A few days ago, you received an announcement requesting canine (and human) volunteers for an honors thesis project on how dogs make decisions. I’m reposting the announcement here (1) in case you mi
ght have missed it and (2) to encourage you to participate if you’re at all interested. The research, Katie Brown (’15), is a psychology major and former student of mine. Her project is, so far as I know, the first psychology honors thesis on dog cognition, which is a growing area of interest. I’ll be participating with my crew. If you’re interested, follow this link for more information about how you can participate. And of course the best part will be that you get to bring your dog to campus.
Page 10 of 11
Born to a Russian household, I was raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Originally, I was born in Stamford, Connecticut; however, when I was about one year old my family moved to Philadelphia. I am the youngest of four children and happen to be the only boy, too. In addition, I have an Australian cattle dog named Winnie.
I am majoring in biology with a minor in French. Although my future plans are constantly changing, I currently plan on pursing medical school after Lafayette College and then working for organizations such as Doctors without Borders or Partners in Health.
Even though I have future medical aspirations, I love to read and write. I have not always been this way, though. It was not until high school,where my AP Language and Literature teacher really taught me to love and appreciate reading and writing.
Apart of learning, some of my other passions include cooking, playing tennis, and traveling. I have been cooking since I was about three years old. It is a hobby that allows me travel all across the world without leaving the kitchen. Particularly, I love to cook Indian, Thai, and French dishes. I have been playing tennis for over ten years now and is something that I can never get bored of playing or watching.
As of now, I have only traveled to two other countries, South Korea and Israel. I am planning, however, to extend that amount of countries by studying abroad next semester in Paris, France. There, I will be able to test my French skills I have acquired thus far!
Hello fellow classmates!
My name is Michael Astor, and I am a sophomore (Class of 2017) studying Biochemistry. I have many different interests outside of academics that are both through campus activities and through personal desires. On campus I am involved in a few different clubs, such as the Lafayette Environmental Awareness Program (LEAP), which helps raise awareness on and off campus about environmental issues, Lafayette VETS Club, which volunteers at a local animal shelter and performs other animal related activities, and the Racquetball Club. Along with these clubs I am involved in Excel Research in the Chemistry department, as well as an IDEAL research project studying the feral cat population on Lafayette’s campus. Off campus, I enjoy many outdoor activities such as football, basketball, cycling, working out, and hiking/camping; essentially anything that has to do with the outdoors. To me, being outside brings such a thrill and bewilderment that the confines of the indoors cannot provide. If I am not able to be found somewhere around campus, I can most likely be seen riding my bike around or doing something relating to the outdoors. I am actually hoping to participate in a bike race this October, in which I’ll be racing a half century (50 mile bike ride)!
Like most of you, I took this class because the course is not only interesting, but also fulfills the writing requirement. Although this is the case, I decided to take this class due to my deep interest in anything animal related. Although I am a biochemistry major, my career interests are to become a practicing veterinarian.
I am hoping to better myself not only as a writer through this class, but learn about how the general public views animals so I can apply these new ideas and thoughts to my future career as a veterinarian.
Hello class! My name is Rachel Fletcher and I am a Neuroscience major. Because of my love for Neuroscience, I plan to pursue a career in Psychiatry.My home town is Kulpmont, Pennsylvania and I am one of six children. My family also has a friendly Shetland Sheepdog named Bandit who likes to play catch and eat cheese.
In my free time, I enjoy reading, playing the piano, and running. I hope to run my first marathon within the next year. At Lafayette, I am involved in Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, Orientation Leaders, and I am part of several clubs including SMAC and Relay for Life. I also work on campus as a Biology lab Teaching Assistant and at the Skillman Library circulation desk.
During the Spring 2014 Semester, I studied abroad in Auckland, New Zealand. While I was there, I took several elective classes including a class called Pacific Music and Dance. During this time, I had fun embarrassing myself while learning how to Hula. Some other exciting activities that I did in New Zealand include bungee jumping on the Auckland Harbor Bridge and white water rafting the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world. Although I am usually frightened easily, the adventurous attitudes of my friends from New Zealand inspired me to step out of my comfort zone. Some day, I hope to return to New Zealand and spend more time exploring the country!
I am excited to take this class and I look forward to getting to know all of you!
Sincerely,
Rachel Fletcher
Hello, my name is Sonia Bhala and I am a sophomore transfer at Lafayette College. I am a Neuroscience major and have aspirations to apply to medical school after Lafayette. I am a commuter student from Phillipsburg, NJ which is where I have lived for most of my life. Some interesting facts about me include that I speak Hindi and volunteer as an Emergency Medical Technician. I plan on getting involved with the Landis Center during my time at Lafayette College. I love animals and have a Bichon Frise at home named Fluffy. The picture below is of a Bichon Frise and should give you some idea of what he looks like. I have always enjoyed English classes in the past because I love reading a variety of stories. I also enjoy expressing myself through writing which is why I often partake in creative writing in my spare time.
Other passions of mine include playing tennis and anything that has to do with the seaside/ocean. I love visiting shores and bays during the summer. My favorite places include Newport, RI and Seattle, WA. One of my future dreams involves traveling and I hope that in the future I will have the resources to do so.
Currently I am taking 3 other courses besides this one at Lafayette. I am also enrolled in Latin, Organic Chemistry, and Psychology. I really wanted to come to Lafayette because I wanted to stay close to home for undergrad and wanted small class sizes. One thing that I re
ally love about Lafayette is how interdisciplinary the curriculum is here.
I’m really excited to get to know all of you and to have a great time in this class.
I thought I would start off my introductory blog post by first introducing my animals. There’s a sign in my house that reads: “We got rid of the kids, the dog was allergic”, so naturally, I know that I’m a little less important! My family is incredibly dog friendly – we currently have 3 Spinoni; Gioia, Piccola, and Trevi. Spinoni (or Spinone Italiano) are Italian bird dogs, similar to a wire haired griffon. Both of my parents professionally handle, breed, and occasionally hunt. The dog-craziness that absorbs my household was even the topic of my college application essay.
I’m from New Hampshire but have primarily lived in upstate New York my whole life. I’ve also moved high schools 3 separate times. I’m an avid Red Sox/Patriots/Bruins fan and have a sushi and seafood obsession that has only skyrocketed out of control since moving to New England.
In my spare time, I photograph and occasionally paint. For the past three summers, I’ve worked as an assistant photographer for Nadra Photography – an established Maine wedding photographer. I also love to cook.
Our conversation about the “do
g pee test” and the “honeybee dance” got me thinking about dolphin language.The complexity of the way dolphins communicate and interact with each other is particularly intriguing to me. That is one of the reasons why dolphins are my favorite animals. This article from the Dolphin Communication Project provides some interesting views and information regarding dolphin language.
I thought I’d do the homework as well, and write a blog post introducing myself. I’m an Associate Professor in the English Department, and I teach a variety of classes here including Literary Questions (ENG 205), Literary History (ENG 206), Intro to Children’s Literature (ENG 218), Writing Genres (ENG 250), 19th C. British Novel (ENG 341), Studies in Writing and Rhetoric (ENG 250), and The Dog Course (soon to be offered as an FYS). I’m also the Director of the College Writing Program.
I grew up in Pittsburgh, attended Swarthmore College (a small liberal arts college not too far from here), and then went to graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh. I came to Lafayette in 1998, and I’ve lived in a few different spots on College Hill since then. After growing up in the suburbs where you hopped in a car whenever you wanted to do something or go somewhere, I love living in a neighborhood where most of what I do is within walking distance.
I like that some of your introductions have included introductions of the non-human animals in your lives. Very appropriate for our topic this semester. 🙂 So let me introduce my crew. My husband and I live with two parakeets, Vinny and Rocky, and two dogs, Arlo and Katie.
When I’m not being a professor, I’m usually gardening, knitting, reading or doing something with my dogs. You may run into us on campus. The dogs love to hang out there because they can always find two of their favorite things: food and tennis balls.
You all did a wonderful job tackling Berger this afternoon. For anyone who’s interested, here’s a quick (somewhat oversimplified) explanation of the mirror test and self-awareness in animals, including Marc Bekoff’s “pee test” for dogs.
I thought I’d provide you with some context for our essay author John Berger. Berger is a person of many talents and diverse interests. Born in London in 1928, he left school at the age of 16 to study art. In the 1950s, he turned from painting to writing. He is the author of a dozen novels, the most recent of which won the distinguished Booker Prize. He is perhaps even better known for his writing about art and culture. One of Berger’s most influential (and popular) books, Ways of Seeing (1972), was concerned with how we look at images.
In the essay you read for our class, he is also concerned with looking–in this case why (and how) we look at animals. As you might be able to tell from the essay you read, particularly the final pages, Berger draws as a critic on concepts and ideas from Marxist criticism. “Why Look at Animals?” was published in the leftest periodical The Guardian in 1977.
A recent interview with Berger, also published in The Guardian, provides more information about his life and work.
Sources for this post
Wroe, “John Berger: A Life in Writing.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/apr/23/john-berger-life-in-writing
Cuba, “John Berger–Ways of Seeing.” http://douglascuba.blogspot.com/2010/05/john-berger-ways-of-seeing.html
Recent Comments