Essay Questions

Prior to coming to campus in late August, please CHOOSE ONE OF THE THREE essay questions below and write a two page (double-spaced) essay which responds to the question posed. Bring a paper copy of your essay with you to campus. It will prove useful during the discussion of The Ghost Map which will be held Sunday afternoon during Fresh Start orientation. At that time, the essay will be collected and forwarded to your Inquiry 111 instructor. See the linked page, "Practical Details for Your Essay" for detailed formatting requirements.

Essay Question #1

The advance of technology in society has contributed greatly to our quality of life in many ways. (Imagine your life without electric refrigeration, dishwashing machines, or automobiles.) At times, however, we have seen that the pace of technological innovation has exceeded our ability to foresee or control its unintended consequences. For example, the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was a result, at least in part, of placing too much faith in the technology behind the "blowout containment" valve system and having too little knowledge about what to do if that system were to fail 5,000 feet below sea level. The Ghost Map describes a similar, although, seemingly, much more deadly example. Nineteenth century Londoners were excited to have water closets (flush toilets) in their homes as a replacement to privies/outhouses. Yet, London did not have a sewer system to which these toilets could be connected.

In your essay, describe the problems that resulted from the new, exciting "water closet" technology. Why did they occur? Also, identify one additional technological innovation, past or present, that you are familiar with and briefly discuss the intended purposes/uses of the innovation, the unanticipated consequences of the innovation and if, in your estimation, the negative unintended consequences could have been avoided.

Essay Question #2

The Ghost Map, in part, is the story of the booming city of London, England in the 1850s. We currently live in an urban world. More than 50% of the earth's human population lives in cities (p. 231). We tend to accept them as part of the "normal order of things." Without cities, large scale research institutions (hospitals, universities, museums) likely could not exist. Early industrial production relied upon city populations. Yet in the 1850s, less than 10% of the world's population was urban, and in England, the idea that you could "pack nearly three million people inside a thirty-mile circumference" (p. 89) was not fully accepted. Some at the time believed that weaknesses inherent in cities would lead them to implode.

In your essay, describe the problems that existed for the growing city of London in the middle 1800s. Are they still problems today in London, in other large cities around the world (including U.S. cities)? If cities have these problems, why do people choose to live in or near them? What advantages do cities provide to a society or to individuals that make them worth the cost? Do you want to live in a city after graduation from college? Why/Why not?

Essay Question #3

John Snow was a hero, a lonely individual who single-handedly fought against the odds to prove his ideas correct and in the process saved thousands of lives. OR WAS HE? The importance of individuals, the impact which a single person can have on the lives of others, should not be underestimated. Yet, our story's hero did not "do it on his own."

Western societies often glamorize the idea of the individual, the lone wolf, the independent person. Yet, in today's society the development of new ideas, new techniques, new solutions is often a cooperative activity, not the work of a single individual.

In your essay, drawing from instances in the book, describe how John Snow might be seen both as a "lone wolf" and as a "group player." Why are both elements, individual persistence and group effort, needed for him to "make his discovery." Who are his research colleagues? What is surprising about who they are? How do you see yourself in the world, lone wolf or team player, both? When or where might each of these characteristics be most valuable?