Book can be bought tomorrow!
Ask yourself:
What is an organism? Scientifically speaking, an organism can be understood as a being made of smaller interdependent parts, capable of evolving, reacting to stimuli, growing, and retaining internal balance. An organism is typically thought of as perhaps a dog, a flower, or even a human, but what about an entire city? We believe that San Diego operates just like any other organism—living, growing, evolving, and eventually dying. Consider DNA as a metaphor for each piece of culture that affects San Diego. What are the most prevalent features of San Diego’s culture? What aspects are hidden? How much of San Diego’s culture has been written over by new, different cultures, ideas, or people? Who decides what is written over and what is kept? What are the natural—and unnatural—selection processes that usher out some elements of San Diego’s culture, or lead some new cultural information to thrive? What environmental changes might alter the way San Diego lives, grows, and maybe even dies? Siteology explores all that is a part of San Diego's cultural DNA. Every article explores its own specific topic pertaining to everything from food to architecture, immigration to military life, wildlife and more. Each student researched, conducted and scheduled their own interviews and site visits to a place that directly correlates with the topic they chose. The purpose of this project is not only to engage students in the communities and issues around them, but to showcase the complexity and evolution of San Diego's cultural DNA. |