|
For the Week of 10/15/08 |
Assignment 7
First Exam and World Agriculture I
Male
and female modern corn ÒflowersÓ (respectively)
As of Thursday, October 16, you should have done 3 homework
assignments.
Project
presentations will start in 2 weeks.
We will have a short
exam on
Wednesday the 15th.
This should take only about 40 minutes.
It will have some
multiple choice, perhaps some fill-in-the-blank, maybe a picture analysis,
maybe some number stuff, and a short essay. You may bring in a cheet-sheet©,
an 8.5Óx11Ó sheet of paper, with anything you want on it. I suggest the standard who, what, when,
where,É some maps and diagrams of ideas we have covered, some cosmology, some
physiology, some harmony, a timeline, etcÉ. It will cover everything up to and including all of
Lucretius.
I have added some
materials for review in the earlier Assignment pages, so check them for
additions. IÕll post them at the
bottom and date when I posted them. All review sheets have been posted. Refresh you browser if you are not
seeing links to review sheets at the bottom of Assignments 0-6.
For Wed:
Read: pp. 168-172 and
185-199 in Lucretius, Book VI. 17pp [This reading will be on the test.]
For Thursday:
Read this from 1491, Charles C. MannÕs book, pp.
212-227 [Mayan farming and corn] and Appendices C and D (pp. 399-407).
Mann_1491_Ch6_AppC-D-6.7MBa.pdf ca.21pp
Read this from PollanÕs OmnivoreÕs Dilemma, pp. 15-31. [Corn]
Pollan_Omni-Dilem_Corn-Farm-6.9MB.pdf 15pp
Write a 1.5 +-, single-spaced essay
relating to the readings. Refer to
the readings and if possible relate to previous readings and other things you
know. Always feel free to
experiment or go off on a tangent, just make sure to refer to the readings some
way. Cite all sources.
Here are the citations for the
above works:
Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before
Columbus. New York: Vintage Books, 2006. This book very well written and fun to read. It has a more journalistic feel to it
than your standard history book.
Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore's Dilemma : A Natural History
of Four Meals. New York: Penguin Press, 2006. This book is more
journalistic than history. It is
perhaps the most interesting book I have read this year. All of you environmentalists may be
interested in reading the whole thing in your off time.
Images
of Teosinte
Here is
the Teosinte plant. It looks
somewhat like a corn plant, but without a tall stalk.
This is
the male tassle of the teosinte ÒcornÓ.
The
teosinte ÒcobÓ is quite a bit smaller than a cob of modern corn.
Notice
how a tassle is connected to each kernel.
This is the same as for modern corn.
OptionalÉ
In the
newsÉ
Here is an article from 2.24.08
from the Health section of the NY Times: ÒInsurance Fears Lead Many to Shun DNA
TestsÓ
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/health/24dna.html?hp=&pagewanted=all
How
might this impact the implementation of universal health care in this country?
Do you
think people will be more or less healthy as a result of this sort of DNA
testing?
Do you
think it is ethical for insurance companies to use genetic predispositions as a
variable in determining their rates?
Where
do you stop? Gender, age,
preexisting conditions, criminal record, IQ, income level, education, hair
color, race?
Is this
eugenics or related to eugenics?
Need a
point or two? Write a letter to
the editor (me) in response to this article.
Optional News of Interest:
Perhaps the scene of the crime
is not worth venerating and it is actually seductive moral poison:
Frenkel
– ÒWarring monks threaten destruction of the Church of the Holy
SepulchreÓ – 10/15/08
Another interesting thingÉ and
anotherÉ
You may find these interesting
in relation to lines 800-840 or so in Book VI of Lucretius. You might find a
homework essay in here somehowÉ
http://www.neatorama.com/2007/05/21/the-strangest-disaster-of-the-20th-century/ -
This site is rather stupid, but it tells the story in an engaging
way. ItÕs a really fascinating
story and short. I highly
recommend reading this article.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyos
- This is the same story but written up Wiki-style.
Back to Syllabus [HoST Fall 2008]
Me – hostf08@mifami.org
Posted: 12/5/08 1:17 PM
Review materials for Final Exam:
and
Agriculture-Nitrogen-review-2.7MB.pdf