REL 394/JH Seminar in Biology and Religion/Questions at the Interface

Honors Course, North Carolina Wesleyan College, January 1999

Instructor: Dr. Nicola Hoggard Creegan

Room 174
email mailto:ncreegan@ncwc.edu
(click to send a message)

Religion Department, North Carolina Wesleyan College, Wesleyan Blvd, Rocky Mount, NC 27804

This is a web-integrated course at North Carolina Wesleyan College, a private Methodist liberal arts college.

Web Page for this course: http://faculty.ncwc.edu/ncreegan/SCIENCE.HTM

This course is an Upper Level Honors Course, of three semester credits.

Hours: Twelve hours a week for three weeks.

Last taught: January 1999, 11 students.

Pedagogical Reflections

Classroom: Honors Room

Hours: 9-12, Mon- Thur, and afternoons as needed
Hours are approximate, and we will take longer in class if needed
Friday may be used for video presentation

Course Requirements:

Attendance, preparation, and participation 35%
Research Paper and Presentations 35%
Journal 15%
In class paragraphs, homework, and quizzes (including a Darwin quizz) 15%

OBJECTIVES:

To obtain an understanding of the major issues and the historical development of the science/religion conflict
To understand some of the philosophical developments and changes which preceded Darwinism
To understand some of the other nineteenth century intellectual developments which undermined traditional Christian faith
To understand some of the many directions Darwinian evolutionary thought has taken, and its manifold affects on our culture and thinking
To understand the various modifications to Darwinian evolutionary thought since Darwin
To understand the difference which changes in scientific epistemology, and postmodernism have made, and to understand the concept of models and theories in science and religion
To understand the fundamentalist reaction and the development of the creation science movement
To understand the major contemporary arguments in the evolutionary/religion debate
To understand how changes in our conception of matter and physics interface with religious and biological ideas
To understand the connection between ecology and religion

Texts:

Janet Browne, Charles Darwin: Voyaging, Princeton University Press, 1996
* William A. Dembski, editor, Mere Creation: Science Faith and Intelligent Design, 1998
# John Hedley Brooke, Science and Religion:Some HIstorical Perspectives, Cambridge University Press, 1998
Web articles and handouts

Web Page Resources

Page for this course--http://www.ncwc.edu/~ncreegan/SCIENCE.HTM
Search Engines accessible from this page at NCWC library: EBSCO, OCLC (NC LIVE)
Also Uncover

Sites with good articles and source material:

The American Scientific Affiliation--based at Calvin college
American Association for the Advancement of Science--Evolution Resources (Program for Dialogue between Science and Religion)
Phillip E. Johnson, Darwin on Trial--resources associated with Johnson's book Defeating Darwinism
God and Science--chapters of a book by Charles Henderson, contains links to informative pages on Darwin and his life, the Scopes trial, and other resources.
ARIL/CrossCurrents
Books & Culture--Christianity Today Publication
Perspectives on Science & Christian Faith --Journal out of ASA
C enter for Theology and the Natural Sciences--resources on religion and science

Other Sites of Interest:

The Templeton Foundation --John Templeton, millionaire philanthropist who funds science/religion projects around the world
Darwin-and Darwinism internet discussion list --selected archives to be made available by instructor
Science and Spirit --Science and religion newletter

Darwin Sources

C. Warren Irvin Jr., Collection of Darwin and Darwiniana
Religious Belief--from the autobiography of Charles Darwin
Texts of Charles Darwin's books--The Voyage of the Beagle, the Origin of the Species, and The Descent of Man
Inherit the Wind: Hollywood History of the 1925 Scopes 'Monkey' Trial--David N. Menton

Schedule and Readings

Tues Jan 5 Introduction to the Science/Religion Debate Genesis	No readings
Wed/Thur Jan 6/7: Science/Religion models Models, Paradigms and Language Philosophical background	Readings for Wed/Th
Mon /Tue Jan 11/12 : Darwin and his world	Readings for Mon/Tue
Wed Jan 13: After Darwin: Social Darwinism and Sociobiology	Readings for Wed
Thur Jan 14: The Fundamentalist reaction Creation Science	Readings for Thur
Tue Jan 19 Science and Religion: from conflict to contact and dialogue.	Readings for Tue
Wed-Th Jan 20-21 Contemporary Dialogue	Readings for Wed-Thur
Mon Jan 25 Persons and Nature The ecological crisis	Readings for Monday
Tue/Wed Jan 26/27 Student Reports	Readings for Tue/Wed
Thursday Jan 28: Reception at the Dunn Center	Readings for Thusday


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