Session 1

We started off with ice breaking by giving a brief introduction of ourselves. This made us feel more comfortable presenting our views during the session, as for most of us, this is the first seminar for the new term! We moved on to administration briefing and I realized something different about TWC from the other modules I have taken. TWC is keeping up with technology too! Having us to write a blog compared to writing a learning journal, holding discussion on facebook compared to emailing questions. The structure of this course makes it informative and entertaining at the same time.

The key topics discussed for the first session was the evolution in civilizations. We watched a short video clip of the introduction of Guns, Germs and Steel. The question on ‘Why White Man have so much cargo but New Guineans have so little?’ set me thinking. The disparity between them is astronomical. White colonialists were technologically more advanced the New Guineans, this led to the Whites despising the New Guineans and appear to be the superior race in front of them. The New Guineans worshipped their technology yet the Whites treated them like slaves.

Probably those who possess greater technology will gain dominance over those who are less advanced. With technology comes efficiency, people will be able to produce more at a much faster rate. Being able to produce basic necessity efficiently will enable one to have more time developing new technology to solve problems such as transportation and security. Advance tools and weaponry will be invented, not limited to security but also to show aggression and fear to achieve dominance over others. This could be why the Whites appear as the superior race among the New Guineans.

However, we have to ask ourselves why is it the Whites who posses the technological advances instead of the New Guineans? This question sparked off some discussion in class. There were various different views such as the availability of resources that the Whites are able to utilize, however those resources are unavailable to the New Guineans. Evolution and natural selection leading to survival of the strongest, this provided an explanation as to why the Whites are more intelligent. The difference in climate could have spur the Whites to develop and innovate in order to survive. Another possible reason could be due to nurture and not nature. Probably the New Guineans were brought up to be contented with what they have. Since they lived in a forested area where food and water is readily available. Therefore, they do not strive to improve their livelihood. In contrary, the Whites were brought up to be more ambitious hence striving to improve their living condition.

There are many possibilities to such question. I had an enjoyable lesson at the same time learnt more about the development of civilization. I would rate this session 8 out of 10.