SCI-301 Science and Society: Syllabus (Spring 2009)

Course description:

The Science and Society course explores some of the most pressing science issues facing the human condition today. Through lectures, readings, and discussions, the class will explore such issues as climate change, alternative energy, genetic engineering, emerging infectious diseases, and the overall forecast for the human condition in the next several decades. Students will gain a greater appreciation of how science can inform policies that will shape our society, and will better recognize the limitations of our current knowledge in predicting how modern technology will shape the human condition in the future.

Instructor information:

Dr. Damon A. Chaky
Assistant Professor, Department of Math and Science

URL: http://pratt.edu/~dchaky
E-mail: dchaky@pratt.edu
Phone: 718-636-3762
    x 3762 from the Brooklyn campus

Office: ARC Lower Level G-43
Office Hours:
    Tuesday 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
    Wednesday 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
    OR BY APPOINTMENT

E-mail is the best (and preferred) way to reach me for a question or to schedule an appointment outside of class.

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Class meeting time:

Monday 2 pm – 4:50 pm in Engineering 108

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Course goals:

By taking this course, you will...

• develop a "scientific literacy" of some of the most pressing issues facing the human condition today
• become familiar with some of the major scientific issues that will affect our society within the next several decades
• gain a greater appreciation of how science can inform policies that will shape our society
• recognize some of the limits of our knowledge when predicting how modern technology will affect the human condition

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Learning objectives:

By the end of this course, you should be able to...

• describe the major natural and anthropogenic factors that can influence our climate, and have a general sense of our level of scientific understanding of each; apply your knowledge and propose/debate possible societal responses to global climate change
• use qualitative and quantitative arguments to address issues of resource conservation and the pursuit of alternative energy technologies
• understand global/national trends in resource consumption, and apply your knowledge to describe how society might adapt as resources run out
• describe and evaluate the possible concerns and possible benefits of genetically modified food
• describe the risks posed by emerging infectious disease, and how scientific research may be incorporated into a societal response
• describe and debate the potential risks and achievable benefits of genetic engineering and emerging nano-scale technologies
• describe and debate how knowledge gained from space exploration may impact the human condition
• describe the time scales of the risks posed by various weapons of mass destruction
• describe how science is revealing the connections between our brains, our perception and behavior, and understand the significance and implications of this knowledge
• distinguish science from pseudoscience in examples of popular advertising and media
• describe how human health may be impacted by toxic materials, and describe what factors contribute to toxicity
• describe the potential benefits of green design, and debate how green design can actually be achieved

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Course content:

Consult the course website (http://LMS.pratt.edu/) for the readings that accompany each week's material. To protect copyright, you will need to authenticate with a username and password to gain access to readings and some assignment materials.

Remember: There will be a short quiz at the beginning of class each week!

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Course requirements:

Textbooks, readings, and materials:

• You do not have to purchase any reading material for this course. All required readings will be available through the course website on Pratt's Learning Management System
   
  Course readings will include book chapters, government reports, articles from peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science, Nature), mass-market science periodicals (e.g. Scientific American), and recent articles in the popular press. These articles will be posted as PDFs or made otherwise accessible from the main course site. To protect copyright, you will need to authenticate with a username and password to gain access to readings.
   
  

Projects(s), paper(s), assignment(s)

• Readings (available on the website) are to be read BEFORE coming to class.
• There will be a short quiz at the BEGINNING of class each week to test your understanding of the readings AND the preceding material.
• Participation is heavily weighted in this course. All students are expected to contribute to classroom discussion at every class meeting.
• Two reflection papers — one at mid-semester and one at the end of the semester — are required; the topic of each must be approved by me in advance. A project (e.g. a painting, graphic novel, video essay, animation, etc.) may be substituted in place of either paper with prior approval. Expectations and assessment guidelines will be posted on the course website in advance of the due date.
• A comprehensive final exam will be given in class during the last week of the semester.

Assessment and Grading:

• 20% Weekly quizzes
• 20% Participation
• 20% Midterm reflection paper/project
• 20% Final reflection paper/project
• 20% Final exam

There are NO opportunities for extra credit.

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Policies:

• Students must adhere to all Institute-wide policies listed in the Bulletin under "Community Standards" and which include policies on attendance, academic integrity, plagiarism, computer, and network use. Please see http://www.pratt.edu/policies (click on Judicial Procedures) for policies and procedures for handling academic conduct issues.
• Those who require special accommodations for disabilities must obtain clearance from the Office of Disability Services at the beginning of the semester. Please contact Mai McDonald, Disability Services Coordinator, in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Main Building, Lower Level: 718-636-3711. See http://www.pratt.edu/disabilityservices/ for more information
• On-time attendance at each class meeting is expected. Partial attendance, i.e. lateness or early departure, will each count as one-half an absence if not excused in advance.
• Three absences will lower the final letter grade in the course by one full grade, four absences by two grades, and five absences will result in failure. If all absences are excused by Health and Counseling Services, special arrangements will be made.
• It is expected that students will check the course website on Pratt's Learning Management System to download readings, check guidelines for assignments, and check course announcements.
• It is expected that students will obtain a Pratt e-mail address and check this mailbox for official course communication.
• Late assignments will be reduced by one full grade per each day late. Late assignments will only be accepted at the discretion of the instructor (i.e., in very unusual circumstances and/or arranged well in advance).

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