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.