Prof. Jonathan (Jackie) Brown
Office: Science 1201
Phone: x3096
Email: brownj@grinnell.edu
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COURSE DETAILS
Class Meetings:
Class will meet from 8:15 AM until 9:50 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Science 1420. Attendance and preparation for class is mandatory and will contribute to your participation grade for the course.
Office Hours: Mondays 8-10 AM
Tuesday 2-4 PM
Thursdays 10-11 AM
In addition, you may contact me for a 15-minute "writing appointment" on Thursday and Friday afternoons from 2-4 PM. You may sign up for an appointment if you wish to work on your writing; I will ask you to come in if I believe it is necessary.
Course overview:
Evolution is perhaps both the most influential and the most controversial development in science in the last 200 years. The ideas Charles Darwin laid out in his landmark work, On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection, have had a tumultuous history because they appear to confront culturally-embedded beliefs about the nature of humanity, as well as our relationship to other organisms. In this tutorial, we will consider what Darwin actually wrote about evolution and humanity, and compare that to how his ideas have been used, criticized, and adapted by others over the past 140 years. In particular, we will critically examine the influence of evolutionary ideas on four issues of enduring social importance: religious belief, race, gender and ethics.
An important note: My goal in this course is not to convince you that a certain view of evolution and humanity is correct. Since my research considers the evolution of organisms, I have strong views on how I think evolution has occurred. I am much less certain, however, about what this body of knowledge means to me as a human being, as a father, and as a member of a community. That's why I am teaching this course I want to confront my beliefs on these matters. My goal is also not to spend lots of time on the debate over whether evolution has occurred, although this viewpoint will certainly be considered. I hope you will realize that evolution has been, and will probably remain, at the center of important issues in our society. To achieve this understanding, we have to be willing to examine issues that make us uncomfortable and arguments that make us angry. If we exchange ideas freely and respectfully, it should be an exciting semester.
Readings
Readings for this course will consist of selections from a number of texts. Some are available only on reserve, some I will handout (since they are no longer protected by copyright), and some are in the required texts, which you should purchase from the bookstore:
Fulwiler and Hayakawa The College Writer's Reference
Pat Shipman--The Evolution of Racism.
A.S. Byatt -- Angels and Insects
Connie Barlow -- Evolution Extended
An overview of the reading assignments for the entire course is attached to this syllabus. Needless to say, you should carefully read each assignment before coming to class! Every Thursday, I will be giving you a handout - also posted on the class web page - with descriptions of readings for the following week, focus questions, and any writing assignments. The focus questions should help guide your reading, and I expect you to have formulated answers to the questions before you come to class. In addition, you are required to send me one discussion question about the reading(s) before each class, due before 7:30 am on the day of class. There is a link on the class web page to a form in which you can type your question. I will use your questions, as well as my own, to structure our discussion of the readings. To summarize, before each class you should:
1. Carefully read the assignment.
2. Write out answers to the focus questions (I might ask you to
read them aloud!).
3. Send me a question for class discussion by 7:30am on the day
of class.
What you get out of this course, both intellectually and in terms of grade, depends on your regular preparation for class.
Writing
One of the primary goals of this course is to develop your ability to communicate your ideas through writing. For this reason, there will a writing assignment every week, typically due on Tuesday by 1 pm. I am willing to read drafts of your assignments if they are handed in on Thursday, or if you bring them to a Thursday-Friday writing appointment. On Mondays, I'll only look at rewrites of drafts I've already seen. What's the message here? Even short pieces of writing need to be started well ahead of the due date! I have very high expectations of you, which you can realize if you come to class prepared and work regularly on your writing assignments.
Types of writing assignments:
Notes: These are 1-2 paragraph (< 1 page) responses to the focus questions generated by the class or by me. They are a good way to make sure you understand the issues and to work on developing effective arguments. Writing and revising these should help you practice the art of answering "essay questions" on exams in many classes. You'll have five Notes due.
Essays: In these assignments, you will develop a specific idea of your own about the course material. Writing an essay is a good way to come to grips with your opinions about the texts and the general subject, but also a good time to pay attention to the structure of your writing. We will start with 1-page essays, and work up to 3-page essays later in the course. I want you to "make every word count," so I won't let you write longer papers until you are able to write a good 1-page essay. You'll have five essays to complete.
Speech: You'll write a short speech in order to explore the relationship between written and formal oral communication. You'll also deliver an oral presentation on a research project.
All writing assignments should be typed using a word processor (for easy revision), double-spaced with at least 1" margins, and printed on a laser-quality printer using a proportional font I prefer Times 12 point. Do not forget to put your name and page numbers on each paper.
I will accept late papers with a penalty of one letter-grade per 24 hours or portion thereof. These penalties will be waved with documentation of illness from the health center. Note, however, that assignments or exams in other classes, while they may make you feel ill, will not make you eligible for an extension. PLAN AHEAD!
Grades
Your grade in this course will be based on my evaluation of your participation in the class discussions (25%), your five Notes (10 %), your five essays (50 %), your oral presentation (10%) and your speech (5%). When deciding on your final grade for the course, I will also take into consideration how you have improved from the beginning by dropping the lowest score on an assignment from the first half of the semester. I do not grade on a curve (in any class) thus, you are not in competition with the other members of the class.