Catching up

This past semester has flown by at a shocking speed. April seemed like such a short time ago. In addition to the pace of the semester, it was also a challenging one- it really pushed me to my limits.

When I got back from my travels in early April, I had the time to evaluate my courses and noticed that I was a few classes shy of finishing the requirements for this degree. So, mustering up the courage, I signed up for a few extra classes and decided to go for it- I’ll be finishing my Master’s in Environmental Ethics next semester.

In comparison to my first semester, where I felt a little off not having homework due twice or three times a week (the lingering effects of getting an Engineering degree), this past semester put me right on track. Instead of homework, I had to give presentations in quite a few classes… almost one every week for the first two months! Although it was rough doing the research and creating presentations, I really enjoyed getting to know a topic intimately and then have the capability to teach it again to my class.

Blood oranges in Sicily

A few examples of my presentations were: The role of the chemist and chemical industry in Manfred Künne’s novel Buna, John Rawls’ Political Liberalism, and an excerpt of David Hume’s Treatise of Human Nature.

Along with that, here’s the list of classes I took:

-Philosophy of Chemistry
-Introduction to Social Ethics*
-Christian Environmental Ethics
-Ethics and Metaphysics
-Conflict Theory, Analysis, and Research
-Davie Hume: of Passions and Morals (Book II and III of Treatise of Human Nature)
-John Rawls, Equality, and Egalitarianism*
-International Relations
-Which Nature do we Want?*
-What Money Can’t Buy, the Moral Limits of the Market*

* denotes classes that met 3 – 5 times

Animal farm

What I love about a semester with a fair amount of classes is that I can see how subjects can become intermingled and how they can build upon one another. This is especially prevalent in such an interdisciplinary program as mine, where we don’t have our own department, per se, but are encouraged to broaden our view and see how topics such as the environment and ethics can also play a part in classes such as International Relations or chemistry. 

One of my favorite classes was the Philosophy of Chemistry; I felt the topic could be discussed to no end. It was interesting to see how social and political factors influence(d) chemists to research particular processes over others. For example, before the 20th century,  rubber was solely produced using rubber trees. However, wartime shortages becoming a reality, countries put a lot of efforts into developing synthetic rubbers. Had there not been a war, such extensive research would have not been necessary until decades later and synthesis would have been very different. 

Siena, Italy

Although classes have officially ended, I am still hard at work with school work. The German semester system leaves much desire for a restful break- I'm now researching and writing a few term papers before their due-dates in October. My current paper discusses whether carbon offsets (like the ones offered when you purchase a plane ticket) encourage 'moral licensing,' or individuals being able to justify if they emit more greenhouse gases :)

Volcanic rainbow rocks