FALL 2007 HONORS COURSES

HONR 269X Faith in Science: Interactions Between Science and Religion
Tuesday/Thursday, 2:00-3:15 p.m.
Dr. Rajarshi Roy, Director, Institute for Physical Science and Technology

Science and technology have initiated great changes in how humans view the world and their place in the universe, radically altered the way in which nations interact and negotiate with each other, and changed the way in which we live our lives every day.

This course will provide a framework to understand advances in modern science and technology and their impact on the role of faith in our lives, as well as to address the very relevant inverse question: how does our religious background shape advances in science and technology?

We will examine the nature of faith and explore the question–why do we have faith in science? Is the nature of this faith fundamentally different from our faith in God? What kinds of questions do science and religion address? How are the answers to these questions relevant to how we live our lives and interact with each other and the world around us?

The format of this course will consist of discussions and lectures on topics of fundamental importance in modern science and religion and how they influence each other.

The first quarter of the course will be a study of Michael Polanyi’s book, guided by the instructor, with discussions every week. This part of the course will focus on science and how it progresses, with illustrations from different fields.

We will then begin a study of the major world religions and information on the associated faith and organization, based on Huston Smith’s book. The classes will be a combination of study and discussions. About half of the classes in the semester will consist of visits by guest speakers. The visits by guests will be scheduled depending on their availability and coordinated with the study of different faiths during the semester. These will be by a scientific leader or technological innovator (from the university, from industry, or national laboratories), followed by a discussion and question session in the next class. The lecturer will introduce a scientific topic and trace its impact on society, in different parts of the world at different times, depending on their background and knowledge.

The last part of the course will consist of class presentations by students on their research papers and questions and discussion.

Assignments include: Weekly one-page papers and a class presentation.

Texts: Michael Polanyi, Science, Faith and Society (1964) and Huston Smith, The World’s Religions (1991).

CORE—Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues [IE]