Conversations About Life
This philosophy course provided a completely different experience than any other class in my college career thus far. It provided a contrast to many classes in which you are mainly expected to rely on factual, existing information. We were instead expected to openly discuss our personal opinions on controversial subjects. It was interesting to see how much more we learned about each other in this setting than is possible in the average class. Discussing topics such as gay marriage, the role of religion in our upbringing, gun regulation, and the factory farm system demonstrated how our opinions and preconceived notions and stereotypes are inevitably largely affected by our personal upbringing. Although many of us had different opinions on politics, religion, and social issues, everyone was respectful and open minded which created a refreshing atmosphere in which to voice our thoughts. The structure of the class also allowed everyone equal opportunity to get to direct the focus of the class towards the issues that interest us most. Each week we would write a brief overview of a current issue utilizing a media piece to provide context. We would then vote at the start of each class on which we wished to discuss and the person who researched the topic would take charge of leading the conversation. This allowed the students to have much more power to choose what we wished to learn more about as opposed to a professor choosing for us. In this setting, the system worked extremely well. Finally, we were assigned a term paper for we each chose an issue which had a local application, allowing us even more freedom to spend our time concentrating on researching what we are personally passionate about. I chose to write about local food and how existing successful local food projects from around the country could be adopted in the Cincinnati area. While writing a 20 page term paper on most subjects would have seemed like a personal nightmare, this instead became an extremely interesting experience through which I was able to further educate myself on a topic about which I truly care. This class revealed the benefits of the structure of the University Honors Program as well, as I would never have taken it if it had not been offered as an honors seminar. I was able to learn a lot in a low stress environment in a class in a discipline that I was previously completely unfamiliar with. Most importantly, I also found myself realizing which issues I am personally most passionate about and where I want to put my energy into affecting change.
Conversation Topics:
I have attached a couple of the brief topic overviews that I wrote over the course of the semester. I chose two that especially interested me and that I personally feel very strong about. One was inspired by an article written about how child slave labor is rampant in the cocoa growing industry and as consumers we are often complicit in this system through the products we buy. The other discusses the moral implications surrounding eating meat and the most humane ways to do so.
I have attached a couple of the brief topic overviews that I wrote over the course of the semester. I chose two that especially interested me and that I personally feel very strong about. One was inspired by an article written about how child slave labor is rampant in the cocoa growing industry and as consumers we are often complicit in this system through the products we buy. The other discusses the moral implications surrounding eating meat and the most humane ways to do so.
blood_chocolate.docx | |
File Size: | 146 kb |
File Type: | docx |
eating_beef.docx | |
File Size: | 138 kb |
File Type: | docx |