As humans make new scientific discoveries, they can develop additional technologies. For example, historically people used the bark and leaves from willow trees to treat fevers and pain. This was a traditional medicine that people shared with one another via word of mouth. As technology advanced, the materials from the willow tree could be analyzed in a lab and the components could be studied to see which natural chemicals were responsible for reducing fever and pain. Research showed that the willow tree contained a form of salicylic acid and that this was what gave it its healing powers. This scientific research led to the development of the aspirin we use today which is now mass produced (and that you have probably taken at some point in your lifetime).
You depend on many technologies throughout your day that make your modern life possible. In this Assignment, you will look at some of these technologies and the scientific discoveries that made them possible. You will evaluate both the negative and positive impacts of these discoveries. You will also broaden your scope to look at how different cultures with different levels of access to technology approach the same problem – health care.
Part I Science in your personal and professional life
Think about your day from the time you wake up to the time that you go to sleep.
- List four technologies that you rely on and would find it difficult to get through your day or night without. Discuss any negative impacts these technologies have on your life, society, and the environment.
- Think about your day from the time you wake up to when you go to sleep. Describe one scientific discovery that you think is the most important for making modern life possible.
- List as many negative and positive impacts you can think of that this scientific discovery and the technologies that it allowed to be developed may have. Evaluate and discuss if the positives outweigh the negatives overall, or whether the negatives outweigh the positives.
Part II Science and technology in a multicultural world
Many research programs around the world focus on the discovery of cures for ailments from cancer to mental illness. Modern society invests a great deal of money, and time while pushing the boundaries of modern technology to develop new cures, and improve existing treatments.
Review the Assignment Resources.
- Describe one advantage and one disadvantage to the westernized high tech research approach to medical treatment.
- Describe one advantage and one disadvantage to using traditional medicine as an approach to medical treatment.
- Are there benefits to having multicultural approaches to medical treatment? Explain your answer.
- Could these two cultural approaches both be improved by drawing upon the other? Why or why not?
- Discuss any challenges there may be in combining these two different cultural approaches to treatment that have a very different level of reliance on scientific research and technology.
Minimum Submission Requirements
- This Assessment should be a Microsoft Word (1000 words) document, not including the title and reference pages.
- Include a title page, double spaced, font size 10 or 12.
- Reviewed for grammar and spelling errors.
- No evidence of plagiarism.
- Respond to the questions in a thorough manner, providing specific examples of concepts, topics, definitions, and other elements asked for in the questions. Your paper should be highly organized, logical, and focused.
- Your paper must be written in Standard English and demonstrate exceptional content, organization, style, and grammar and mechanics.
- Your paper should provide a clearly established and sustained viewpoint and purpose.
- Your writing should be well ordered, logical and unified, as well as original and insightful.
- A separate page at the end of your research paper containing a list of references, in APA format must be included. Use your textbook, the Library, and peer reviewed academic sources.