Great Ideas in Science - Syllabus - Fall 2008 | PHYS 2018, Papers of Physics

Download Great Ideas in Science - Syllabus - Fall 2008 | PHYS 2018 and more Papers Physics in PDF only on Docsity! PHYS-2018-001: Great Ideas in Science Syllabus — Fall 2008 Course ID: PHYS-2018-001 Lecture Times: T R 12:45 p.m. – 2:05 p.m. Lecture Location: Yoakley Hall, Room 109 Lecturers: Dr. Donald Luttermoser, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy Dr. David Harker, Dept. of Philosophy Dr. Robert Gardner, Dept. of Mathematics Office Hours: by appointment Textbook: No Official Textbook is Required (Reading assignments will announced in class) Course Theme: GLOBAL CHANGES (Part 1) Course Outline Days Topics Lecturer August 26 Introduction Luttermoser & Harker How is Science Done? August 28 The Real Scientific Method Harker September 2, 4 Science & Pseudoscience Harker September 9, 11 How to Think about Science Harker September 16, 18 Student Projects — What is Meant by “Change?” September 23, 25 How Do Scientists Study/Explain Change? Harker & Luttermoser September 30, 2 Examples of Change: Global Warming Harker October 7, 9 Student Projects & Class Debate — October 14 Fall Break, No Class — Change in the Universe October 16 Thermodynamics: Equilibrium vs. Nonequilibrium Luttermoser & Harker October 21, 23 Entropy and the Arrow of Time Harker & Luttermoser October 28 Special Lecture: Two Centuries of Darwin Dr. Niall Shanks October 30 Conservation Laws and Change Luttermoser November 4, 6 The Mathematics of Geometry Gardner November 11, 13 The Expansion of the Universe Luttermoser November 18, 20 Galactic & Stellar Evolution Luttermoser November 25 Galactic & Stellar Evolution (cont.) Luttermoser November 27 Thanksgiving, No Class — December 2, 4 Student Projects — Page 1 PHYS-2018-001 Syllabus Page 2 For other university information, please consult the ETSU supplemental syllabus attachment at: http://www.etsu.edu/reg/academics/syllabus.aspx The web page for this course can be found at: http://www.etsu.edu/physics/lutter/courses/phys2018/index.htm Overview Great Ideas in Science is the first semester of a one-year honors course. GIS endeavors to introduce the student to the interdisciplinary side of science. Every year the “theme” of the course changes and for this 2008/2009 academic year, the theme of this course will be about global changes. This topic is very broad since it can encompass a variety of different sciences, hence this is a good theme to show interdisciplinary science. For this Fall 2008, we will discuss the concept of change is three broad areas or modules. First, we need to understand science’s role in explaining change that is seen in nature. For that, we need to understand the working mechanism of science: the scientific method. From this, we can see what it actually means to be a science and differentiate this from false science or pseudoscience. Then we will delve into the actual meaning of the word change, both the definition as used in science and the public’s perception of change. We will use a discussion of global warming as an example of change. The last module for this semester will focus on change on the grandest scale, change on the largest and slowest time scales, change in the Universe as a whole. This theme of global change will then continue in the Spring 2009 semester in Great Ideas in Science II (PHYS-2028). In that semester, the course will be separated into two main modules: Biological Evolution and Planet Earth Evolution. We are privileged to have an honored speaker in our class this Fall 2009 semester. Dr. Niall Shanks is the Curtis D. Gridley Distinguished Professor of History and Philosophy of Science in the Department of History at Wichita State University. Dr. Shanks was a faculty member in the Department of Philosophy here at ETSU and was heavily involved with the Honors Program while he was at ETSU. Dr. Shanks lecture topic, Two Centuries of Darwin, given on October 28th, will be very useful as preparation for the Biological Evolution module of PHYS-2028 in the Spring 2009 semester.