Reflection Assignment (respond to all questions/prompts) -- Yuliya Stolbova

1) What was the ethical issue you wrote about for your signature assignment? Why did
you choose this ethical issue? What did you know about the issue before doing any
research? How did your research (including the evaluation of the viewpoints, evidence,
and logical fallacies) impact your thinking?
My signature assignment topic was about the use of nonhuman primates in biomedical research.
I chose this topic because it was something I had always heard about. It seemed to be a very
controversial topic and tied in well with anthropology. I had a general idea about the cons of
conducting research on monkeys/apes/chimps; I had previously watched several PETA videos on
how the animals are mistreated. I was also aware of how this kind of research could be beneficial
to humans, in terms of understand new medicines and treatments. All the articles I found on my
topic made me pay even more attention to the subject. I never knew that there were special
breeding farms that produce animals for research. On the other hand I also did not know that we
used this type of research methods to learn about so many things, like penicillin and the polio
vaccine. The other viewpoint did not sway my opinion on the topic though.

2) How might you apply the critical thinking and communicating about ethical issues skills
in other learning contexts (e.g. other courses, home, work, elections, Thanksgiving dinner,
etc.)? Offer and explain at least three specific examples of where and how you used or
might use the critical thinking and communicating skills (one example should be from this
course).
Other courses will be the number one place to use critical thinking skills. The three semesters
Ive been here all professors push their students to acquire this skill. Its very important to be
able to move past a basic level of thinking. When writing a paper or doing any kind of research
you have to ask yourself, is this source credible? What is this article trying to tell me? What
could be wrong with this article? How does this make me feel? Another good place to use this
skill is at work, I work with people on a day to day basis, and to be able to ask them the right
kind of questions is very important. Any important life decision should involve critical thinking,
you have to consider both sides and decide which one suits you and your beliefs.

3) Hmm Moment: What content are you still perplexed about and why? Explain how you
will apply the skills used in the essay (e.g. research skills, writing skills, etc.) to grapple with
this content

No matter what Hmm moment I have, which there have been several, mainly because I struggle
with the reading. I know how to fix this and gain a better understanding on whatever topic I may
be having trouble on. You just have to ask better questions and conduct more research.

4) AHA Moment: What specific AHA moment have you had in this course about human
evolution (broadly defined)? (This does not have to be the same as your Hmmmm
moment).
For me the AHA moment came when we talked about this reflection in class the other day. It
was sort of like a light bulb came on when we began to discuss other ways of thinking about
human evolution. It isnt just about how we have evolved from this long lineage of other
primates. Its about how our environment is constantly adapting to our environment, how
sometimes over generations these adaptations become permanent. Such as skin color and how it
protects us from the environment we are in depending where we come from. Seeing this in
myself being as pale as I am, I came from a colder climate like my parents and their parents and
so on.