Science in Culture and Society (GE)

Catalog description

Instructional Method: Three hours lecture. Prerequisites: Three credit hours of any R-designated introductory course. This course is designed to place science in a societal context and explore how science, society, and culture influence each other. Students will learn about the process of scientific discovery and the roles of uncertainty, replication, and consensus in the scientific process, as well as how this process is sometimes misconstrued in societal debates involving science. Students will practice identifying, evaluating, and constructing evidence-based arguments and differentiating science from pseudoscience and anecdotal evidence. The course will also explore ways that societal discourse shapes future scientific inquiry, as well as sources of bias in both scientific practice itself and in later reinterpretation of scientific evidence by other groups. Throughout the course, current topics of societal importance in which scientific knowledge plays an important role will be used for context. Students will evaluate current media presentations and statements by public figures on these topics to practice scientific literacy and critical thinking skills. REAL Area R Note(s): General Education and Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning designated course.