Week 1. Overview:
Science, knowledge & society
Lecture notes
These first weeks we will discuss the basic assumptions of the scientific method, how science differs from other forms of "knowledge" such as political or religious belief, intuition or authoritarian belief systems. Click for Week 1 Lecture notes (in PowerPoint format).
Lecture notes are given for the week they will be used. Print them and bring them to class to annotate during the lecture. See the home page for the best way to print the lecture notes.
Attend lectures!Much of the course content is lecture only. Students who skip lectures reliably do a lot worse!
Exam material is primarily from the lectures; use the PowerPoint lecture notes I provide each week to study for it. During each lecture I announce specific topics that will show up on the exam. To encourage students to attend lecture (and ask questions!) I provide a study quides at the end of each lecture section.
Readings
Readings for Week 1: Chapter 1 of the text for a general overview. For lecture and discussion group assignment we have readings about role of politics (and religious politics) in science, focusing on evolution and “creationism”: Kansas School Board eliminates teaching of evolution in 1999, Editorials on the 1999 Kansas decision, and the current anti-evolution argument, “intelligent design”. For lecture read a short article on Science v. Pseudo science.
In lecture I will discuss some gallup polls about evolution and para-normal beliefs (click for articles). Few Americans seem willing to accept scientific perspectives on evolution, and over half the U.S. population endorses para-normal beliefs such as ESP, aliens, haunted houses, demonic possession, etc... In a recent Science article comparing a range of (primarily Western) countries on their acceptance of evolution, only the citizens of Turkey were less willing to accept evolution as a basic scientific process than were the American survey participants. (Middle-Eastern countries were not polled in these studies, and may be the lowest). Other analyses done by the Science authors suggested that American's penchant for fundamentalist religion, political partisanship, and poor science education were particularly important to the poor showing of the U.S. on this basic science issue. Click the image for the Science article. |
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Discussion group Assignment
(Click for a Word copy of Week 1 assignment).
Politics and Science
Read the four essays cited above: Kansas School Board eliminates teaching of evolution, Editorials on the Kansas decision, and a discussion of the current version of creationism, that of evolution v. “intelligent design”. Also read a short article on Science v. Pseudo-science.
Then, answer the following, taking one typed page or so. This is primarily a thought exercise, so worry less about writing down the "correct" answer than about being thoughtful or creative. Hand this in during your week 1 discussion group.
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Referring to the different articles, why does it seem difficult to reconcile a scientific versus a religious or political analysis of a question such as the origin or evolution of life? Are these fields addressing the same topic(s)? Should they be?
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What does it mean for there to be "evidence" for (or against...) a theory? How does scientific evidence differ from the evidence demanded by "creationists"?
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Can you think of other areas or issues where science conflicts with politics or religion? Find any article from the newspaper or a news magazine that concerns social policy, or an important aspect of human behavior. Pick an article that addresses how or why people act in certain ways. Examples of topics include gun violence, national security or terrorism, education, environmental protection, health or health care, corporate responsibility, etc. Clip out (or copy) the article, and submit it with answers to the following:
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What is the core question or issue about human behavior that underlies the topic of the article?
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What are non-scientific ways that topic has been addressed, that is, how have people relied on intuition, authority, political thought, or religious belief in decision making?
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What would be a more scientific research approach to the question or issue?
Note: you will have an assignment each discussion group. These are due in group – late assignments do not get credit.
