Alternative
Facts: The Undoing of Science in America
Professor Betsy
Sherman, Ph.D.
Teaching Assistant
Jorja Rose, BA, class of Ô18
Tues. and Fri. 10:00
am-11:50 am; Dickinson 148
There is a cult of
ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The
strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread
winding its way through our political and cultural life,
nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my
ignorance is just as good as your knowledge. (Isaac Asimov,
1980).
Does the recent U.S. election
suggest that the problem Asimov identified over 30 years ago
is more of concern than ever? In 1980, Asimov was writing
about the energized movement of the time in support of
Òcreation science,Ó a fallacious argument against evolution.
Little has changed in the intervening years in terms of the
acceptance of evolution by Americans. Depending on what poll
one reads, approximately 50% of Americans do not accept that
humans evolved from extinct primates, roughly the same
proportion that does not accept human-induced climate change.
Are peopleÕs political affiliations predictors of their views
on evolution, vaccines, GMOs, climate change, gay conversion
therapy, astrology, homeopathy? We will examine what science
is and is not and discuss the central importance of peer
review. We must all make decisions based on imperfect
knowledge and perhaps no one understands that better than
scientists. Central to this course will be an examination of
the impact of American anti-intellectualism on our ability to
govern ourselves democratically and on our capacity to use
science to lessen human suffering.
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR FINAL PRESENTATION: Dec. 12 an Dec. 15
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR FINAL REPORT: Dec. 15
God, religion
Natural
selection and Darwin's Finches
Mutations1
Mutations2
Mutations3
New
Face of Creationism
Defending
Intelligent Design
Views
on evolution: Pew Research Center
YouÕre
Not Going to Change Your Mind
Why
We Believe Obvious Untruths
Science
Denial Across the Political Divide- Liberals and Conservatives
Are Similarly Motivated to Deny
The
Optimism Bias by Tali Sharot: extract (newspaper)
The Optimism Bias (refereed journal)
Efforts to Eradicate Complex Academic Writing - The Atlantic
Is science simply a social construct?
A Physicist Experiments With Cultural Studies
Why Has
Critique Run out of Steam
Fear
of Scandalous Knowledge: Arguing About Coherence in Scientific
Theory and Practice
Climate
change
Climate change is
complex-NYT
U.S. Global Change
Research Program Climate Science Special Report 2017
Muzzling
scientists
Economy vs. science
Genes
and phenotype
Sociobiology
Sociobiology--another
biological determinism
Academic vigilantism
The
blank slate: the modern denial of human nature
A
biological understanding of human nature
Are
babies born good?
Evolution of alturism
Eugenics
Genetic determinism
Gender
Why
feminists must understand evolution
Meet
the alloparents
Classism
Privileged status of empiricism
Multinational
corporations
GMOs
Food
Mental health
Big pharma
New
technology
AI
Bioethics
CRISPR (gene editing)
What
do we do about it
Media
Education
PFOA
Other exemplars
Abstinence lobby and efficacy
Medical marijuana
Holistic medicine
Sexual conversion therapy
Astrology
Goals for the
work in this class
An understanding of
what science is
An understanding of
its limitations
How to approach a
science topic without technical knowledge
How to assess a
scientific argument
Living with
uncertainty and yet making decisions
Importance of
specificity in an argument
How to do research
(distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources)
Consider the role of
science in a democracy
REQUIREMENTS
1-attend all classes
and come prepared
What does it mean to come prepared (careful reading;
writing)?
2-participate in
class work and discussion
3-submit all written
work on time
4-generate your own
inquiries
Resources
University
of California at Berkeley-understanding science
Communicating
Science Effectively: A Research Agenda (2017) National
Academies of Science
Learning
to learn
Class comportment and common decency
It is important for all of us to
come together as a group interested in discussing problems in
science and society. Each of us is part of this
group, and as such, our behavior is not just about each of us as
individuals, but also about being members of a group.
Be respectful and
attentive. Do not arrive late, as it is disrespectful
and disruptive. Do not leave the room during class,
as it is disrespectful and disruptive. Plan your
time. Use the bathroom before class. Bring
water, tissues, lozenges, etc. with you. Do not engage in any
activity that you would avoid at a job interview (e.g. do not
pick your nose or skin, do not slouch, play with your hair, chew
on your nails, etc.) Turn off your cell phone before
coming to class. Do not surf the web or check your
email during class.
Class attendance is required. Plan your work. All
assignments must be submitted on time in order to pass this
class. Frequently I write assignments on the board or project
them in class so be prepared to write them down. If you must
miss a class, it is your responsibility to get the assignment
and find out from another student about missed work. If you plan
to miss class before or after Long Weekend or Thanksgiving,
either change your plans or do not take this
class. If you plan to miss the last class, either
change your plan, or do not take this class. An absence is an
absence with no distinction between excused and not.
The work is the thing.