UNIV 197C ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND RELIGION

Fall 2004

 

Professor:  Howard Brooks    241 Julian     658-4653        hlbrooks@depauw.edu

Meeting Times:            8 – 8:50 MWRF                         Room:                          111 Julian

Office Hours:                9-10:30  MWRF

 

Texts:   SCIENCE AND RELIGION : FROM CONFLICT TO CONVERSATION

                                    by John F. Haught

 

            RELIGION AND THE NATURAL SCIENCES: THE RANGE OF

                                    ENGAGEMENT,  James E. Huchingson, editor

 

OBJECTIVES:

By the end of the semester each student should be able to:

 

1 _ Evaluate models relating science and religion

 

2 _ Identify, summarize and think critically about the perspectives of theologians, philosophers, and scientists from assigned readings

 

3 _ Approach issues regarding science and religion with some understanding of past interactions

 

4 _ Comprehend basic theological, philosophical, and scientific concepts

 

EXPECTATIONS:

 

CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: Students in the course will be expected to attend every class session.  You should participate actively in all discussions.  Combined these will be worth 10% of the semester grade.

 

JOURNAL: You will keep a journal with reactions to all assigned readings.  These reactions should include specific answers to the QUESTIONS FOR STUDY and the QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION at the end of each reading in Huchingson.   Your journal should answer the questions BEFORE you come to class on the day for which the reading is assigned.  The journal will be submitted for evaluation four times during the semester.  The first submission will not be graded, but will be critiqued.  The final three submissions will each be worth 6% of the semester grade.

 

PAPERS:  You will write a three to four page paper (not including references) on each of the eight topics throughout the semester.   Each paper will be worth 9% of the semester grade.

 

ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE BY 1 p.m. EST ON THE DAY LISTED IN THE DETAILED COURSE OUTLINE.  ALL LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE SUBJECT TO A 1/3 LETTER GRADE REDUCTION PER DAY. 

 

From the University 2004-05 catalog (p. 198) grades will be assigned according to the following definitions:

 

A, A-                 Achievement of exceptionally high merit

 

B+, B, B-          Achievement at a level superior to the basic level

 

C+, C, C-          Basic achievement

 

D+, D, D-          Minimum achievement that warrants credit

 

F                      Failure: the achievement fails to meet course requirements.

                        The student receives no credit.

DETAILED COURSE OUTLINE WITH ASSIGNED READINGS

Monday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

 

8/25  Introduction

8/26

Haught, Introduction

8/27

Huchingson, Preface

8/30 TOPIC #1:

Is Religion Opposed to Science?

Haught, Ch. 1

9/1

Ian Barbour

Huchingson (pp. 6-34)

9/2

Mary Midgley

Huchingson(35-39)

9/3 SUBMIT JOURNAL

Harold K. Schilling

Huchingson (40-46)

9/6

H. Richard Neibuhr

Huchingson(47-56)

9/8

Hans Kung

Huchingson (57-60)

9/9

Langdon Gilkey

Huchingson (61-66)

9/10

Martin Buber

Huchingson (67-70)

9/13 TOPIC #2:

Does Science Rule out a Personal God?

Haught, Ch. 2

9/15 PAPER #1 DUE

 

Huchingson (122-26)

9/16

C.S. Lewis

Huchingson(127-30)

9/17

Richard H. Bube

Huchingson (131-41)

9/20

Karl Popper

Huchingson (142-47)

9/22

Albert Einstein

Huchingson (148-52)

9/23

Paul Tillich

Huchingson (153-6)

9/24

John Hick

Huchingson (157-60)

9/27

Spivey & Smith

Huchingson (161-8)

9/29

Richard Dawkins

Huchingson (169-71)

9/30

Paul Davies

Huchingson (172-7)

10/1 TOPIC #3:

Does Evolution Rule Out God’s Existence?

Haught, Ch. 3

10/4 PAPER #2 DUE

Ian Barbour

Huchingson (256-64)

10/6

Duane Gish

Huchingson (265-74)

10/7

Isaac Asimov

Huchingson (275-284)

10/8 SUBMIT JOURNAL

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Huchingson (285-97)

10/11  NO CLASS

 

10/13 

Burhoe

Huchingson(298-307)

10/14 TOPIC #4:

Is Life Reducible to Chemistry?

Haught, Ch. 4

 

10/15 PAPER #3 DUE

Ruse and Wilson

Huchingson (308-12)

10/18 FALL BREAK

10/20 FALL BREAK

10/21 FALL BREAK

10/22 FALL BREAK

10/25

Peter Singer

Huchingson (313-28)

10/27 

Arthur Peacocke

Huchingson (329-36)

10/28 TOPIC #5:

Was the Universe Created?

Haught, Ch. 5

10/29 PAPER #4 DUE

Douglas P. Lackey

Huchingson (190-95)

11/1

Walter Jastrow

Huchingson (196-98)

11/3

Geisler & Anderson

Huchingson(199-204)

11/4 SUBMIT JOURNAL

John R. Russell

Huchingson (205-8)

11/5   NO CLASS

11/8 TOPIC #6:

Do We Belong Here?

Haught, Ch. 6

11/10 PAPER #5 DUE

Freeman Dyson

Huchingson (209-13)

11/11

George Wald

Huchingson (214-19)

11/12

Feinberg & Shapiro

Huchingson (220-1)

11/15

John Updike

Huchingson(222-4)

11/17 TOPIC #7:

Does the Universe Have a Purpose?

Haught, Ch. 8

11/18 PAPER #6 DUE

Fritjof Capra

Huchingson (225-30)

11/19

Annie Dillard

Huchingson (231-4)

11/22

John Polkinghorne

Huchingson (235-45)

11/24 BREAK

11/25 THANKSGIVING

11/26 BREAK

11/29 TOPIC #8:

Is Religion Responsible for the Ecological Crisis?

Haught, Ch. 9

12/1 PAPER #7 DUE

J. Patrick Dobel

Huchingson (350-6)

12/2

Sallie McFague

Huchingson (357-64)

12/3

John B. Cobb

Huchingson (365-73)

12/6

Elizabeth Dodson Gray

Huchingson (374-82)

12/8

James Lovelock

Huchingson (383-7)

12/9

Thomas Berry

Huchingson (388-95)

12/10

Catherine Roach

Huchingson (396-9)

Tuesday, December 14 – PAPER #8  and Final Journal Entries DUE