Earth, Body, and Mind: Changes in Scientific Thought
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Class Schedule and Readings: Spring 2019
Textbook: The Hunter-Gatherer Within: Health and the Natural Human Diet, Brock & Diggs, 2013.
Topic |
Reading |
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UNIT I: INTRODUCTION, PLATE TECTONICS, MASS EXTINCTION | |||
Feb | 4 | Introduction to Class; Does Science Matter? Science as a Way of Knowing; Science as a Candle in the Dark (Lecture) | Purposes & Overview; Naturalism |
6 | Plate Tectonics (Lecture) | Alfred Wegener; Geology: Plate Tectonics; Major Tectonic Plates of the World | |
8 | Plate Tectonics continued (Lecture & HWC video) | This Dynamic Earth | |
11 | Plate Tectonics continued (Kiluhea Video & Discussion) | Tsunami Graphics; Tsunami Information | |
13 | Mass Extinction; K-T Impact (Lecture) | K-T (or K-Pg) Event; Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event; Article on Permian Extinction; 2nd Permian Extinction Article, 3rd Permian Extinction Article, Ancient Crash, Epic Wave |
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15 | Unit 1 Exam | Example Exam for Unit 1 | |
UNIT II: THE DARWINIAN REVOLUTION | |||
18 | Pre-Darwinian Paradigms & The Darwinian Revolution: Evolution of a Paradigm Shift (Lecture) | Biology Before the Beagle (Gavin De Beer)---Moodle The Origin of Species (Introduction) (Charles Darwin); Principles of Geology (Charles Lyell)---Moodle | |
20 | The Darwinian Revolution (Continued) (Lecture & Discussion) | Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution; Evidence Supporting Biological Evolution | |
22 | Primate and Human Evolution | ||
25 | Primate and Human Evolution | Textbook Chapter 2 | |
27 | Human Evolution continued (Video) | Hobbit-Like Ancestor Found in Asia | |
Mar | 1 | Changes in Worldview; Sociobiology (Lecture) | The Boy Raised as a Girl; On Becoming Human---Moodle; The Brains of Gay Men---Moodle |
4 | Creationism (Lecture, Video, Discussion) | Seven Short Creationism Readings---Total of 11 pages (Farewell to Newton, Einstein, and Darwin; Creationism and the Age of the Earth; Does Evolution Conflict with Religious Belief?; Challenging Evolution Does Not Make Creationism Science; Creationists versus Evolution: The Issues; Evidence for Scientific Creationism?; Putting Darwin Back in the Dock)---Moodle; The Texas Debate Over Teaching Evolution; Sadly, An Honest Creationist | |
6 | Food: What's In It (Part 1) | Textbook Chapter 4 & 5 | |
8 | NO CLASS | ||
11-15 | Spring Break | ||
18 | Creationism cont. (Church video & discussion) | Intelligent Design? (an 8 page article including essays by both Intelligent Design proponents and Scientists)---Moodle; Five Major Misconceptions about Evolution | |
20 | Evolutionary Medicine; Intelligent Design?; Benevolent Design? (Lecture) | Textbook Chapters 1, 2 (you read this earlier), & 3; If Humans Were Built to Last---Moodle | |
22 | Molecular Evolution; The Irony of Knowledge; Evolution Summary (Lecture & Discussion) | ||
25 | Unit 2 Exam | ||
27 | Food: What's In It (Part 2) | Textbook Chapter 6 &7 | |
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UNIT III: THE ENVIRNOMENT: a) Body & b) World | |||
29 | Food and How Science Goes Wrong | Textbook Chapter 8 & Appendix 1 | |
Apr | 1 | Food Toxins: Plants Fight Back | Textbook Chapter 10 & Appendix 3 |
3 | Food: How the Body Works | Textbook Appendix 2 & Chapter 9 | |
5 | Diet, Health, & the College Student | Textbook Chapters 11, 13 & 14 | |
8 | The Environment An Overview (Lecture) | Endrocrine Disrupters, Tragedy of the Commons, 1602: Tragedy of the Commons, What are Ecosystem Services | |
10 | Ozone Depletion and Global Climate Change (Lecture) | Good News on the Ozone Hole; Global Warming Effects Around the World; 2014 Breaks Heat Record; 2015 is Hottest Year; How 2016 Became Earth's Hottest Year on Record; 2017 One of the Hottest Years | |
12 | Biodiversity and the Extinction Crisis (Lecture & Discussion) | Earth May Be in Early Days of 6th Mass Extinction | |
15 | Population-the Ultimate Environmental Problem (Lecture) | ||
17 | Unit 3 Exam | ||
UNIT IV: COGNITIVE SCIENCE | All readings for this unit will be posted on Moodle | ||
19 | Introduction, Philosophical Concerns, and Artificial Intelligence (Lecture) | ||
22 | Introduction to the Brain, and Damaged Brains Part 1 (Lecture) | ||
24 | Free Will (Lecture and Discussion) | ||
26 | Damaged Brains Part 2 (Lecture) | ||
29 | Sleep and the Brain (Lecture) | ||
May | 1 | Sex and the Brain Part 1(Lecture) | |
3 | Sex and the Brain Part 2 (Lecture & Discussion) | ||
6 | Videos | ||
8 | Animal Consciousness | ||
10 | Unit 4 Exam | ||
17 | FINAL EXAM (OPTIONAL) Friday, 122 pm |
All material on this page copyright 2019, George M. Diggs, Jr. & Kerry G. Brock