Evolution is something that is widely talked about in many science classes, as it is how humans have gotten to the point that we have to this day. In my personal experience with the science classes that I have taken so far, evolution is a theme throughout the entire courses. Although I am not a science major (I am a Political Science and English major), you can see evolution demonstrated within my areas of study.
Over time we have seen works of literature evolve from only old white men pushing their ideals onto others to women and people of color coming out and being unafraid of sharing their ideas. Not only this, but the English language itself has evolved from Old English to current day where there are so many different lexical terms it is hard to keep up. Or, when you travel there are different colloquialisms that vary from place to place, so the connotation of a word may have a different meaning than you are used to.
Political Science this is under the College of Social Science, which is still a science, but not usually one where you would think evolution would be a factor. However, it has, as a lot of things have changed within the field over time. Some examples are policy approaches and ideals in regard to the best way to run the country and enforce laws.
I think the videos and readings this week really allowed me to explore my fields of study and viewpoints of the world in a different light. This is because it allowed me to reflect on all that I know, and what I have learned so far about evolution and my majors. Essentially, the idea of evolution, whether it be the evolution of human beings or my majors, is the same. In other words, everything starts from something and evolves into the current state that it is at right now.
This also makes me think about the science classes that I have taken, which revolve around environmental sciences. All of these classes relate to evolution because they have to do with how the earth has evolved to the point it has gotten to and how we are at the brink of world destruction. Everything starts from something and evolves into something else, causing a chain reaction. This is the same thing with evolution. Some mutations will turn out well, and others will not (just like with survival of the fittest). Just like Alters and Alters state, without evolution, “Students will not come to understand evolutionary connections to other scientific fields, nor will they fully understand the world of which we are a part. Evolution is, in fact, one of the most important concepts in attaining scientific literacy” (112). It is important to learn about evolution, and see just where humans, and the world in general, started from in order to have a basic foundation for science in the first place. Just like with learning about political science, in order to succeed in it, I have to learn the basics first, which requires going back to where everything started and learning the history and what worked and did not in regard to policy in the past. This is really what evolution and history in general is about, learning to better understand.
I think the point about the evolution of English teachings is an interesting topic to consider, and directly correlates with my field of Anthropology. I focus more on the cultural evolution of societies, and the understanding of how a field evolves is part of it. If you look at English back a few hundred years ago, it is true that older white men seem to be the only ones recognized for their brain and creativity. Now, as the generations pass on and we grow into a less prejudice and feminist society, it is all races, ages, and genders that are being recognized as scholars and creative geniuses. Its very important to remember where we came from verses where we are now and how that came to be.