Welcome to my first CSL homework assignment! This is where I communicate my responses to the specific guiding questions required for the placement. In bold are the guiding questions; some of my responses are directly below and others may be found by navigating the site. The target audience of these particular posts is the prof and TA for BIO2133, but you may or may not find it interesting to read some of my thoughts on why I'm doing what I'm doing.
Cheers,
~S
Description of your CSL placement (e.g. what will it be, goals, intended outcomes).
My answer to this question can be found on my "about" page: here. Feel free to also explore the sub-tabs in the "about" section as well! Some more background information and some of my additional thoughts can be found under those.
What skills, expertise and attitudes do you believe you will develop because of this experience?
When conducting historical research, contradictory information inevitably comes up. I’m hoping to develop my critical thinking skills when analyzing research, such as determining what makes a credible source, and what constitutes good evidence. I’m keeping a notebook of my findings and various questions that come up as I conduct my research, which will develop my notebook-keeping and research documentation skills. I’m learning how to ask research questions, and how to make sure these questions don’t contain assumptions reflecting my own beliefs. Even though it’s only been a week, I’m already challenging the ideas I had going into this project. At first, I thought that examining historical and sacramental (Church) documents would be the most useful way to figure out genealogical connections, but I’ve started to explore the importance of oral tradition to Indigenous cultures with respect to documenting important events. This is just one example of how my work is already decolonizing my attitudes and worldview.
What aspects of your personal growth do you think you will observe?
This experiential learning project allows me to investigate a variety of topics at my own pace, following my own structure, and is fueled by my own curiosity to answer questions that are important to me. I’m hoping to grow as an independent learner and researcher, and to find a topic that I’m really passionate about which I may choose to pursue further. I also want to be a good ally to Indigenous peoples, which means I have to challenge what I already know and take the time to learn about their truths. I’m hoping that after this project, I’ll be able to apply Indigenous and decolonizing perspectives in my leadership, research and everyday life.
What links do you believe you will establish between your learning and personal goals?
One of my learning goals for this project is to examine various ethical and equity issues related to the impact that DNA testing and genealogy businesses have on identity, specifically Indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination over their identities. Then, I will try to apply what I learn to my own work in the future. Modern science has been dominated by Western-colonial ways of thinking, and Indigenous peoples have been over-researched and exploited scientifically, usually with very little benefit to their own communities. In order to ensure that all future scientific research I do is equitable and ethical, I need to learn about how science has affected colonized peoples. So far, I’m learning a lot about Indigenous cultures and history, and in doing so, I’m achieving my personal goals of learning the truth from a different perspective and trying to be a better ally.
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