The CSCL 3331 Experience

I can honestly say I feel like I've learned more about myself, life, and other people in this class than I've learned in any class I've taken throughout high school or college. For once, I felt as though I was in a class that was strictly based around each individual and all of our unique opinions, thoughts, theories, etc. Rather than a class where we're presented with information, expected to memorize it, learn it, and apply it, and basically just go through the motions day after day until it's over. I felt like every person that spoke out had the ability and the opportunity to alter the entire path that our topics were going in, and feeling like we has students had control over some of the information we were learning, and how we wanted to learn it, is something that I'll always appreciate about 3331. And there are many things that I feel honored to be taking away from Science and the Humanities (now "Culture"), that I know will be stuck with me for the rest of my life.

One of these things is my newfound confidence to never stop asking questions, and to never be afraid to ask questions about everything. I'm guilty of reading studies, experiments, reports, news stories, you name it, and just agreeing with whatever the author says and not allowing my thoughts to stray far from the point that he/she is stating, and the facts that he/she has to back it up. It's something that I'd never given a second-thought to before. They're the experts, they know what's best, so I'll just shut up and listen. But SciHum gave so much insight into how insulting it is to us as humans to just accept what we're given at face value, without ever questioning its "legitimacy" (Thanks to Ben, I'll always associate that word with him). I remember reading Not in our Genes by Richard Lewontin early on in class, and him mentioning that scientists are never free from biases or outside influences, and this is something that until reading that, I'd never given consideration to before. Scientists, after all, are still humans, like the rest of us (well, maybe except for Esther, that cyborg) and therefore are still susceptible to falling for all of the weaknesses that we as humans face. Our society really puts an emphasis on the scientists and the experts for legitimation, so much that we've stopped being able to trust ourselves when it comes to anything.

Crichton's book, State of Fear also aided in making me think more about taking whatever it is we read at face value. His book is a prime example of how facts can be skewed in almost any which way, in order to help support or disprove a certain standpoint or belief. Like many said in class while we were discussing State of Fear, we know better than to believe Crichton, but the way he presented all of the information and facts, along with the fictitious story used to weave them all together, it was hard not to find our thoughts drifting toward his side of the field now and then.

So, I might be royally fucked now after this class because I'll be skeptical of everything and never admit to believing in something until I've had the opportunity to ask every question, read all the information on it that I can find, and consider the possibilities of the opposite side of the spectrum. But I figure, I'd rather be crazy and confident in what I believe, than indifferent and ignorant of all of the knowledge and opinions that there are out there.

I hope you all have an awesome summer, I had a great time with everyone this semester, and I'm genuinely sad that this class has come to an end. And thanks Ben and Robin for making this class as remarkable as it was.