Special Topics Seminar
Fall 2004
Dr. Maria Tahamont
New Science Building 256B
256-4500 ext. 3584
Class meeting time: Wednesday 4:45 to 7:15
New Science Building 229
Text: Elements of Style – Strunk & White
Description: This course will examine Biology as a scientific construct situated in time and society. We will discuss the processes of scientific research, the construction of knowledge, the concepts of bias, and the idea of hierarchy of knowledge, among other things.
We will use a variety of readings as our initial source for discussion and will then expand on the ideas presented and search for literature on our own as we progress further into the topic.
The goal of this course is to demonstrate that science is a human endeavor and that all we know is the result of human efforts to examine, understand, codify, record and report on the natural world. We will explore several aspects of scientific knowledge and try to understand the context of the work and how the context influences the results. We will talk about who does biological research and when it is done. We will investigate several significant biological milestones and try to understand the multiple perspectives and situations that have influenced the accepted cannon. We will attempt to take into consideration the historical, social and political events that have had a profound impact on biological knowledge. We will read, think, talk and write about how biology, and in a larger sense all science, is done.
A word about the type of course – A seminar requires active participation. It is designed to be an intellectual discussion by informed individuals. All of the course requirements will contribute to the success of the seminar.
Requirements: ATTENDENCE IS MANDATORY! So is writing.
We will write every week. Each week we will discuss assigned readings. You must read before class. To insure that this is done, each member of the seminar will write a reaction to the readings on our Web CT discussion board before class. This will be part of your grade. It must be done on time. Web CT records when entries are made. The discussions on Web CT require an entry by each student on the assigned readings for the week and a response to two other responses for that week. If you are the first person to post a response for the week you will have to go on Web CT again later to make your reactions to other responses.
This weekly writing assignment meets four goals. First, it forces us to read the materials for both content and inspiration. Second, it forces us to write. The only way to get better at writing is to write, and write often. Third, this assignment will ensure that all members of the group are prepared for the discussion. This ensures that the final goal will be met, which is that all of us become, to some degree, authorities on the material. We will all share responsibility for the material. This grants us all ownership and forces the responsibility for learning directly onto our own shoulders.
The second weekly writing assignment will be a two page typed reaction paper brought to class each week. This may seem redundant but the discussion board entries are informal, this assignment is formal. This writing will be graded for content and form, grammar, spelling, content, and logical presentation, all count. This writing will meet the four goals expressed above for the discussion board as well as providing the additional benefit of improving our writing skills. These assignments will be the greatest help in bettering our written communication. In addition these graded assignments will allow you to get to know what I am looking for so that when you get to writing your paper for the semester you won’t be struggling with how to write, just what to write.
The third weekly writing assignment will happen at the end or after class. Each of us will keep a course journal. At points in our discussion we will take time to write about the topics and ideas. These journals will be brought to class each week and we will use them, sometimes more than once during our class.
Journal writing will allow us to address three aims. First, it will be an opportunity to voice ideas and opinions we do not feel are ready for public discussion. These ideas may provide many seeds that will bear fruit later in the class or the course. Second, not every person feels comfortable presenting new ideas in public. Our journals will be a channel that allows more frequent communication for all of us, particularly those who resist speaking in class. My goal is to have full participation in every class. Third, because I will collect the journals several times during the semester, we will open a direct line of communication between you and me. The journal will also be helpful when you are trying to connect ideas from one set of readings to the next and can be extremely useful in your weekly Web CT assignments.
After the first two topics, where I will select the readings and facilitate the discussion, it will be the responsibility of the members for the seminar to present. Each week will require a two-member team. You may choose your partner and, to some degree, your topic. The team will be responsible for selecting readings, journal assignments, guiding the discussion and direction of the class. After the class, each team member will write an assessment. It is vital to have defined goals for the class so that the team will be able to determine if these goals were met.
The content of this course can be far ranging and extremely interesting. It shouldn’t take long to start asking critical questions about the body of knowledge.
What we are aiming for is a careful analysis and better understanding of the construction of what we know. To that end each student will write a research paper as the final writing assignment for our course. What you choose to examine in biology is up to you. You will have to submit your topic before Thanksgiving and it must be approved. The rough draft will be due on December 1, 2004. I will return the draft to you and when you turn in the final draft the rough draft with my comments must be handed in as well. The draft is not optional. In addition to the paper you will present the your paper to the group in an abbreviated form and these presentations will comprise the last few meetings of our class.
To summarize our requirements:
1. Attendance is mandatory
2. Weekly Web CT
3. Weekly Reaction Papers
4. Weekly journal entries
5. Major research paper
6. Team presentation and assessment
7. Discussion participation.
Evaluation: Assessment of the course will fall into three areas. The weekly writing assignments, paper and journal entries, and attendance/participation will be grouped together and constitute 50% of the final grade. The remaining portion of the grade will be divided between the team presentation and assessment (25%) and the research paper (25%.) Critical analysis of the writing assignments and appropriate adjustments will be a key to the successful completion of this course.
I fully anticipate that, at the end of this course, our understanding of biology, its processes and its body of knowledge, will be expanded. This course will challenge us to see biology in a new way, and I hope all bodies of knowledge. In addition it seems that we will all be better writers at the end of this course.