LBST 304 Syllabus--1 of 5Liberal Studies 304Science in the Modern WorldProf. Craig McConnell • Fall 2004This course examines the content and culture of the natural sciences in the modern period. Content willinclude relativity theory, quantum theory, nuclear physics, the standard model in particle physics,advances in astrophysics and cosmology, genetics, the evolutionary synthesis, molecular biology, andwork on genome sequences. As these bodies of knowledge are examined, we will also consider theculture of science, individual and collective styles of working in science, the role of the scientist in theculture at large, and the larger cultural and philosophical relevance of scientific knowledge.In the course of the semester, you will be exposed to the core concepts of modern science, you will beintroduced to a number of perspectives from which science can be studied, and you will write criticallyabout science. An outline of the topics for the semester follows. Reading assignments are indicated as follows:K1 = Read Keller, Chap. 1. Cr4 = Read Crick, Chap. 4. R3 = Read item 3 in the course reader. Refer to the list of assigned reading on page 3 for a complete key.Do the Reading Before Class on the Day Indicated.Writing assignments are indicated as follows:A1 Due. You will find the assignments on the course web site:http://faculty.fullerton.edu/cmcconnell/304/Resources.htmIntroductions and Semester Preview Aug. 23 Course Themes. Preview the institutional setting of science, 1895-1995. Previewkey conceptual developments in science, 1895-1995. Aug. 25 Physics from Newton to Einstein; Biology from Harvey to Mendel. Scientific Literacy. The Study of Science. R1 R2 R3 HTintro CPintro [A1 Due.] Aug. 30 Looking forward: Current Issues in Science. Sep. 1 Does each science need its own philosophy? Mayr vs. Kuhn. HT1 R4Personality and Science. C8 Cr1 Cr2 K2 R5 [A2 Due.]Final Presentations AssignedInnovations in Turn of the Century Science A. Advances in Experimental PhysicsSep. 6 [Labor Day] Sep. 8 X Rays, Radioactivity, Transmutation. HT2 R6 C1 C2 [A3 Due.]B. Quantum TheorySep. 13 Planck and discontinuity in black body radiation. Bohr’s atom. HT4 C3 C4 C5C6 C7Sep. 15 Wave behaviors and de Broglie’s atom; the probabilistic view. The CopenhagenInterpretation and the Quantum Legacy. HT5 C9 C10 C11LBST 304 Syllabus--2 of 5C. Relativity Theory Sep. 20 Einstein, Gedankenexperimenten, and the origins of Relativity Theory. HT3 R13Sep. 22 The relativity of length, time, and mass. Lorentz transformations, space-timediagrams, the twin paradox. HT12Sep. 27 General Relativity and the curvature of Space-Time. The twin paradox resolved. Sep. 29 Experimental confirmation. Einstein’s Legacy CP2 R7 [A4 Due.]Oct. 4 Exam IModern SynthesesA. The Evolutionary SynthesisOct. 6 Paleontology, natural history, population genetics. The Evolutionary Synthesis. HT17 R8Oct. 11 The chemical approach to understanding life: Watson, Crick, and the Structure ofDNA HT15 Cr3-Cr6 R9 [A5 (1a & 2 only) Due.]Oct. 13 Breaking the DNA Code. Barbara McClintock and Corn Genetics HT16Cr8-Cr13 K3-K6Oct. 18 The Molecular Revolution. K10-K12 [A5 (1b & 2 only) Due.]B. Nuclear Physics Oct. 20 Advances in Nuclear Physics.Oct. 25 Nuclear Power. HT8 [A6 Due.]Oct. 27 The Evolution of Particle Accelerators and High Energy Physics.Nov. 1 From the Particle Zoo to the Standard Model. HT9 R10 [A7 Due.]C. AstrophysicsNov. 3 Gravitational & Nuclear Physics (Local). HT10 CP7Stellar Astrophysics, Supernovae, Quasars, Black HolesNov. 8 Gravitational & Nuclear Physics (Global), Cosmology. HT11 CP5 [A8 Due. ] Big ScienceNov. 10 Big Science: The SSC and the HGP R11Nov. 15 Big Science: NASA’s Apollo Program R12 [A9 Due.]Nov. 17 Exam II Presentations:Nov. 29 Student PresentationsDec. 1 " "Dec. 6 " "Dec. 8 Closing Remarks, Course EvaluationLBST 304 Syllabus--3 of 5Required Texts:HT Robert Hazen and James Trefil, Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy (New York:Doubleday, 1991).CP Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch, The Golem: What You Should Know About Science (Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1998).K Evelyn Fox Keller, A Feeling for the Organism: The Life and Work of Barbara McClintock (NewYork: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1983).C Barbara Cline, Men Who Made a New Physics (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987).Cr Francis Crick, What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery (New York: BasicBooks, 1988).Palumbi, The Evolution Explosion (New York: Norton, 2001).Green, The Elegant Universe (New York: Norton, 1999).Gell-Mann, The Quark and the Jaguar (New York: Freeman, 1994).R Reader, available at Little Professor Books.Assessment:Each student’s performance will be assessed in four distinct ways: 1. Examinations. These will occur on Oct. 4 and Nov. 17. Each exam will include anidentification section, a short answer section, and an essay section. Each exam willaccount for 25% of your final grade.2. Final Project. A detailed description of this assignment will be distributed and discussed inclass on Sep. 1. You will be part of a group effort and will present your results to yourclassmates in the last weeks of the semester. All work related to the presentation willmake up 25% of your final grade. 3. Class Participation. Your contribution to the learning community includes discussion ofassigned reading and active engagement during your classmates’ presentations. Activeparticipation in all facets of the course will make up 15% of your final grade. 4. Writing Assignments. These are described on page 4 of the syllabus. They are designed tokeep you on track with the reading and to prepare you for the exams. They will not beformally graded. The writing assignments will make up 10% of your final grade.Absenteeism:The purpose of this course is to expose you to a variety of perspectives and issues in contemporaryscience. Excessive absenteeism will be disruptive to your ability to integrate the material presented. The class participation portion of your final grade will suffer dramatically if you are absent withoutcause more than twice in the course of the semester. Contact Information:I am here to help you do well in this course. I am available to help you during office hours and byappointment. Don’t hesitate to ask for an appointment—problems are easiest to resolve when they