FINAL BLOG

most transformative learning experiences:

Before taking this class, and honestly, part of the reason for my appeal for choosing the lobster to be my main research animal was because I thought they were the tastiest animal ever. So much so that I even got a tattoo of this animal holding a fork with butter on it. Kind of a crazy fascination if you think about it. Upon taking this class... I've repurposed the meaning behind the tattoo. Now to me, I see the lobster as an animal that deserves to take the fork away from humans. They should be the ones that hold the power of not getting eaten through their abilities to feel pain. So now I see this animal as having an elevated status even more than before, meaning that I probably will never eat lobster again. Even the thought of consuming lobster is somewhat sickening to me. Knowing what I know now about their sentience, similar behavior, and chemicals that these creatures share with humans strengthens my conviction that they need our help to be protected instead of commodified.

Before taking this class, I didn't think I was a good writer, average at best. However, this class has made me prove to myself that I am because of the LR, AP, the reviews from my peers, and Professor Haas's feedback. Looking back at this class, I will remember that I can successfully collaborate with others even in an online setting, find research on social media, and communicate that research on this website without prior knowledge.

Problems & A Plan for the Future

Time management was a problem for me during this course. Sometimes I would start the Twitter assignments the same day or finish the blog responses at the last minute. I can improve on this in the future by spacing out the material over the course of the week. Another problem that I faced in this class was finding research studies for my LR. There were few options on the combined topics of lobsters + communication or lobsters + intelligence etc. However, once I became better equipped with google scholar and asked for help from Professor Haas and my roommate/ colleague Tony Pau, it became easier to find. For future classes that involve writing and research, I will know how to search for research studies with the resources provided in this class.