Signature Assignment Reflection

1 The Primates in Peril assignment required us to analyze the text “The World´s 25 Most
Endangered Primates 2014-2016”, then it asked us to select four species of those twenty-five
presented in the text and describe them, identify the major threats to these species and what
conservation actions are needed to protect them. The assignment also required a reflection on
how my habits were impacting these endangered and what I could do to change this scenario.
This assignment gave me awareness about the significant quantity of primates that are
considered endangered and also helped me understand why this situation is happening by
analyzing the threats to the species and what can be done to protect them. In my opinion, my
strengths in this assignment were the fact that I gave a complete description of the species, its
threats and the conservation actions, and I also provided an effective reflection regarding the
major threats that primates and biodiversity face. The Global Problems, Local Actions
assignment had the goal of making us recognize the importance of biodiversity (and
specifically primates as well), and also identify its threats and actions that are being done to
preserve it. This assignment also required us to do a research in order to identify conservation
and sustainability practices at the Salt Lake Community College, in Salt Lake City, and in the
state of Utah. This assignment gave me awareness of how much humans have a negative
contribution regarding environmental issues, but also helped me noticed that this school, this
city, and this state are taking actions in order to preserve biodiversity by adopting sustainable
methods and trying to create an awareness in the population that we should change our habits
and adopt a more sustainable life style as well. My strengths in this assignment were the
introduction in which I effectively described some global problems and also provided useful
definitions of biodiversity, conservation and sustainability. I also believe that I provided a
strong reflection on what I was contributing to biodiversity issues, and how I would start
changing my habits in order to protect the environment. These two assignments are related to
each other because one help us recognize some primate endangered species, and the other
provided us a deeper reflection on the causes that put these species into a harmful situation
and the actions that we can do in order to change this situation and save this species who face
extinction. These assignments are related to the Ecology and Ecosystems module because two
of the aspects that this module discuss are biodiversity and conservation. Also, I believe that
these assignments relate to the Socioecology module as well, because this module reflects to
adaptions to social systems, and that is occurring to many species that are suffering habitat
loss. In general, since this is a primatology course I consider that assignments that provide a
reflection about the issues that primates are having are critical due to the fact that the
students will be able to develop an awareness that is necessary in order to protect these
species.

2. The assignments indicate a progression that I had during the course by the fact that the
Local Problems, Global Solutions assignment, which I wrote after doing the Primates in Peril,
was more complete and objective, and I also felt more comfortable doing this one, because at
this time of the course I had already assimilated well the content that was being taught,
resulting in a more accurate assignment.

Chronology

Module 1- Primates in Peril: This assignment made me realize the huge number of primate
species that are facing extinction. I did not know that more than half of primate species are
endangered.
Module 6- Great Ape Personhood: This assignment was one of the most interesting activities
that I have done in this course because before I watched the movie Ape Genius, I had no idea
of how close some of the Great Apes behaviors are to some of our behaviors. Also, as I did this
assignments I understood the importance of recognizing that Great Apes should have a
personhood guaranteed by the law.

Module 8- “The 2% Difference”: This text helped me understand how genetically close we are
to chimpanzees, and at the same time, why we are so different.

Module 10- “How Wolves Changed Rivers”: This movie made me realize that literally every
organism present in an ecosystem is essential, and any species that disappear from an
ecosystem will cause a significant impact on it.

Module 10- Local Problems, Global Solutions : This assignment provided me information about
what is threatening biodiversity and since we are responsible for many environmental issues, it
also provides an awareness of what is being done and what can still be done to protect
biodiversity.

Module 12- “Social Climbers”: After I watched this movie I noticed the many singularities that
each primate species has regarding their behavior.

Module 12- Data Collection: Being able to analyze the behavior of two orangutans in the zoo
was a unique experience, and a effective way to practice what I knew about primate behavior
in this course.

With regards to inside the class, these moments helped me to gradually develop my
understanding about primates and as a consequence I was able to have a better
comprehension of the content of this course. Outside of the class, regardless of the grade I will
get in this course, these moments helped me to learn more about primates, since before this
course I did not have much information about primates, and as a result I acquired an
extremely useful knowledge about the primate life, our evolutionary process, and our role in
protecting not only primates but biodiversity in general.

3 Due to the fact that primate conservation is not effectively discussed in the media and even
in the society in general, primate conservation was not a topic that I had a high level of
awareness before taking this class. Also, even though I have always reflected some
environmental issues, and was aware of some sustainable ideas, I analyzed the issues with
regards to our society, so I did not think actually about how we were directly having a negative
impacting biodiversity that was causing habitat destruction and biodiversity loss. After taking
this course, especially by doing the Primates in Peril assignment, in which I was able to analyze
the World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates list and the Local Problems, Global Solutions
assignment, in which I learned more about what we can do to promote conservation of the
biodiversity I was able to I learn that there is a significant number of primates species that are
currently endangered (about 63%) and our habits were directly contributing to that. These
assignments impacted me because I was able to realize that we are not the only ones who are
suffering from the effects of environmental issues that we help to intensify, therefore, the
assignments helped me to open my mind and amplify my notion of world by thinking about
how we are affecting biodiversity. I am also changing some of my habits that I think it were
harmful to the environment by limiting my shower time to between five to eight minutes and I
am trying to use the car less.