I know most of us know each other fairly well, but would you go ahead and formally introduce yourselves, noting anything remotely relevant to research (you've participated as a research subject, you are studying science, you are/will/have been engaged in research at TMC or elsewhere, you've read a book about research, etc.).
I'll start:
I'm Dr. Cate and my greatest academic love is medical ethics, followed closely by 1) study of death and dying, and work with hospice, and 2) philosophy of science. I have also recently become more involved with ethics in emergency medicine (co-teaching ethics workshops to EMTs and paramedics). To prepare to teach this course, I attended (with Dr. Barone of TMC Biology) a week-long international research ethics course at Harvard School of Public Health in June 2010. I am also still quite in love with Virtue Ethics and so we will dive more deeply into it than in other ethical theories.
I am part of the QEP cohort this year, and so have framed this course with the tenets of critical thinking. Part of my research will be using you as guinea pigs in how to teach research ethics and critical thinking. :)
This course will be very open. Please feel free to "try on" ideas, views, opinions that you do not necessarily believe, but are willing to explore with the rest of us. I do not care *what* you believe as much as I will try to guide you to think more clearly and with good reasons which you can readily articulate.
I am looking forward to spending this semester with you.
Dr. Cate
No one else posted on this section, so I figured I'd try to make up for my inability to post anything I can deem as worthy of posting with a post here. Quantity over Quality! I say, everyday. As everyone obviously already knows at this point, the point being moot, my name is John Notorgiacomo. I've done a little bit of research in the field of Psychology for Dr. Boehm and even less research in the science-y kinds of fields in highschool for projects and such.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to discussion, especially when I can tell someone feels particularly strong about a certain point of view (provided that the view is neither at the very core of religious beliefs, which I believe are never to be attacked, or politics), I find it not only in good sport to challenge them with the direct opposite of their belief but also a growing experience towards my cognitive abilities; can taking a side that is less explored (as I feel most sides that are strongly opposed tend to be; note the word "tend") stretch my thoughts to a new level? Thus far, I have felt that my mind has been stretched and hopefully it will continue to do so. Some deep thinking thought stimulus is appreciated, every (monday) now and again (monday), unlike what a standardly academic class may grant.