Pioneer Con

Below you will find some suggestions for how instructors can incorporate this year's Pioneer Con theme of Discovery and Exploration into their classes. If you have other suggestions or questions, please contact Dusty Folds.

(Thank you to Erin Arnold, Jamie King, and Heather Wyatt for assisting with this list.)

• Examine a work of art that uses exploration as its subject. What do you feel is the goal of the composition? What mediums were used? Is the style of the art a strong reflection on the theme of exploration? Why?
• How can art be used as a form of exploration? Think of the word exploration in a broad sense. It could be to travel somewhere or discover new places and cultures. Discuss how art itself is a form of exploration.
• Focus on a particular artist that used exploration as a subject in their work. Some examples may include an artist that explores new places, identities, and/or nature in their work. Write a report on that artist. 
• Paint or draw or use any other graphic medium and create your own piece of art that follows the theme of exploration.

• BIO 101/103: Scientific discovery!  Have students research seminal Biological discoveries and create an infographic with the following features: Explanation of the discovery, scientist(s) who played a pivotal role, the hallmark experiment, what that discovery led to
• BIO 102/104: One of the least explored realms on the earth is the deep sea.  Hidden deep in the ocean are some of the most interesting forms of life.  Have students research a deep sea creature and create a project with a description of the organism and either  pictures or models – some rendition.  Or if working in groups maybe create like a display of a region of the deep ocean ecosystem.
• BIO 201/202: Space exploration is one mans greatest feats.  That said, the human body is not adapted to exploring zero gravity.  Have student groups each research the effects of zero gravity on astronauts and then how one can compensate or overcome those limitations.  Can do it by system – ie Bones, muscles, skin, nervous for BIO 201 and internal organ systems for BIO 202 (cardiovascular, digestive, immune, etc).
• BIO 220: Microorganisms share the world with us, but due to their small size it is a universe that is invisible to us.  One possibility is to explore and discover microorganisms in your yard, or in a nearby water source.  Can look for both single celled eukaryotes and bacteria.  Can perform physiological assays to try and identify or just explore under the microscope.

• Students can investigate some of the people responsible for the various discoveries in the field of chemistry and explain how these discoveries affected our understanding of the world.
• What are some recent discoveries that have impacted the field of chemistry? You might focus on those that did not attract any mainstream attention and discuss why discoveries that evade public notice are still important.
• Some chemical elements have been "found" but were later disproved. Using the book The Lost Elements: The Periodic Table's Shadow Side by Marco Fontani, Mariagrazia Costa, and Mary Virginia Orna (or other reference source), discuss some of these false discoveries, how they affected (and still affect) the field of chemistry, and what chemists try to do to avoid similar mistakes.

• Literature
  • While a literary text might appear static, it can actually change quite a bit, especially when new versions of a text are discovered. Examine some important discoveries in the field of literature (or by focusing on one or two authors in your chosen time period) and how these discoveries affected our understanding of the text.
  • The 2018 film Can You Ever Forgive Me? (based on a 2008 book by the same name) depicts the actions of Lee Israel, a person who was discovered to have forged important letters of famous authors and playwrights. It is only one example of literary forgery and how these actions can affect the field of literary study. Examine the film and/or book (or some other source) to discuss how inaccurate discoveries can affect the field and our understanding of literature.
  • Read and discuss tales of exploration and discovery in various formats--fiction (short and long), non-fiction (short and long), plays, poems.
• Composition
  • Contact a local museum via phone or email and interview them on the theme of exploration. Ask them what goals they have at the museum, what their view is on the theme of exploration, and why it is important to value exploration from the past.
  • Write a memoir discussing something from your life that you have explored. You could write about a place you visited, a time you looked inwardly and explored something about yourself, or about exploring a life journey like parenthood or a new career.
  • Write about your possible future explorations. What would you like to explore in your life? Think in terms of places, experiences, and long-term goals.

• The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries has typically been referred to as the Age of Exploration (or the Age of Discovery), but humans have been explorers and discoverers since our earliest beginnings. Discuss what "exploration" and "discovery" mean and research some notable explorations and discoveries both during and outside of the Age of Exploration / Age of Discovery.
• One common myth about history is that the field never changes. In fact, historiography--the study of history--changes quite a bit. Discuss some of the notable discoveries within the study of history and how those discoveries have changed our understanding of history.
• History is global and local. Research some of the more notable local discoveries that have impacted our understanding of history. "Local" can mean country, state, county, city, or neighborhood.

• Explore the contributions of different mathematicians to not only the field of mathematics but also other disciplines. 
• Explore the different applications of mathematics. 
• Explore the patterns and/or sequences, such as in Pascal's Triangle. 
• Explore translations and how they apply to functions. 
• Explore the end behavior of functions. 

• Discuss how music can be a form of exploration. Think about sounds, language, instruments, and the way music connects to cultures.
• Examine a song that you feel fits with the theme of exploration. What about the music and words (if there are any) makes you feel as if it matches the theme of exploration? 
• Write your own song with the theme of exploration. Write words and/or notes that explore a new genre, or version of yourself. 

• Students can investigate some of the people responsible for the various discoveries in the field of physical science and explain how these discoveries affected our understanding of the natural world.
• What are some recent discoveries that have impacted the field of physical science? You might focus on those that did not attract any mainstream attention and discuss why discoveries that evade public notice are still important.
• Since the field of science is so old, there are some discoveries that incorrectly attributed to specific individuals or specific time periods (i.e. Columbus's voyage to America also led to the "discovery" that the earth was round). Discuss these inaccurate "discovery" stories and explore the truth of how the discoveries were made (or disproven).

• The field of psychology is ever changing with new discoveries about how the human mind works. Examine some important recent discoveries in the field and discuss what other discoveries might be on the horizon.
• Exploration is not only external--it can also relate to an internal exploration. Discuss how the field of psychology incorporates internal exploration into its study. You might also explain how psychological research methods separates individual bias from this internal exploration.
• Highlight some of the prominent discoveries in the history of psychology with a particular focus on not only how these discoveries were made but also the work it took to have these discoveries accepted by the larger psychology field.

• Examine how explorations of different cultures throughout the world helped redefine our understanding of sociology.
• Discuss how the three sociological paradigms (symbolic interactionism, conflict theory, and structural functionalism) were "discovered" and how they have changed with the emergence of new theoretical concepts and research.
• Explore some social structures and groups that you might not be too familiar with and discuss what makes these structures and/or groups unique as well as important to society.

• Discuss the role of exploration in spreading the Spanish language around the world.
• Examine some of the important discoveries in the history of Spanish that have influenced how current understanding of the language and where it might go in the future.
• What are some of the important discoveries made in the Spanish-speaking world over the past couple of years? How are these discoveries affecting our understanding of these cultures?

• Terms and concepts such as "discovery" can be loaded with incorrect assumptions. For example, what does it mean to say that a person "discovered" a land where people already live? Explore the use of rhetoric when discussing important events and how this rhetoric continues to be used and abused by people today.
• Research a prominent explorer and prepare a speech about that person. (This can be a historical or contemporary person and can include any field of study.)
• You are an explorer in your own life. Think about past events that were new to you and impacted the person you became. Alternatively, consider exploring your future (career, education, personal life).

• Examine a play that incorporates the theme of exploration. What role does exploration have in the understanding of the play's meaning? How is the theme of exploration incorporated into the play?
• Discuss the way an actor uses exploration to get into character. What methods might an actor use in order to explore the life and mindset of a character that they are playing? 
• Write a short, two-person play, that examines the theme of exploration. The characters can explore a place, but also, they can explore their relationship, belief system, or anything else that you want.