CORE 3300-01 Course Syllabus
Spring 2006
Instructor: D. Miller
Office, Phone, and E-Mail: Old Main 327, ext. 3894. millerd@mcmurryadm.mcm.edu
Office Hours: MW—9:00-10:00 a.m., MW—2:30-4:00 p.m., TR—10:30-11:30 a.m., TR—1:30-4:00 p.m., and by appointment.
Course Description: This course will acquaint you with the definition and meaning of human knowledge and its relationship with culture. It will examine the emergence of unified systems of knowledge by concentrating on how three major scientific achievements—Euclidean geometry, Newtonian mechanics, Darwin’s theory of evolution—have helped shape the framework of societies, past and present. Our aims in the course are many: to identify some of the major contributions to science and changes in culture those contributions have evoked from ancient Greece to the twenty-first century; to gain an appreciation for how major scientific contributions have brought about changes in societal norms and values; to identify how responsible and informed application of human knowledge is vital to both individuals and society as a whole; to polish the writing, speaking, reading, and critical thinking skills you’ve developed in previous courses; to provide a learning environment where we can discover and share with one another new insights into the world around us and speculate about what our role should be in using human knowledge to help shape the culture of the future.
Course Prerequisites: CORE 1300, CORE 2300, and the completion of the Science general education requirement.
Texts: Aeschylus. The Oresteia. Penguin.
Brecht, Bertolt. Galileo. Grove Press.
Darwin, Charles. The Origin of Species. Penguin.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Perennial Library.
“Readings for CORE 3300: Human Knowledge.” McMurry Print Shop.
The Republic of Plato. Trans. Francis MacDonald Cornford. Oxford: 1945.
Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels. Penguin.
Assignments: The six major texts, supplemental readings, videos, and lectures will provide the basic subject matter for this course. We’ll define assignments more definitely as the semester progresses; however, the basic writing requirements will be several daily quizzes, three major examinations, and three essays. We’ll also prepare a few group oral presentations during the semester.
Grading: Your final grade will be based on your daily quiz average (30%), major exams (30%), essays (30%), and group presentations (10%). Please read further for additional information that could affect your final grade. The grade scale I'll follow appears at the top of the next page.
A 93-100
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D+ 67-69
D 63-66
D- 60-62
F Anything below 60
Attendance: Your presence in class benefits not only you but also your fellow students. Unexcused absences will adversely affect your final grade—the greater the number of absences, the greater the adverse effect. We will abide by the attendance policy outlined in the McMurry Catalog, about unexcused absences, and I also reserve the right to submit your name for dropping you from the course if you have more than five absences of any sort (excused or unexcused). Please let me know of any unusual circumstances that may affect your attendance in this class.
Late Papers: Late papers are hazards to your academic health. Papers turned in late without a truly extenuating excuse will be penalized—the later the paper, the greater the penalty. Late essays will be penalized two (2) points if submitted on the due date but after class time and ten (10) points for each weekday after the due date up to a maximum of five days. Essays may not be turned in more than a week late without special permission from the instructor. Daily quizzes cannot be taken at any time other than that scheduled. Major exams can only be made up with the permission of the instructor. Plan to take tests at the scheduled time. In case of unavoidable absences, you may request permission to take an exam early with no deduction from your grade.
Cellular Phone Policy: All cell phones (and any other means of electronic communication) are to be turned off and put away (that means out of sight and out of touch) during class. This issue is one of courtesy; please don't be a boor (or a bore for that matter).
Plagiarism: Simply put, plagiarism is presenting another’s work as your own without proper acknowledgment. Don’t compromise your integrity in this or any other course . . . you can’t afford the academic hit (a zero in my class). Besides, you only have to live with me this semester; you have to live with yourself forever. Enough said?
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Mon Jan 16
Wed Jan 18
Mon Jan 23
Wed Jan 25
Mon Jan 30
Wed Feb 1
Mon Feb 6
Wed Feb 8
Mon Feb 13
Wed Feb 15
Mon Feb 20
Wed Feb 22
Mon Feb 27
Wed Mar 1
Mon Mar 6
Wed Mar 8
Mon Mar 20
Wed Mar 22
Mon Mar 27
Wed Mar 29
Mon Apr 3
Wed Apr 5
Mon Apr 10
Wed Apr 12
Wed Apr 19
Mon Apr 24
Wed Apr 26
Mon May 1
Wed May 3
Mon May 8
Final Examinations |
Course Overview. Mythological context of The Oresteia and a brief introduction to Greek theatre. Assignment: read Agamemnon by Aeschylus.
Daily quiz. Historical context of The Oresteia. Video: The Classical Ideal. Assignment: read The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides by Aeschylus.
Daily quiz. Video: excerpts from The Oresteia. Short introduction to Plato’s Republic. Assignment: read The Republic of Plato pp. 1-53.
Daily quiz. The intellectual context of The Republic. Assignment: read The Republic of Plato pp. 53-102.
Daily quiz. Large group discussion. Assignment: read The Republic of Plato pp. 102-174.
Daily quiz. Sophistry and rhetorical proofs. Assignment: read The Republic of Plato pp. 175-235.
Daily quiz. Euclid and his geometry, axioms, and theorems. Assignment: read The Republic of Plato pp. 235-263, 315-320, 341-359. Work on Essay #1.
Daily quiz. Legacy of deductive method (Platonic rationalism). Review sheets for Exam #1. Assignment: work on Essay #1.
Turn in Essay #1. Large group presentations. Assignment: prepare for Exam #1.
Take Exam #1.
Introduction to Part II of the course including the developments in philosophy and religion from the time of Aristotle up until the fall of Toledo and the beginning of the Renaissance in Europe. Assignment: read "Pre-Newtonian Astronomy" by R. Rittenhouse and "Summary of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" in the readings book.
Daily quiz. The nature of scientific revolution: the Aristotelian paradigm of terrestrial motion; the Ptolemaic paradigm of celestial motion. Assignment: study notes and handouts.
Daily quiz. The cultural revolution called "Renaissance," rebirth of classical learning, humanism, painting, sculpture, literature. The Protestant Reformation. View video: The High Renaissance. Assignment: read Bertolt Brecht's Galileo.
Daily quiz. Bertolt Brecht's Galileo. View Science Revises the Heavens. Assignment: read Newton's preface to the first edition of the Principia in the readings book.
Daily quiz. Introduction to the Enlightenment and the Newtonian Synthesis. Brief introduction to Gulliver's Travels. Assignment: read Part 3 of Gulliver's Travels.
Daily quiz. Gulliver’s Travels book 3. Assignment: read Part 4 of Gulliver's Travels.
SPRING BREAK
Daily quiz. Gulliver's Travels book 4. Assignment: work on Essay #2.
View An Age of Reason, An Age of Passion. Review sheets for second exam. Assignment: continue working on Essay #2. Begin preparing for Exam #2.
Turn in Essay #2. Large group presentations. Assignment: prepare for Exam #2.
Take Exam #2.
Introduction to Romanticism including Political Revolution and the Industrial Revolution.
Romantic music, art, and theatre. Assignment: read "On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type" in the readings book.
Pre-Darwinian theory and an introduction to Darwin. View part 1 of Darwin’s Revolution—Fit to Rule. Assignment: read The Origin of Species pp. 53-91, 99-101*, and 130-136. (* indicates only the preview or summary within the passage.)
Daily quiz. View part 2 of Darwin’s Revolution—Fit to Rule. Assignment: read The Origin of Species pp. 169-172*, 202-204*, 205-233, 435-460.
EASTER BREAK
Daily quiz. Social Darwinism and the continuing controversy over Darwinism. A short introduction to Brave New World. Assignment: read Brave New World pp. 1-147 (I-IX).
Daily quiz. Huxley and Brave New World. View Beyond Genesis: The Origin of Species. Assignment: read Brave New World pp. 148-267 (X-XVIII).
Daily quiz. Genetic Engineering and the Human Genome Project. Science fiction and fact: what does the future hold? Assignment: begin work on Essay #3.
Daily quiz. Large group presentations. Assignment: continue working on Essay #3.
Turn in Essay #3. Review sheets for Exam #3. Course critique. Large group discussion. Assignment: study for Exam #3 (to be taken during final exam period).
Course Summary. Review for Exam #3. Assignment: continue study for Exam #3.
Final Exam for MW 1:00 class is Wednesday, May 10th, 1:00-3:00 p.m. |