneficial experience for me. I really enjoyed participating in it. I only wish that we had more time to complete a bigger or longer project.
Native American Historical Inquiry
Seminar Prep
Essential Question: How can an examination of multiple sources and perspectives lead to a more enlighten understanding of history and contemporary social, cultural and political realities.
For this project we read specific chapters from Howard Zinn's A Peoples History of the United States, a few chapters from the book
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Sherman Alexie, and two stories from the book First Person, First People by Colleen Larimore. From these stories, I learned what is was and is like to be a Native American. Howard Zinn talked more about the horrific past of the Native Americans and when is what like to live back when America was first discovered. He analyzed different sources to show their credibility and biases which allowed for a broader understanding of the past. Sherman Alexi's and Colleen Larimore's book showed what it was like to be Native American during more modern times. Each gave stories about Native Americans that unveiled just some of what it is like to be Native American in todays world.
The most significant lesson that I have learned from this project would be that just because I am a white person, it does not mean that I took part in the massacre of thousands of Indians. Often times when kids talk about Whites against Indians, they say we, it is important to remember that you were not part of the killings. It is okay to help and respect each other, but just because I am white, it does not make me a murderer. The biggest perspective change I had, was just how separated white people are from Native Americans. Even though our world is trying to be less racist, there is still a great deal of tension between the groups. I never noticed how many stereotypes were put upon the Native Americans, and how much it affected them. This project was fairly difficult because it was hard to not be racist during the process. Finding the line of stating you opinion, and overstepping racial boundaries, was just awkward and uncomfortable. trying not to be rude was one of the hardest parts of the project.
At the end of the project we held a seminar on everything we had been learning about Native American history. In the seminar we referenced Howard Zinn's A Peoples History of the United States, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Sherman Alexie, and First Person, First People by Colleen Larimore. Because my group was more diverse we got a lot of opinions about how the American government influences Native Americans. While some of my group members thought that the government should stop supporting the Native Americans while others thought that we should not only support them financially, but also economically by creating more work in their communities I during the conversation we connected the modern-day financial support of the Indians, to the guilt from past generations. It was nice to find out how many of the typical Native American stereotypes were proven wrong during the seminar. It was also nice to hear about other peoples opinions and what they thought about the White Indian relationship.
Having multiple sources is important because it allows for people to see all sides of an issue. It is very rare that someone will come across a source that is completely unbiased. If someone knows each perspective of a story then they are able to piece together the information to find out what really happened. Also people have points of view and experiences. Being able to understand each aspect of a situation can open minds to new perspectives and views that had never been though of before. Knowledge is power and the more you know about something the better you can support your perspective. Having multiple sources educates and enlightens people in ways that expand their thinking and allow them to see a bigger picture.
For this project we read specific chapters from Howard Zinn's A Peoples History of the United States, a few chapters from the book
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Sherman Alexie, and two stories from the book First Person, First People by Colleen Larimore. From these stories, I learned what is was and is like to be a Native American. Howard Zinn talked more about the horrific past of the Native Americans and when is what like to live back when America was first discovered. He analyzed different sources to show their credibility and biases which allowed for a broader understanding of the past. Sherman Alexi's and Colleen Larimore's book showed what it was like to be Native American during more modern times. Each gave stories about Native Americans that unveiled just some of what it is like to be Native American in todays world.
The most significant lesson that I have learned from this project would be that just because I am a white person, it does not mean that I took part in the massacre of thousands of Indians. Often times when kids talk about Whites against Indians, they say we, it is important to remember that you were not part of the killings. It is okay to help and respect each other, but just because I am white, it does not make me a murderer. The biggest perspective change I had, was just how separated white people are from Native Americans. Even though our world is trying to be less racist, there is still a great deal of tension between the groups. I never noticed how many stereotypes were put upon the Native Americans, and how much it affected them. This project was fairly difficult because it was hard to not be racist during the process. Finding the line of stating you opinion, and overstepping racial boundaries, was just awkward and uncomfortable. trying not to be rude was one of the hardest parts of the project.
At the end of the project we held a seminar on everything we had been learning about Native American history. In the seminar we referenced Howard Zinn's A Peoples History of the United States, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Sherman Alexie, and First Person, First People by Colleen Larimore. Because my group was more diverse we got a lot of opinions about how the American government influences Native Americans. While some of my group members thought that the government should stop supporting the Native Americans while others thought that we should not only support them financially, but also economically by creating more work in their communities I during the conversation we connected the modern-day financial support of the Indians, to the guilt from past generations. It was nice to find out how many of the typical Native American stereotypes were proven wrong during the seminar. It was also nice to hear about other peoples opinions and what they thought about the White Indian relationship.
Having multiple sources is important because it allows for people to see all sides of an issue. It is very rare that someone will come across a source that is completely unbiased. If someone knows each perspective of a story then they are able to piece together the information to find out what really happened. Also people have points of view and experiences. Being able to understand each aspect of a situation can open minds to new perspectives and views that had never been though of before. Knowledge is power and the more you know about something the better you can support your perspective. Having multiple sources educates and enlightens people in ways that expand their thinking and allow them to see a bigger picture.
Journals
The Morality and Politics of Justice
Project Reflection
For this project, each student had to pick a controversial topic to write an op-ed about. I my self chose the idea of capitalism and economic inequality in America. From there we found multiple sources for evidence and we wrote our op-ed. Once we had them critiqued by multiple peers as well as our teacher. The op-ed had to contain certain arguments such as an argument from the constitution, and a creditable source. We also had to choose a morality philosopher that we had previously studied, and argue their opinion for or against our point of view. Along with the op-ed we also had to have a visual piece to go with our writing. I chose a sculpture to represent my op-ed. Each art piece had to show our opinion as well as containing a quote, and including two of ethos, pathos, or logos, as a way of persuasion.
During this project I learned to use balance in my writing. Before this project, I had always thought that having a strong opinion on a topic meant that you chose one side or the other. It was almost as if I didn't fully agree to only one point of view, that it was like I wasn't fully invested in my own opinion. This project showed me that you can have a balance to your point or views while maintaining your beliefs. Just because I choose to not invest in only one opinion, it doesn't mean that I don't fully believe in my views. Having balance will allow me to be a much more receptive person, which will allow me to better understand any side of an argument.
Out of all the categories for the rubric, I think I did most well on the perspective in my paper. Once I was able to balance my opinions about my topic, and I was clear about my view on it, I had no trouble explaining my ideas. Knowing where I stood on my topic really helped me clearly state my perspective. I was not caught up in trying to awkwardly force a perspective that I did not fully believe in. I was completely able to convey what I thought about Americas Capitalism without having to argue a opinion that I did not believe in. An example of this is in one of my paragraphs where I star it off by blatantly stating my point of view, " I for one am for economic distribution. Although I am not smitten with the idea of the government discriminating against certain groups." The category that I could have worked on for the rubric would be including the perspective of a philosopher. Although I did include John Rawls's opinion in my paper, it was a very short and not very deep paragraph, which did not connect to my idea very smoothly. To improve this, I should have researched John Rawls's even more, and I shouldn't have taken up so much space explaining his theory. Talking about how his theory connected to my ideas would have been more beneficial to my paper.
If I had another week to work on this article I would probably do more research on evidence from the constitution, and a philosopher for evidence to back up my opinion. Having these perspectives would have made my paper more strong, as well as more creditable. As for my visual piece, I would have worked on refining the edges of my sculpture because they were very chunky. I would have also worked on making my visual piece have more parts, because the sculpture as a whole just seemed bare and boring.
During this project I learned to use balance in my writing. Before this project, I had always thought that having a strong opinion on a topic meant that you chose one side or the other. It was almost as if I didn't fully agree to only one point of view, that it was like I wasn't fully invested in my own opinion. This project showed me that you can have a balance to your point or views while maintaining your beliefs. Just because I choose to not invest in only one opinion, it doesn't mean that I don't fully believe in my views. Having balance will allow me to be a much more receptive person, which will allow me to better understand any side of an argument.
Out of all the categories for the rubric, I think I did most well on the perspective in my paper. Once I was able to balance my opinions about my topic, and I was clear about my view on it, I had no trouble explaining my ideas. Knowing where I stood on my topic really helped me clearly state my perspective. I was not caught up in trying to awkwardly force a perspective that I did not fully believe in. I was completely able to convey what I thought about Americas Capitalism without having to argue a opinion that I did not believe in. An example of this is in one of my paragraphs where I star it off by blatantly stating my point of view, " I for one am for economic distribution. Although I am not smitten with the idea of the government discriminating against certain groups." The category that I could have worked on for the rubric would be including the perspective of a philosopher. Although I did include John Rawls's opinion in my paper, it was a very short and not very deep paragraph, which did not connect to my idea very smoothly. To improve this, I should have researched John Rawls's even more, and I shouldn't have taken up so much space explaining his theory. Talking about how his theory connected to my ideas would have been more beneficial to my paper.
If I had another week to work on this article I would probably do more research on evidence from the constitution, and a philosopher for evidence to back up my opinion. Having these perspectives would have made my paper more strong, as well as more creditable. As for my visual piece, I would have worked on refining the edges of my sculpture because they were very chunky. I would have also worked on making my visual piece have more parts, because the sculpture as a whole just seemed bare and boring.