Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Final Blog
I know I'm a little late, but I felt like it would've been wrong to not do the last blog anyway. Through the readings I have learned a tremendous amount of new and interesting ideas about human/non-human animal relations. Between Tom Regan's in-depth analysis of animal rights and the more liberal views by R.G. Frey, I learned about the extent of the arguments around this topic. I have learned to clarify my writing better through the 802 course and I am now an improved writer from where I was at the beginning of the class.
Course Reflection
I am with my colleague! It is better to know the completion of an assignment, than to know about it but ignore it completely. The course was very interesting. I have taken another English course for 802 where my professor focused on Status Anxiety instead of Animal Ethics. In the prior course, my motivation to write, analyse, and argue was severely depressed. This time around, I was intrigued by the topic of the class: its validity, severity, and relativity to the my own existence. It helps me to have a more positive outlook on academic writing because I know what to look for, or how to connect myself into the topic that I am writing about in the paper. In conclusion, If I had to change anything about this course, it would be the portfolio. It is adorable the way the English departments bands together and disperse student essays for grading almost anonomously, however, I would much prefer being graded by my professor per due date of the paper(s). Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but this idea of a portfolio is a bit intimidating and less intimate. I feel like just another 9 1 1 0 9 3 7..... You get the idea!
SECOND ANNUAL STUDENT POETRY READING
Join us for a Temple poetry reading & open mic
Wednesday, April 28, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Temple University Main Campus, Anderson Hall 821
Featured poets:
Devin Cohen
Emily Gleason
Elizabeth Kim
Justin McGoldrick
Hannah McMinn
Adler Roseau
Brandon Wilkins
Andrew Yang
Free poetry, pizza, & refreshments!
Course Reflection
(Yeah, so it's late, so why did I bother writing this damn thing anyway? Maybe it's a con in attempt to soothsay my professor in my job well done, or maybe it's my begging for points to salvage my grade. Maybe it's neither. So why did I write this response, knowing it meant nothing but an incomplete grade? Because I wanted to.)
The class did indeed advance my writing skills because in reality I'm in college and the bullsh*t preparation conducted in high school only left me yearning for an escape to this campus state of mind. Liberal arts, new-method teaching, and even my current study of film shatters any statement that school is always dreaded. This class in particular taught me that to write a solid paper, I would need peer review, advanced office hours with my professor, a grasp of complex concepts, and enough works cited and quotations to even have one of your friends ask if you actually had written any of that six page paper. But that's something I need to get used to, and all-in-all it's time to grow up and leave adolescent thinking behind. Earthlings was a huge kick in the face to any of my Catholic high-school English teachers, and to offer such a monolithic conscious converter as extra-credit would be nothing more than an abomination. Temple's 802 however, did show Earthlings, caused ruptures in my stomach, had me withstand regurgitation, and dissolved the censorship of knowledge I never knew I was holding on to for so long. My writing can only be as wide as my gaze.
"Course Reflection"
I would strongly agree that the readings and research have influenced my relationship towards animals. I have never thought much about the respect animals should be granted. However, after reading about inherent value, and the rights of indivduals. It occured that non-human inherent value that is equal to human inherent value. Regan believes that the inherent value an animal possesses is no different than that of a human, and no matter what type of inherent value an individual possesses, they should be treated with respect (Regan 23). This just proves that non-human or human beings should receive respectful treatment because individuals value their own life. Because individuals have equal inherent value, their equal value must be taken into account (Regan 23).
One major writing skill I have gained throughout this course, was to actually understand what I was reading. It taught me to anaylze the text and put it into my own words. This was not always easy for me. However, I feel as though as time went one I did improve. I think this skill will help me in the future with other writing assignments because it forces me to go slowly through the information provided and appreciate the knowledge that is being taught throughout readings.
I would strongly agree that the readings and research have influenced my relationship towards animals. I have never thought much about the respect animals should be granted. However, after reading about inherent value, and the rights of indivduals. It occured that non-human inherent value that is equal to human inherent value. Regan believes that the inherent value an animal possesses is no different than that of a human, and no matter what type of inherent value an individual possesses, they should be treated with respect (Regan 23). This just proves that non-human or human beings should receive respectful treatment because individuals value their own life. Because individuals have equal inherent value, their equal value must be taken into account (Regan 23).
One major writing skill I have gained throughout this course, was to actually understand what I was reading. It taught me to anaylze the text and put it into my own words. This was not always easy for me. However, I feel as though as time went one I did improve. I think this skill will help me in the future with other writing assignments because it forces me to go slowly through the information provided and appreciate the knowledge that is being taught throughout readings.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Course Reflection
Entering into to English 802, and exploring the topic of animal ethics, I was experiencing my first college english class. The topics and ideas discussed throughout this course forced me to re-evaluate the way I think and view everything in life. The research that we went through this semester often felt gruiling and time consuming, but when I look back and see how effective and supportive these "small fixtures" are within a peice. The readings formed a mental and ethical battle within all of us, ideas such as Tom Regan's moral agents and moral patients, "in contrast to moral agents, moral patients lack the prerequisites that would enable them to control their own behavior in ways that would make them morally accountable for what they do"(19). This idea challenges the idea of animal consiousness and intelligence of non-human animals. Then we were faced with the question of what are the prerequisites for obtaining "rights" and ethical , protection, and the hidden prejudice we hold against them, as stated by Paola Cavalieri "speciesm-as was defined, with a neoologism that alludes to the parallel intra-human prejudices, the view that grants to the members of our own species a privileged status with respect to all other creaures"(31). I feel that this course helped me so much with my insight, and it helped me to reflect on not only life but my choices in it.
Course Reflection
The readings, writing, and research that I conducted this semester helped to further develop my appreciation for and understanding of some of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations. Before this class, I never even thought about the relationship between human and animals. All I thought was that humans rule the planet, and animals just do what we want. That was very arrogant for me to think. It was Tom Regan's "The Case for Animal Rights," that first made me realize that there was more to the human-animal relationship. Regan describes the differences between animals and humans. He states that "moral agents are individuals who have a variety of sophisticated abilities, including in particular the ability to bring impartial moral principles to bear on the determination of what, all considered, morally ought to be done..." (19). Regan also describes what a moral patient is. According to him, "moral patients lack the prerequisites that would enable them to control their own behavior in ways that would make them morally accountable for what they do" (19). These two types describe humans and animals. Humans are moral agents, and animals are moral patients. To a certain extent, it is our duty as humans to care for and protect moral patients (animals). In "Practical Ethics," Peter Singer states that "the fact that beings are not members of our own species does not entitle us to exploit them" (36). He is saying that as moral agents, we can not exploit moral patients simply because they are not members of our own species. Both Regan and Singer have given me an insight on the ethics and logic regarding human interactions with animals. They both have taught me to not be arrogant, and to be more understanding to other species.
Through out the semester, I have learned how to revise, revise, revise. Before coming to Temple, I would only write one draft of a paper. I would never write multiple drafts and take the time to revise them in between. From this class, I have learned that continual revision can help you tremendously.
Through out the semester, I have learned how to revise, revise, revise. Before coming to Temple, I would only write one draft of a paper. I would never write multiple drafts and take the time to revise them in between. From this class, I have learned that continual revision can help you tremendously.
Course Reflection
During the semester I learned a lot and I tried to take this learning on with an open mind. Having said that I learned a lot from our Animal Ethics readings I definitely learned more than I thought I would. I guess because I rarely see animals on a day to day basis my appreciation for them as creatures and their interests prior to starting this course is not as it is now. Through my readings and writings which really allowed me to reflect on the material I had been reading caused me become more aware of the holistic idea of non-human animal and realize that there are actually far fewer differences between us than I thought they were and for this reason they deserve our consideration and empathy. "If a being suffers, there can be no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration. No matter what the nature of the being, the principle of equality requires that the suffering be counted equally with the like suffering....of any other being" (Singer pg 37 Animal Ethics Reader).
In the last readings I really took away some that I could apply to my own life that will make a difference that is taking into more consideration the foods that I eat on a daily basis. I can't say that I will ever be vegetarian or a vegan for that matter but the readings have definitely strengthen the argument for vegetarianism in my mind and my need to reduce my current meat, fish and animal product consumption. Knowing what I now I don't think I can still eat animals to the degree that I used without feeling an ethical remorse as "we do not need to eat meat to survive or even to be healthy. The chief benefits of meat-eating to consumers are pleasure, since meat tastes especially good to many people and convenience, since switching to and maintaining a vegetarian diet requires some effort" (Degrazia pg 222 Animal Ethics Reader).
Also during this course I learned how to the use library databases such as Search Premier, which I did not know how to use prior having the 802 lab sessions. I also learned what note taking and reading methods work better for me when it comes to writing essays as well as how to fit in and insert appropriate quotations into my papers so as to strengthen them.
Course reflection
The readings, writings and research that I conducted over the course of this semester exposed me to some of the animal issues that are very strongly debated in our world today, including animal experimentation and the captivity of animals in zoos. Before this course if someone would have asked me if I thought animal experimentation was ok I would have either been neutral or slightly against it because I really knew next to nothing about how and why it is done. The essay “An International Perspective” by F. Barbara Orlans on page 338 explains how some of these tests are carried out, including the LD50 test, where a concentrated product is administered to a test animal to see how lethal the dose is. Many of the animals die painfully and as Singer says “we already have enough shampoos and food colorings. There is no need to develop new ones that might be dangerous” (AE 40). It seems like such a simple concept but until I read about it, it never crossed my mind. The same thing goes for zoo animals. Until i actually started looking into and reading about how animals are treated and confined in zoos, in never payed much attention to their behavior. For example, when i visited the philadelphia zoo, i never would have thought anything about the bear that was pacing to and fro at the same spot so much that there was no grass left in that area.
this class helped me to integrate personal experiences and new knowledge that i obtained form the literature i read, into the essays that i wrote to make them stronger and more credible.
this class helped me to integrate personal experiences and new knowledge that i obtained form the literature i read, into the essays that i wrote to make them stronger and more credible.
Course Reflection
All of the research and readings that we did this semester pertaining to animal ethics really opened my eyes to the issues at hand. I never knew that any of these actions occurred, or cared to even think about these issues. Besides the viewing of the video Earthlings, Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals was probably the most informative reading, to me, of the course. As Foer states, "What the industry figured out is that you don't need healthy animals to make a profit. Sick animals are more profitable"(111). The fact that the farming industry is feeding us sick, hormone injected, gene mutilated animals is very disturbing. In our readings in The Animal Ethics Reader, I have also learned many things. In Dale Jamieson's essay, "Against Zoos", he states, "In order to avoid the 'surplus' problem, some zoos have considered proposales to 'recycle' excess animals: a euphemism for killing them and feeding their bodies to other zoo animals"(510). This is something that I never would have researched, or even thought about, if it weren't for this class and the readings. Overall, all that we have done in this course has change my thoughts and eating habits regarding animals.
The skills that I have acquired from this class just keep adding up. I find myself being more confident when first diving into a paper now compared to before. Also, I have learned to not just state what I believe, but to "nod to the opponent" and then refute that argument. I have also gotten better at putting texts in conversation, as well as organizing my papers. I can now take with me all of these needed skills as I continue through my college years.
The skills that I have acquired from this class just keep adding up. I find myself being more confident when first diving into a paper now compared to before. Also, I have learned to not just state what I believe, but to "nod to the opponent" and then refute that argument. I have also gotten better at putting texts in conversation, as well as organizing my papers. I can now take with me all of these needed skills as I continue through my college years.
Course Reflection
The assigned readings throughout this course have definitely affected the ways I feel about animal ethics and brought me to realize that my choices ultimately play a part in the lives of countless animals. This is most evident in how each individuals food choice aids in the number of slaughtered animals. When Nick Looney came in and informed us that a single vegetarian saves the life of 3500 animals I was shocked, to say the least. Also David Degrazia's essay, Meat- Eating, was disturbing and unsettling because it's difficult to even fathom that " American farm animals have virtually no legal protections" (220). The hardships and pain of these suffering animals has truly encouraged me to not only try and change the way I view food, but also essentially change it. Further, looking back through the section on zoo animals I was extremely affected. Animals are meant to be free, not restricted to insufficient confinements for the purpose of entertainment. Before I actually went to the zoo and read the persuasions from the Animals Ethics Reader, I thought they were a lovely idea. However, upon viewing the living spaces and obnoxious tourists that bang on their cages, yell, and take pictures, my opinion was dramatically amended. Dale Jamieson describes it best when he states that these animals are " tak[en] out of their natural habitats, transport[ed] great distances, and ke[pt] in alien environments in which their liberty is severely limited" (507). No animals deserves such treatment. If it had not been for this course I most likely would never have questioned the institutions of zoos and the food which I consume everyday.
I think the most important tool I have learned and will carry on into further writing endeavors is persuasive writing. I have definitely improved in that category, not to mention, I now analyze the texts I read far more thoroughly. Overall, this semester has been a productive and helpful one.
Thanks Dr. Dan!
Course Reflection
I began this semester as a vegetarian. I was frustrated because I was constantly trying to explain myself to people who questioned my actions. I was interested in Human-Animal ethical relationships but had trouble organizing all of my thoughts to form explanations. Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals provided me with an almost perfectly organized collection of all the ideas and problems I had been interested in but that had been scattered in other books, documentaries, and other media forms. Also in the Animal Ethics Reader, Part Two which involved pain, emotion, and consciousness made me question my very existence. I admire the authors in this anthology but feel they may have been miss represented in this format.
I think the most useful skill I have learned this semester would be how to properly use a quote. I feel effectively introducing and using a quote can make one's writing much more powerful. It increases fluidity in one's writing and helps illustrate specific ideas more clearly.
Course Reflection
The readings, writings, and research I have completed this semester have changed my outlook on eating certain foods that consist of animal products. The class has really opened my eyes to stuff that I never really put much thought into. The first day of class I was thinking to myself “How can animal ethics play such an important role in my life?” However I realize throughout this course that it actually does. After reading about all the torture animals have to go through I have questioned myself as why I am an omnivore. Before this class my mentality was to eat anything and not ask any questions about the particular food I am consuming. Since then I have to agree with Regan’s statement that “We are to treat those individuals who have inherent value in ways that respect their inherent value” (23). At first I did not really care for the animal advocates or pro bio-medicine industry because I feel as if I was in the neutral area. After watching the Earthlings movie it really shocked me because I did not know it would be so graphic in showing how the animals were being slaughtered one by one. I understood animals were being killed however I never fully comprehended how extreme it was until the movie was finished. After reading Eating Animals I realize that nowadays animals are being treated very cruelly. Foer says defines the term cruelty best when he states “Not only the willful causing of unnecessary suffering, but the indifference to it” (53).
I have learned a few good techniques I could use in the future of my college career. The good thing about these new techniques I have acquired is the fact that I can use them in all my classes that I am required to write in not just English. I believe I can write a more believable and persuasive essay after taking this course. I also feel as though I can comprehend the readings way more than I have my previous English classes. On a whole, I feel like I really benefited by staying in this course and doing all my work.
I have learned a few good techniques I could use in the future of my college career. The good thing about these new techniques I have acquired is the fact that I can use them in all my classes that I am required to write in not just English. I believe I can write a more believable and persuasive essay after taking this course. I also feel as though I can comprehend the readings way more than I have my previous English classes. On a whole, I feel like I really benefited by staying in this course and doing all my work.
Course Reflection
I really want to say that I am a strong willed person and for the entire class I stuck to my guns. To stick to my guns would mean that I was unmoved by anything we learned in the class and that I still do not like animals or care that we (America) kill billions of them per year to eat. This is completely untrue. Reading the "Animal Ethics Reader" made me soften a little towards companion and especially zoo animals even though I still do not want a pet of my own. Zoo animals really caught my attention when Ralph Acampora compared them to porn in his analogy "Zoos and Eyes: Contesting Captivity and Seeking Successor Practices" (Animal Ethics 501-506). Checking out "Eating Animals" actually made me reconsider what it really means that I eat animals. When reading "Eating Animals" in particular I could not believe how cruelly these animals are not killed by slaughtered! When I read where Jonathan Safran Foer describes killing chickens, "The next set of workers at the plant will sling the birds to hang upside down by their ankles in metal shackles; onto a moving conveyor system (more bones will be broken). The birds and the flapping of their wings will be so loud you won’t be able to hear the person next to you and the birds will also defecate in pain and terror" (Eating Animals 48), I was actaully mortified.
The one writing skill that I have acquired through readings, writings, and research this semester that stands out above all would be how to weave my words in with citations. In every single essay we had to cite sources from either "Animal Ethics Reader", "Eating Animals", or both and doing so helped me to be able to better place cited quotes in my paper where it runs really smoothly and does not give off the impression that I just added a quote in a paper just for the sake of it.
The one writing skill that I have acquired through readings, writings, and research this semester that stands out above all would be how to weave my words in with citations. In every single essay we had to cite sources from either "Animal Ethics Reader", "Eating Animals", or both and doing so helped me to be able to better place cited quotes in my paper where it runs really smoothly and does not give off the impression that I just added a quote in a paper just for the sake of it.
Course Reflection
As this semester comes to an end, I have definitely been able to reflect on the assignments and readings that I have completed. This course has brought upon me a different level of understanding and awareness to my eating habits. Before this class, I never paid attention to where my food comes from, what factory farms were, and the effects on the environment from animal food production. For instance, Foer states, “Animal agriculture is responsible for 37 percent of anthropogenic methane, which offers twenty-three times the global warming potential (GWP) of CO2" (58), and there were other greenhouse gas emissions that he listed. All which make meat eaters more hazardous to the environment than vegans, according to Foer. That is just one thing I learned. Learning how factory farms operate was the most lucrative part of my learning experience in this course. I definitely would like to start buying food that do not come from animals in factory farms, because I believe supporting those intuitions are unethical. I love meat and dairy products, now that would never change, but where I buy my food can and hopefully my small change can help make a difference one day. As far as my writing techniques are concerned, this class was absolutely a learning experience in that aspect. I learned to integrate my quotes better and have my sources build a conversation throughout my paper. Not one English professor or teacher in my past has asked me to make my quotes talk to each other and build the basis of my paper for me. I usually dropped a quote, explained it, then moved on, but referring back to them to work with another quote was a very good technique to consider. Thank you Dr. Featherstone, your class was tough to an extent but it was worth the work.
Course Reflection
There were a lot of readings this semester for class, but there were two particular one's that really caught my attention. One was a recent reading Animals for Food by David DeGrazia and the other article was not to long ago also and that was Ralph Acampora's article Zoo's And Eyes: Contesting Captivity And Seeking Successor Practices. The reason why I chose David DeGrazia's article was because I felt as though he broke everything down into detail from the caged hens to talking about traditional family farming. I like how he gets into great detail of the process the hens go through when they lay their eggs. He described "She is taken to a 'battery' cage made entirely of wire and quite unlike the outdoor conditions that are natural for her where she will live her life" (DeGrazia 219). Just reading this quote I felt like wow our eggs we eat in the morning is someone elses child. The next article by Ralph Acampora was interesting like David's but it was a little comical as to the comparison he is making in the reading. The comparison he made was pornography to animal treatment at the zoo. He gives some detail on his reasoning to compare the two things. He said "The broad analogy between zoos and pornography is useful because , if it holds true in the relevant respects (also I argue it does), the comparison casts a new and decidedly critical light on the debate over keeping and breeding animals in the wild in captivity (as well as shifting the balance of concern to include effects on human spectators)" (Acampora 502). I thought it was good to explain what he meant about the comparison of animals in zoos to pornography. With information from both authors I actually questioned my beliefs myself.
Keeping the readings in mind and trying to memorize the text a little bit helped me figure out how to put things together in the proper fashion. Being as though I read a lot of the articles it helped me with how I wrote, as far as, detailing more and coming up with a stronger thesis.
Keeping the readings in mind and trying to memorize the text a little bit helped me figure out how to put things together in the proper fashion. Being as though I read a lot of the articles it helped me with how I wrote, as far as, detailing more and coming up with a stronger thesis.
Course Reflection
- This semester most importantly has informed me about numerous human animal relationships which as allowed develop a deeper understand and empathy of the issue. Many activities and relationships between humans and animals that I once viewed as innocent, like zoos, eating and companion animals, have taken on a new light after this semester. The animals have just as much to say as we do, they just have a different way of doing so. If we took the same interest in learning the languages of the non human animal world, many more emotions would be visible (Donovan). Also many artificial relationship exists between humans and animals. The zoo originally represented the place to naturally encounter animals while learning about them. In reality, i was ,"the typical zoo-goer," that as Jamieson comments, "stops only to watch baby animals or those who are begging, feeding, or making sounds" (508). These were the animals that interested me, meanwhile their interest going virtually unnoticed of cared about. This semester has developed a deep appreciation for the relationship between human and animals
- Through this course I have learned how to read spaces as texts and effectively write about them. I have also learned how to analysis things other than quotes. This has led to advanced writing and added sophistication to my style of writing. I have also learned additional options and ways to incorporate quotes into my essays that add variation in my sentence structure.
Course Reflection
During this semester in English 802, we dealt with texts like The Animal Ethics Reader. We thoroughly discussed many aspects of animal ethics, and also explored various theories of animal ethics. I then developed appreciation for and a understanding of some of the ethical issues regarding human-animal relations. In essays like "Consciousness, Emotion and Animal Welfare: Insights From Cognitive Science" by M. Mendl and E.S. Paul, discuss the topic of nonhuman-animal mental capacities. In The Animal Ethics Reader, Mendl and Paul address animal consciousness, "Consciousness, however, is usually defined in terms of the capacity to be aware of feelings, sensations, thoughts and emotions. This basic ability is often referred to as phenomenal or feelings consciousness, while the capacity to be subjectively aware of oneself as a unique thinking". (72) This quote intrigued me because the ability to realize self is a key component in indicating the presence of a consciousness. Then I realized that animals do have a conscience and they appear to be aware of there surroundings spotting predators from a distance, or have the cognitive skills to extract honey out of hole-drilled logs during experiments.
Another topic that I became interested in was when we had to do field-work at the Philadelphia Zoo, and make connections between the readings and the spaces we observed. I found out that zoos claim they provide opportunity for people to see and learn about animals, and that it also inspires people to contribute to their preservation. But I asked the question, does it justify keeping animals locked up in boxes as merchandise? Ultimately, I felt that animals at the zoo are mistreated because zoos do not fully adhere to the natural habitats of the animals. Over all I felt that my knowledge in animal ethics has been enriched.
Another topic that I became interested in was when we had to do field-work at the Philadelphia Zoo, and make connections between the readings and the spaces we observed. I found out that zoos claim they provide opportunity for people to see and learn about animals, and that it also inspires people to contribute to their preservation. But I asked the question, does it justify keeping animals locked up in boxes as merchandise? Ultimately, I felt that animals at the zoo are mistreated because zoos do not fully adhere to the natural habitats of the animals. Over all I felt that my knowledge in animal ethics has been enriched.
Course Reflection
The readings and research I conducted this semester helped develop my appreciation for the ethical issues surrounding human-animal relations. My writing and fieldwork has also helped me further understand some of the natural challenges present between humans and animals. Prior to taking this course I showed basically no interest in the subject matter covered in this class. However, after reading and analyzing some of the essays in this class my perspective has changed. By reading Ralph Acampora's essay "Zoos and Eyes: Contesting Captivity and Seeking Successor Practices", I now comprehend the idea that animals in zoos are often over exposed and used for entertainment rather than education. I was able to further grasp this concept by actually going to the zoo and observing details about each animal's appearance and actions, as well as the people and environment surrounding the animal.
Another essay that really made me explore an everyday ordinary topic into more depth was Jonathan Safran Foer's book Eating Animals. Foer looks past the food that we see everyday in the store or on the kitchen table. He discusses the problems associated with animal food products, and how they relate to the context of a larger world. Before reading Foer's book, I was oblivious to how animals at farms are treated, and how my diet plays such an important role in the status of the environment. Now, I am aware of the ways how we obtain food from animals, and how that eating meat contributes more to global warming than all of transportation combined. By reading these informative texts, I have become more aware of things that we normally do not recognize.
I have acquired several new writing skills from reading and research throughout this semester. The most important thing I think I learned would be how to properly identify and distinguish scholarly sources. By going to the library sessions I was able to learn the process to quickly find sources, and effectively evaluate them as either popular of scholarly on academic search premier. Another key thing I learned while taking this course was how to introduce a counter argument in an essay. By providing a counter argument the essay becomes more persuasive because it displays that the writer has analyzed his/her thesis from all angles. Overall, I learned multiple new writing skills that I feel allow me to construct a more powerful and concrete essay.
Another essay that really made me explore an everyday ordinary topic into more depth was Jonathan Safran Foer's book Eating Animals. Foer looks past the food that we see everyday in the store or on the kitchen table. He discusses the problems associated with animal food products, and how they relate to the context of a larger world. Before reading Foer's book, I was oblivious to how animals at farms are treated, and how my diet plays such an important role in the status of the environment. Now, I am aware of the ways how we obtain food from animals, and how that eating meat contributes more to global warming than all of transportation combined. By reading these informative texts, I have become more aware of things that we normally do not recognize.
I have acquired several new writing skills from reading and research throughout this semester. The most important thing I think I learned would be how to properly identify and distinguish scholarly sources. By going to the library sessions I was able to learn the process to quickly find sources, and effectively evaluate them as either popular of scholarly on academic search premier. Another key thing I learned while taking this course was how to introduce a counter argument in an essay. By providing a counter argument the essay becomes more persuasive because it displays that the writer has analyzed his/her thesis from all angles. Overall, I learned multiple new writing skills that I feel allow me to construct a more powerful and concrete essay.
Course Reflection
The readings over the course of this semester have definitely expanded my appreciation for animals and opened my eyes to the unethical treatment they experience. I usually never have to sit and consider how the food I eat gets to my plate or the processes that take place in order for animals to reproduce basic products like eggs and milk, of which I partake every single day. I did not realize the environmental effects that eating animals cause. Before reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, I just knew that I liked food, including animals like the chicken served at KFC. I didn't know that "if you packed those chickens body to body, they would blanket Manhattan from river to river and spill from the windows of the higher floors of office buildings...(Foer 67). Visions like that disturb me. They tell me that something isn't right about the country we live in, a country that not only eats animals, but treats them brutally from birth until the time they are killed. The Animal Ethics Reader made me question why I thought the way I do about animals. The power humans have in this world is abused, and treating animals unfairly is one way that humans are abusing that power. The reality is, however, that "chickens can do many things, but they cannot make sophisticated deals with humans (Foer 101)." Because of this, we are a long step away from seeing physical changes in animal treatment, but the spread of awareness of animal ethic issues is making that step a little closer.
Course Reflection
The readings regarding animal ethics helped me learn a lot this semester. Talking about factory farming and debating whether animals had ethical issues or not are two things I never considered or thought about. I never mistreated animals, but I didn't think why or why not do it. It just made sense because they are innocent living things. This class made me rethink my own habits of eating though. I knew that animals were killed so that I could eat meat, but the excessiveness of the killing and how it harms the environment puts eating animals into a different light.
In this class, I learned to strengthen my organization and use MLA format. A weakness of mine are utilizing different writing formats, but I think I have mastered in MLA with all the papers that we had to write. I also learned to make sure that "my voice" is included in my paper, intertwined with facts and the author's voice. That is a very important aspect of writing.
In this class, I learned to strengthen my organization and use MLA format. A weakness of mine are utilizing different writing formats, but I think I have mastered in MLA with all the papers that we had to write. I also learned to make sure that "my voice" is included in my paper, intertwined with facts and the author's voice. That is a very important aspect of writing.
Course Reflection
This semester in English 802, I have learned a great deal about the ethics of animals. Every reading assignment was very inspirational and will shape my life from here on out. Before this class I never thought of the intensity and pain that animals go through. I loved animals but never did I know or think to wanna know the ethics behind animals. The anthology The Animal Ethics Reader, was filled with plenty of essays that helped me learn. For example, I never really thought about the logic and the meaning behind zoos until I read Dale Jamison's essay "Against Zoos" in this anthology. It helped me become understanding of the things we do not see or hear about the intent behind zoos. Also, the anthology had me consider the thought of animal experimentation. It made me come to the consensus that animal experimentation can be morally wrong. The same goes to eating animals. It is wrong for putting these animals through pain just to supply food but only difference is I probably would not stop eating meat but just eat meat less.
The writing skills I have acquired are the ideas of when writing I should always create a counterargument to further prove my point/thesis. Also, to cite plenty of sources to help create these counterarguments.
Course Reflection
Reading the Animal Ethics Reader has introduced many ideas and issues to me that I didn't know existed. Do animals have moral value? and if so how much? and how can you measure their moral value? are all questions that were introduced to me in the earlier part of the course. These are questions that have never really invaded my realm of thought. Also, I didn't know that the discussion of animals went into so much depth prior to this course.
I knew that the meat industry was brutal to animals, however, I did not know that it had a significant impact on the environment. From reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer I was able to learn how the meat industry affects the environment. I was never even introduced to the term factory farming or the difference between factory farming and traditional family farming prior to this course.
My writing skills have improved while taking this course. I have become better with incorporating the words of others into my writing in a more sophisticated manner. Also I have become better with writing using MLA format.
Course Reflection
Before this English 802 class I wasn't completely ignorant of the types of cruelty in which farm animals go through to become our food. A good portion of my friends are either vegetarian or vegan and they have always made sure that I know what I am eating when I choose to eat a cheeseburger or a chicken sandwich. However, this class has really made me even more aware of my interactions with animals and how greatly I, as well as humans in general, am affected by animals every single day. While the Animal Ethics Reader seems daunting to read because of the multiple authors and thickness of the anothology, it is filled with vast amounts of information on several topics varying from animal testing, and animals as food, to zoos and aquariums. This text has broadend my perspective on all the topics we've discussed in this class. Also, the informative book Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer has given a personal perspective to the issue of factory farming and his own ideas and veiws on the issue. Because Foer gives his personal opinions along with massive amounts of facts - from research which he has personally done -his book has really made me think about and question my own ideas of how I interact with the animals in my life.
I definitely do not consider myself an excelent writer, in fact English is probably my least favorite subject. With this being said, I was very surprised to find that this English 802 class was my favorite class this semester. The texts we read were filled with information which definitely peaked my interest, the discussions we held in class were some of the best I've had in an academic setting, and the assignments we were required to do throughout the semester helped my writing and comprehension skills tremendously.
I definitely do not consider myself an excelent writer, in fact English is probably my least favorite subject. With this being said, I was very surprised to find that this English 802 class was my favorite class this semester. The texts we read were filled with information which definitely peaked my interest, the discussions we held in class were some of the best I've had in an academic setting, and the assignments we were required to do throughout the semester helped my writing and comprehension skills tremendously.
Course Reflection.
Prior to the spring semester, I was only partially aware of issues concerning animal ethics. I knew that certain topics and issues existed which posed debates concerning the treatment of animals in our society, but I had never really delved into these issues below the surface. For example, I was aware that relatively 20% of green house gas emissions derive from factory farming; however, it was not until this semester in our English class that I discovered that the majority (98%) of the meat we consume comes from factory farms (Cooney, Humane League of Phila. Presentation). I have also always been aware that animals have been treated cruelly and inhumanely in the past, and I personally think that animals should be treated with respect and care. However, it was not until this semester after I read the Animal Ethics Reader and conducted further research that I truly developed a greater sense of appreciation for animal-human relationships based upon the philosophies on the moral status and value of animals. My understanding of the appreciation of animals can be summed up in an excerpt from Tom Regan's essay "The Case for Animal Rights" presented in the Animal Ethics Reader: "It is not an act of kindness to treat animals respectfully. It is an act of justice. It is not 'the sentimental interests' of moral agents that grounds our duties of justice to children, the retarded, the senile, or other moral patients. It is respect for their inherent value. The myth of the privileged moral status if moral agents has no clothes" (Regan, 23).
I feel that I have acquired better citation skills through my writing, reading, and research this semester. I have learned various and specific ways to cite different texts. As well, I also believe that the other skills I possess as a writer have become more enhanced through the reading, writing, and research I have conducted.
Course Reflection
I have noticed a big change in my writing since the beginning of the semester. I understand now what is required of me when I write papers and I am far more confident in my writing skills. As far as the animal related course material, a whole new world was opened up to me this semester. I was honestly very interested in the theories in the Animal Ethics Reader, and I was stunned by everything we have recently learned about factory farms. In the AER I was very interested by Peter Singer's and Tom Regan's Essays on Animal ethics. They approach the issue from two one completely different angles. Regan with a theoretical approach and Singer with a practical approach. These two essays taught me how there is always a variety of ways to get your ideas across, and you can use this to your advantage depending on who the essay is targeted towards.
Course Reflection
How have the readings, writings, and research you conducted this semester developed your appreciation for and understanding of some of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations? Cite at least two texts to illustrate your points.
My outlook on animals and understanding of some of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations has greatly changed over the course of this class. Before this class I thought that I had an understanding of animals but this course of animal rights and current ethics issue such as animal experimentation. I was deeply disturbed by the recent section covered in class: eating animals. I was aware of the immoral and at times unsanitary practices in the animal agribusiness, but when I read in Jonanthan Safran Foer's Eating Animals the factory farms often keep cesspool's of animal waste near the animals I was turned off. Foer gives an example where a factory worker was overcome by the smell, fell in and those he went in after him all perished (177-178). Thanks to this class even if I wanted to I have a hard time eating meat, the first thing that pops in my head is an image of a piglet, and I've never even eaten pork. One of the passages that have stayed with me through out the course of this class was Tom Regan's theory of a subject of a life. I think I've used that in about all of my paper's; 'because an animal has inherent value, and is a moral agent, their life has value' (22).
What writing skills have you acquired through your readings, writings, and research this semester?
This course has helped me develop my writing skills, and has helped me focus on details. I enjoyed the debates, and the class discussions which often aided the writing of my papers.
Course Reflection
How have the readings, writings, and research you conducted this semester developed your appreciation for and understanding of some of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations? Cite at least two texts to illustrate your points.
The readings, writings, and research I have completed this semester have changed my outlook on eating certain foods that consist of animal products. The class has really opened my eyes to stuff that I never really put much thought into. The first day of class I was thinking to myself “How can animal ethics play such an important role in my life?” However I realize throughout this course that it actually does. After reading about all the torture animals have to go through I have questioned myself as why I am an omnivore. Before this class my mentality was to eat anything and not ask any questions about the particular food I am consuming. Since then I have to agree with Regan’s statement that “We are to treat those individuals who have inherent value in ways that respect their inherent value” (23). At first I did not really care for the animal advocates or pro bio-medicine industry because I feel as if I was in the neutral area. After watching the Earthlings movie it really shocked me because I did not know it would be so graphic in showing how the animals were being slaughtered one by one. I understood animals were being killed however I never fully comprehended how extreme it was until the movie was finished. After reading Eating Animals I realize that nowadays animals are being treated very cruelly. Foer says defines the term cruelty best when he states “Not only the willful causing of unnecessary suffering, but the indifference to it” (53).
What writing skills have you acquired through your readings, writings, and research this semester?
I have learned a few good techniques I could use in the future of my college career. The good thing about these new techniques I have acquired is the fact that I can use them in all my classes that I am required to write in not just English. I believe I can write a more believable and persuasive essay after taking this course. I also feel as though I can comprehend the readings way more than I have my previous English classes. On a whole, I feel like I really benefited by staying in this course and doing all my work.
The readings, writings, and research I have completed this semester have changed my outlook on eating certain foods that consist of animal products. The class has really opened my eyes to stuff that I never really put much thought into. The first day of class I was thinking to myself “How can animal ethics play such an important role in my life?” However I realize throughout this course that it actually does. After reading about all the torture animals have to go through I have questioned myself as why I am an omnivore. Before this class my mentality was to eat anything and not ask any questions about the particular food I am consuming. Since then I have to agree with Regan’s statement that “We are to treat those individuals who have inherent value in ways that respect their inherent value” (23). At first I did not really care for the animal advocates or pro bio-medicine industry because I feel as if I was in the neutral area. After watching the Earthlings movie it really shocked me because I did not know it would be so graphic in showing how the animals were being slaughtered one by one. I understood animals were being killed however I never fully comprehended how extreme it was until the movie was finished. After reading Eating Animals I realize that nowadays animals are being treated very cruelly. Foer says defines the term cruelty best when he states “Not only the willful causing of unnecessary suffering, but the indifference to it” (53).
What writing skills have you acquired through your readings, writings, and research this semester?
I have learned a few good techniques I could use in the future of my college career. The good thing about these new techniques I have acquired is the fact that I can use them in all my classes that I am required to write in not just English. I believe I can write a more believable and persuasive essay after taking this course. I also feel as though I can comprehend the readings way more than I have my previous English classes. On a whole, I feel like I really benefited by staying in this course and doing all my work.
Course Reflection
Before I entered into this course I was already somewhat aware of the destructive nature of the factory farming industry. I began eating a vegetarian diet fairly recently in November of 2009. My reasons for starting a vegetarian and then later a vegan diet was that I realized that there are alternatives available to eating meat and that I did not have to kill animals to sustain myself. So faced with the options of surviving by killing animals or not killing animals I chose the later.
As I have continued to learn more and more about the factory farming industry I have become quite secure with the fact that not eating animals is the best decision for me. Although at the same time the amount of destructive impact caused by factory farming has been shocking and very horrible. When I started reading Jonathan Foer's eating animals at the Beginning of the semester and finding out more specific information from that text especially from the sections on the devastation being conducted in the worlds oceans which occupy about 66% of the earths landmass. The fact that we are able to conduct such devastation on such a large vast area of the world driving so many of the species living in the ocean to points of near extinction is insanely horrible. I also learned during this coarse through my own research when we were covering companion animals about trap neuter release which is the best method to control the pet population and it also does not involve killing stray cats and dogs through euthanasia. I found that the best explanation of TNR on the saveagatto website. The information I learned about TNR was positive though and I have recently started helping with the process in Philadelphia by helping to foster stray cats and ultimately find good homes for them.
As I have continued to learn more and more about the factory farming industry I have become quite secure with the fact that not eating animals is the best decision for me. Although at the same time the amount of destructive impact caused by factory farming has been shocking and very horrible. When I started reading Jonathan Foer's eating animals at the Beginning of the semester and finding out more specific information from that text especially from the sections on the devastation being conducted in the worlds oceans which occupy about 66% of the earths landmass. The fact that we are able to conduct such devastation on such a large vast area of the world driving so many of the species living in the ocean to points of near extinction is insanely horrible. I also learned during this coarse through my own research when we were covering companion animals about trap neuter release which is the best method to control the pet population and it also does not involve killing stray cats and dogs through euthanasia. I found that the best explanation of TNR on the saveagatto website. The information I learned about TNR was positive though and I have recently started helping with the process in Philadelphia by helping to foster stray cats and ultimately find good homes for them.
Course Reflection
To say that this course hasn't effected me at all, would be a bold face lie. Not only was this English class my only interesting class, it effected me in numerous ways. I have never been in a class where I have had to develop my opinions so vividly. Not only was I forced to learn the skill of critically writing with scholarly sources, I now have a new outlook on the ethical world of animals in our society. From having to explain why I viewed animals as a lesser being, to rationalizing why I actually consume animal flesh, this course has attempted and started to make me view my entire relationship with all animals in a new way. Hearing opposing view points from famous writers like Peter Singer and Tom Regan was fascinating. Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer is probably the text that I can say honestly changed me. This book came so full circle for me, and was a perfectly fitting end to the class. It encompassed everything we had learned and discussed through out the course and really drove home the point that I had been contemplating the entire semester. We are the enemy, not the animals, and if we don't change quickly, we won't have anything left on this earth to change.
Course Reflection
The readings, writings, and research that I conducted this semester raised my awareness of animal ethics in many ways. I had always known that animals were abused on farms and that they were not always killed in a human way, but I never knew how bad it really was. Earthlings really opened my eyes because I was actually able to see the abuse on film instead of just reading about it. While reading Jonathan Safran Foer's book "Eating Animals", I read about the abuse that animals take in order for us to eat. Even though many of the passages are extremely graphic, "A steel bolt shoots into the cow's skull and then retracts back into the gun, usually rendering the animal unconscious or causing death. Sometimes the bolt only dazes the animal which either remains conscious or later wakes up as it is being "processed"". Reading that I understand how awful it is but actually being able to see the process on Earthlings really made it real for me. One article that I read and absolutely despised was Tom Regans's "The Case for Animal Rights". I understood the points that he was trying to make but he came off as a very cocky person throughout his essay and he used words that made it hard to read. "This latter principle entails that all moral agents and patients are directly owed the prima facie duty not to be harmed and that all those who are owed this duty have an equal valid claim...". It seemed that he was just talking in circles his entire essay. I feel that I have acquired many writing skills this semester. I feel like I am a much better reviser of papers this semester. I always used to be very tentative in editing peoples papers in fear of hurting their feelings. Now I really do not care and offer my feedback the way that I always should have. I also feel that I have gotten a lot better at writing about my own opinion and views on things. The zoo essay was very difficult for me to write because it was less text based then all my previous college essays. The last essay was very easy for me to write and will hopefully result in a good grade.
Course Reflection
Before entering this class, I never really put much thought into how I interact with the animals that surround me. Animals are such a deeply penetrating aspect of American life, whether it be for education, research, entertainment, or food, I now better understand the ethical issues that surround each of these interactions with animals. For instance, in his essay "Against Zoos", Dale Jamieson introduced me to some if the issues surrounding zoos, and I was then able to make my own judgement on whether or not zoos are acceptable or not from an ethical standpoint. In the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, I was able to understand the impacts my eating habits had on not only the animals I was eating, but also the surrounding environment. It also had an impact on me, because now I cannot claim ignorance when eating animal products. It is either my choice to eat the animals and ignore the repercussions, or change my eating habits. This class has really helped me think analytically about the decisions I make regarding animals and their well-being.
This class also helped me hone my skills as a reader in writer in many ways. It has taught me how to formulate an argument while presenting counterpoints throughout. It has also taught me to be more concise, and to make sure that my writing makes sense to everyone reading it and not taking for granted that a reader has prior knowledge of what I am writing about. It has made me very thorough in my writing, and I can see an improvement in my writing from start to finish.
This class also helped me hone my skills as a reader in writer in many ways. It has taught me how to formulate an argument while presenting counterpoints throughout. It has also taught me to be more concise, and to make sure that my writing makes sense to everyone reading it and not taking for granted that a reader has prior knowledge of what I am writing about. It has made me very thorough in my writing, and I can see an improvement in my writing from start to finish.
Course Reflection
How have the readings, writings, and research you conducted this semester developed your appreciation for and understanding of some of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations? Cite at least two texts to illustrate your points.
The reading, writings, and research that I have done this semester have molded and shaped my opinions on ethical issues dealing with animal and human relations. The Animal Ethics Reader stated various facts that have changed my mind, and one author that had a large impact was Peter Singer. I never really considered anything to be wrong with the biomedical research field until the ethical implication came into play. I found it stupid that many authors argued that animals do not feel pain to the same extent as humans. In my opinion they most certainly do, and I think Singer explains it best when he states that "If a being suffers, there can be no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration," (37). No matter what the reason a human should not test on animals, especially when the animal species itself is gaining nothing out of it. Also factory farming was something that i learned a great deal about. Foer explains quite well that not only are animals are suffering but humans will as well since "farmed animals contribute more to climate change than transport”(58). As the human species we must realize the consequences of our actions and being taking the proper steps to rectify these wrongs.
What writing skills have you acquired through your readings, writings, and research this semester?
I personally believe that the main writing skill I learned this semester is how to back up and argument as strongly as possible. I learned to clarify everything that i argue to the full extent in order to not allow anyone to be able to argue any loose ends. I believe this made me a stronger writer since it not only increases my point, but also makes it harder for the other side to argue.
Course Reflection
The readings for the class and the research I conducted thoroughly helped me understand and appreciate the dilemma of human-animal relations. I really never thought about human-animal relations in the ways I was asked to in class, except for the parts about animal companions. Tom Regan's idea of moral agents and moral patients really convinced me on a philosophical level about humanity's moral duty towards animals. "In contrast to moral agents, moral patients lack the prerequisites that would enable them to control their own behavior in ways that would make them morally accountable for what they do" (Regan 19). Although it was necessary for me to be convinced on a logical front, Josephine Donovan's essay really allowed me to take another perspective on the animal ethics issue. She taught me that you cannot just think because you also need to feel. Donovan notes that humans must "pay attention to-listen to- animal communications and construct a human ethic in conversation with the animals rather than imposing on them a rationalistic, calculative grid or humans' own monological construction" (Donovan 48).
Also, I learned quite a lot about myself as a writer during this semester and I acquired some new skills along the way. The most important thing I progressed at in English 802, as opposed to English 701, was my ability to effectively use citations. I had always had trouble finding a concrete quote that would enhance my argument. My quotes just wouldn't flow into the paragraph before, but now I can introduce a source with ease. Through the readings I developed a precise skill in analyzing a scholarly essay and taking what I need from it. The essays were very long and hard to read, but I eventually found some tricks to better my understanding of each literary piece. My style also improved this semester. Every single essay I wrote would be written in a boring monotone that was very different from my personality and ability. This year I added in some intelligent words and complex sentence structures to add some spice to my papers. Overall, this semester was a success as it pertains to my English career.
Also, I learned quite a lot about myself as a writer during this semester and I acquired some new skills along the way. The most important thing I progressed at in English 802, as opposed to English 701, was my ability to effectively use citations. I had always had trouble finding a concrete quote that would enhance my argument. My quotes just wouldn't flow into the paragraph before, but now I can introduce a source with ease. Through the readings I developed a precise skill in analyzing a scholarly essay and taking what I need from it. The essays were very long and hard to read, but I eventually found some tricks to better my understanding of each literary piece. My style also improved this semester. Every single essay I wrote would be written in a boring monotone that was very different from my personality and ability. This year I added in some intelligent words and complex sentence structures to add some spice to my papers. Overall, this semester was a success as it pertains to my English career.
Course Reflection
How have the readings, writings, and research you conducted this semester developed your appreciation for and understanding of some of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations? Cite at least two texts to illustrate your points.
Before this semester, I had never given much thought to issues pertaining to animal ethics.
Over the course of the semester, I took issue with several authors, such as Bernard E. Rollin, who called animals “the weakest and most disenfranchised part of human society.” (Rollin 250) There were several essays that were difficult to read because I can think of many minorities who are just as disenfranchised, if not more so, than most non-human animals are. Plus, I already take issue with comparing oppressions that various human minorities experience for many complex reasons.
However, I was eventually swayed by Jonathan Safran Foer's arguments. I have read, and loved, his other books (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was my favorite) and I always enjoy reading a book by a good writer.
In addition to his highly readable prose, I appreciated the fact that Foer argued his case by discussing the animals themselves. I don't even see the need to compare non-human animals and humans: it actually weakens the argument for me by implying that one needs to compare to humans to make issues pertaining to non-human animals “matter” somehow.
One passage that caused me to stop and reflect is when Foer asks: “Is caring to know about the treatment of farmed animals a confrontation with the facts about the animals and ourselves or an avoidance of them? Is arguing that a sentiment of compassion should be given greater value than a cheaper burger (or a burger at all) an expression of emotion and impulse or an engagement with reality and our moral intuitions?” (Foer 74) When I stopped to think about it, this is true.
As he went on to talk about factory farming, I suddenly found that meat was a little less appetizing. So I guess I am thinking more consciously about what I eat.
What writing skills have you acquired through your readings, writings, and research this semester?
Well. I am in a unique situation in the sense that I was an English major at a highly selective liberal arts college for two years before I transferred to Temple. I have done research-intensive papers before about really obscure topics. In fact, I tried to get out of this class because it's an intro class, but I wasn't able to do so.
However, I do feel Dr. Featherston has helped me to regain some of my excitement for learning. Before this course, I was really burned out on humanities - I felt that, if I heard the word “ontology” one more time, I would scream. I especially did not want to read or talk about ethics because of its highly abstract nature.
Now, though, I feel like I'm getting back to my roots as a lit geek and remembering the importance of integrating theory into action. I'm really glad that I was able to transfer from a different Intro to English class into this one. It was really nice to be challenged in class so that I could work on my writing in a meaningful way instead of doing busywork.
Before this semester, I had never given much thought to issues pertaining to animal ethics.
Over the course of the semester, I took issue with several authors, such as Bernard E. Rollin, who called animals “the weakest and most disenfranchised part of human society.” (Rollin 250) There were several essays that were difficult to read because I can think of many minorities who are just as disenfranchised, if not more so, than most non-human animals are. Plus, I already take issue with comparing oppressions that various human minorities experience for many complex reasons.
However, I was eventually swayed by Jonathan Safran Foer's arguments. I have read, and loved, his other books (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was my favorite) and I always enjoy reading a book by a good writer.
In addition to his highly readable prose, I appreciated the fact that Foer argued his case by discussing the animals themselves. I don't even see the need to compare non-human animals and humans: it actually weakens the argument for me by implying that one needs to compare to humans to make issues pertaining to non-human animals “matter” somehow.
One passage that caused me to stop and reflect is when Foer asks: “Is caring to know about the treatment of farmed animals a confrontation with the facts about the animals and ourselves or an avoidance of them? Is arguing that a sentiment of compassion should be given greater value than a cheaper burger (or a burger at all) an expression of emotion and impulse or an engagement with reality and our moral intuitions?” (Foer 74) When I stopped to think about it, this is true.
As he went on to talk about factory farming, I suddenly found that meat was a little less appetizing. So I guess I am thinking more consciously about what I eat.
What writing skills have you acquired through your readings, writings, and research this semester?
Well. I am in a unique situation in the sense that I was an English major at a highly selective liberal arts college for two years before I transferred to Temple. I have done research-intensive papers before about really obscure topics. In fact, I tried to get out of this class because it's an intro class, but I wasn't able to do so.
However, I do feel Dr. Featherston has helped me to regain some of my excitement for learning. Before this course, I was really burned out on humanities - I felt that, if I heard the word “ontology” one more time, I would scream. I especially did not want to read or talk about ethics because of its highly abstract nature.
Now, though, I feel like I'm getting back to my roots as a lit geek and remembering the importance of integrating theory into action. I'm really glad that I was able to transfer from a different Intro to English class into this one. It was really nice to be challenged in class so that I could work on my writing in a meaningful way instead of doing busywork.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Course Reflection
The readings, writings, and research I have conducted this semester in English 802 have developed my appreciation for and understanding of some of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations. I have become an informed vegetarian, with hopes of becoming vegan, through the works in the eating animals section of The Animal Ethics Reader. DeGrazia’s essay Meat-Eating really opened my eyes to the horrible animal treatment in factory farms. Also, the detailed descriptions of Foer, in Eating Animals, hit home with my emotions when he discussed the different industrial pig-breeding facilities who maintain workers who were found, “slamming them against concrete floors and bludgeoning them with metal gate rods and hammers” (182). Although eating animals may have impacted my life the most, I have also explored the ethics of animal experimentation, animals used as entertainment in zoos, and overall theories of animal ethics. I adapted the understanding that animals used for experimentation, under the right circumstances, is appropriate. Better stated in Moore’s words in Why I Support Dissection in Science Education, “To be justified, dissection must be performed in the context of an intelligently planned and educationally valid curriculum” (2). Through first-hand research at the Philadelphia zoo, I have decided that animals used for zoos is completely unethical. Overall, the contrasting ideas of Donovan and Regan aided in the development of the thought that non-human animals should count morally.
Through my readings, writings, and research I have developed the skill of intertwining all of my reading and research together to make sense. Before, I would find myself not really relating the texts with each other. Now, I feel that I have mastered the task. Also, I have learned how to properly address quotes, use personal experience, and feed off of other’s ideas (in blogs or in-class discussions) to construct a well-written and sophisticated essay. This semester I also have developed the ability to bring in counter-arguments to make my argument stronger. I believe that my writing skills have significantly improved throughout this semester.
Course Reflection
Overall, the readings, writings, and research that I conducted this semester helped me to see some the major issues that are going on with animal ethics. I never really knew that this was such a big issue until this English class and I am grateful that I now know some of the facts. I appreciated reading “Eating Animals” by Jonathon Safron Foer because I now know that by not eating animals anymore I am helping the environment because “the livestock sector is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.” In addition, I am glad that I learned about the value of zoos and how they are unethical and unfair to animals because I never would have thought that before learning about animal welfare in this class. As Dale Jamieson states in his article “Against Zoos,” “Zoos teach us a false sense of our place in the natural order,” a statement that made me against the idea of zoos as a whole.
I feel that my writing is more organized and overall I have become better at using texts effectively within a certain work. I think that I have a better sense of what I am capable of doing as a writer and I know that my future writing experiences will be easier because of the overall skills I have gained from this class.
I feel that my writing is more organized and overall I have become better at using texts effectively within a certain work. I think that I have a better sense of what I am capable of doing as a writer and I know that my future writing experiences will be easier because of the overall skills I have gained from this class.
Course Reflection
I would have to say that the readings, writings, and research I conducted this semester developed my appreciation for and understanding of some of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations. Before taking this course, I would have to admit I was pretty naïve about anything pertaining to animal rights or ethics. I felt that since it did not concern me then I shouldn’t show interest in it. However, several texts this semester have opened my eyes to a new perspective. Most recently, I have read Jonathan Foer’s Eating Animals. I had absolutely no idea the conditions that animals were kept in, nor did I know the harm that such farms did not only to individuals but also to our environment. The book did not convert me to vegetarianism, but I definitely will be more putting more thought into animal meats / products I use in the future. Nick Cooney’s presentation on factory farming also helped to contribute to these new views I now hold.
Another text that has opened my eyes to a new perspective is Ralph Acampora’s “Zoos and Eyes: Contesting Captivity and Seeking Successor Practices”. In this text, Acampora explains his analogy between pornography and zoos by stating that both are in the interest of the viewers and subjects are just over-exposed and marginalized. Profit becomes more important the well-being of the subject. As a child I had visited the zoo once or twice and what I could remember, I loved it. I now realize my childhood innocence had only developed into ignorance of an important subject. After reading this text and also visiting the Philadelphia Zoo, I now comprehend the harsh conditions animals live with while kept in captivity.
Throughout this semester I have acquired new writing skills obtained by reading, writing, and researching in this course. The greatest skill acquired this semester would have to be how to properly find useful academic outside sources. This was obtained by the two classes taken in the library on how to use both academic search premiere and also Google scholar. Also writing these papers have helped to advance my writing skills and also how to correctly use MLA style format in a paper.
Another text that has opened my eyes to a new perspective is Ralph Acampora’s “Zoos and Eyes: Contesting Captivity and Seeking Successor Practices”. In this text, Acampora explains his analogy between pornography and zoos by stating that both are in the interest of the viewers and subjects are just over-exposed and marginalized. Profit becomes more important the well-being of the subject. As a child I had visited the zoo once or twice and what I could remember, I loved it. I now realize my childhood innocence had only developed into ignorance of an important subject. After reading this text and also visiting the Philadelphia Zoo, I now comprehend the harsh conditions animals live with while kept in captivity.
Throughout this semester I have acquired new writing skills obtained by reading, writing, and researching in this course. The greatest skill acquired this semester would have to be how to properly find useful academic outside sources. This was obtained by the two classes taken in the library on how to use both academic search premiere and also Google scholar. Also writing these papers have helped to advance my writing skills and also how to correctly use MLA style format in a paper.
Course Reflection
How have the readings, writing, and research you conducted this semester developed your appreciation for and understanding of some of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations?
The readings, writing, and research I have conducted in this class of the semester has opened a new world to me. Before this class, I was never introduced to the ethical and moral issues of the treatment of animals and was amazed at how complex the situation really is. For example, Tom Regan's essay "The Case for Animal Rights" discusses 'inherent value' and 'subjects-of-a-life' (two terms that were completely foreign to me before this class), "Those who satisfy the subject-of-a-life criterion themselves have a distinct kind of value -inherent value -and are not to be viewed or treated as mere receptacles" (22). Statement such as this made me think of what value and rights really mean and who or what is entitled to them. Before I have always though of animals as a lower species with lower rights. However, I now realized that this ideology is wrong and is defined as speciesism. In "Practical Ethics", Peter Singer defines speciesists as those who "give greater weight to the interests of members of their own species when there is a clash between their interests and the interests of those other species" (37). This is a new concept to me but I have come to understand it and recognize it in many human practices such as zoos and pets.
What writing skills have you acquired through your readings, writings, and research this semester?
This semester I have developed how to discuss ethical issues through my writing. I have learned to question all points I make in my paper and to not assume that the reader will believe the same things that I do. I have learned that counter arguments strengthen my argument. I know how to use the readings in conversation with my ideas and writing. This course has definitely advanced my persuasive abilities as a writer. My papers contain mature ethical debates that I have never thought of before.
The readings, writing, and research I have conducted in this class of the semester has opened a new world to me. Before this class, I was never introduced to the ethical and moral issues of the treatment of animals and was amazed at how complex the situation really is. For example, Tom Regan's essay "The Case for Animal Rights" discusses 'inherent value' and 'subjects-of-a-life' (two terms that were completely foreign to me before this class), "Those who satisfy the subject-of-a-life criterion themselves have a distinct kind of value -inherent value -and are not to be viewed or treated as mere receptacles" (22). Statement such as this made me think of what value and rights really mean and who or what is entitled to them. Before I have always though of animals as a lower species with lower rights. However, I now realized that this ideology is wrong and is defined as speciesism. In "Practical Ethics", Peter Singer defines speciesists as those who "give greater weight to the interests of members of their own species when there is a clash between their interests and the interests of those other species" (37). This is a new concept to me but I have come to understand it and recognize it in many human practices such as zoos and pets.
What writing skills have you acquired through your readings, writings, and research this semester?
This semester I have developed how to discuss ethical issues through my writing. I have learned to question all points I make in my paper and to not assume that the reader will believe the same things that I do. I have learned that counter arguments strengthen my argument. I know how to use the readings in conversation with my ideas and writing. This course has definitely advanced my persuasive abilities as a writer. My papers contain mature ethical debates that I have never thought of before.
Course Reflection
How have the readings, writings, and research you conducted this semester developed your appreciation for and understanding of some of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations? Cite at least two texts to illustrate your points.
The readings, writings, and research I have done this semester have completely changed my view of human-animal relations. Before this class, I did not realize how much animal ethics played a role in our society. I had never really thought too much in detail about how animal ethics plays a role in our society. However, many reading from The Animal Ethics Reader have brought this topic into perspective for me. After reading about all the pain and suffering that animals endure for testing purposes, I am now strongly against the practices of the bio-medicine industry. I agree with Peter Singer's statement that "If a being suffers, there can be no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration," (37). People who perform painful experiments on animals do not take their suffering into consideration. Animals can feel the same pain as humans, so there is simply no reason to ignore their suffering. In addition to animal experimentation, I also learned a great deal about factory farms. I was completely unaware of how horrible these animals are treated behind closed doors. "According to the National Chicken Council...about 180 million chickens are improperly slaughtered each year," (Foer, 133). This number is staggering to me. I had always assumed that the slaughter of animals was performed properly to alleviate substantial suffering, but this is obviously not the case. The readings in this class have greatly improved my understanding of human-animal relations in a variety of contexts.
What writing skills have you acquired through your readings, writings, and research this semester?
I have learned a number of new writing skills through my coursework this semester. I feel as if I can write a more convincing, persuasive essay after this class. One aspect that I think really makes a paper strong is the idea of giving your opponent a nod. Bringing in counter-arguments was something that I never would have used before this class, but now I can see how to make it useful in my essays. Another thing that has stuck with me is the Point, Illustrate, Explain (PIE) concept. This really helps me structure my paragraphs throughout an essay. Overall, I feel like I can write a better essay for an audience thanks to what I've learned this semester.
The readings, writings, and research I have done this semester have completely changed my view of human-animal relations. Before this class, I did not realize how much animal ethics played a role in our society. I had never really thought too much in detail about how animal ethics plays a role in our society. However, many reading from The Animal Ethics Reader have brought this topic into perspective for me. After reading about all the pain and suffering that animals endure for testing purposes, I am now strongly against the practices of the bio-medicine industry. I agree with Peter Singer's statement that "If a being suffers, there can be no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration," (37). People who perform painful experiments on animals do not take their suffering into consideration. Animals can feel the same pain as humans, so there is simply no reason to ignore their suffering. In addition to animal experimentation, I also learned a great deal about factory farms. I was completely unaware of how horrible these animals are treated behind closed doors. "According to the National Chicken Council...about 180 million chickens are improperly slaughtered each year," (Foer, 133). This number is staggering to me. I had always assumed that the slaughter of animals was performed properly to alleviate substantial suffering, but this is obviously not the case. The readings in this class have greatly improved my understanding of human-animal relations in a variety of contexts.
What writing skills have you acquired through your readings, writings, and research this semester?
I have learned a number of new writing skills through my coursework this semester. I feel as if I can write a more convincing, persuasive essay after this class. One aspect that I think really makes a paper strong is the idea of giving your opponent a nod. Bringing in counter-arguments was something that I never would have used before this class, but now I can see how to make it useful in my essays. Another thing that has stuck with me is the Point, Illustrate, Explain (PIE) concept. This really helps me structure my paragraphs throughout an essay. Overall, I feel like I can write a better essay for an audience thanks to what I've learned this semester.
Course Reflection
How have the readings, writings, and research you conducted this semester developed your appreciation for and understanding of some of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations? Cite at least two texts to illustrate your points.
The readings, writings, and research I conducted this semester have changed my view of the ethical issues and dilemmas regarding human-animal relations. By reading and analyzing the assigned texts, I have been able to take a different view on animals in general. I have more sympathy for animals in testing after reading about unnecessary testing that is performed on animals, causing them pain, suffering, and even death. I agree with this statement from The Animal Ethics Reader:“If we are to use animals for our benefit, it is morally incumbent upon us to make sure that they benefit as well, by at least living decent lives, not lives of misery, fear, and pain”(Rollin, 258). Although I don't think animals should have equal rights as humans, I do believe that they should be treated better by humans. I also learned about the harms of factory farming and meat eating to animals and the environment. I was surprised to hear that “...our food choices contribute at least as much as our transportation choices to global warming ... farmed animals contribute more to climate change than transport”(Safran Foer, 58), but now that I know the harmful effects of eating meat, I can try to cut back. After taking this class, I have more of an understanding of human-animal relations, and more of an appreciation for animals.
What writing skills have you acquired through your readings, writings, and research this semester?
Through my readings, writings, and research this semester, I have acquired many skills. I have learned how to embed quotes into my papers and how to cite in MLA format, how. I also learned how to better analyze readings and how to organize my thoughts with the information I read in order to write a convincing paper. I learned how to write persuasive essays and was introduced to new techniques such as introducing the counter argument first, then arguing against it. I learned how to use the Temple libraries in order to do outside research. Overall, I perfected many skills in researching, writing, and reading this semester.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Factory Farm Presentation
The horrible treatment of the cows, pigs, and chickens was almost too much to watch. I felt sick as I saw them treat those baby chicks like mere property. They acted like the male chicks themselves were waste, when all the waste they made was said to be 170x more than human waste! How can these things be ignored? That is what scared and struck me in class.
Factory Farm Presentation
The presentation today had some extremely disturbing facts and figures. I was shocked by the conditions in which animals can be treated among factory farms. The farms do not have to comply to animal cruelty laws due to loopholes in the system that cater to the farms and not the animals, the system works against animal ethics and for the monetary benefits of the companies and corporations that produce the animal products from said animals. In order to combat such issues we can become vegetarian or vegan and save 40 to 50 animals per year and ultimately 3500 in a lifetime. This was a shocking figure, even as a vegetarian I finally felt the gravity of the meat eating situation in America.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Factory Farm Presentation
What struck me most about todays presentation was how much pollution factory farms contribute to the environment. We often see stories about global warming but we almost never see a connection to factory farm raised animals. There are so many people that claim to live "green" lives but it is clear that most are oblivious to the harms of factory farms. If people were made more aware of this I believe it would be a huge contributing factor to reducing factory farms.
Factory Farm Presentation
The thing that I find most surprising about Mr.Cooney's presentation is that animal farming has such a direct effect on the environment. Mr. Cooney talked about how animal's manure is the number 1 type of water pollution in the U.S. and is the number 2 cause for air pollution. Also animals use up much of the nations land and food which was something that was also a surprise.
Factory Farm Presentation
Today during Nick Cooney's presentation his methods and approach to educating the class surprised me. He presented us with pictures and statistics we have all seen before and if the shock value is not effective the first time it will not be effective the second. This method may be sufficient for different groups or demographics but for educated college students I feel the class craved more. I understand I don't enjoy looking at the pictures in the presentation but what else?I know there are much more complex issues and more effective arguments against factory farming than the ones presented today. In contrast I feel the environmental portion of the presentation created context and proved effective but was brief in comparison to the earlier portion.
Factory Farm Presentation
I found it interesting that the animal cruelty law has actually been changed from the 1800s in 1961, so that now farm animals are exempted from cruelty laws. Our treatment of them has changed since the law was first made. It was also new for me to realize that many farm animals will never feel a day outside. I never considered that their living conditions only consisted of indoors. The presentation was very informative and generated many possible essay topics for my paper on eating animals.
farm factory presentation
From our presentation today on food factories I learned a lot of new information that I never knew and that was truly interesting. I never in my life for example thought that it took a 6 month worth of shower water to supply the production of a single hamburger. I also never knew how exactly veal was made, as I always thought that it was just the meat of calves. I had no idea that they were forced to have a liquid, iron deficient diet and that they were kept in small cages to prevent them from having an exercise that would enable muscle development. Furthermore I definitely didn’t know about or knew nothing about gestation cages and how cruel this method of breeding pigs is to the pregnant mother pigs.
Factory Farm Presentation
I learned a few new things today.
I've never given much thought to animals in the past but I learned in AP Bio and from my vegetarian/vegan friends what the scale of factory farming is like, so I knew conceptually that factory farming has a large impact but never the true numbers. (For example, in AP Bio, we learned that cows produce a lot of the methane gas that contributes to global warming, but I hadn't realized that animal waste is the #1 cause of water pollution.)
I found Nick's statistics to be a little weird and random. I guess it was to give the presentation some extra flavor, but "how many showers could you take with the water used in one hamburger?" just brought up way too many questions for me. For example, what if you're a gross teenager boy who only showers once a month or something? Something like "A hamburger takes 600 liters of water to create" would have made a LOT more sense to me but I guess that is just how my brain works, and even though the statistics made no sense, they added interest to the presentation.
I also was kind of amused that Nick asked how many of us had ever seen a farm animal... I grew up in a town in Utah where you'd drive by cows, deer, moose, elk, whatever, every day and we regularly saw wildlife in the backyard such as foxes, porcupine, and Canadian geese. But then again his presentation was geared specifically for a Philadelphia audience and it seems like people from this part of the country never leave it so that makes sense that he asked that question.
I've never given much thought to animals in the past but I learned in AP Bio and from my vegetarian/vegan friends what the scale of factory farming is like, so I knew conceptually that factory farming has a large impact but never the true numbers. (For example, in AP Bio, we learned that cows produce a lot of the methane gas that contributes to global warming, but I hadn't realized that animal waste is the #1 cause of water pollution.)
I found Nick's statistics to be a little weird and random. I guess it was to give the presentation some extra flavor, but "how many showers could you take with the water used in one hamburger?" just brought up way too many questions for me. For example, what if you're a gross teenager boy who only showers once a month or something? Something like "A hamburger takes 600 liters of water to create" would have made a LOT more sense to me but I guess that is just how my brain works, and even though the statistics made no sense, they added interest to the presentation.
I also was kind of amused that Nick asked how many of us had ever seen a farm animal... I grew up in a town in Utah where you'd drive by cows, deer, moose, elk, whatever, every day and we regularly saw wildlife in the backyard such as foxes, porcupine, and Canadian geese. But then again his presentation was geared specifically for a Philadelphia audience and it seems like people from this part of the country never leave it so that makes sense that he asked that question.
Factory Farm Presentation
Today's presentation was at times difficult to listen to. We have all heard rumblings of what happens to animals in these facilities, the horror stories. But to actually see the pictures of their living conditions, especially the video we watched was simply heartbreaking. To hear that almost all of those animals will never step outside a day in their lives is horrible, and the numbers of animals crowded in one factory farm is astonishing. These "farms" torture and kill animals and it is absolutely outrageous that the law overlooks this fact for agricultural needs. The fact that these animals are living, breathing creatures who feel pain is completely ignored for the allure of big business. The different holding pens need to be outlawed as quickly as possible. There is in excuse for the unnecessary suffering of factory farm animals.
Factory Farm Presentation
The most interesting thing that I learned from Nick Cooney’s presentation was that raising animals for food produces more pollution than all transportation systems combined in the United States. In addition animal production for food ends up producing anywhere from 5-20 times more greenhouse gases than plant production. I am surprised that despite these facts and the ongoing debate on what to do about global climate change, no one has brought up slowing down the production of meat, even on just a small scale. The positive result would be two-fold: Pollution would decrease as a result of less animal waste and less production of their feed, and Americans would have to eat more fruits and vegetables if meat was not as readily available. This would lead to the increase of the overall health of the American population.
Factory Farm Presentation
Just about everything in Nick Cooney's presentation was interesting. One thing that I found peculiar was the fact that male baby chicks on egg farms are simply thrown out. Some might be used as manure, but most are just disposed of. You would think that they would maybe sell the male chicks to the meat producing companies, which would save a lot more chickens and money.
Factory Farm Presentation
Nick Cooney's presentation in class today was very enlightening. I have honestly never taken the time to actually watch a film that exposed the housing methods of factory farm animals. It was very depressing to know that all male baby chicks were thrown away after birth instead of possibly being sent out to a poultry farm that raised them for food or sold to people who would sell them in a market. I also had no idea that female pigs used for breeding were kept in gestation crates to do nothing but have piglets over and over agian. I couldnt believe that they were not allowed to move around at all. That veal was bred to not have any protien or muscle developlment so that the meat would be tender (by the way I would never eat veal, ever!). Cooney's presentation was entirely suprising to a great extent, and I cannot believe how ignorant I was to the matter of factory farms before his presentation.
Factory Farm Presentation
I have been familiar with the topics related to factory farming for a few months now. Despite being fairly familiar with the topic I did still find several statistics surprising. The last number that I came across as to how many animals were killed annually in the factory farm system was 6 billion a year and the number that was presented today was 10 billion. The amount of waste produced by factory farm animals was also surprising when it was presented in comparison with human waste produced on the graph. I was also unaware of the large dead zone (about the size of New Jersey) that has been created in the gulf of Mexico at the end of the Mississippi river as a result of factory farming waste. Several other numbers were surprising such as 50% of rain forests being cleared to support animal agriculture, 60% of streams and rivers contaminated by animal waste, 250 million turkeys and chickens die before they even make it to the slaughter house due to cramped conditions. It was comforting to see that more people are adopting vegan and vegetarian diets or at least cutting back on their meat intake with 5% of the total population not eating meat.
Factory Farming Presentation
I did not really learn anything new during the presentation today. I went to the extra credit showing of Earthlings and saw most of todays presentation in the movie. The movie was much more graphic then the presentation today. The facts about animals role in global warming was interesting to me because I have heard about their negative impacts on the environment in other classes but I had never had the statistics that I was given today. I found the fact that people eating meat is more harmful to the environment then what kind of car they drive to be particularly interesting.
Factory Farm Presentation
Today, when Nick Cooney came to class to present on factory farming, I was expecting to hear the same usual statistics that are used to try to encourage people to open their eyes to the cruelty that farm animals endure; but I was shocked by his presentation. The thing that most amazed me was the environmental effects that are caused by farms. It was so interesting to learn that animal waste is the number one cause of water pollution in the United States, as well as the second leading cause of air pollution. I never thought of farms and their relation to global warming, but Nick Cooney completely opened my eyes to these facts.
Factory Farm Presentation
One interesting fact that I found in the presentation today would be all the information about the economy and how being a vegetarian can effect it greatly. I was completely unaware that the type of food one consumes could make a bigger difference then the kind of car a person drives. Also, I was unaware of how much animals are saved from one person who doesn't eat meat, and I feel like there could be a huge economic benefit from vegetarianism if it were to be wide spread. What factory farming does to animals is cruel and unnecessary and I believe that we should be searching for alternatives rather then allowing this method of farming to continue it's unsavory actions towards animals.
Factory Farm Presentation
I didn't know much about factory farming prior to Nick Cooney's presentation except for the fact that these factories are responsible for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions and that animals in these facilities are often treated in a cruel and inhumane manner. I found it very interesting that methods of farming, such as the use of gestation crates, battery crates, and veal crates are banned in many foreign countries due to the level of torture that the animals undergo as they experience these methods. Some statistics that I found particularly interesting were as follows: 90-95% of animals used for food come from factory farming; one vegetarian = 3,500 animals saved; the amount of water that it takes to produce one hamburger is about equivalent to six months of showers.
Factory Farm Presentation--JaMina
It is interesting how available the knowledge of factory farms has become via the world wide web, yet how uneducated the mainstream audience can be. Having prior knowledge of the negative aspects of animal agriculture in America, I was already appalled by its existence. Furthermore, to know that most American meat-eaters do not even know the basics of where their food is bred does ignite a burning sorrow in my heart.
I learned a great amount of new information and specifics to what I had known of in the past. It is an overwhelming truth about America, and a noteworthy effort exerted by people like Nick Cooney and animal rights advocates. To know that one hamburger patty costs this Earth six-months worth of bathing for one human being is disturbing! Likewise, I heard something similar about a cup of coffee! In reference to Ghandi's saying, "Be the change you wish to see". I am ready for a new diet; less destructive and more constructive to myself and my surroundings.
I learned a great amount of new information and specifics to what I had known of in the past. It is an overwhelming truth about America, and a noteworthy effort exerted by people like Nick Cooney and animal rights advocates. To know that one hamburger patty costs this Earth six-months worth of bathing for one human being is disturbing! Likewise, I heard something similar about a cup of coffee! In reference to Ghandi's saying, "Be the change you wish to see". I am ready for a new diet; less destructive and more constructive to myself and my surroundings.
Factory Farm Presentation
Today's presentation on factory farming by Nick Cooney was both interesting and shocking. It was surprising to find out that the average egg farm in the U.S. has hundreds of thousands of chickens. Also, average pig farms have about 25,000 pigs and average cow farms have about 10,000 cows. It was also interesting to hear that Philadelphia is the 3rd largest egg producing farm in the U.S. Although we cannot fully ban the cruelty to these animals on these factory farms just yet, Temple is doing its part to lessen the cruelty starting next year by using cage-free eggs in the cafeterias.
"Factory Farm Presentation"
The presentation by Nick Cooney was a real eye opener. A lot of the things that he shared with us I had already had a general idea about. However I never knew that farm animals were not protected under the Animal Cruelty law. It enraged me slightly, because once again big businesses have found a way of getting their way and ensuring that their pockets stay fat. The idea that they prefer to mistreat and exploit another living being for the sake of a quick dollars makes me so annoyed. The American economic system has really taken a change for the worse, where quality and a conscience has no place, and that is unjust. The fact that states have found their loop wholes, and can put out an advertisement such as the "California happy cow" and still practice these borderline barbaric manufacturing techniques, really make you rethink what they stand for. No my disgust does not mean a radical change, however it does mean that I will make it a priority to find out where my animal products are coming from, as well as pass on the education, and help to enforce regulation against cruelty towards farm animals.
Factory Farm Presentation
From Nick Cooney's presentation on factory farming, I learned that farmers do not own factory farms however in actuality big businessess own them. Another thing that also stood out to me during the presentation was the picture of the "Dead Zone" where there was a plethora amount of dead fishes because of the animal waste being dumped in the ocean. I never heard of this term "Dead Zone" so when it was discussed during the presentation it really shocked me and disturbed me as well. One other thing that caught my attention as well was the fact that Cooney mentioned that global warming is caused by animal waste.
Factory Farm Presentation
Nick Cooney's presentation on factory farming was filled with a lot of startling, yet fascinating information. What I found most interesting was the impact that factory farming has on the environment. In the United States, animal agriculture runoff is the #1 cause of water pollution, as well as the #2 cause of air pollution. It is responsible for 20% of greenhouse emissions. I had no clue that these processes contributed so much to global warming. Mr. Cooney pointed out that this does not get much attention in the media, which is why many people (including myself) are left unaware of this information.
Factory Farm Presentation
Nick Cooney's presentation on factory farms gave insights into both the overlooked and often times unknown amount of animal cruelty that slides in the American law system. One of the more interesting as well as shocking portions of the presentation centered around the statistics on animal waste. Of course cruelty being one of the obvious negative effects from factory farms, it seems that this simple equation [animals + food = waste] is overlooked in many circumstances in attempts to end the practice or radicalize a new one. One specific fact concerning animal waste in factory farms is waste removal and the depiction of the world's largest dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, clearly caused by American negligence. A dead zone is an area of land inhabitable of any animal life, and the dead zone illustrated in the presentation was just a massive floating body of dead fish. Waste obviously needs to be monitored and disposed of properly, or even eradicated entirely! Radicalization of factory farms is needed.
FACTORY FARM PRESENTATION
This presentation was very informative and revealing of the food industry and its effects on the environment. I have very recently became vegetarian, and this presentation has definitely enticed my views against eating animals for the sake of the environment and diversity of the world. The presentation did so by answering questions that I haven't yet found an answer to about agriculture and the capability of all humans being fed without the major exploitation of other animals.
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