Final Class Reflection

Well, this was undoubtedly a whirlwind of a semester filled with many great discussions of important and interesting issues. As I look back on all of my notes I began to realize how much information we covered over the course of this semester. I understand where people are coming from when they say many justice classes seem depressing and when you finish them your view of society and the future are bleak. In my opinion this was one of the classes that instilled a sense of hope and change for the future. Science and technology are not perfect as with anything else however their capacities for advancement have the potential to benefit all people, improving everyone’s quality of life. S&T’s connection with economic conditions creates an inherent unequal base; however beyond being completely socialized I believe this will always be the case. But is a socialized system conducive for the greatest advancement of S&T? Is capitalism? Will S&T ever be totally equal or will it follow the utilitarian ideal of providing the most utility to the majority? These are some lingering questions that may never be answered; though I believe many others were. As Dr. Lim stated I hope no one looks at either the simplest or the most complex technologies the same again, I know I won’t.

S&T in Vietnam

This week’s readings and discussions on the shifting science and technology in Vietnam were interesting however also very complex. To discuss entire countries S&T policies is no easy task even if the country is relatively geographically small. Vietnam’s lack in geographic size is made up by its important location in Southeast Asia. There were some interesting similarities between the country of Vietnam and China which we analyzed in class; both with a communist government however both also with free trade economies. We also outlined some differences between the two countries which included size and relationship with the United States. One aspect that was very interesting to me was the way some communities were being planned. I remember an illustration of a community in either China or Vietnam which looked like an upscale suburban community in the United States. I began to wonder why they would try to emulate a system which in my opinion is outdated and exclusionary; I would imaging other countries would be planning a system which works within the established infrastructure as opposed to something which does not seem to fit. These issues are extremely vast and complex and I feel upon further analysis and study I would be able to grasp the “bigger picture” of this topic. Lastly, I would like to say to the people in my presentation group that you all did a great job. I also went over some of the PowerPoint presentations on the Word Press site and it looks as if everyone established very interesting topics. I would like to say thank you and good luck to all of you on the final paper.

Urban Planning in Curitiba

The topic of urban planning specifically regarding the Brazilian city of Curitiba was very interesting. The short video clip was not only informative but also entertaining, Leslie seemed a little quirky. I think learning about positive changes, regardless of the size and scale, are important to illustrate the fact that things can change. It is good to know that we are not necessarily on a downward spiral out of control. Some of the innovations were very effective and seemed logical. The bus tubes and the artery system have shown that done right, people will use public transportation which in turn will drive down carbon emissions. I understand it is not a perfect system however if the numbers are in the positive then I think it would be worth the changes. Change is difficult however, when certain systems and infrastructures are in place it can be hard to restructure systems that people have become comfortable with. I think what it comes down to is a cost benefit analysis; if the overall benefits outweigh the costs then it would be beneficial to make the appropriate changes. Environmental benefits need to be taken into account considering the potential effects to benefit all the people in society.

Election Reflection

The election this year was potentially the most important election in many years. I felt very strongly about attempting to be more politically engaged this year and not simply for the reason that we had this assignment. Unfortunately my hectic schedule as of late, did not allow me to do as many things as I would have liked however I would like to think I made a small difference. Essentially what I did on Tuesday was to call everyone in my cell phone book and remind them to go vote if they had not done so already. I called around 75 people in 5 different states including: Washington, California, Arizona, Illinois, and Minnesota. I did not get through to everyone and in that case I left them a message to remember to vote. Of the people I did actually talk to, most had either voted or were going to vote later in the day. I attempted to stay impartial and not impose my beliefs on anyone I talked to however a majority of the people I am associated with have similar political ideals. It was overall a good experience and as I stated earlier I like to think I made a small difference because there were a few people I talked to that were not going to go vote because of what they had heard about the long lines at the polls. In these cases I somewhat stretched the truth and told them they were not as bad as everyone thought. Talking to them later I was correct in a couple of cases and it seemed they got through fairly quickly. I actually voted early so I did not have to deal with the lines; however not having class on Tuesday allowed me to take action and attempt to get people out to vote.

Reflection: Dr. Smith Lecture

The lecture by Dr. Smith this week was very informative and seemed to evoke some strong feelings by not only the class but Dr. Lim as well. The information he portrayed made a lot of sense and was well thought out however it seemed like a very idealistic or utopian view of a potential economic system. Dr. Smith also established that as of this point, we have no system or mechanism in place for any of the reform or changes that he proposed. The ideas of socialism and communism came up and I began to think that these economic systems have had problems historically and the discussion of them alone seems to instill a sense of hesitation. One of the topics Dr. Smith brought up was the idea of having an education system based online and with computers. Though it may make economic sense I think it leaves out an important human element which I think is necessary in education. I have taken online classes before and thought they were beneficial however they were essentially individual study classes. I read the required readings and wrote about them; there were no face to face discussions, no back and forth debates. I think this is an important aspect of education and higher learning. I think this type of education is incomplete if it is totally in one format, I think it can be beneficial in conjunction with a typical physical interaction based education system. I think that Dr. Lim established a good point while saying that Dr. Smith had many well thought out ideas, they can be incomplete if they are one sided and do not take into account other points of view.

Reflection: Nuclear Tech

We had many good discussions on the potential benefits of nuclear technology as well as the many problems that surround it.  I believe once research is done on the topic many people would see the benefits of using nuclear technology to create energy.  The problem with some other countries obtaining this technology is the fact that you need nuclear reactors to create weapons grade plutonium.  The chance for greater nuclear proliferation leaves many people on edge including the U.S government.  It seemed that most people in the class agreed that we have the most concern with countries with governments that we have previously had issues with or governments that seem fairly unstable.  I think it comes down to visibility, if the countries in question allow inspectors in to monitor the usage of the nuclear technology; including outlining basic guidelines for safety procedures and security, people would feel more secure. 

I believe there needs to be universal standards for nuclear technology, architectural requirements, safety procedures, as well as standards for waste management and removal.  Also, I feel as if the media should do it’s part easing the minds of the public about nuclear technology; establishing the safety record of nuclear plants as well as the relatively low amount of waste compared to the amount of energy created.  Nuclear technology will continue to be a controversial subject however I think in order to gain independence from foreign oil, the U.S will have to embrace this technology. 

 

 

 

Reflection Week 6

This reading established the potential for the seemingly objective measure of DNA evidence to be unequal or discriminatory. Compared to older tactics such a basic investigation obtaining a lot of circumstantial evidence DNA has the ability to provide scientific evidence against accused persons. However, the practices involved with obtaining the evidence and putting together databases seems to be the argument against its objective possibilities. For example one of the points brought about in the essay was about the DNA databases suggests, “residents of a neighborhood are asked to ‘volunteer’ DNA samples – samples that are often then retained by law enforcement – may fall more heavily on minorities, the poor, and others with less confidence in their ability to resist state authority.” (Cho and Sankar, 2004; Iraola, 2005, 101) This illustrates that DNA databases may have a higher representation of these particular populations. Another idea this essay illustrated was that a majority of DNA evidence is used to prosecute as opposed to exoneration. This somewhat recent form of scientific evidence seems to have the possibility of fairness and ultimately justice than it does of the alternatives; unfairness, inequality and injustice. Understanding DNA evidences potential for inequality does not substantiate the fact that this evidence is a step in the right direction for the criminal justice system.

Research Paper Outline

After putting in a lot of thought and some basic preliminary research I finally decided to write about racial sciences. There are many different types to do further research on however a few would include physiognomy and eugenics. Essentially I wanted to write about this topic due to the immense inequalities that ensued due to the formation of specific racial determinations. I wish to focus on the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth century with the formation of citizenship and immigration laws. I would like to focus not only on the science behind race but also the Naturalization Act of 1790 as well as the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924, including key Supreme Court cases.

With regard to the major framework in which I will outline the subject; I believe I will use social constructivism as my basis. This will be the case considering the beliefs of the social construction of race. I plan to research the topic with hard copy sources such as books, but also internet sources such as online journal articles which I can access through the library. A general outline of the paper would include an introduction of topics to be discussed. A background on the history of some of the different racial sciences and their use in developing legislation will be given, finally turning to different inequalities that ensued and the perpetual inequalities of institutional racism. For the midterm position paper I plan to do extensive research in order to establish sources of information that will help to support my argument.

Reflection 4

After doing some of the readings and considering the lectures and discussions we had in class I began to think about the development of the light bulb and the modern reliance on oil. Something the Thomas Hughes article referred to was not only Edison and his team’s development of the light bulb but also the development of the infrastructure for making the new technology available to the general public. Electricity and light bulbs are useless unless they can be distributed throughout the communities. This article established Edison’s thought processes for establishing his inventions. With regards to oil as with electricity our reliance on both is not only in the raw products but also in the infrastructure in which they are distributed. The ultimate goal right now is to develop renewable energies considering crude oil is a finite resource. However a new system must be put into place to distribute and make those energies accessible to the general public which in turn will also shift our economic situation. Most likely the infrastructure will resemble that of what has been historically established. Ultimately we can only wait and see what technology emerges not only for energy but for our transportation needs as well.

Reflection (Week 3)

After doing some of the readings I began to think more deeply about how technology is developed and why the technologies we use today are the way they are. First order of business is obviously the bicycle; from designs to the ones we know today to the ordinary, big wheel bike, and back again. I understand the macho appeal of the big wheel bicycle and the social implications of such. I also began to think of what the intended use of the ordinary bicycle was. It seemed as if it was developed not necessarily to be practical, but to be a recreational device for people who desired a challenge. Once people began to recognize such an invention as a practical means of transportation is when the bicycle we know today became the norm.

Another interesting point that was brought up in the readings was that of Beta cassettes versus VHS. The little I know on the subject was that Beta was superior in picture quality compared to VHS however VHS won the bid to be in the homes of Americans. I began to think of a more recent phenomenon, that of HD DVD’s and Blue-Ray. I can remember that on a specific day it was decided that Blue-Ray had won the battle to be the new high definition medium. I do not know a lot about the actual workings of such a process. Who decides when one is the winner and the other is obsolete?

Kevin Overbeck