Week 1: Sept 4
- Syllabus
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Assignment: Prepare Vita; bring to next class,
email to deasley@dbq.edu by Thursday evening; prepare
short answer to the two quetions for next weeks
presentations.
- Powerpoint techniques
- Presentation assignments
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Week 2: September 11
- Overheads/projection of vita; discuss; peer review of
vitae
- Presentation: Breitbach
Discussion leader: Stringer
Topic: John Haught and Ian Barbour each devised a
four-part classification for the interaction between
science and religion. Describe this classification using
either terminology and include examples of people or
ideas to show that you understand it.
Relevant link
- Presentation: Moriarty
Discussion leader: deSilva
Topic: Stephen Jay Gould used the concept of
Non-Overlapping Magesteria to argue that science
and religion should not be in conflict. Explain.
Gould
article
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Assignment: revise vita; job search---find at
least three jobs for which you may be qualified; prepare
a cover letter for one of the jobs; prepare for Armstrong
presentation.
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Week 3: September 18
- Discuss job opportunities; attend Armstrong
presentation
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Assignment: Prepare for next presentations; revise
cover letter.
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Week 4: September 25
- Presentation: Tscharner
Discussion leader: Brandt
Topic: Explain and give examples of how science and
religion differ in respect to knowledge and the methods
of obtaining it.
- Presentation: deSilva
Discussion leader: Tscharner
Topic: Explain the presence of Fraunhofer lines in the
spectrum of sunlight. How can these be used to determine
the composition of stars? How was helium discovered?
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Assignment: prepare for next presentations.
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Week 5: October 2
- Presentation: Walker
Discussion leader: Harrington
Topic: Explain briefly how mutation as a creative force
in evolution is demonstrated by antibiotic-resistant
bacteria.
- Presentation: Kahle
Discussion leader: Kuhle
Topic: What is young-earth creationism? Evaluate it
arguments.
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Assignment: Prepare for Edds seminar; handout on
Reason for Hope paper.
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Week 6: October 9
- Attend Edds seminar
-
Assignment: prepare for next presentations
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Week 7: October 16
- Presentation: Stringer
Discussion leader: Price
Topic: What is intelligent design? How does it differ
from young-earth creationism?
- Presentation: Helgerson
Discussion leader: Goemaat
Topic: What is punctuated equilibrium?
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Assignment: prepare for next presentations.
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Week 8: October 23
- Presentation: Sheldon
Discussion leader: Walker
Topic: What is speciation? Give examples of observed
cases of speciation.
- Presentation: Parsons
Discussion leader: Helgerson
Topic: What is an irreducibly complex system? Is the
inner ear an example? Why or why not?
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Assignment: prepare for Smith seminar---What is
yur view of the present and future role of mathematics in
the science curriculum?
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Week 9: October 30
- Presentation: Price
Discussion leader: Sheldon
Topic: What are five characteristics of fundamentalism?
Briefly describe them and provide examples.
Relevant link
- Attend Smith seminar
-
Assignment: prepare for next presentations.
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Week 10: November 6
- Presentation: Goemaat
Discussion leader: Parsons
Topic: What is the difference between science and
scientific materialism?
- Presentation: Kuhle
Discussion leader: Kahle
Topic: What is the relationship between determinism and
quantum mechanics?
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Assignment: Participate in mock interviews;
prepare for next presentations.
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Week 11: November 13
- Presentation: Brandt
Discussion leader: Breitbach
Topic: Is it possible for an individual event to be
completely unpredictable while a collection of such
events is completely predictable? How?
- Presentation: Harrington
Discussion leader: Moriarty
Topic: What is the anthropic principle? What are its
forms and implications?
- Mock interviews with Student Life
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Week 12: November 20
- Discussion of ethics and professionalism.
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Assignment: essay for Wendt assignment; prepare
for Jayawickrama seminar.
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Week 13: November 27th
Thanksgiving: No class
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Week 14: December 4
- Attend Jayawickrama seminar; Wendt assignment due.
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Week 15: December 11
-
Reason for Hope conversation.
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