PHS 499 - Science and Creationism
Course Web Site
General Information
College of Arts and Sciences; Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
Course Prefix PHS 499-1; Course Number 9842
Spring Semester 2008
Meeting Time: Th 4:00-4:50 pm (1 Credit Hour);
Location: Physical Sciences (Bldg 19) RM 233
Instructor: Dr. Dave Koerner
Office Address: Physical Sciences (bldg 19) 315
Office Hours: Wed. 2:00-3:30; Fri. 1:00-2:30
Office Phone: 928-523-4562
Course Prerequisites: None
Course Description:
This course is a multi-disciplinary exploration of the cultural dialogue between scientific and creationist views of origins. Creationist critiques are used to motivate study of mainstream scientific theories of the origin of the cosmos, solar system and the first organism, together with a look at geological, anatomical and genetic evidence for life's evolution from a common ancestor. Creationist arguments will be addressed from a variety of perspectives, including both young- and old-earth creationism, progressive creationism, intelligent design, and theological views that are concordant with mainstream science.
Course Objectives:
- Students will be able to discriminate between scientific and pseudo-scientific methodologies in the historical sciences (scientific inquiry, critical reading)
- Students will be able to describe the history of legal rulings about the teaching of evolution and creationism in public schools.
- Students will be able to elucidate the principal lines of evidence for the big bang theory of the universe and the nebular theory for the origin of the solar system in light of creationist criticisms that this evidence is flawed.
- Students will be able to assess key methods of mainstream geochronology and make judgements about creationist claims of their invalidity (scientific inquiry, critical thinking quantitative analysis)
- Students will be able to assess whether fossil and genetic evidence, together with biochemical and computational simulations, lead to progress in a theory of the origin of life. From this perspective, they will be able to evaluate the creationist claim that life could not have begun without miraculous intervention (scientific inquiry, critical thinking quantitative analysis)
- Students will be able to describe the paleontological, zoological/anatomical, and genetic evidence for life's evolution from a common ancestor in light of creationist claims for separate creation of "kinds" (scientific inquiry, critical thinking quantitative analysis)
- Students will be able to evaluate current hypotheses about mechanisms of evolution and judge whether these have limitations that require intervention by a superior intelligence as argued by advocates of "intelligent design" (scientific inquiry, critical thinking quantitative analysis).
Course Structure/Approach:
This class is in a seminar style that combines lecture with student discussion.
Textbook and required materials: "Evolution vs Creationism"
by Eugenie Scott, UC Press, ISBN-10: 0520246500, ISBN-13: 978-0520246508; and "Science, Evolution, and Creationism"
by National Academy of Sciences, National Academies Press, ISBN-10: 0309105862, ISBN-13: 978-0309105866 (available by free download from the VISTA site)
Course Outline and Topics (approximate):
Week 1 (Jan. 17) -- What is Science ("Methodological Naturalism")?
Week 2 (Jan. 24) -- What is Creationism?
Week 3 (Jan. 31) -- Legal History of Teaching Evolution/Creationism in public School
Week 4 (Feb. 7) -- Creationism and Big Bang Cosmology
Week 5 (Feb. 14)-- Creationism and Origins of Stars and Planetary Systems
Week 6 (Feb. 21) -- Drake Equation and "Rare Earth" Arguments for "Intelligent Design"
Week 7 (Feb. 28) -- Age-dating Earth I - Long-lived Radio-nuclides
Week 8 (Mar. 6) -- Age-dating Earth II - Dendrochronology, Varves, C-14, and other Chronometers
Week 9 (Mar. 13) -- Stratigraphic Record and "Flood Geology"
Week 10 (Mar. 20) -- Spring Break
Week 11 (Mar. 27) -- Origin of Life: Divine intervention, Fluke, or Natural Inevitability?
Week 12 (Apr. 3) -- Zoological/Anatomical Evidence for Common Descent
Week 13 (Apr. 10) -- Fossil Evidence for Common Descent
Week 14 (Apr. 17) -- Genetic Evidence for Natural Selection and Common Descent
Week 15 (Apr. 23) -- Creationist Criticisms of Mechanism in Evolution (Thermodynamic arguments, Micro- vs Macro-evolution, Fixed "kinds" vs evolving species)
Week 16 (May 1) -- Intelligent Design (Key concepts such as "Irreducible" and "Specified" Complexity) and Theistic Evolution
Week 17 (May 7@3:00 pm) -- Final "Exam-Party"
Evaluation Methods and Deadlines:
Attendance -- Students may miss no more than 3 classes for a passing grade
Student completion of online quizzes and assignments in VISTA
Student completion of brief in-class tutorial assignments
Course Policy
Statement on plagiarism and cheating --
This course requires professional and ethical behavior.
Plagiarism, or any form of cheating, violates
this principle and will not be tolerated.
The University regards acts of academic dishonesty as very
serious offenses. Students charged with academic dishonesty are subject to the Arizona Board of
Regents Code of Conduct and Procedures established by NAU.
Search Engine Placement