FALL 2007 HONORS COURSES

HONR 228A Science and Pseudoscience
Monday/Wednesday, 4:00-5:15 p.m.
Daniel W. Denman, Senior Lecturer in University Honors; Associate Director, Research Programs, Office of Information Technology

Every day we encounter remarkable claims–from the properties of black holes to the existence of ESP to recent sightings of Elvis. Modern science has been responsible for many seeming miracles, resulting sometimes in a blurred distinction between the proven, the sought after, and the fantasy. Newspapers, magazines, and TV often report sensational, mind-grabbing stories as if they were established fact. As consumers of this information, how can we sort out the useful from the bogus?

This seminar will explore some of the features which distinguish scientific methodology from pseudoscience. Through a variety of readings we will look back at the history of spiritualism and at modern parapsychological research, at controversial healing practices old and new, at "creation science," and at other extraordinary claims which class members may wish to examine. We will address mechanisms of belief, perception, and deception, to better appreciate why intelligent people sometimes make colossal errors of judgment. The main emphasis is not on giving pat explanations for alleged events–weird claims are our starting point–but the real purpose of the course is to develop an understanding of what constitutes scientific proof, rigor, and evidence.

Basic scientific literacy is presumed, but the emphasis will be on scientific methodology and process rather than on particular facts. An extensive scientific background is not required; an intention to think analytically and critically is the only prerequisite. One section of this course will address design of experiments and will emphasize probability and statistical thinking with a minimum of computation. We will examine historical experiments as well as propose new experiments to test weird or extraordinary claims; as a class we will critique the experimental designs to examine the potential strengths, weaknesses, and hidden traps. Class discussions will be organized around a series of readings and guest speakers. Requirements include class participation, several short assignments, the design of an experiment for class discussion, and a final paper.

Readings:
In addition to the main texts, there will be numerous readings ranging from scientific articles to the popular press.

CORE–Math and Formal Reasoning [MS]