#tangiblethings

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2.1.8 Additional Resources

The Writing Process as Discovery, Bob Tierney: This piece demonstrates how looking closely can improve writing. The link is a PDF. Biography of Louis Agassiz: Use this link to learn more about the life of Agassiz and his contributions to science. Louis Agassiz: Creator of American Science, Christoph Irmscher: Christoph Irmscher describes Agassiz's impact on American science, investigating not only his positive achievements but also the dark history of scientific racism. Read pages 122-123 and pages 154-156 for the information most relevant to this course. History of Evolutionary Thought: This interactive website provides more information about the scientists that developed the theory of evolution, beginning with Aristotle and tracing evolutionary study to the twentieth century. Timeline of Evolutionary Thought: Despite his opposition to Darwin's theory of evolution, Louis Agassiz remains an important figure in the history of evolution. Case Study Method: This reading details the case study method used by the Harvard Business School, where students probe issues and compare alternatives, suggesting a solution or course of action after studying the case with only minimal direction from the professor. You can see how this relates to Samuels Scudder's learning experience under the guidance of Agassiz. Contributions to the Natural History of the Acalephae of North America, Part I: On the Naked-Eyed Medusae of the Shores of Massachusetts, Louis Agassiz: Agassiz produced much scolarship on the natural world, including this report on the Naked-Eyed Medusae of Massachusetts. This is a portal for discovering the work of an artist who worked closely with Agassiz for many years: Jacques Burkhardt Collection, Ernst Mayr Library Explore images selected from the more than 3,500 daugeurreotypes in Harvard’s collections. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology, Dr. James Hanken, Director of the MCZ, explored the history of this institution, what it tells us about the changing role of university-based natural history museums, and what museums must do to survive in the 21st century. Find Dr. Hankey's work here.

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Look at your WALLS!

Module 2: Translating History through Tangible Things Section 2.1: Look Closely - Agassiz's Fish 2.1.6 Discussion Exercise: Close Looking Practice

Once you are finished, share what you learned about your tangible thing in a 200-300 word response. Be sure to answer the following questions in your response: • What was the tangible thing you chose to analyze? • What general laws, theories, or ideas were you able to identify in relation to your object? • How did your understanding of your object change as you interacted with it? • What were the most surprising or interesting discoveries you were able to make? • What weren't you able to discover through close looking alone? After you have posted, be sure to read and reply to responses from at least two of your peers.

It’s probably been about six weeks since I last tilted my head up to see the bright sun beaming down from the blue sky. As I felt its scorching heat against my skin, I was very eager to whinge about the thought of having to live through another summer— that one dreadful season that I’m least excited about every year. Nowadays, when I wake up early in the morning, I’m reminded of that memory from my recent past as I see the sunlight streaming into my room from my window. Still laying in bed, I shift my gaze around the great sunlit expanse, but only to find the same uninteresting view that I wake up to every day. Having to face the same quandary daily, I decided to pause and ponder for a while. I’ve found that quite often, there are things around us that we barely pay attention to. We might have gotten so used to having them around that it’s so easy to just take them for granted. I began to spend some time to really look through and beyond my walls. Seeing how these slabs of concrete meet at the right angles to form the four corners of a room, it suddenly felt odd to have seen them as if I were trying to measure them. For the record, I've never really enjoyed mathematics and I normally would’ve never attempted to look at a wall from that perspective. Yet somehow, I've found comfort in knowing how every inch of these walls was processed to perfectly serve their purpose. I then realised how I should be grateful to be surrounded by something that could make me feel safe— how something so sturdy could serve as my shed where I could hide and be protected from the heat of the sun. As I ran my fingers through my walls, I was struck with bafflement. I started to wonder if Socrates loved summer. Was he insane for wanting to put up walls, only to allow others to knock them down? If it were up to me, I don’t think I'd want my walls to tumble down just like that. If having my walls teared down meant that I would have to be left exposed, naked, vulnerable, and burning under the sun; then I never want my walls to be broken down.

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Well, it’s not only A SANITARY PAD

Module 1: Introduction to Tangible Things Section 1.3: Thinking About Thinking About Things Discussion Exercise: This is Not a Chair

In "This is Not a Chair," students noted that, based on their academic discipline, different people might view a single object in many different ways. Make a list of a few tangible things in your immediate environment; then, select one and consider how this object might be viewed differently by people from various backgrounds or professions. Share your thinking in a 200-300 word response below. Be sure to answer the following questions in your response: • Which tangible thing did you select? • From which backgrounds or professions did you consider your tangible thing? • How could a person belonging to each of these backgrounds or professions view your tangible thing differently than the others? After you have posted, be sure to read and reply to responses from at least two of your peers.

/ˈsænəteri pæd/ Noun a thick piece of soft material that a woman wears between her legs to hold blood during her period. According to sociology, this is not a sanitary pad; it’s a societal reinforcement. Menarche can be dreadful and not all females would have the privilege and knowledge of being taught about how using a sanitary pad can be one of the ways to help manage their menstruation. For the fortunate ones, they most likely would have learned about menstrual hygiene from school; their families; friends; and the society. According to anthropology, this is not a sanitary pad; it’s a social stigma. Contrary to menstrual support that some women receive, there are times when females would still feel the need to keep others from noticing their periods. Women tend to be embarrassed because of discrimination and restriction from unsupportive social environments and beliefs on menstruation (UNICEF, 2019). Even activities which would have something to do with women’s menses such as purchasing, wearing, or carrying a sanitary pad could be something that would gross out some members of the society which causes females to feel ashamed. According to history, this is not a sanitary pad; it’s a modern technology to manage menstruation. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the rise of technology enabled mass production of menstrual hygiene products. During World War II, women were encouraged by their managers to depend on menstrual hygiene technologies and products so that they would pay less attention to menstrual debility and conform to industrial work schedules (Vostral, 2011). According to medicine, this is not a sanitary pad; it’s a means to keep track of women’s health. As discussed previously, sanitary pads have contributed to women’s mobility and maintenance of their bodies (Vostral, 2011). Disposable sanitary pads are attached to the underwear to be worn externally and absorb menstrual flow. They come in various forms and are made of special materials to ensure reliability, hygiene, comfort, and usability (UNICEF, 2019).

*References: “Napkin.” Napkin Noun - Definition, Pictures, Pronunciation and Usage Notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com, www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/napkin?q=sanitary+pad. “Guide to Menstrual Hygiene Materials.” Unicef for Every Child, UNICEF, May 2019, www.unicef.org/wash/files/UNICEF-Guide-menstrual-hygiene-materials-2019.pdf. Vostral, Sharra Louise. Under Wraps: a History of Menstrual Hygiene Technology. Lexington Books, 2011.