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S.95-25
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
OFFICE OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT, ACADEMIC ?
MEMORANDUM
To: ?
Senate
From: ?
J.
M. Munro, Chair
Senate Committee on Academic Planning
Subject ?
University College of the Fraser Valley -
Science 400
Date:
?
March 13, 1995
Action undertaken by the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies and the Senate
Committee on Academic Planning gives rise to the following motion:
Motion:
"That Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors,
as set forth in S.95
-25,
the following new course to be offered at
the University College of the Fraser Valley:
Science 400 History and Philosophy of Science."
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O ?
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
MEMORANDUM ? .
To: A. Watt
?
From: C.H.W. Jones, Dea
Secretary to SCAP
?
Faculty
of Science
Subject: UCFV Science 400
?
Date:
March 2, 1995
The University College of the Fraser Valley offers an SFU B.Sc. degree in
partnership with the Faculty of Science. As a required component of that programme,
UCFV has proposed a course entitled the History and Philosophy of Science, which
students will take at the upper division. This course was approved for offering at UCFV
by our Faculty of Science Undergraduate Curriculum Committee on November 30,
1994 and by the Faculty at a meeting held on February 28, 1995. In order to facilitate
a rapid consideration of this proposal it was forwarded to SCUS in January and
received approval by that committee on January 10, 1995. The proposal is now
forwarded to SCAP for its consideration.
S
C.H.W. Jones
CHWJ :ln :Encl.
r
I.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF THE FRASER VALLEY
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?
COURSE INFORMATION
DEPARTMENT: NATURAL SCiENCE
?
DATE: June 1994 ?
•
Science 400
?
History and
p hiloso p h y
of Science ?
3
NAME
&
NUMBER OF COURSE
?
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
?
UCFV CREDIT
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION:
This course is a required course in the B.Sc. program and is meant to
be taken in the fourth year of the program. The course reflects on the nature of science and the way
advances are made. The course examines scientific disputes and achievements: it explores science as a
product and producer of history and culture. It examines what science is and what it is not, and what the
responsibilities are of science and scientists to society.
COURSE PREREQUISIThS: 80
credits applicable toward a B.Sc. degree
COURSE COREQUISITES
Students should be enrolled in the fourth year of a B.Sc. degree program.
HOURS PER TERM
?
Lecture ?
39 hrs
?
Student Directed
FOR EACH
?
Laboratory ?
hrs ?
Learning ?
hrs
STUDENT ?
Seminar ?
hrs ?
Other - specify: -
?
Field Experience
?
-hrs ?
_____________ ?
hrs
TOTAL ?
HRS
UCFV CREDIT ?
UCFV CREDIT
[J ?
NON-CREDIT
0
TRANSFER
?
NON-TRANSFER
TRANSFER STATUS (Equivalent, Unassigned, Other Details)
UBC credits
SFU credits
UVIC units
UNBC credits
OLA credits
Lillian Martin/Moira
Gutteride ?
- J.D. TIJNSTALL Ph.D.
COURSE DESIGNER ?
DEAN OF ACADEMIC STUDIES
OUTU93/101DD
IN
Page 2 o[4
-Science 400
th1COE
COURSES FOR WHICH THIS IS
A ?
I ?
RELATED COURSES
PREREQULSITE:
None
?
All courses in the science degree program
TEXTBOOKS. REFERENCES, MATERIALS (List reading resources elsewhere)
TEXTS: Cou.rsepack of readings: contemporary sources in philosophy of science; readings on the history
and philosophy of a classic scientific dispute such as Darwinism; readings on gender issues in science;
readings on social and cultural impact of science. Reading on a contempory scientific dispute, researched
by students, using newspapers, scientific periodicals, and government documents.
OBJECTIVES: The course is designed to give students an understanding of how scientists know what they
know. Students will examine the ways in which science influences and is influenced by the society and
world around
it,
and of the consequences for their own roles as scientists. Students should come away with
questions, and with the ways to deal with those questions. By the end of the course, each student should be
able to demonstrate sensitivity to the variety of world-views within which science must operate and to the
social and professional pressures under which scientists must function. Each student should he aware of
Iftior
controversies, trends, influences, and theories about what science is and be able to evaluate competing
ews. Each student should have developed an ethical position which clarifies his or her professional roles
and responsibility.
METHODS: Students will examine one historical and one contemporary scientific dispute in detail, as a
means to explore scientific controversy and understand
it
with in its social, historical, and philosophical
context.
The course will provide a central strand of lectures, panel discussions, class presentations, and
seminars organized around the major themes of the course. One instructor will be responsible for
co-ordinating the course, arranging the lectures or discussions, and leading the seminars. Members
of the science faculty or visiting scientists will serve as lecturers or panelists to examine the nature
and depth of theoretical disagreements in science. Science faculty may also serve as advisors on
individual projects and papers in their fields of expertise. The lectures and panel discussions will
expose students to a variety of scientific and philosophical perspectives, by giving students an
opportunity to hear their instructors and other guest speakers reflect on the nature of science and on
the puzzles and concerns they have faced as scientists. Members of the philosophy and history
faculty will introduce students to key concepts in the philosophy and history of science, and lead
students through the analysis of a historical dispute such as Darwinism. The course co-ordinator
will be responsible for directing seminar discussions to provide for reflection on and evaluation of
these perspectives.
Students will select, research, report on, and analyze a contemporary scientific dispute, paralleling
what they learn in examining the historical dispute.
STUDENT EVALUATION PROCEDURE:
30% 2-3 seminar presentations
45%
3 written reports/essays, including a literature review and one essay on an ethical issue
25%
l term paper or final exam
Page 3 of 4
Science 400
'TAME & NUMBER OF COURSE
Q1JR
5E
CONTENT
T
he first few weeks of the course will provide an overview of the different philosophical approaches to
science: reductionism, realism, conventionalism, followed by a historical perspective on the 2nd stage of the
industrial revolution as scientific and social revolution.
The remainder of the course will explore one historical scientific dispute in detail examining the
theoretical dispute and using it as a vehicle to explore four key themes:
1.
Cultural Perspectives of Proress
This would be a presentation of competing perspectives on the value of science.
Strong proponents of the scientific method would speak to how science answers questions
about how natural phenomena work and how science has led to progress. Others will
question why we need such answers; why should we care. These questions will be put in
the context of alternate views of progress held by others cultures.
2.
Scientific Controversies - Historical and Present Day
Hopefully, students will come to understand that scientific progress is not linear, but rather
progress is achieved not only by bringing forth new ideas but also by discarding old ones,
no matter how well established they are, if they don't agree with observation.
One focus of this section could be on historical and present day concepts of disease.
Historical examples include 19th century ideas of nostalgia, kleptomania and hysteria; more
modern ones are chronic fatigue syndrome, causes of AIDS and mental illness.
Other
controversies include the phlogiston theory, the caloric, the ether, the heliocentric solar
system, cold fusion, polywater, dark matter, global warming, the big bang theory and birth
control.
3.
Social Controversies that are Responses to Scientific Issues
The purpose here is to allow students to achieve some understanding of how science impacts
on society and of the social responsibility of the scientist. Historical issues could include;
IQ and
race, the thalidomide tragedy and its aftermath, alchemy, and cultural iinperialisn
and
the denial of pagan knowledge. Current issues include, genetic engineering, water
purification, fertility issues, breast cancer studies and nuclear power.
4. ?
Gender Issues in Science
We will study why science has generally been a male prerogative and how this has
influenced the way science is done. Also we will study the historical contributions of
women which are now becoming more recognized and current trends such as ecofeminism
Paralleling this discussion, students will choose from a list of contemporary disputes
(selected according to availability of resource people and library material) and will explore
this dispute together through readings, presentations and discussions, analyzing it using all
the major themes of the course.
A/.
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Page
4 of 4
0c.i!ice
40O ?
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NAME & NUMBER OF COURSE
Format/Sequence:
13 weeks, 26 90-minute sessions: either 30 minute lecture followed by discussion, or alternating 90-
minute lecture/panel discussion and 90-minute semin-r.
We will concentrate on each of the 4 theme units for 3
weeks/6
sessions each, with each theme
being explored by ways which raise historical, cultural, and ethical issues.
Instructor:
The course will be overseen by Moira Gutieridge who would be present for all lectures and/or panel
discussion and seminars. She would present the introduction to philosophy of science. She would
be responsible for ensuring the continuity and focus of the course. Eric Davis would present the
historical perspective.
Other resource people will be drawn from our science and mathematics departments as well as
anthropology and political science for example, Lillian Martin on gender issues in science, Kathleen
Lawry on eco-feminism and environmental issues, Rob Woodside and/or George McGuire on
historical scientific controversies.
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