11/22/2008

The photo at the top of the page is, in fact, Lake Charles, believe it or not.

So what is new in my neck of the woods?

The semester is rapidly drawing to a close, and my students have the right level of panic - that happy mix of fear and trepidation about the final exam and paper. They aren't much different from my undergraduate students back in Pittsburgh. There has been some attrition in the classes, either due to the volume of work or fear and loathing of their professor. Regardless, the core of the class remains interested and passionate about the issues we've discussed (such family friendly and non-divisive topics like human and animal experimentation, abortion, euthanasia, etc. - perfect for right before the holidays).

The McNeese State University Philosophy Club likewise has settled around a core membership, and we're sponsoring a number of events throughout the year. I gave a presentation on V for Vendetta and political philosophy, and Hanno will be speaking in two weeks about Plato's Republic in Starship Troopers. The idea is that we can draw in interest from the student body by offering discussions of philosophy and pop culture. I'm planning to give a lecture at some point in the Spring about genetic determinism and Gattaca - I'll be able to channel my inner genetics geek, which will at least be fun for me. Hopefully the students think so, too.

I've also been approached to offer a lecture on biodiversity and ethics - the Philosophy Club is participating in "Blue and Gold Go Green", an environmental awareness program here at the university. I've been immersed in applied ethics for the past few days, and the new information I've discovered is really interesting. I'm planning on addressing the issue from three principle perspectives - anthropocentric/zoocentric utilitarianism (not the traditional understanding of utilitarianism, but the idea that nature has value as it is beneficial to us/other animals), holism (the idea of implicit and explicit connection between humanity and nature - i.e., we don't exist in a vacuum), and intrinsic worth/nonsubstitutable worth (that nature has worth in itself as well as value derived from irreplaceable subjective experience). The idea is that any worthwhile position can be justified from a number of different perspectives/approaches. If people don't buy the implicit valuation/holism argument, they will be more likely to buy into the argument that destroying biodiversity cuts us off from the source of most modern medical interventions (since we derive most medications - like antibiotics - from existing biological compounds). I'll have a chance to draw on my clinical background to get more into this (e.g., how fruit fly research impacts autism).

Thanksgiving is approaching, and I'll be staying in town for the holidays - I have a lot of reading to do for classes next semester (including reading the Intro textbook - the author released a new version, so I have to reformat my lectures to account for new material, dropped material, and two fewer chapters), and it will be an opportunity to work on some personal projects. I'll be back in Pittsburgh for Xmas, and may be able to hit Philly as well, depending upon when I need to be back here. We have incoming freshmen, and I need to be here to recruit new students.

I hope all is well with everyone.