FMS 170

FMS Course 170 - Darwin , Evolution, and Society
Spring Quarter 2006, TTh 3:30 4:45

Instructor: George F. Michel, (256-0021), room 295, Eberhart Building ;
Office Hours: TTh 1:30-3:00 or by appointment
e-mail: gfmichel@uncg.edu

Type of Course: This is an Internet intensive course (for course syllabus and links to reading assignments see "Course Syllabi" FMS 170 on my home page http://www.uncg.edu/~gfmichel) or on Blackboard. Teaching will involve lectures and assigned readings (on the Internet) and their integration via small group discussions, individual performance on homework projects, classroom discussion, and a final team presentation project. Evaluation will depend upon qualitative assessment of the student's classroom discussion and quantitative assessment of student's written assignments, presentation, and journal. Although there is a listed bibliography, the readings will be extracted from the Internet appropriately to the topic of discussion. Often, the reading assignments will illustrate alternative viewpoints.
As a First Year Student Seminar, this course is designed to introduce first-year students to the nature and scope of intellectual inquiry at UNCG. In a FMS Seminar, students can learn about a topic in depth, and then learn to complicate their view of that topic by examining it from different perspectives. Students also learn to read challenging texts critically and carefully and to use writing as a means of learning difficult subjects thoroughly and effectively.

Brief Course Description: Ever since its initial presentation, Darwinian notions about evolution have engendered much controversy in western societies. This course compares Darwin 's notions with those evolutionary notions prevalent before Darwin . Also, we examine how Darwin 's notions lead to the Eugenics movement, started by his cousin Galton and adopted by Herbert Spencer for use in his theory of social organization (social Darwinism). Early in the 20th Century, Mendel's genetic theories were rediscovered and incorporated into a Darwinian framework to create the modern Synthetic Theory of Evolution. This Synthetic Theory led to several "biological" theories about human behavior. For example, Sociobiology and Evolutionary Psychology seek to integrate social and biological sciences by treating many aspects of human psychology (e.g., violence, racial attitudes, intelligence, altruism, gender differences in values and behavior, homosexuality) and culture (e.g., incest taboos, marital customs, crime, religion, racial, sexual, and ethnic discrimination) as products of naturally selected genetic programs. This course will help you to critically examine the common assumptions of the Synthetic theory (that natural selection underlies all directed evolutionary change and that it acts on genes). Alternative accounts to Darwinian Theory that rely on creationism notions and intelligent design also are examined critically. Finally a biological account is presented that is consistent with Darwinian notions, but is neither reductionistic nor deterministic.

Course Requirements: In addition to the assigned readings, students are responsible for the following five activities:
    1.    Five projects worth 25% of your final grade (FAQs, three questions about "text material", "tree of life", "quincunx", and speciation) to be handed in at the times noted in the syllabus,
    2.    Fourteen homework assignments (a 600-700 word report of what you learned during the previous week) worth 42% of your final grade - each will be posted on Blackboard by Tuesday morning. This report is not a brief summary of what was discussed or read during the previous week but rather an account of those ideas, notions, and bits of information encountered in the readings or discussion with which you were previously unfamiliar or unaware. When writing this paper, first describe exactly the notion, idea, bit of information, etc. of which you were previously unaware or unfamiliar and then describe exactly how it changed your understanding of Darwin, Evolution, and Society.
    3.    A journal (worth 12 % of your final grade) with at least two entries/week of class to be handed in during class on the last day (but will be collected periodically during the semester for evaluation of your progress; so, bring it to every class meeting). These journal entries should describe how the things that you are learning in this course pop-up during your daily activities (conversations with peers, parents, events in the media, other courses, etc.).

These first three assignments meet the writing intensive character of this course. Each of the five assignments in number 1 above will be approximately 700-900 words in length. They will reveal your knowledge of a particular topic by how well you are able to communicate it to an audience. Your first draft will be reviewed and constructively evaluated by an advanced undergraduate facilitator. The second draft will be constructively evaluated by the instructor. The final product will be graded for both content and clarity of exposition. These assignments will enable you to effectively communicate your understanding of Darwinian Theory to others and to identify, and offer corrections for, common misconceptions among the general population.

4. A team presentation (to occur during the last week of classes) worth 16% of your final grade. Each presentation will examine a specific issue about evolution: 1. Evolution and Chance, 2. Evolution and Design, 3. Antiadaptationist Evidence, 4. Is Evolution a Religion?, 5. Human Evolution, 6. Evolution of whales. The presentation will provide information about: a) what is known about the issue; b) how it relates to the rest of the course; c) what discussion of this issue adds to the understanding of the relation of evolution to society. Only one presentation will be constructed by each team; however, each member of the team must contribute to the team's product. Each member of the team will grade his/her performance and that of each other member (including team facilitators) and include a paragraph justification for each grade.
5. Meeting once/week with your facilitator for about one hour to discuss your progress in the course, the homework assignments, and preparation for the team presentation (worth 5% of your final grade).

Student Learning Goals:

At the completion of this course, the student will be able to:

· Demonstrate the ability to write clearly, coherently and effectively about their educational experience and relate it to their understanding how Darwinian evolution has affected U.S. society.

· Adapt modes of communication to the audience so as to transfer their knowledge and experience about the controversy surrounding Darwinian Theory to others.

· Incorporate constructive feedback from readers to improve their written work.

· Interpret writing and discourse related to the social impact of Darwinian theory

· Describe some of the methodologies and theoretical frameworks used to study the interrelationship between the individual ( Darwin ) and society but more importantly how societal responsiveness to Darwinian theory has an impact on each of you as members of U.S. society

· Present a more informed understanding of the broader social or intellectual contexts of individual events or situations (Darwinian theory both when it was initially presented and in modern times)

· Continue to gain new knowledge and insight from the perspective of this course

Grading: A total of 67% of your grade will be determined by your performance on the five projects described in number 1 above (each will be awarded 0 to 5 points for a total of 5% each) and the 14 homework assignments described in number 2 above (each will be awarded 0 to 3 points for a total of 3% each). Your journal is worth 12% of your final grade (and will be graded from 0 to 12%). Your team project will be worth 16% of your final grade (and will be graded from 0 to 8% for your part of the presentation and from 0 to 8% from the grade provided by your teammates and facilitator). Your participation in discussion with your facilitator will be worth 5% of your final grade and will be assigned by your facilitator in collaboration with the class instructor.

Attendance policy: Only Doctors excuses will be accepted for absences. Attendance is essential for the success of seminar courses.

Adverse weather policy: You can get information about campus closings/delays from the following sources:

· UNCG home page (www.uncg.edu)

· Campus Switchboard (336-334-5000)

· UNCG Adverse Weather Line (336-334-4400)

· University Police (336-334-5963)

· Triad TV stations: WGHP-TV (FOX 8), WFMY-TV (News 2), WXII-TV (News Channel 12) and WUPN-TV (UPN 45).

For our Tuesday and Thursday schedule changes due to a delay in the opening of the university, faculty and students should proceed to the class that would normally be under way at the time the university is opened. If the universitys opening is delayed until 10 a.m., for example, then all 9:30 a.m. classes will begin at that time and run through the end of the period. Other classes that day will meet on the normal schedule. Make-up of any missed classes or class time will be arranged at the discretion of the professor.

Academic Integrity: The UNCG Honor Code applies to all of the work that you do for this class. It is your responsibility to be sure that you understand and abide by this policy concerning cheating, plagiarism, and other areas of academic dishonesty and the consequences for violation of this policy. Please see below for a link to the UNCG Academic Integrity Policies.

http://studentconduct.uncg.edu/policy/academicintegrity/

If you are unclear as to what constitutes plagiarism, please see (scroll down to find the section): http://library.uncg.edu/depts/ref/tutorial/integrate/integprint.html

Other course policies: All electronics must be shut off or silenced. Instant messaging and such will not be tolerated.

Syllabus for Darwin , Evolution, and Society:

Topic Date

I. Introduction (How does Darwinian Theory relate to U.S. society?) 1/10

Project 1: Form teams and answer FAQs and return to team facilitators 1/17

II. What is science? 1/12

II. What is Evolution? 1/17-24

Project 2: Using text material, briefly describe: 1/19

1. Three common misconceptions about evolution

2. Three common misconceptions about natural selection

3. The differences between micro- and macroevolution

Hand in your text material work to your team facilitators by 1/24

III. Apes, Angels, and Victorians 1/26

A. Darwin's perspective (read Chapter 14) 1/26

1. Who was Charles Darwin? 1/31

2. Darwin in Context 2/2

3. A. R. Wallace 2/7-9

4. T. H. Huxley 2/7-9

B. Evolutionary theories before Darwin 2/14

1. Aristotle 2/14

2. John Ray 2/14

3. Carolus Linnaeus 2/16

4. Georges Cuvier 2/16

5. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck 2/21

6. Erasmus Darwin 2/21

Project 3: Using the Tree of Life, specify each of the classification steps from Eukaryotes to: 1) mushrooms, 2) pine trees, 3) magnolias, 4) bees, 5) humans. Hand in to team facilitators on 2/24.

Spring Break 2/27-3/4

C. Social Darwinism, Religion, and Society 3/7

1. The Victorian Response 3/9

2. Herbert Spencer 3/9

3. Sir Francis Galton 3/14

4. Eugenics 3/14

Project 4: Describe how the quincunx fit with Galton's notions about Eugenics. Hand in to team facilitators on 3/21.

IV. Development, Genetics, and Evolution 3/16

A. Gregor Mendel 3/21

B. Genetics and Development 3/23

1. Haeckel

2. Morgan

C. Genetics before Mendel 3/23

D. The Synthetic theory 3/28

V. Modern Consequences of Darwinism 3/29

A. Universal Darwinism 4/4

B. Speciation 4/6

C. Ultra-Darwinism 4/11

Project 5: Describe briefly the process of speciation, including the traditional scenario, polyploidy, punctuated equilibrium, ring species, and mating preference. Hand in to team facilitators on 4/13.

VI. Creationism Science and Intelligent Design 4/18

A. Thesis 4/18

B. Antithesis 4/20

C. Resolution? 4/20

VII. Individuals as Active Players in their Destinies 4/20

Journals due 4/25 (in class)

Presentations 4/25 and 4/27

Web Sites:

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/

http://www.natcenscied.org/

http://www.talkorigins.org/

http://nationalacademies.org/evolution/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/

Bibliography:

Alters, B.J. & Alters, S.M. (2001). Defending evolution: A guide to the creation/evolution controversy. Sudbury , MA : Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Bowles, P. J. (1996). Charles Darwin: The man and his influence. NY: Cambridge U. press.

Cowen, R. (2000). History of life, 3rd Ed. Oxford, England: Blackwell Science, Inc.

Dawkins, R. (1986). Sociobiology: The new storm in a teacup. In S. Rose & L. Appignanesi (Eds.) Science and beyond (pp. 73-75). NY: Basil Blackwell.

Dawkins. R. (1996). The blind watchmaker: Why the evidence of evolution reveals a universe without design. NY: Norton

Dawkins, R. (1997). Climbing mount improbable. NY: Norton.

Dawkins, R. (1998). Unweaving the rainbow: Science, delusion, and the appetite for wonder. N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Dennett, D. C. (1995). Darwin 's dangerous idea. NY: Simon & Schuster

Goodwin, B. & Dawkins, R. (1995). What is an organism? A discussion. In N.S. Thompson (Ed.) Behavioral design, Perspectives in Ethology, vol. 11 (47-60). NY: Plenum

Gould, S. J. (1981). The mismeasure of man. NY: Norton.

Gould, S.J. (1987). Darwinism defined: The difference between fact and theory. Discover (January), 64-70.

Gould, S. J. (1989). Wonderful Life: The Burgess shale and the nature of history. NY: Norton.

Gould S.J. (1996). Full house: The spread of excellence from Plato to Darwin . NY: Crown Publishers, Inc.

Gould, S.J. (1999). Rocks of ages: Science and religion in the fullness of life. N.Y.: Ballantine Books.

Gould, S. J., Ed. (2001). The book of life. NY: Norton.

Gould, S.J. & Lewontin, R.C. (1979). The spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian paradigm: A critique of the adaptationist programme. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 205, 581-598.

Kauffman, S. (1996). Even peptides do it. Nature, 382, 496-497.

Irvine , W. (1956). Apes, Angels and Victorians. London : Readers Union .

Pigliucci, M. (2005). Denying evolution: Creationism, Scientism, and the nature of science. Sunderland , MA : Sinauer.

Rose, S. (1988). Reflections on reductionism. Trends in Biochemical Science, 13, 160-162 & 379-380.

Rose, S. (1998). Lifelines: Biology beyond determinism. NY: Oxford U. press.

Scott, E.C. (1996). Creationism, ideology, and science. In P.R. Gross, N Levitt , & M.W. Lewis (Eds.) The flight from science and reason (pp. 505-522). New York : The New York Academy of Sciences.

Scott, E.C. & Eldredge, N. (2005). Evolution vs. creationism: An introduction. Berkely , CA : Univ California Press.

Thomas, W.A. (1986). Commentary: Science v. Creation-science. Science, Technology, and Human Values, 47-51.

Tort, P. (2001). Darwin and the science of evolution. NY: Harry N. Abrams Inc.

Wilson , E.O. (1978). On human nature. Cambridge , MA : Harvard U. Press.

Zimmer, C. (2001). Evolution: The tirumph of an idea. NY: HarperCollins Publishers.