Course Description
A broadly interdisciplinary course in science as a human activity, emphasizing primary sources and using Science and Nature as textbooks. Students will be expected to develop their own answer to E.O. Wilson's question: "What is the relation between science and the humanities, and how is it important for human welfare?"
Athena Title
SCIENCE&HUMANVALUES
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in FCID 1000
Prerequisite
Junior or senior standing
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
1. Foundational Knowledge a) Students should understand the broad outlines of all of current scientific knowledge, in two senses: 1) causal, beginning with mathematics and physics and proceeding upward through chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology, to all of culture: science itself, ethics, religion, art; and 2) temporal/spatial, beginning with the big bang and proceeding onward and outward through inflation, galaxy formation, stellar and planetary evolution, the origin of life, biological evolution, emergence of consciousness and culture, and on into the distant future. b) While the above is important, the single most important idea that students should understand in this course is the scientific process itself, not what we know, but how we know it. The issue is ultimately philosophical, specifically epistemological: how do we decide "how things are" and - even more importantly - how do we determine "which things matter," that is, what are the foundations of knowledge and the foundations of ethics? c) The development of quantitative reasoning skills is an important ancillary goal. The ability to interpret data presented in diverse formats in the scientific literature, the ability to make back-of-the-envelope calculations, and the ability to exploit mathematical modeling software (e.g., Mathematica) to visualize complex phenomena will be stressed. 2. Application Goals a) Students should be undaunted by primary literature, should seek it as their ultimate source of information, and should be adept at digesting it. b) Students should be comfortable with quantitative reasoning, should employ it in their own life and work, and insist upon it in the thinking and writing of others. c) Students should strive to employ a rational, scientific, data-driven approach to every problem that they encounter, personal or public. 3. Integration Goals a) The course is designed to be broadly interdisciplinary. Ideally, it will assist each student in constructing the integrated world view that is the objective of a liberal education. Students in this course should come to understand the connections among all of the intellectual disciplines represented in the College of Arts and Sciences as well as the relationship of these core arts and sciences disciplines to the more career-oriented Schools and Colleges. 4. Human Dimension Goals a) The major intellectual objective of this course is that students learn that it is they who are responsible for their own intellectual life, that there really is no one else to ask whether something be true or false, for if we rely upon an authority, we must first determine the reliability of that authority, and so on. A crucial related objective is that students learn to be cautious in forming their own beliefs, to ensure that they are built on the strongest foundation they can find, and to realize always that in spite of their best efforts they may be in error. b) The broad range of this course - the fact that any subject, including not only the traditional physical and biological sciences, but also art, religion, politics, and even science itself can be subjected to scientific analysis - should encourage students to view themselves in a broader context and with new eyes. Ideally, diverse views and interactions among the students in the class will promote greater understanding of the diversity of opinion in the world, the necessity of defining the justification for one's own beliefs, and the importance of communication, tolerance, and understanding. 5. Caring Goals a) Students should develop an appreciation for the excitement of scientific discovery, the wonder of the universe revealed by science, and the importance of science to human progress and welfare. As a realistic learning outcome, I would like every student in the course to join the American Association for the Advancement of Science, to remain a member for life, and to look forward to the next issue of Science as a highlight of the week for the rest of their lives. b) Students should develop an appreciation for the fragility of civilization and the crucial need for both Newtons and Buddhas, science and wisdom, if we are to meet the challenges that confront us. 6. "Learning-How-to-Learn" Goals a) The volume of scientific knowledge is already vastly larger than can be mastered in a human lifetime, certainly larger than can be taught in a single course; more importantly, it continues to grow hourly and will do so indefinitely after the course has ended. Two crucial attributes that a student needs to acquire are thus: 1) the desire to learn, and 2) a reliable internalized mechanism for self-education.
Topical Outline
1. A liberal education. Define your vision of the ideal education. How does this vision relate to traditional ideas of a liberal education? 2. Map of knowledge. Devise an outline or graph of all human knowledge. 3. Student-assisted design of course goals and curriculum. Identification of in-class student experts. Formulate a statement of faculty and student responsibilities for the course. 4. Science as a human activity: Definition, philosophy, and ethical foundation. Write a brief essay on your current world view. Retain this for comparison with your capstone essay at the end of the course. 5. Introduction to Commonplacing. Initiate an on-line, shared Commonplace Book of favorite quotations, books, and authors, and why they are important to you. 6. Introduction to primary literature: "Frontier Learning" using Science and Nature as textbooks for the course. Trace the origin and history of Science and Nature. Examine the sections of each journal, instructions to authors, etc. 7. Cosmology: Overview of man's place in time, space, and causality. Write a history of the universe in 125 words or less (keep it humorous). 8. Outline of Mathematics: Introduction to Mathematica. Explore the International System of Units: Seven SI base units (meter, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, mole, candela) and selected SI derived units (e.g., joule, watt); dimensional analysis. 9. Outline of Physics: Standard Model of particle physics, 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics, special and general relativity, symmetry and conservation. 10. "Frontier Learning" - Physics. Attend and review a research seminar in physics. 11. Outline of Geology: Geophysics and geochemistry of planet formation and evolution, rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, seismology, radioactive dating. 12. "Frontier Learning" - Geology. Attend and review a research seminar in geology. 13. Outline of Chemistry: Quantum mechanics, standard and left- step periodic tables, chemical bonding, inorganic and organic chemistry. 14. "Frontier Learning" - Chemistry. Attend and review a research seminar in chemistry. 15. Outline of Biology: Origin of life, bioenergetics, genetic codes, catalysis and enzymology, evolution. 16. "Frontier Learning" - Biology. Attend and review a research seminar in biology. 17. Outline of Human Nature: Human evolution, anthropology, psychology, sociology. 18. "Frontier Learning" - Human Nature. Attend and review a research seminar in anthropology, psychology, or sociology. 19. Outline of Human Culture: Economics, political science, art, philosophy, science, religion. 20. "Frontier Learning" - Human Culture. Attend and review a research seminar in one of the humanities disciplines above. 21. Real-life problems: 1) Human population growth and the carrying capacity of the earth. Take the "Pop-quiz": What is the current population of the earth? The maximum sustainable population? The optimum population? Justify your answers. 22. Student-led debate on problem 1. 23. Real-life problems: 2) Energy and a sustainable future. Design a viable solution to peak oil, global warming, resource depletion, and ecological decline. 24. Student-led debate on problem 2. 25. Real-life problems: 3) Science and religion. Critically evaluate Pope John Paul's assertion in Fides et Ratio that "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth." 26. Student-led debate on problem 3. 27. Science reporting. Follow a science news story back to the primary literature. Evaluate the quality of the reporting. Write a better story. 28. Science literacy: Does it matter and for whom? Propose a way to promote science literacy among the general public. 29. Reflection on science as a cultural activity. Write a capstone essay: How Things Are and Which Things Matter. 30. Course assessment. Note: Syllabus is subject to change based on the collective interests and desires of the class (see Day 3 above).