For my technology of antibiotics, I am considering the value system of “the future” or the long term effects of antibiotics versus the ways that antibiotics currently benefit society and our culture. There is very little doubt that the immediate effects of antibiotics make them a very effective technology. However, the more effective and useful the technology, the greater the risk it poses further down the road. The reason for this is that no one questions these new technologies if they make their lives easier as a whole. Instant gratification clouds perceptions of the consequences of these new technologies as they become more commonplace in our world. Through my research, I have discovered that the long term effects of antibiotic use not only impacts our bodies, but it can also impact the environment as well. This is something that a regular person would never imagine, let alone try to change.
One source of mine in particular, a monograph, delves deeply into the consequences of antibiotics in our environment. Even though I plan on encompassing more than the future of antibiotics and the environment, this source presents an interesting perspective on the long term use of antibiotics and its relationship with our society.
Questions:
Is it just America that is having issues with medical waste in their environment?
Can there be a balance between antibiotic usage and preventing future consequences, or will antibiotics have to be used significantly less?
Thesis:
The discovery of antibiotics has produced numerous advancements within our society, but one day, the immediate benefits of antibiotics will be overtaken by their long term consequences for both our bodies and our environment.
-Connor Hill
English 298 
Good! I think this could be a very generative approach to your topic. I have a few thoughts that might help you as you move forward. First, be wary of using “instant gratification” as your counterpoint. The short terms gains of antibiotics are certainly positive, but are they gratifying? That sounds more like the indulgence of eating a whole cheesecake, and less like turning to medication to clear up a bacterial infection or even reduce acne. So rather than minimizing the gains in an offhand way, you’ll need to recognize their validity even while arguing that continued use is misguided in the long term. Being cognizant of the real stakes of other perspectives will only advance your own writing.
Secondly, I want to make sure that you aren’t only using other people’s scholarship for this project. Since neither of us are experts in the life sciences, we are at a disadvantage when it comes to making scientific arguments and we would have to rely very heavily upon other experts. However, we can be expert readers of culture. So what kinds of films, jokes, TV series, or other popular culture can you analyze as you explore our cultural relationship with antibiotics? Seek those out over the break, and post your evaluations as you find them.
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