Lisa Liang

Capstone Activity: Identify and Transform Your Artifacts

Artifacts
1.

Annotation: This is an image of Socrates. I wrote a paper about The Importance of Socrates' Practice
of Wisdom as my 800 word project for ISS 401 course. I found Socrates to be a very influential figure
because he lived by his principles, even though it costs him his life. This means that he gave up his life
for what he believed in, and this is something that a few of us can do. Most of us follow what others are
doing without examining why we are doing it.
2. Ethics

Annotation: I used this image in my keywords ethics mean a lot to me because we each have a sense of
what ethics mean for ourselves, and we choose what values to pursue based upon our foundation of
ethics. And that foundation of ethics can be either based on the Bible, holy scriptures. I thought it was
interesting to research and examine what ethics mean to us.

3.

Annotation: This is another image that I used in my keywords liberal arts. Being educated in a liberal
arts school redefine what education means to me. I read many articles that supports liberal arts
education and that professionals today are lacking critical thinking skills.
4.

Annotation:
After taking PHIL 343 B: Ethics and the Environment with Professor Lauren Hartzell Nichols, I
learned that environmental issues are ethical issues. I want to include this artifact in my portfolio
because it's important for everyone to understand that our Earth is in critical condition unless we start
something to reduce the impact.
5.

Annotation: Here is an image of family. I want to mainly point out the parents, mom and dad. We all
know that our parents go above and beyond for the sake of their child. They raised me, gave me
everything that I wanted, and supported me in my endeavors. What I am doing right now enrolling in
the ISS program is because of them. They funded me my education. I want to give back to them but all
I can do right now is to get my degree and a survival job. But, I know that won't satisfy them. All they
want is for me to be a good person and help others.
6.

Annotation: This image can speak for itself. I did a digital college on the Impacts of Climage Change
on Women. Women are not only threatened by climate change; they face many social, economic, and
political barriers that limit them. Empowering women is on my to do list.
7.

Annotation: This image characterized one of my strong personal beliefs. I am a vegetarian but I also
want to encourage others to eat vegetables for many ethical and environmental reasons. Food also
connects with our body and mind.
8.

Annotation: One of the skill I developed in the ISS journey is to question absolutely everything. One
question that I tend to ask myself when I read a piece of writing or hear words from others is What
does it mean for me? Why does it matter to me to learn or hear about these things.
9.

Annotation: Here is another image that displays the 6 W's. Life is full of discoveries. One note about
asking questions: Am I asking the right questions? I found this tool to be useful in writing my papers
and organizing my ideas.

10.

Annotation: I chose this image because it outlines the different faiths and religion. I am currently living
in a temple, practicing a Buddhist tradition. It's important to hold interfaith dialogue on discussing the
topics of welfare and welcoming the diverse communities.
3 Abstracts and 3 Elevator Pitches:
*Bolded are the three elevator pitches.
The artifacts I used integrate into one message that runs throughout my portfolio which is: Live
in harmony. What does this mean? Harmony is essentially what we need in today's world. Despite
the war and violence that is happening around the world, harmony unites people together in order to
live peacefully. This is not just a state of mind, but a real life community that supports and appreciate
one another. We also begin to appreciate nature and mother Earth. We can all be benefited instead of
taking our own interest and limiting the values of other's being.
A fundamental question that I should be constantly asking myself is: Why am I majoring in
Integrated Social Sciences? I am offering my time and energy here so that I can help improve our own
beloved neighborhoods and set a model for other neighborhoods and revitalizing our lifestyle in order
to preserve what we all love and cherish. Think about our children the generations that follows. I don't
think it is fair to them if they cannot experience the fresh air that we enjoy right now. I don't think it is
fair if they do not see the beauty we are seeing right now. The problems we face today such as poverty,
global warming, climate change, world hunger, and etc., are not problems that are out there. They are
created from our very own mind. It begins with our consciousness. I think it's important to understand
the immeasurable values of a real-life community instead of separating ourselves into divisions of race,
ethnicity, religions, politics, and male and female. We are same being; we are interconnected; we are
essentially one. It is only because of our discrimination and rigid beliefs that created a world that is
dependent on our individuality to survive. Unity is the only key to survival for our well-being and

Mother Earth.
Social sciences teaches us to come together and address the problems that we are facing today.
It teaches us to make clear arguments in order to resolve conflicts and challenge those who are
confused. The artifacts that I have collected echo the meaning behind what social sciences is about.
Social sciences creates a to do list for us to carry out. Economies, schools, media, and other groups
have an impact in our quality of life. So we must understand and examine those groups in order to
understand our attitudes. What does it mean to be a human being? What matters to me? Where are my
prejudices coming from? How can I help? These are only a few questions to ask ourselves when doing
social science. Why does it matter? It matters because we are humans and central to the quality of our
lives.