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Sustainability Freshman Inquiry Oct. 5, 2010 Jeff Fletcher Logistics • Field Trip Oct. 21 (2pm to 6pm at latest) – How many are 18 or younger? • New Reading (due Oct. 12): – Transition to College Writing Ch. 1, 2 – Omnivore’s Dilemma Ch. 3-7 (won’t talk about until • Sustainability tour next Tuesday (details to follow) • HW1: still submit if you haven’t – changed so can edit • New student? Opportunities • Gardens Oct. 11th (this Monday) noon – meet at Food For Thought Café in Smith basement • Pioneer District of Garden Clubs has a $1000 scholarship • Hopworks 2-4 hour / week job • Homework 0 – ISEPP Lectures: http://www.isepp.org/ – Sustainability Solutions Seminars: http://www.pdx.edu/sustainability/solutions-seminars Ways of Knowing • • • • • • • • • • • Instinct Experience Math/Reason/Logic Philosophy Science/Evidence Literature/Art Oral tradition (parents/elders) Religion/Spirituality Cultural Experience Social Expectations Education/Books/Internet Scientific Method • • • • • • • • • Observation Hypothesis Design Experiments Collect Data Analyze Data Write journal papers / attend conferences Peer Review Develop and Revise Theories Skepticism at all stages – About theories and evidence, but also about how our minds work (biases) Skepticism About How We Think • Analogy with Optical Illusions – Adelson's Checkerboard Illusion • A Scientific (Skeptical) View: Michael Shermer founder of Skeptic Magazine (14 min) – http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7453317847381528211&ei=zY3jSIP9GJnqAPMve2RCw&hl=en General Reading Questions • What is the context of the book? Why did the author write it? What is his/her likely motivation? • What is the question being investigated? What question was he/she trying to answer, or what is the main point he/she is trying to make? • What is the contribution? Is this book likely to be important? To whom? What affect might it have on the world? Is the impact likely to be narrow or broad? • Based on what you’ve read so far, is the author making his/her points well? Is it well written and how does this affect its impact? • What is the method of investigation? What methods does the author use to make his/her point? How are his/her arguments structured? What alternatives are possible? Important Themes • • • • National Eating Disorder Natures way vs. Industrial/Corporate way Omnivore's Dilemma Domestication by Humans; or Domestication of Humans • We are corn • Dramatic Increase in Corn Yields • Corn anatomy and sex