Wiki Syllabus
From History of Evolution
Contents |
SYLLABUS: INDS 391: Evolution and Creationism
Thursdays, 7:10 pm – 10:00 pm in FSH 103
Instructor: Richard B. Hoppe (dickhoppe (AT) gmail.com
740-427-4218 (landline) 740-393-7033 (cell)
This course surveys the history of the controversies surrounding the theory of evolution. It begins prior to Darwin’s publication of On the Origin of Species, and carries through to contemporary times. We will look at the socio-cultural and religious context in which the controversies developed and how they played out in science and education. It is a new course, not taught before, and so we may make in-flight modifications to this syllabus as necessary. The most likely change is a compression of the early part in order to free up some time in the late part. We’ll see.
Requirements
The main requirements of the course are attendance at class meetings and the writing of at least three entries for the course wiki, two “minor” entries (ca. 500 words) and one major entry (>1,000 words). They will be graded as papers are graded. The course wiki will be made world-accessible at the end of the course, and student authors’ names will be listed with their entries. The wiki will be under the editorial oversight of Dr. Hoppe and Dr. John S. Wilkins, a philosopher of biology at the University of Queensland, Australia. We’ll go over Wiki basics in class.
Academic Honesty
Students are urged to make themselves familiar with the regulations concerning student honesty. In particular, wiki entries are to be written independently unless explicit permission is granted for collaboration. Appropriate citations, identification of sources, and acknowledgements of collaboration are to be made. References should by preference be to the primary sources; in particular, unless you’re completely desperate Wikipedia is not an appropriate academic source. You can use it to find leads, but don’t stop there. You will note that I reference Wikipedia in one or two places below: I got desperate!
Texts
The core texts for the course are Eugenie C. Scott’s Evolution vs. Creationism and Lauri Lebo’s The Devil in Dover. The former is a survey of the issues; the latter is an account of how those issues played out in a specific case. In addition, readings from original sources available on the Web are assigned. The external URLs are linked in the 'Readings' column.
Class Decorum
In the course of the class we will discuss what are sometimes personally sensitive topics. We will endeavor to handle them gracefully, showing respect for people even as we (perhaps) critique positions with vigor.
Course Schedule
| Date | Topic | Readings |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 28 - Sep 4 | Class Organization, Intro to Evolution, Overview of History of the Controversy | WIKI Cheat Sheet, Scott Chaps 1-3, Mark Isaak's taxonomy, AAAS /Durant Paper |
| Sept 11 | PreDarwinian Context | Scott Chap 4, Wilkins' TO Overview, Paley Chaps I-VI, Cuvier thru History of Geology and General Conclusion |
| Sept 18 | Darwin's On the Origin of Species. Refreshments: Lisa | Zimmer on Linneaus & Darwin, SEOP Intro, Origin Chaps 1-6 & 14; ad lib after that |
| Sept 25 | Class Visit by Lauri Lebo. Refreshments: Carrie | The Devil in Dover, all |
| Oct 2-16 | Post-Origin Reactions; Class visit by Liz Keeney, Asa Gray scholar. Refreshments: Danny (2nd) Priscilla (16th) | Asa Gray Natural Selection not inconsistent with Natural Theology, Huxley Essays 1 & 2, Owen's Review of Origin |
| OCT 16 | FIRST WIKI ENTRY DUE | - |
| Oct 23-30 | The rise of fundamentalism, Scopes Trial. Refreshments: Devon (23rd), Haley (30th) | The Fundamentals Chaps 18, 68, 69, UMKC Scopes Trial material |
| Nov 6 | The Modern Synthesis, The roots and rise of modern creation "science". Refreshments: RBH | Scott Chaps 5 & 8, Flood Geology overview, Price on Geology, Part IV conclusions, CreationWiki on Flood Geology |
| Nov 13 - 20 | Modern Creationism, Epperson v. Arkansas, McLean v. Arkansas, Edwards v. Aguillar, The rise of molecular biology. Refreshments: Priscilla (13th), Carrie (20th) | Scott Chapter 9, TO Documentation on Epperson, McLean, & Edwards, and TO 29+ Evidences on Molecular Bio Evidence |
| Nov 13 | SECOND WIKI ENTRY DUE | - |
| Dec 4 - 11 | The creation of intelligent design, Irreducible Complexity, Complex Specified Information, Kitzmiller v Dover, Current State of Affairs. Refreshments: Lisa (4th), RBH (11th) | Scott Chapter 11, Behe here and here, Dembski here and here, and the Kitzmiller decision |
| -- | FINAL WIKI ENTRY DUE THE SCHEDULED DATE OF THE FINAL |
