Science and Religion in the Western Tradition

 

Spring 2005

 

TR 2:00-3:40 HSB 302

 

Instructor:

Keenan Dungey

Office:

HSB 312

Office Hours:

Mondays 9-11

Phone:

206-7345

Email:

dungey.keenan@uis.edu

Fax:

206-6162

Webpage:

http://bb.uis.edu

 

 

 

Course Description

An interdisciplinary course studying the interaction between science and religion.  Topics include the history and philosophy of science and current issues such as origins and bioethics.  Classical philosophy and Christianity, Islam, and Judaism will be discussed.

 

Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes

1.      To learn more about the methods of science and religion and their complex interactions in historical and current issues

2.      To learn to appreciate both the differences and similarities between religious and scientific approaches to the human condition

3.      To synthesize the insights from science and religion on a topic of one’s choice

4.      To improve research skills and both oral and written communications skills

 

Teaching Philosophy

The philosophy of this course is that students benefit most from educational experiences in which they are actively engaged.  The instructor provides an outline for the course and leads the initial discussions.  Then students are encouraged to facilitate the direction of the class.  Students choose supplementary materials to write and report on so that they relate to their own particular interests within the broad parameters covered by the course; they make suggestions to their peers regarding revisions to writing assignments; and they form teams to work on a research project.  Finally, students assess the course and the instructor and make suggestions that can be incorporated into future versions of the course.

 

 

Required Texts

1.  Ian Barbour, When Science Meets Religion (San Francisco, Harper San Francisco, 2000)

2.  Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction, Gary B. Ferngren, ed. (Baltimore, Johns Hopkins U. Press, 2002)

3.  Plato, Timaeus

4.  Course Packet (UIS Duplicating)

Course Requirements and Grading

It is expected that students will come prepared to class, with all readings and assignments completed on time.  Grading rubrics will be provided for each assignment.  There will be a late penalty of 10% for each week an assignment is overdue. 

Discussion Participation and Attendance  (15%)

     Colloquia depend on the contributions of all members for their success. If you are not prepared or not present, you cannot enrich the experience of others in the class. Grading on this portion of the class will be based on the instructor’s evaluation of participation and in-class assignments.  If you are gone from a meeting for a legitimate reason let the instructor know beforehand.

Reading Quizzes (20%)

     At the beginning of each class session, there may be an open-note quiz over the assigned reading material.  Students are encouraged to take notes as they read the required and additional texts for the course.  For each reading assignment, the instructor will provide a set of guiding questions.  The quizzes will be based on those questions, and students will be able to refer to their notes.  No laptops may be used during quizzes, so if you use a laptop to take notes, please bring a hardcopy of your notes to class.

Biography Paper  (5%)

     As we explore the history and case studies of the interaction between science and religion, we will read about several key figures.  Each student will pick a person to obtain further information on and write a two to three page paper.  The paper will address the biography of the person and how their views fit into the course material.

Web Page Review (5%)

     As the Internet is a growing resourse of information, it is important to be able to evaluate the quality of that information.  Each student will review two websites related to their topic of interest, using the handout found in the coursepack.

Additional Perspectives Paper and Presentation  (15%)

     Several sessions will be built at least in part around presentations based on supplemental readings aimed at deepening our understanding, or offering alternative perspectives, which are not represented in required texts.  Each student will sign up for a topic and should prepare a 4-5 page review based on that topic.  A draft of the paper will be peer edited on Week 5 and a revised version will be due on Week 6. Ten to fifteen minute oral presentations based on the perspective paper will be spaced throughout the semester.

Research Project  (40%)

     Each student will be part of a group of between 3 and 5 members that prepares a substantial research presentation on some topic (details to be worked out in class).  All members of the group will receive a common grade on the proposal and annotated bibliography (10%) and the poster presentation (20%).  Each individual in the group will turn in a copy of their project notes for faculty assessment of their contribution (5%).  An additional 5% of the grade will be based on teamwork, taking into account peer assessments of the relative contributions of group members.

 

THERE WILL BE NO FINAL EXAM.