SCI 3050  Science and Civilization   Dr McConeghy  Winter 2009

Syllabus:

Course Description:

In this course we will explore the social, political, and historic contexts and implications of several scientific and technological developments through a variety of genres including textbooks, newspaper and magazine articles, film, music, art, and literature.  The internet and some nontraditional sources may also be used.

 

Course Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, each student should have the ability to:

1.  identify and explain several key scientific and technological advancements

2.  identify the implications of those advancements at local and global levels

3.  describe and evaluate the evidence that exists relating to both the beneficial and the detrimental

     effect(s) of the advancement

4.  explain the historical and  socio-political context surrounding each advancement as well as its

     relationship to other scientific and technological developments

5.  formulate and apply potential solutions to specific problems caused by these developments

6.  students will apply the scientific method of inquiry.

7.  students will recognize the use of deductive reasoning to examine and test scientific hypotheses.

 

Course Outline

This course is organized into �Topics� which roughly correspond to weeks of the term. 

 

Part I.  Introduction

1. Ancient knowledge systems that predated science; how we think.

2. Distinctions between technology and science; Prehistory, Egypt and Rome.

3. Early attempts to practice science � Romans and Greeks as examples.

 

Part II. The Watershed between science and non science

4.  The pre-eminence of data over desire � What we choose to know.

5.  Art and Science as ways of knowing. Changes,

6.  Science and Us. Eating without a Fork.  

 

Part III. Without Science, this could not have happened.

7. �How the World was One�  Finding our Ways, Keeping in Touch.

8. �The World is Stranger than we can imagine�

 

Writing Across the Curriculum �  Writing assignments will be completed using the MLA style approved for all university courses.  The organization of the writing, sentence structure, use of grammar, spelling and punctuation will be evaluated along with the content of the written assignments.

 

Special Needs:  Students must request accommodations from the Special Needs Office after they have submitted proper documentation. Please inform the Instructor of any special needs accommodations required. 

 

 

Academic Integrity: academic integrity is an essential part of our institutional mission. Any student found responsible for cheating, plagiarizing or in any other way compromising academic integrity may be subject to both academic disciplinary action (including probable dismissal from class)  and student conduct review action (up to and including dismissal from the University).  For further details of university policies on academic conduct, see Academic Policies in the Student Handbook.

 

Cheating includes these, and possibly other actions:

-         Signing-in, or roll-call response for any student other than yourself

-         Copying other students' homework or other written material. Putting your name on any work which you did not personally do.

-         Plagiarizing or copying verbatim or in paraphrased form from the internet, reference books or articles without acknowledging the author.

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Evaluations

 

Students will be graded on the basis of several essays, quizzes and a presentation.

there will be about ten quizzes. Two quiz grades can be dropped, the average for the remaining quizzes will make up 40% of the course grade. There are no makeups for quizzes, so a missed quiz counts as a zero.

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Calendar

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SCI 3050  Winter TERM 2009 - 2010 Dr McConeghy

 

Mon

Tues

Wed

Thur

 

Nov 30

Dec 1       

Dec 2

Dec 3

 

No class

 

 

Lect One

 

 

Dec 7

Dec 8

Dec 9

Dec 10

 

Lect Two

 

Lect Three

 

 

Dec 14

Dec 15

Dec 16

Dec 17

 

 

Lect Four

 

Lect Five

Essay One 10% 

 

and  

 

 

 

 

After Test One

 

Mon

Tues

Wed

Thur

 

Jan 4

Jan 5

Jan 6

Jan 7

 

Lect Six

 

Lect Seven

 

 

Jan 11

Jan 12

Jan 13

Jan 14

 

Lect Eight

 

Lect Nine

 

 

Jan 18

Jan 19

Jan 20

Jan 21

 

Dr M L King Day

No Class

Monday Schedule

Lect Ten

Lect Eleven

 

 

Jan 25

Jan 26

Jan 27

Jan 28

 

Lect Twelve

 

Lect 13

Essay  Two 10%

 

 

Feb 1     

Feb 2

Feb 3

Feb 4

 

Lect 14

 

Lect 15

 

 

Feb 8 (2 wks left!)

Feb 9

Feb 10

Feb 11

 

Lect 16

 

Lect 17

 

Feb 15

Feb 16

Feb 17

Feb 18

 

Lect 18

 

(Presentations or Papers 25%)

 

 

Feb 22

Feb 23

Feb 24

Feb 25

 

READING DAY

 

Final Essay

 (Essay 3) 10% 

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