In 1859, Charles Darwin challenged the traditional beliefs of divine creation with the publication of his book, Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. This publication started a scientific revolution with the theory that organisms were not created by a higher power but evolved over time by adapting traits that would maximize their chances of survival. This controversial subject came to be known as “Evolutionists vs. Creationists” and is still debated today (Davis 1999). There are four characteristics that define a socioscientific controversy such as this: there are two opposing groups on either side; between the two groups is a heated disagreement; to others, the answer to the controversy is not clear; and that there is uncertainty
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creationists, I went ahead with what Mrs. Otto taught us in class and saw no real threat in learning about the evolutionary tree and the connections between primates and humans, or about Darwin’s finches and the connection in beak size. The hype of the permission form seemed dramatic now that the class continued as usual with normal reading quizzes, typical projects and daily notetaking. It was all so fascinating to me and even though it was a theory, the evidence presented made the theory seem so plausible. I was twelve years old when I made up my mind that I believed in evolution. I continued my time through public school focusing on what I really enjoyed, writing short stories and reading long novels. My english classes came easy to me whereas strenuous topics like chemistry and calculus took a toll on my brain. I excelled in writing and struggled with …show more content…
I passed my requirements with ease and even began doing better in my college-level math classes. When it came time to fulfill my science requirement, I chose biology thinking back to Mrs. Otto’s class and how much I enjoyed it compared to other sciences. When I began this class I was expecting to be in over my head but, what began as a doubtful semester turned out to be one that would forever change my college career. I was getting A’s on every exam and reading as much as I could, soaking up all the information presented to me like a sponge. That was the semester I decided to drop mass communications as a major and switch to biological sciences. The next semester, I was required to take evolutionary biology. Thinking back to those pink permission slips, I was curious to know how the theory of evolution would be handled in a college setting. I realized that no one is concerned about parents or religious beliefs when you’re in college, but rather what you sign up to take is a personal decision and with it comes the responsibility to take the class seriously. In my class specifically, there were skeptics who claimed to be creationists but needed to take the course as a requirement, and then there were evolutionists like myself who saw the information presented to us as ground-breaking and completely fascinating. I excelled in the course and the lab to follow but, what really
creationists, I went ahead with what Mrs. Otto taught us in class and saw no real threat in learning about the evolutionary tree and the connections between primates and humans, or about Darwin’s finches and the connection in beak size. The hype of the permission form seemed dramatic now that the class continued as usual with normal reading quizzes, typical projects and daily notetaking. It was all so fascinating to me and even though it was a theory, the evidence presented made the theory seem so plausible. I was twelve years old when I made up my mind that I believed in evolution. I continued my time through public school focusing on what I really enjoyed, writing short stories and reading long novels. My english classes came easy to me whereas strenuous topics like chemistry and calculus took a toll on my brain. I excelled in writing and struggled with …show more content…
I passed my requirements with ease and even began doing better in my college-level math classes. When it came time to fulfill my science requirement, I chose biology thinking back to Mrs. Otto’s class and how much I enjoyed it compared to other sciences. When I began this class I was expecting to be in over my head but, what began as a doubtful semester turned out to be one that would forever change my college career. I was getting A’s on every exam and reading as much as I could, soaking up all the information presented to me like a sponge. That was the semester I decided to drop mass communications as a major and switch to biological sciences. The next semester, I was required to take evolutionary biology. Thinking back to those pink permission slips, I was curious to know how the theory of evolution would be handled in a college setting. I realized that no one is concerned about parents or religious beliefs when you’re in college, but rather what you sign up to take is a personal decision and with it comes the responsibility to take the class seriously. In my class specifically, there were skeptics who claimed to be creationists but needed to take the course as a requirement, and then there were evolutionists like myself who saw the information presented to us as ground-breaking and completely fascinating. I excelled in the course and the lab to follow but, what really